Sunshine. Clear blue skies. Flowers. Birds. No jackets or scarves!
What’re you doing with your Summer?
Yes, it can get hot, but Fibro can be a bear any Season, so let’s stay cool and focus on all its’ positives.
Have you had your special vacation or is it still to come?
Are you embarking on a home decorating project?
Perhaps spending time with family at picnics or the beach?
I have a vacation coming and it involves me, some great books, my gel pillow, a slow-moving train and the rolling hills of Vermont!
Please share your Summertime stories.
My oldest son is remodelling my basement so that when my youngest son brings my new grandson down the end of the month they have an apartment to stay in so there is less stress on me. For some reason they think having a 3 year-old running around chasing a 1 year old might be a little stressful if I have to deal with it full time for two weeks. He also has to put a fence around the bee hive. Not to protect the kid but to protect the bees.
I had a fantastic family reunion in June with people whom I barely knew but who felt just like long-lost siblings to me. We had a cook out, shared old family photos and stories, talked about our current lives, hugged and said we wanted to do it again next year. And I hope we do.
My mother is currently visiting us and we are going to a very local, small time fireworks display. When I was younger, I used to go to the jam packed bank of the Charles River and listen to the Boston Pops with Arthur Fiedler conducting while watching the beautiful firework displays over the Charles. There are local firework displays right around the corner from my house on "Paddy Heights" (so named because the Irish used to live tgere while the Italians lived in my neighborhood, down in the valley.) I think we'll be going there, as it's less busy.
My birthday is coming up so we'll go out with some friends and celebrate.
What about you guys? I hope you have some nice things lined up for the summer! Sure beats dragging through the winter...unless you live in the part of the South that hets those days of high heat and humidity. So let us know what you are up to!
That's wonderful, Doggie! You must be so excited to see him and the rest of the family. Do you have any plans about where you'll go out - if you go out?
doggie said:
My oldest son is remodelling my basement so that when my youngest son brings my new grandson down the end of the month they have an apartment to stay in so there is less stress on me. For some reason they think having a 3 year-old running around chasing a 1 year old might be a little stressful if I have to deal with it full time for two weeks. He also has to put a fence around the bee hive. Not to protect the kid but to protect the bees.
Since the youngest will be having his first birthday while they are here, we are having a party. We are using the churches fellowship room and ordering from a caterer so there will be less work. Since I'm not sure if I'll be out of the wheelchair by then we don't know what all we will do.We are thinking about the museum. Of course he will be spending time visiting some of his friends so I won't have them all to myself the full time.
Well my hubby is working all summer and we are planning on going camping on our weekends off. I will be going to the lake with one of my friends for a week in august to relax by water, boating, quadding and having great conversation with friends. Also enjoying the heat. But i do have to be careful due to a accident i had a week ago. i have to watch how much sun i get otherwise i over heat. I am excited because its a break away from stress and my cell phone. so i am able to look after myself.
everyones post are awesome to read. so many different things happening.
Doggie you sound like you have a busy summer ahead. It sounds wonderful. I spent 24 years as a nanny for newborns to four year olds. Babies are heaven. Baltimore Baby. Your vacation sounds divine. I've always wanted to take a trip by train. Denver is a huge hub for train activity gets my romantic travel thoughts brewing. Petunia, we haven't had a family reunion since we lost Gran. I miss them even though I didn't know who half the people were. They always seemed to know me. It was fun to be surrounded by family.
The rest of my summer is going to be a life changing adventure. I live with my Mom she's my hero, rock so forth. Also my care taker. I sympathize with you Doggie. I've been in a chair for about six years now. It's a daily frustration. Two years ago I was blessed to get a Mobility Dog however. My Dancer girl a 70 lb boxer is my best bud. Anyway. Mom retires in three weeks after twenty as a bank teller/ supervisor. With her pension, retirement and my S.S.D. we are selling out and moving from Denver to Savannah Ga. The last two weeks in Aug we are flying down there to house hunt. Our house here goes on the market in two weeks. The average selling time here is three weeks. So we might end up living in a hotel for a while. Me , Mom, 70 lb dog and 5 lb pom with a bad attitude. Why Ga? It's coastal. The weather is fairly even year round. I can't live through another Denver winter. This last one put me in the hospital five times. Lungs, legs, spinal pain. My Doc tells me sea level should help balance that. Also the economy is so much better there. We should be able to sell our present house, pay off what we still owe on it. Pay off my new wheelchair van, the rest of our small amount of debt. We try to live debt free ,and still buy a better house outright for cash in Savannah. One with enough land to build a tiny house to rent out for income in the tourist season. If you can't tell this mountain bred city girl , raised in a city of over a million people is excited. Savannah just topped 150 K. We'll be ten minutes from the beach , two hours from Charleston and be able to explore the east coast . Something I've always wanted to do.
My Daddy died of M.S. near 20 yrs ago after being sick for nearly that long. For the last decade plus of his life he hid away waiting to die. Due to that so did my Mom. She stayed at his side letting the world pass her by. I don't intend to do that. I don't intend to let Mom miss anymore life. My M.S. is progressive. Each years I show more deterioration. I'm going to enjoy life to the last. I'm going to teach Mom to be brave and show her the world. My fibro kicks the crap out of me daily. At the moment I just took my morning dose of Cymbalta, tramadol and tizanidine. That gets me out of bed until 10:30. I'm feeling happy and clear headed this morning so let's kick some butt. Find your personal battle cry , we all need one. Mine is : Roar like a lion when you feel like a mouse. Good morning all have a blessed day. Dancer and I have things to pack.
You are a very courages lady. Since your house is wheelchair friendly and not to far from Denver I would love to maybe have a chance to look at it. We are looking at moving into a house that is more wheelchair friendly. One thing is that if we did buy it then you would be able to stay there until you moved since we wouldn't be ready to move until the end of August. Since we would be paying cash there would be no waiting for bank approval or any of that stuff.
It is a great idea to be able to get totally our of debt. I'm very thankful that when we got married 36 years ago we agreed that we would always live below our means so that we could save and not have to worry about emergencies. It has worked well for us. The freedom of no debt is fantastic. I'll be praying that you love your new home. I don't hink I could leave Colorado again.
Rollinglegs said:
Doggie you sound like you have a busy summer ahead. It sounds wonderful. I spent 24 years as a nanny for newborns to four year olds. Babies are heaven. Baltimore Baby. Your vacation sounds divine. I've always wanted to take a trip by train. Denver is a huge hub for train activity gets my romantic travel thoughts brewing. Petunia, we haven't had a family reunion since we lost Gran. I miss them even though I didn't know who half the people were. They always seemed to know me. It was fun to be surrounded by family.
The rest of my summer is going to be a life changing adventure. I live with my Mom she's my hero, rock so forth. Also my care taker. I sympathize with you Doggie. I've been in a chair for about six years now. It's a daily frustration. Two years ago I was blessed to get a Mobility Dog however. My Dancer girl a 70 lb boxer is my best bud. Anyway. Mom retires in three weeks after twenty as a bank teller/ supervisor. With her pension, retirement and my S.S.D. we are selling out and moving from Denver to Savannah Ga. The last two weeks in Aug we are flying down there to house hunt. Our house here goes on the market in two weeks. The average selling time here is three weeks. So we might end up living in a hotel for a while. Me , Mom, 70 lb dog and 5 lb pom with a bad attitude. Why Ga? It's coastal. The weather is fairly even year round. I can't live through another Denver winter. This last one put me in the hospital five times. Lungs, legs, spinal pain. My Doc tells me sea level should help balance that. Also the economy is so much better there. We should be able to sell our present house, pay off what we still owe on it. Pay off my new wheelchair van, the rest of our small amount of debt. We try to live debt free ,and still buy a better house outright for cash in Savannah. One with enough land to build a tiny house to rent out for income in the tourist season. If you can't tell this mountain bred city girl , raised in a city of over a million people is excited. Savannah just topped 150 K. We'll be ten minutes from the beach , two hours from Charleston and be able to explore the east coast . Something I've always wanted to do.
My Daddy died of M.S. near 20 yrs ago after being sick for nearly that long. For the last decade plus of his life he hid away waiting to die. Due to that so did my Mom. She stayed at his side letting the world pass her by. I don't intend to do that. I don't intend to let Mom miss anymore life. My M.S. is progressive. Each years I show more deterioration. I'm going to enjoy life to the last. I'm going to teach Mom to be brave and show her the world. My fibro kicks the crap out of me daily. At the moment I just took my morning dose of Cymbalta, tramadol and tizanidine. That gets me out of bed until 10:30. I'm feeling happy and clear headed this morning so let's kick some butt. Find your personal battle cry , we all need one. Mine is : Roar like a lion when you feel like a mouse. Good morning all have a blessed day. Dancer and I have things to pack.
Doggie,
First wow. Let me tell you a little abt our house. We live near Regis University. Off Federal and 56th Ave. I like to call it North North Denver. It's in a small planned neighborhood. 75 homes. There is a little playground up the street and it's quiet here. Our house is about 1400 sq ft. Three bed, two bath. The master bath is ADA approved. It has a roll in tile shower, handicap toilet and long roll under vanity. If you don't need the entire thing to have a roll under it would fit 32" cabinets. The master closet is a small walk in with organizers already in place. I use the master alone now but it is big enough for a couple.
The house itself has fourteen foot vaulted ceilings, laminated bamboo colored floors throughout except the baths and laundry room. The second bath has a tub. There is a small dedicated laundry room with a stacked washer drier. The washer and drier are less that 2 years old, so is the D/W. The fridge is 10, the stove is gas and abt. 6. They are all in excellent condition and come with the house. The kitchen is eat in . It is not ADA we didn't get that far but could be easily adjusted to be. Some of the doors still need expanding hinges to make them wide enough, the master suite is complete. We have a two car garage, however half of it is taken up by a ramp. It was built to specs by a medicaid approved company. Unfortunately the garage doesn't enter the house but does open onto the front porch. The lot size is approx. 5000 sq ft. The backyard has dog pen off the laundry room. It's a true pen with six foot tall fencing. If you don't need it they sell well. It can also be moved as it still has all the gate parts. The side yards have peach trees, the back two apple trees. We've worked on landscaping but it has a way to go. All the windows are new as is the front door and patio door. The siding on the front of the house is also new , the sides and back are not. Long story, we can provide the type , color etc.
Inside might need painting depending on your tastes , we are fond of color. Also the third bedroom has a walk in closet. We are putting it on the market for $ 220 K at the end of July. If you or anyone else is interested I would be happy to show it to you.
Rollinglegs,
I'll talk to my husband. I'm thinking it might be a little small. While I wouldn't mind down sizing that might be a little bit more than my husband could handle. One big question, is there a HOA? I really like the sound of the master bedroom. The Regis area has some nice neighborhoods. My husband was thinking about looking into the Golden area, there are some nice areas there but most of them have HOA s and we want to stay away from them.
While I would love for you to show me your house, for your safety and mine I think it would be best if we went through a realtor. When you are ready to put it on the market give me the name of your realtor.
Rollinglegs said
Doggie,
First wow. Let me tell you a little abt our house. We live near Regis University. Off Federal and 56th Ave. I like to call it North North Denver. It's in a small planned neighborhood. 75 homes. There is a little playground up the street and it's quiet here. Our house is about 1400 sq ft. Three bed, two bath. The master bath is ADA approved. It has a roll in tile shower, handicap toilet and long roll under vanity. If you don't need the entire thing to have a roll under it would fit 32" cabinets. The master closet is a small walk in with organizers already in place. I use the master alone now but it is big enough for a couple.
The house itself has fourteen foot vaulted ceilings, laminated bamboo colored floors throughout except the baths and laundry room. The second bath has a tub. There is a small dedicated laundry room with a stacked washer drier. The washer and drier are less that 2 years old, so is the D/W. The fridge is 10, the stove is gas and abt. 6. They are all in excellent condition and come with the house. The kitchen is eat in . It is not ADA we didn't get that far but could be easily adjusted to be. Some of the doors still need expanding hinges to make them wide enough, the master suite is complete. We have a two car garage, however half of it is taken up by a ramp. It was built to specs by a medicaid approved company. Unfortunately the garage doesn't enter the house but does open onto the front porch. The lot size is approx. 5000 sq ft. The backyard has dog pen off the laundry room. It's a true pen with six foot tall fencing. If you don't need it they sell well. It can also be moved as it still has all the gate parts. The side yards have peach trees, the back two apple trees. We've worked on landscaping but it has a way to go. All the windows are new as is the front door and patio door. The siding on the front of the house is also new , the sides and back are not. Long story, we can provide the type , color etc.
Inside might need painting depending on your tastes , we are fond of color. Also the third bedroom has a walk in closet. We are putting it on the market for $ 220 K at the end of July. If you or anyone else is interested I would be happy to show it to you.
There is a HOA but it's only $ 35 dollars a mo. that covers the playground insurance and trash pickup. Other than that they are pretty much defunct. I will let you know about my Realtor when the time comes if you like.
Summer is my worst season here. However, this year we have gotten off relatively easy, AND we have had rain! A lot of rain, which makes drought stricken West Texas very happy. Yes, the skeeters are as big as hummingbirds, and the humidity is mind numbing, but we have water!!
Hey Everyone, I've been gone a while. We got the house in Denver under contract. I was so busy and exhausted getting it ready I was on autopilot. Sorry I didn't follow through with info but it sold the day after it went on market. We're in Savannah for a few more days, we found a house here as well. I can already feel the difference in my strength at sea level. Although I've had a few days where I've been really tired it's not that deep down fatigue. It's definitely a different world here. Not just the weather but the people. The polite attitude keeps taking me by surprise. The history is amazing. I think we'll be happy here. The house we found will cost us half what the one in Denver was. On top of that it has a pool and hot tub. It took some work with the older houses to find one that we could make accessible. So here we go , I'll keep you posted.
Hope you settle well in your new home. Right now Denver is one of the highest in cost of homes. You sold at the perfect time.
Thank you Doggie . Everything is done safe the last paperwork. Georgia is beautiful and I do feel better here. It's been a rough couple weeks rushing to find a house and getting everything in order. We probably should have given ourselves longer. We did it though still managing to find time to see some of the sights. I look forward to getting to know my new home. You're right about Denver it sold for forty K more than we were expecting. Not that I'm complaining. That made it possible to buy a much nicer home here. I'm excited about something for the first time in a very long time so that's good too. I hope you've enjoyed your summer.
I had my grandkids down from Alaska for almost 2 weeks. I had a great time. Have you had a chance to see granite rock? Or at least that is what I think it is called. It is the largest exposed granite rock known. It has a caring on the side and often they have visited off of it. I'll have to look up the name and location for you. It is a sight to see.
It's great you got to see the Grand kids. I haven't seen much of Ga, yet. We've been busy looking for a house. Haven't heard of that, sounds interesting. We've been in Savannah. We went to Historic Downtown one day and Tybee island another. The island was really neat, I can't wait to spend more time there. It's really accessible. Historic Downtown is going to take my scooter which we didn't bring this trip. Most of it is two hundred or more years old. Not exactly made for the modern wheelchair. Savannah itself is really beautiful though, so lush and green. Subtropical, there's even palm trees here. I look forward to lots of exploring.
We got back to Denver hours ago. It's about 2:30 a.,m local time, I've been trying without success to get to sleep. As most of us know. Air travel and fibro don't mix. Forgive my bluntness but my rear end is sore and my tail bone is bruised. Fun stuff. Getting to Atlanta from Savannah for the airport it was raining. I slipped my foot getting my wheelchair and busted a toe. So needless to say the trip home was no where near the fun the rest of the trip had been. My meds are finally kicking in , so I'm going to try get some sleep. More on Savannah later. Be blessed everyone.