Apologies for wrong spelling of places in America! Should be Ramsey and Napa I think!

@ bobbi: Vacations: I love vacations. Have been many places & loved them all. Spain, France, Italy, Japan, China, England, Bermuda, Mallorca (on honeymoon), various other areas & European villages. Then, one day we decided we loved a coastal town 4 hours from here in CA the best: Cambria. So we've stopped far-a-way travel and visit our tiny, rented pied-a-terre in Cambria for 2 weeks every month. Heaven.

Oh, busylady .. I used to live right across the highway from Ramsey, when I was in north Jersey .. in Upper Saddle River!! If I lived there now & you came for a visit, wouldn't that be nice to meet each other?!

I would like the Barefoot Contessa to cook for me (LOL)

j22, you have really traveled! Puts my small list to shame - St Thomas, Nassau and Puerto Rico, Hawaii and Nevada. I've never been to Cambria, actually I've never heard of it. I'll have to look it up!

@judyg I want to move to a condo or apartment. I love our house, but it's way larger than we need plus I'm 71+ and DH is 75+.

I read a wonderful book a few years back "Treat Me Not My Age" http://www.amazon.com/Treat-Me-Not-Age-Hardcover/dp/B008NRELWU/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358976142&sr=1-2&keywords=treat+me+not+my+age

As author states, if U do not make plans for your living arrangements in your old age, the plans will be made for you. AND you might not like living arrangements someone else chooses 4 U. Make your own choices, and make them sooner rather than later, b/c nursing homes R filled with people who do not want to be there & never thought they'd end up there. Yadda-yadda. I have been severely de-cluttering, with my eyes on my future. There is a retirement apartment (over 55) in Pasadena that I want to move to. We can walk to grocery and take a cab to doctors and the hospital there is quite good. I see this MD has another book he has written, that I'll get from library! He's good!!

Your rental house could work very well. Compare the pros and cons of the house with a condo. If U could not drive, how would U get groceries or get to doctor appointments or hospital? In the rental, you could have live-in help in one apartment. There is quite a bit of property, but perhaps it could be made easy-to-maintain. There is no right answer. U R wise to consider all angles.

@Astraea we lived on York Av, bet 81-82!! Coffee at "Chips". Burgers at "Beggies". More of a Germantown / Hungarian flavor to that area in those days. Walked to Carl Schurz park etc. My college reunion (Columbia-Nursing) in 2014 is the 50th! lol.

J22 – That’s Yorkville .. used to be very German; now it’s probably very Yuppy (or is there a new name for that?). If Manhattan weren't so inconvenient for me, I'd have gone to more reunions; last one I went to, I parked on a street crowded with people .. and my car trunk was broken into!

Your last post was so eloquent & true! I have a few widowed friends in their early 80s, both with fairly large homes, and they missed that optimal “window of opportunity”, to downsize. Their homes have gotten somewhat rundown & cluttered; sometimes even money doesn’t trump the overwhelming feeling of having to renovate or redecorate at that age! So their homes will probably be worth a lot less, than had they sold in their mid- to late-70s.

Especially being alone, I figure that by my mid-70s, I’d like to move into a free-standing 1-story home in a 55+ community, or a condo in a nice downtown like Red Bank, Ridgewood or Montclair .. most things within walking distanced, and a hospital (LOL).

Thanks oldj22. That is what we are trying to do…make a decision now, get a plan going, so that DD, does not have to do it for us. I also want to make this move fun, an adventure which we can enjoy together. Our house now, if perfect, but more than we need and the yard needs lots of care.

I could walk from the little house to a small, great market, post office, coffee shop, but it is not downtown, per se. The actual downtown is about a mile away. If I lost my license, I'd shoot myself, anyway, so it doesn't make any difference. :>) There is that lower level apartment when a care taker could live. We have been paying every month for long term care insurance for years, so that could keep us out of a nursing home.

Hubby'a 50th, Boston College, is this Spring. Groan,,,,

Nursing, what kind did you do?

Hi Astraea, Ramsey was my very first taste of America. My friend and I arrived late at night, and our eyes were out on stalks from the first second we arrived at JFK, as we were driven past places we had only heard of in movies and songs, like the New Jersey turnpike and Hoboken. It all seemed very unreal. The house we were staying in was magnificent, and next morning in daylight we could not resist walking down the street checking out the fancy homes. It's a wonder we were not arrested! We are both so into decor, we would have done anything to see inside those homes. Somewhere I wrote down the address we stayed at, if I can find it I will tell you. That holiday was a hoot from beginning to end,we had to squeeze everything in! Two fat ladies on bicycles in Central Park,skating at Rockefeller Centre, Staten Island ferry, Chinatown, Greenwich Village. I could go on and on. We did so much, those were the days! Wouldn't it have been fun to have come to see you!

@ judyg My favorite nursing fields: Psychiatry & Public Health. I let the ball drop as a SAHM to 3 kids, and lost many skills. Rather than refresh my nursing skills: for past many years I've had an interest in investing and personal finance (just 4 us, not 4 others. But I can give opinions on many finance topics, if anyone is interested). :)

j22, I have to tell you this story. When I was brand new to Houzz, the first thing I noticed was that you answered EVERY design dilemma question. I kept thinking, when is this person going to give me a chance? Not realizing that everyone could chime in! But you are pretty much what I remember from my Houzz beginnings.

Funny that you all would be talking about your houses being to big for you. I've been coming to the realization that while this house isn't that big (1500 sq ft) it's too big for one person to clean. So this morning I let R know that I need help. Either in the form of hired help, or help from him. Of course we can't hire anyone so Sunday he has promised to help me with the big stuff. We'll see.....

Busylady - Believe me, 90% of the people who go to open houses, at those mansions, is there out of curiosity, rather than as a serious buyer! Many of the sights in NY are ones I've seen, because I've taken around out-of-town relatives .. UN, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Empire State Building!

A terrible result of Hurricane Sandy, was that the power plant on Ellis Island was flooded, and ruined. So there was no heat to dry things out, and mold began to quickly grow. They've sent 90% of all the historical material to a warehouse in Maryland .. and Liberty Island is also closed. What a shame .. I hope they're restored!

J22 - Any time you want to talk about finances, I'm game (LOL)!

Roo - I noticed you posting on the "Microunits" in NYC discussion. Have you noticed any "odd" posts there; or more specifically posts with photos that don't seem associated with the discussion? Do you think that's just a newbie figuring out how things work on Houzz, or someone who thinks it's a dating website?

astraea, I saw that! Weird!

I think another post had an extra photo like that too.

I guess Emily will catch it. I was just trying to figure out how to delete old posts. I think I'll email Emily and ask her if we could have the opportunity to do this, like if the person who starts the thread could be the one to delete it a couple-three days later.

I doubt she or others on the staff will say yes, but it would be great news if they did, Bobbi. I completely agree that OLLD conversations are more ephemeral than the usual posts on Houzz and thus serve no purpose being archived forever.

Yep, that's just what I want, my name going down in history! I'll let y'all know what she says. Y'all, funny!

Feeny, I have to tell you this. I used to work with this guy who was probably the smartest person on the planet. He would send out memo's that would make everyone shudder. We had to read them with blinders on in order to understand what he was saying, and the words he was using. So that being said, what is ephemeral?

Temporary, lasting a very short time. Like mayflies. ;-)

Thank you.

Thanks Bobbi, you've no idea how my heart pounds when I can't find you guys.

Unfortunately, now no time to read - just been invited for an unmissable day out .............. a trip to the ZOO and they will be here any minute to collect me. Good excuse for a day with the grand though that doesn't happen that often.

OOOPs they are here now - bye

You know, I have commented on at least 20 dilemma's today and heard very little back! What the..? Yesterday I found a dilemma in Spanish so I asked R to translate and I (we) responded. Nothing. This is wrong!

roo, have fun! You've earned some FUN!

This isn't fair .. I'd like to go to the zoo too!!

Bobbi .. did you see the one who wanted a Coke-themed bedroom? His theme choices were Coke or Paris. Odd.

Coke or Paris? They're so related. I missed that one!

The only thing with being ephemeral: we can't go back and all our OLLD history is lost.
We could cut and paste our daily conversations, starting from the beginning, I guess. I didn't realize we would all become such good friends and did not pay as much attention to our initial introductions as I should have. Now, I flip back to some of our first posts to see what we shared.

I am not computer smart at all, but is there some way we could save all our convos and start our own new site?

Beats me, I'm not computer savvy either! But it's an interesting thought.

I responded the the coke thing:

What did you suggest?

look at this that I just found. The original post has been deleted. We may be way over our heads, girls.
https://www.houzz.com/discussions/pinterest-advice-dsvw-vd~297196

astraea, is that you in the picture? I see love and serenity. Come to the Cape. We have so many abandoned animals who need your love. Plus, a great Symphony, a library system which presents a lot, daily, (Clams.com), hospital volunteering, our college, which provides many adult educational programs , on and on. You would not feel isolated at all. As a matter of fact, your phone/doorbell/cell phone would be ringing off the hook. Wow, that was an OLLD expression.

OMG, WHAT? Oh Lordy I'm in trouble with that one. At first I thought it was an advertising/spamming post but then I realized it was serious. I think!

We are old timers when it comes to the internet. Scammers may use houzz as a way to build/market/deceit clients. I only share for fun, hoping I contribute an idea or two for the poster. But there is a lot to gain from using houzz for ideas of others and marketing those designs as your own.

Look at this gal. She shares it all. Someone copies her ideas??? Grumpy tonight.

http://www.houzz.com/pro/oharainteriors/martha-ohara-interiors

I admire the designers/architects who share the most spectacular photos and all the info that made the rooms so wonderful.

Judy...the house is great. The location perfect. Can't wait to see what you do to it.

Thanks, Janis. Maybe you can take a trip to the Cape and give me some advice.

What is happening with your Frank Bright design co-op? Tried to join up with that, but too much had happened, and I didn't have much to offer, except I loved that print he had on the wall of musicians.

eztia, here is something for you to look at. I am not happy with this thread, as you will see from my response. Your opinion?
https://www.houzz.com/discussions/design-chalenge-a-room-for-a-baby-boy-and-8-year-old-girl-dsvw-vd~306362

Judyg – I just posted to that “Pinterest” discussion; you’re right that the internet has probably allowed a lot of professionals to “enlarge” their own portfolios, with material that’s not their own. That’s why so many of the professional photos have the name of the company right on them .. but that can be cropped out, with a photo editor! That’s the downside to “high tech”!

Have any of you watched “Catfish” on MTV? The basis was a young man (Nev) who had an online relationship, and learned that the other person’s profile was fake. After a documentary about his own experience, the series shows him helping other young people who feel like they have a serious online relationship for a long time, but have never met the other person face-to-face. Many of those turn out to be totally bogus. Look at the football player, Manti Te’o, and how he got caught up in a scheme like that!

Yes, that’s me in the picture! It was at the Catskill Game Farm, upstate NY, which unfortunately closed a few years ago. My favorite place in the world, was the section where they had more gentle animals wandering around, and the “baby” section within it!!

I’m not too happy this morning .. think I broke a couple of toes last night .. talk about “Design Dilemma”! (LOL) I have a “pinch point” between the foot of the bed & the chair/ottoman next to it. Last night I didn’t wear slippers to the bathroom, and my left foot hit the ottoman .. ouch!!

Astraea, OW! Don't do that! Are you going to see a doctor? I think you can tape the two toes together, I doubt the doc could do anything else.

Bobbi - Last time I had a problem, the doctor said they didn't even "buddy tape" toes together any more. The idea is to not immobilize body parts any more than absolutely necessary, because that creates other problems later on. When I fractured my heel bone in 2002, after 8 weeks in a cast, I thought I'd be able to walk as soon as it came off. But the immobilization resulted in the leg muscle tightening enough, for me to need weeks of PT afterwards!

OH, ok, then I guess you have to do the r-i-c-e thing, rest, ice, (c-something!) and elevation. Don't quote me on that! It's a good excuse to brew a pot, put in several good movies, cozy up with a blanket and enjoy the day! And some Advil!

Rest - Ice - Compression - Elevation. But that's for what they call "soft tissue injuries", and helps if a fracture has accompanying swelling. Last night .. even thought it was about 2:30 AM, I did put an ice pack on, with an inner & outer sock to keep it in place (compression?), and my leg was elevated in bed.

astraea, I broke three toes about 3 months ago. I took the garbage bag out and sat it on the floor. Andrew picked it up, took it out. I walked out of the kitchen then came back a few minutes later. The bag had leaked. No one noticed. I slipped, all toes folded under. Drove myself to the doctor. Three toes on my right foot. Compound fractures. Told to elevate and ice as well as stay off of it for at least 3 weeks. Ha! Like that could happen.

Judy, you don't need my advice. You are very good at what you do.

Janis - Totally relate! When I fractured my heel, my elderly aunt had just moved in with me, and I tried to keep things as normal for her, as possible. So I did all the cooking & usual stuff .. just using a walker & hopping a lot! When I had that removable boot in 2011, after a couple of weeks when some swelling went down, I'd get into the car, then switch to a hiking boot for support, so I could drive .. then switch back to the surgical boot getting out of the car.

I had forgotten they gave me a boot. I took it off to drive myself home and that was the end of that. It is still in my closet.

Your aunt has a very lovong, caring neice. I can only imagine how difficult a broken heel had to have been.

I had a fiberglass cast for the heel, and found this long rubber "leg", where you could create a suction to seal it on your thigh .. and I was able to bathe the whole time. The guy at the supply store said people went surfing with them. Can you imagine surfing with broken bones? I have my boot too, but I think there's a "right" and "left" .. and this is the other foot!

The rubber leg thing sounds interesting.

I can't imagine surfing with a broken leg or any other broken bone. That's just crazy!

Do you have a shoe? They are right and left, but can be interchanged according to my doctor. Of course it conforms to the shape of your foot and would be uncomfortable on the opposite foot.

I wore my regular boots to go out before .. they're Coach & flat .. no heel, and have nice padding inside. I didn't have to walk much. I wore one of those ace bandage "socks", but it gets tight too fast. I can wear the same boots tomorrow & the event I'm going to on Sunday. I'm glad the "Friends of the Parks" event Saturday was postponed .. but it was due to the weather they're expecting. I can't wait .. nothing worse than shoveling snow, unless it's shoveling snow with broken toes!

If I really had to wear shoes, I have the 2 paid of "sensible walking shoes" I got 2 years ago. I already moved that chair & ottoman a little, but I'm thinking of trying to shift the bed & night tables an inch or two toward the other side of the room.