Biggest End of Year Frustration

December 31, 2017 by Florence 44 Comments

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!

Biggest After Christmas Frustrations (with a Lesson I Hope I Learned)

Instead of doing a “most popular” post, I decided to tell you about the biggest end of year frustration because that’s been on my mind the most. My main computer died completely the day after Christmas, and I wasted a whole day trying to get it back up, which was fruitless. We finally trotted down to Best Buy to have the Geek Squad take a look. Silly me, I thought the $200+ I paid up front was for fixing it. But it didn’t cover parts. More money to have a new hard drive installed…it turned out to be the most expensive “gift” I got for Christmas.

A new hard drive means all data lost. Guess who doesn’t do back-ups? I know, hanging head in shame. All data lost, including passwords, photos, downloads…everything not in email archives or website…gone. Not possible to retrieve, although if it had been possible…it would have been another $149. Might as well have bought a new computer.

So I was without my computer for 4 days. I didn’t think I was going to survive.

“What else can I do around here to make best use of my time,” I asked myself.

Turns out losing the computer was a cloud with a silver lining because I got caught up on things I’ve procrastinated on for years, such as:

Purging the Attic Room

Out went 12 gym bags and other assorted bags (why only 2 people have 12 gym bags is a story for another day.)
- I spent another 30 minutes going through every pocket and zipper compartment on all 12 bags looking for the $20 I just knew was there, and found 1¢.
- I found 5 packages of ear protectors, 2 packages of hand warmers, dental floss, Tums, a plastic spoon, and my workout gloves I thought I lost.
1 large hanging clothes bag for travel that I’ve never used
a box of Christmas bows I haven’t touched in years
my Mom’s old bedside commode…missing the bucket
carpet remnants
2 old pairs of zippered water shoes, which my first husband and I used 30 years ago when we went canoeing or hiking. I’m too old to go wading in creeks.
old pillows
my husband’s Desert Storm camo gear, which I’ll try to sell soon
an old fan frame with no fan…why have I saved this for 40 years??? I’ll tell you why. Because our family had the “save everything” mentality. I’m for ditching it. Watching Mom kill herself in various moves saving things like an old train table when we didn’t have a train, was painful. I want to be rid of the stuff.

Purging Christmas Decorations (and I Still Have Too Much)

Ornaments I’ve never liked
My mom’s 60’s era tabletop school-room Christmas tree that wobbled
The “J” from a Christmas Joy sign for the yard. The “O” and the “Y” died in a storm.
Several Christmas things I’ll try to sell next year

Purging the Box Room

The box room where I store boxes for selling on Etsy. It was so bad I thought we had rodents rearranging my boxes, but it seems that every workman who comes always heads for that room. If the boxes are in his way, he evidently gives a mighty shove or kick, and my precious boxes, organized by size, go flying.
I store Christmas decorations here, and the boxes were shoved so close to them, I could barely get to anything this year. I moved them all to another attic room, which I’ve been wanting to do a couple of years now.
I purged unsuitable boxes, and rearranged the whole room. You wouldn’t believe the change.

The Last Frustration (and the biggest)

The other huge frustration…I couldn’t login to my website! None of my other devices (old desktop, old laptop, tablet, hubby’s Mac) would work!

Couldn’t remember the password. It was stored on the old hard drive.
No problem, right? Just change it. Ha!
2-3 more attempts with different passwords…still couldn’t login.
Must have the user name wrong. Verified that with my designer. It’ll be a snap now!
Still couldn’t login.
WordPress blocks too many login attempts. Lost 2 days with that.
Changed the password again. Said a little prayer and used a different user name, and it worked! Go figure.

I got it back on my birthday and just in time to write this post. Alas, it didn’t stay down long enough because I have more I want to do! Maybe in 2018 I’ll have another crash, and I can get more done! Please, I know I didn’t just say that.

Memories of Beezer

September 3, 2017 by Florence 30 Comments

Closing a Chapter~

Before I close this chapter of our little guy’s life, will you pardon me while I ramble on about my memories of Beezer? We put our little boy to sleep a week ago. It was a terrible shock because he seemed fine the day before, but he woke unable to walk, and moved his head strangely. As the morning progressed, he quit walking at all, and tilted his head at an unusual angle.

The vet broke it to us kindly that he had a brain tumor. His eyes were even moving different directions. Though it was a hard decision, because we were unprepared, we couldn’t stand to see him suffer. The vet said it was a final act of love to put him to sleep. So we stayed, caressing him the whole while and crying our eyes out.

When you lose a special pet, it leaves an empty hole. Most of us who have pets have gone through this at some point. I have said goodbye to many over the years. There are always some who hold that special place in your heart.

About Beezer~

Beezer was a Maltese rescue who came to us as “Snoopy,” but I changed that immediately. He became “BeeBee,” which soon evolved into “Beezer.” People always thought he was a “she.” We were told he was about 5, but the vet said it was more like 10, judging from his teeth. People often asked how old he was, but we didn’t know. I would guess close to 20 in his final days, give or take. Whatever he was, he had a lot of life for a little old man that was our little boy.

Early Days~

Beezer was very fearful and timid in those early days. He stood just out of reach even though we beckoned sweetly with love and friendliness. When approached, he would either move out of range, or he lay on his back and squirted. He got over the squirting, but it took a long time to get over his innate fears. 10 years! I was never sure if his quirks were related to his breed, or were the result of his being abused or neglected. So many fears!

What I Taught Him~

I marveled that Beezer had no idea how to climb stairs, so I taught him that. When he arrived he was wearing a diaper, and I took that off and taught him how to go to the bathroom on paper. In his last year, we encouraged him to go outside to pee, and he was getting better about letting us know when he had to go. I broke him from his hand-licking habit. We taught him to “speak” for his food and treats. We were in the process of teaching him to “speak” to come in the front door. Beezer was no dummy.

He was good friends with our cat, and the two of them sat companionably in front of the glass front door.

Occasionally “Alvie” would get in his space, and Beezer growled being “big tough dog”. Unfortunately, Beezer wasn’t a watch dog at all.

I learned to groom him myself, cut his toenails, and dressed him in little suits.

Maybe I sound neurotic or something, but I never had kids, so I guess he was my baby. I loved him, and we both miss him terribly. Somehow though, I know he thanks us for letting him go.

Opening a New Chapter~

Fast forward a week, and now we have another dog. I believe in transitioning quickly, and knowing hubby as I do, it’s best to strike while the iron is hot. He was already making noises about not rushing into anything.

We decided we didn’t want another Maltese
We didn’t want one as old as Beezer apparently was.
We didn’t want one that went to the bathroom on paper
We didn’t want a small dog always underfoot like Beezer was.

Putting the Word Out~

I put a notice out on “Next Door,” an online neighborhood community that I was looking for a lab/pit bull mix. Within minutes, I had an overwhelming response from people wanting to either give me their dogs or suggesting I go to the Humane Society. Overwhelmed was an understatement! As a cat and dog-lover, I would love to take them all. Our Humane Society recently got in a truckload of dogs from Houston as a result of Hurricane Harvey.

So we open a new chapter in our lives with “Leo.” He’s about a year old (did we jump from the frying pan into the fire, or what?). I’m watching youtube videos on how to train a dog, even though I trained the one we had before Beezer. If the dog is smart, that’s half the battle. Leo has a lot of energy, and I’m beginning to wonder if WE have enough energy to keep him adequately exercised! May I tell you we’ve walked him up and down the street more times in these last few days, than I’ve walked a year in my neighborhood? So I guess one good thing, he’s gotten me off my butt.

He’s part white lab (I’ve always wanted a white lab),
and part pit bull.
He’s housebroken (Yay!!!)
He’s smart and already knows “sit, stay, & shake.”
He’s even-tempered with a sweet disposition.
He rides well in the car, and enjoys toys.
He’s supposed to get along with cats.
He doesn’t get on the furniture.
He’s a good watch dog.
He walks pretty well on a leash

One of our cats has already slapped him, boxed his ears thoroughly, and charged him. So if we can just communicate it to the other cat, we’ll be in business.

I’m liking Leo, but total bonding has not yet occurred. I still miss the little Beezer. But ask me in another few days, and I’ll be totally sold.

Until then…

Maybe next week I can get out of the funk I’ve been in.
Maybe next week I can get my inspiration back…
Maybe next week I can get my creativity back…
Maybe next week I can get my motivation back…
And maybe next week I can get my DIY back…I could even show you my latest pallet wood project.
Maybe next week……

Worst RV Nightmare and Vintage Motorhome Tour

July 9, 2017 by Florence 40 Comments

Since we’re talking about RV’s in this post, I thought you might enjoy hearing my worst RV nightmare while on the road. It happened several years ago, and looking back, I shudder. Not dangerous…just embarrassing as heck. A situation where I wished to completely disappear.

In RV magazines they tell you the most fun thing about RV’ing is the unplanned experiences you’ll have. Well, I don’t know about that.

This Is My Story~

We were in Tennessee going through a small town after having missed the turn to the bypass.

BIG MISTAKE!

We thought, “Oh it’ll be fun taking the old road. So we missed the bypass…how hard can it be to go through town?”

We were shortly to find out.

On our jolly little jaunt, we encountered THIS! We came to a complete stop just short of the bridge.

This is where it behooves you to know the stats of your rig….like how tall it is. Ours is over 11 feet. See that sign? No way it’s going to go under that.

I don’t remember the details that day. Perhaps the sign showing the height wasn’t there then. Perhaps we just didn’t see it. I don’t know.

Hubby: “Florence, get out and go see if we can pass under that.”

Me: “WHAAAT?? Surely you don’t expect me to cross two lanes of traffic at rush hour to see if we can pass under it? I can tell from here we can’t pass under it.”

Hubby: “FLORENCE, GET OUT & GO SEE!”

Cautiously, I cracked open the door peering out to see how much room there was for me to step out into heavy rush hour traffic whizzing by at top speed.

OK…maybe traffic wasn’t exactly whizzing by at top speed

OK…maybe it wasn’t really BIG heavy traffic (this IS small town America)

But it was rush hour.

And it was big enough for me to feel like a complete idiot crossing two lanes of traffic to go stand on the far sidewalk to gauge whether or not we could make it under the bridge unscathed. Any fool could see it just wasn’t possible.

Because THIS can happen. RVs traveling under bridges that are too low can get everything on the roof sheered right off. It happened to friends of ours.

Meanwhile a gawking, toothless old-timer crept by in his pick-up truck about the time I finally made it to the far sidewalk.

He rolled down his passenger window. And emphatically gave me the benefit of his vast experience.

“Lady, you ain’t gonna make it! I kin tell ya right now, you ain’t gonna make it!” I nodded thoughtfully like I was pondering, but still needed convincing. (After all, we must keep up appearances.)

So I hustled back across two lanes of…by now…almost totally blocked traffic.

To report dutifully that we “ain’t gonna make it.”

Hubby: “Florence, we gotta go unhook the car. Help me go unhook it.”

(It wasn’t over yet. More chances to look like a complete fool.)

We scramble out to unhook motorhome and car angled downhill. It wasn’t much of an angle, but enough to make the process of unhooking that much harder. I bent down and busied myself, trying not to look like a helpless female. I have helped him unhook before. I basically know what to do. But in an unlevel situation like that, there’s a lot of tension on the tow bars. There was no way I was strong enough.

I kept wondering how we were going to get out of this with traffic at a standstill all around us. Even unhooked, there was just nowhere to go. No space to back up. We didn’t know our way through town. We didn’t know if there was a way around this low bridge. I was feeling panicky.

Hubby: “Florence go get in the car and hold the brake.”

Thank God! I couldn’t go fast enough. I was delighted to hide in the car. To pretend I wasn’t part of this mortifying mess.

You have to understand something about me. I’m an introvert.

Introverts HATE being the center of attention.

Introverts HATE being stand-outs in a crowd. They like to melt into the background.

And believe me, that’s exactly what I wanted at the moment….to melt into the background….to totally disappear.

About the time he finished unhooking, along came our saviors….the fire truck and crew! I’ll never forget the ear-to-ear grin on the fireman’s face as he approached us and our train wreck. A look of “well, here’s another one!”

I’m not sure how they did it. I didn’t linger long to see. Ha! I hightailed it out of there as fast as I could go. I didn’t even care that I had no idea where I was going to meet up again with my other half.

The Moral of the Story~

*If we do miss a bypass, we turn around. Even though it’s not easy to turn one of these. You need plenty of space. There’s no such thing as backing up when you have a car in tow. You have to unhook first.

*We try not to miss the bypass in the first place. Now we have GPS. We didn’t then. And we found this map book at a thrift store~a Trucker’s atlas that tells you about important little things like low clearances.

OUR RIG TODAY~

Here’s our rig. It’s our baby….not the dog….or the cats. It was definitely a fixer-upper when we bought it. Hubby calls it his “hobby,” and I have called it a “dog” and a “motobeast,” although it really isn’t any longer.

We love our baby!

Yes it really is as long as it looks! All of 37 feet! Which is why you need plenty of space to turn. With the car hooked on the back, it’s probably about 50 feet.

Mr. Fix-it has made a ton of repairs and upgrades to it in the 11 years we’ve owned it.

The first video is the short version I made which basically shows the inside without much of my sparkling commentary. The second video gives the dirty details of what was wrong with it when we bought it.

Vintage Motorhome Tours~

Short Version

Longer Version

If you get this far, hope you enjoyed my story and at least one of the tours. Tell me what you think in the comments!

Sharing with these link parties here….

Most Shared Post for 2016 and Top 3 Posts

December 30, 2016 by Florence 16 Comments

My blogging birthday is March, but in looking back, I thought it would be fun to see my most shared post for 2016 and top 3 posts. Let’s start with the most shared post, two of which are tied for that position.

Most Shared Posts~

I wrote Vintage Picker Off Limits Home Tour when I was still hobbling around on a walker & could barely hold onto the camera too. Thank goodness I’ve come a long way since recovering from 3 broken bones in 2016! No glitzy decorated house this! Just an ordinary, messed up, cluttered, lived-in home.

Both of these are tied at 112 shares each. Those who follow me will remember Curbside Find Completes the Christmas Porch telling about my lucky sleigh find.

#1 Top Pinned Post

I wrote Top Ten Things I Look for in Yard Sales because as an online seller, I’m always looking for tips, and other sellers are too. These are my top picks.

#2 Top Pinned Post

I don’t know about you, but wouldn’t you hate to run into HER?? She makes me shudder, as does encountering angry customers. As an online seller, you will have them, which is why I wrote my tips for handling angry customers.

#3 Top Pinned Post

I wrote What I Learned about Selling in a Booth because I do look longingly back at those days, especially when I see all the junk in my basement!! New Year’s Resolution (and I don’t do New Year’s Resolutions) is a major cleanout and garage sale!

And just in case you’re interested….

Posts I had the most fun writing….

most shared post for 2016 and top 3 posts — Smoky Mountain Pickin’

Smoky Mountain Pickin’ got lots of shares and pins too. As a history buff, I’m fascinated by abandoned towns and ruins, wherever they may be. Maybe I’m not alone…

Hollywood Comes to Monroeville was a nostalgia tour for hubby and me, revisiting the historic town and site of the famous movie and book “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

Christmas is over, but we still have the whole winter ahead. My favorite season! I wish Christmas had lasted a little longer, but time marches on. Speaking of time marching on…it’ll be my birthday in just a few days. Let’s see if hubby remembers THIS year. He gets it mixed up with the 31st, even when I tell him it’s the same day as his birthday. They’re both on the 30th, but mine is December and his is March. Fingers crossed….

Wishing all of you a very Happy New Year!

Don’t Forget to Pin!

Hollywood Visits Monroeville Alabama

November 7, 2016 by Florence 38 Comments

Hello friends! I don’t know what happened last week. My post didn’t publish. Murphy’s Law in action! But no matter. My bones were healed enough for hubby and me to explore “Hollywood visits Monroeville, Alabama.” We had so much fun getting away in this! If you’re interested, I’ll give you a tour of our vintage motorhome soon.

Hollywood visits monroeville alabama — Hubby with our geriatric pup, Beezer

Do you know the significance of Monroeville? It is the hometown of Harper Lee. Who is Harper Lee? Harper Lee wrote “To Kill a Mockingbird,” earning a Pulitzer Prize for it in 1961. Subsequently, “To Kill a Mockingbird” was made into a very successful iconic movie. As you can imagine, the town is steeped in the history of the movie and Harper Lee.

Another well-known author, Truman Capote, spent his summers here, and was “Dill” in the movie.

The plot, based on Nelle Harper Lee’s father, a small town lawyer in the 30’s, was played by Gregory Peck. He was Atticus Finch in the movie, winning an Oscar as Best Actor for the role. He visited Monroeville, stayed in the local hotel, ate in the local diner so he could talk to Harper and prepare for the role, although it was not filmed in Monroeville.

Most of the exhibits were located in the old Courthouse, dating from 1903…

Hollywood based the famous courtroom scene inch for inch on this historic courthouse.

They were having a quilt show during our visit…look at that yo-yo quilt! I can do that…LOL….yeah right…well maybe.

Monroeville is a beautiful Deep South town, filled with mansions and old Southern houses with turrets and big wrap-around porches. Cotton fields abound on the outskirts of town. Unfortunately the historic homes of Harper Lee and Truman Capote no longer exist, but if you ever get to Monroeville, follow South Alabama Avenue to see these historic sites.

Right next door Truman Capote/Dill spent his summers. Only a few foundations, rock walls, and camellia bushes remain…

Remember “Boo Radley”? His character befriended the children from a distance leaving little trinkets for them in a big tree. He saved Scout’s life when she was attacked by the town drunk.

Just a couple of houses down from Harper Lee’s…the site of “Son” Boulware’s house, on whom the Boo Radley character was based.

This is the Monroe County Library…but it USED to be The LaSalle Hotel, where Gregory Peck stayed when he came to Monroeville back in the 60’s.

I was told this was original to the hotel, and I would have touched it, 🙂 but I doubt Peck sat in front of it when he was there.

Did I make time for thrift stores??? You betcha…TWICE…but I found NOTHING! In desperation, I made a pass through the local antique shop, and found one thing…

Have you seen this classic movie? I hope so! It won 3 Oscars, and is considered to be one of the best ever made. It was an immediate hit earning 10 times its budget. I will be watching it again soon for the bazillionth time.

Hope you enjoyed Hollywood visits Monroeville Alabama! Let me know in the comments if you want to tour a vintage motorhome!

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