4:30 a.m. Wakeups...

Too many cupboards in the kitchen.




Luna used to wake us up at 4:30 a.m.
She hops on MY side of the bed
sticks her face close to mine,
and bounces her nose against mine several times...
One hour before I needed to be awake for work.
Now, between jobs, she has acclimated to waking us
at 5:30 for a few days,
at 6:45 one morning,
at 7:30 yesterday...
And today? I got up without a wake-up call.
She's mellowed out to a good-kitty level.




Other around the house changes:

Soon To Travel Home

I am hoping soon
to add photographs
of my hometown
and friends/family,
but have been limited
lately,
with my access
to the internet.

Plans for heading home
(gosh, that sounds nice!)
are going well.

The home we have known
for 20+ years is shaping up
and glowing with new paint,
shiny wood floors,
and some new fixtures.
We will put the
"For Sale"
sign out this weekend,
and hope for a few friends,
and friends-of-friends
to pass through the halls
and admire the home's 1928 style.

Final packing has commenced.
And we are using USPS
to mail some very
unusual
items to friends in far-off places.
-Anna, we hope
you and Adam enjoy
the fencing masks
and foils
in Anchorage!
-Terry & Judy,
I could think of
no better place
for my collection of
flamingos -
than Florida!

Can we pack everything
we need
into a single room?
Or
into a single truck?
Or
into a single pod?

Yes,
I think we can
and will.
M

Countdown

Less than a month to clear out the old
and welcome the new.
Friends, family and strangers,
(we love "Craig's List!)
have gone above and beyond
to help us in our quest
to lighten our load
and simplify our lives
before our permanent move out west.
Thank you everyone!
Our shoulders are feeling the fun
of stripping wallpaper,
washing walls,
packing and carrying boxes,
and our brains are spinning
with the amount of STUFF
we have accumulated over 20+ years.

Anyone needing
more STUFF in their lives
should give us a call - we have plenty left to go!
M & J

Simplify

Simplify...

Simplify:
A classic 1929 two bedroom bungalow with oak floors, fireplace,
built-in bookcases and desk, two-car garage, central A/C,
and all appliances....




Simplify:
All furniture, most kitchen supplies, camping and sports equipment,
electronics, framed art, some tools...90% of what is IN our house needs to go, too!



Dining table/chairs - SOLD

$50 Entertainment center: 54" High, 50" Wide, 19.5" Deep,

with TV area: 24" High x 29" Wide. - Still available!

Couch and coffee table - SOLD

Some stereo equipment... still available

Oak office chair - SOLD

(2) filing cabinets - SOLD

We hope to completely "simplify" before the end of January.



Leave a comment, send an email, or give us a call
if you or someone you know could be a part of our "Simplify 2009".

Thank you - everyone - for your help.

M & J

Favorites...Cleaning?!

Favorite way to clean house?







My new Swiffer-cat Sweeper...

Favorites...

Favorites so far...
Elizabeth said...
Favorite Holiday - Halloween!
Favorite Snack - REAL Popcorn (no microwave crap) with real butter and that Cheddary Cheese sprinkle (or parmesan),eaten on the sofa with Colin (who made it!) and a Jim Beam and Soda.
Favorite Date Night - Wandering through art galleries or antique shops (on the night of the month when they are open late) then going to dinner after.
Favorite Girl Night Out - Anything involving pitchers of Sangria!
Favorite Christmas Gift - Jewelry!
Favorite exercise - Hiking in a beautiful place (with Colin, who always carries the day pack)Favorite Dessert Food - Homemade Chewy Chocolate Chip cookies (not the non-homemade ones. They always taste weird.
Favorite Place to go On Vacation - Any place with my sister Mary and her husband Jay
Favorite way to communicate - Letters and postcards!
Favorite Collectibles - Postcards friends send to me!
Favorite thing to do when no one else is around - Sing really loud and dance around to the stereo
December 8, 2008 8:24 AM
Anonymous said...
Song (actually pretty much post holiday)--Go tell it on the Mountain
Food--Swedish heirloom cookies
activity--baking with my mom or back in the day, going to State Street, Chicago Marshal Fields to see the windows decorated for Christmas and all the other assorted decorations.
December 8, 2008 8:36 AM
Anonymous said...
Watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas and singing along to the Grinch song.
Watching A Charlie Brown Christmas
Remembering family roots with a Swedish Christmas Eve dinner. (But we cut out the lutefisk!) Baking.
Songs: In the bleak midwinter / Holly & the Ivy / A Cherry Tree Carol (Old English/Celtic songs you don't hear much anymore) and, for lighter fare: The pagan and the Christian(a very funny song by Dar Williams)
Lisa
December 8, 2008 4:00 PM
Anonymous said...
I love Christmas carols, especially Carol of the Bells and
I have fond memories of singing Come, oh come, Emmanuel
in the choir loft as a kid as well as the other traditional ones.
Our food tradition has evolved over the years
since we usually celebrate with our kids
instead of the huge extended family gatherings
we attended as kids.
It wouldn't be Christmas without a Heavenly Ham
and then Mike making his famous, secret recipe,
potato soup with the bone!
Sometime we will watch A Christmas Story so we can laugh together.
(You'll shoot your eye out!)
~Ruth
December 11, 2008 1:56 PM
mistyeyed said...
Favorite song: always been partial Silver Bells
Favorite Food: Pecan Pie
Favorite Activity: The card game after dinner (family tradition)
Favorite Show: Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer (the one with the land of misfit toys).
Misty

Favorites

What is your favorite holiday season song?
Food?
Activity?

Let's see how many ideas we get before the end of December...
Send a comment and I'll post it.

(Maybe we can vote for the best...?)
M

Missed Mountains

I arrived at the Albuquerque Airport yesterday afternoon
as the sun was settling over the surrounding mountains,
turning the clouds and the snow-covered peaks
an unusual shade of pink and purple.
I've missed this state;
feels good to take a deep breath at 7,00 feet,
and have pizza with our neighbor,
and travel around neighborhoods where I feel at home,
and enjoy the views
of those amazing mountains again.
Hello New Mexico.
You've been missed.
M

February & March Favorites

April, May & June Favorites...

July & August Favorites

Nine Months in Santa Fe: List of Favorites

September & October Choices:

Lizard House

The hummingbirds have begun migrating
and we have brought their feeders in for the season.
But today...




A lizard in the house.