Doing the Guy Stuff

I was always happy being  a girl because I never wanted to do the "guy stuff".  I was always contented with the guy knowing how to do everything and taking care of me.  Ha, be a widow for 16 1/2 years and you are going to have to learn to do a lot of guy stuff.

This month I have fixed the refrigerator, the vacuum cleaner (I know how to take apart and clean out every possible juncture for problems), the dishwasher (I did try and get a plumber, no one would call me back, but I pursued with what Johnny told me and finally found the last  answer on the internet at 9:30 pm), the disposal (yes, after not working for more than a year I applied the Richard Hardy method with the broomstick one more time and voila, it works!),  I also mended the cut in the hose, of course it looked so easy when Mike did it but guess what, I have no muscles in my hands.  It took five tries and five water explosions before I finally got it to stay.  Even now I expect it to pull  apart every time I turn the hose on.  I also tackled the front hose with pliers and wrench and got that fixed.

My hands hurt and my arms hurt and my back hurts but for the moment everything is fixed.  I also cleaned the carpets, the couches and stained the back deck and front stairs.  Front deck remains to be done and that should be done tomorrow.

My nightmares of vulnerability have stopped, is that because I have conquered the appliances???  I am holding my breath till the next thing breaks.  I have lived here for 14 years now, so hard to believe, but I love my little cabin in the woods.

 

The former living room rug.

"These are a few of my favorite things."

As I looked around my home this week I thought about where everything came from.  The couches are from the 70's in our La Jolla home, had three different covers, but still very solidly holding up.  The rockers are from 88 and our Rancho Bernardo home, also recovered, wonder what happened to the other two rockers???  The glass case Richard picked out himself in 88 for the RB home, I treasure it but would have missed seeing it except for him and I love all the memories collected in it.  The grandmother clock is also from the 70's in La Jolla, I have had it fixed once but right now it is stopped on the moment Richard died and is not working, still love it though.  The coffee table and couch table are from RB as is one of the couch tables and the other end table is from our Pacific Beach home in the 60's!!!

Also in the living room are painted pictures from nephew Brian of the Silver Gate cabin, the Arches, Pilot Peak, and the monument of "This is the Place".  There is also a painted picture from a budding artist from the 60's of a sailboat, a favorite of mine.  There is a sign with our Rancho Bernardo address on it that Maria painted, the clock my sisters gave me when I moved in and the painted sign Camber gave me for Christmas stating, " The Hardy Family Est 1959".  The organ Richard bought for me from a client in the late 80's.  There are three of John's photos, one from Montana, one from Nepal and one from Peru.  On the coffee table is the replica of the Hot Dog Stand Richard always wanted, the hand painted vase from Vida (I took it back from Maria as it is both our favorite, she can have it when I die) the shell collection John created in a glass jar, and the little house Maria gave me with the note inside and the handmade glass lookee from Idaho.

  Only the lamps were bought for my cabin home here.  The mail tray on my end table is a wedding gift from my childhood friend Carla.  The fish hook glass holders are from John and the others are from Guam.   There are special rocks and shells and wood things from my travels and John's and his beautiful book ends.  Sitting at the organ is the Victorian Rag doll Linda gave me.  Sitting in the rocker is the special velvet Rabbit Richard bought for me at the San Diego Craft Fair--I think I named her Esmeralda.  On the dining table is the silk bouquet Carole made for me in 1988 when the Fuquas were living in San Diego.  On the glass case is the silk bouquet made in Big Bear to go with the picture we had over our  La Jolla bed--which I still have, love my electric bed so I can sit up and put my feet up while I watch late night movies.  The large mirror over the organ was from our RB home, love it.  The pillow covers on the rockers are from Croatia and the wonderful Mediterranean cruise with James.  The Grandma pillow is from the Valko children.

Amd now there is the new shag rug which I now want to snuggle my old, tired feet in.  I think I had a similar larger one in RB????  My RB home was supposed to be my retirement hone...life has it's little surprises.

So it is easy to see why I did not want to sell my home here, it has my past, my present and so much of myself and memories in it, it is a place of peace and security in my last days. (I hope).