Well, things have been really crazy here. On the quilting front, I did get the Teddy Bear donation quilt finished, and I quilted and bound the two quilts I had pieced over the winter. I am making a Donna Jordan pattern in red and white consisting of pinwheels made of eight triangles. Somehow, I cut the triangles wrong. When I pieced them, there was a hole in the middle of the pinwheel. I was able to recut all 280 triangles so they are fitting together properly, but that was a pain. I have three quilts in progress in the piecing stage.

My husband and I are 82 and 81 respectively, and I have been trying to persuade him that we need to move to a home with less outdoor maintenance. I watched my parents stay in their home too long, and it was really difficult to get them to move when they could no longer manage their place. I didn't want that to happen to us. He is also a bit of a pack rat, not a hoarder, but someone who can't turn down a good deal whether or not he needs it. Our garage, basement and storage shed by the lake are packed full of stuff - organized, but packed full. There are not many townhouses on our lake that suit us, and those that exist are too pricey. We have found a home for sale in a community of 40 units, in which we already know seven of the owners. The house does not have a lake view, but it has a boat slip and the use of the common areas on the lakefront. We have signed a purchase agreement contingent on the sale of our current house. You know what a hassle selling your home of 30 years is. We had photos taken today, after we spent days making the house look like a hotel room. All personal items stashed. What an ordeal. I'm exhausted. The place we're hoping to buy is actually larger than our current house, and I will have a sewing room with room for my longarm. There are many lovely things about it, and some decor that is not at all our style. We'll have to do some redecorating, but it's immaculate, so we can take our time. My husband really likes the community, and he seems to have accepted the fact that moving is the right choice for us. He's still pretty grouchy, but what's new! I hope after all this that our house sells. If it doesn't, we'll have to pass on the new house and live here until we find something comparable. Fingers crossed.

Lois, I hope the move works out for you! When we started thinking about it, things kept falling into place just in time, so we felt like it was the right thing to do. We had also been in our house over 30 years, but we didn’t have a basement or extra storage space.

The hard part for us was having DH living in an apartment in Live Oak while the house was being built and me still in Winter Garden. He came home most weekends. On a good day it’s a 3-1/2 to 4 hour trip, but there were times when it took him as much as 5 hours due to traffic around The Villages.

Fortunately our realtor didn’t ask us to do anything special before he took pictures. As I packed I was keeping the boxes mostly in one room to keep clutter down for showings. He sold the house in about 2 months, if I recall correctly, and for the price we listed it at.

We also moved to a bigger space. Up from 1/4 acre to just under a full acre, and a larger house, though it doesn’t seem larger because a third of it is the in-law suite for my sister. I do have a sewing room with my longarm, and hubby now has a dedciated workshop instead of half of the garage.

Oh Lois, I hope things go smoothly and quickly.

We have been in this house 58 years. And you know we are in our 90’s, so just imagine what an ordeal moving would be for us. One son is visiting this week and we were just discussing, joking really, about what they will find tucked in drawers and cupboards when they move us to a ’facility’. Neither one of is ready for that. And I do try to empty those drawers and cupboards. One room at a time.

You know how one change leads to another. Last year we had to have the deck replaced and so that led to flower gardens needing to be moved around the new smaller deck. That is pretty much why we have hired someone to help. Had we not done the deck, I would still be able to manage the weeding. I said my knees don’t work well, I can get down, it is the getting up that is the challenge.

DH still cuts the lawn so that is a bonus, but beyond that, he is pretty much a couch potato. Today, I asked if he had the Gorilla glue downstairs. He came up with a container of carpenter glue, dried out. I suggested he throw it out but it went back down to the workbench. I envy your organized DH, Lois, because this man is not. This is where the kids will shake their heads and keep the trash bags handy.

What are the things you will miss in your present home? I would guess the lake view! and immediate access to it. neighbours? community?

and what are the things you will not miss?

I am keeping a list in my head of both the pros and cons of moving, however I don’t see DH even considering the possibility. He has a pretty hard head.

So, good thoughts going your way for success.

Theresa

Several years ago my father in law downsized from a 4 bedroom house to a 2 bedroom apartment in a progressive care community. He had a family gathering at the house to give kids, nieces, nephews, and cousins things they wanted.

Somehow a lot of things still went to the apartment. Every time we went to visit we came home with another box or two of ”treasures” Dad just knew my hubby needed. Fortunately DH doesn’t seem to have that pack-rat mentality and lots of things have gone in the trash.

A couple of years ago the time came for them to move from the independent apartment to the assisted living section, and dad and his wife are now in one room. This required more downsizing, but somehow Dad still keeps finding things to give to Mark. Usually it’s something he bought that he’s not allowed to have.

Donna

Sounds like everyone is busy - just not too much quilting!

We are on one of DH's bike adventures. We left Colorado August 24 and headed to Minneapolis. First adventure was a Deep Purple and Kansas live concert for DH's birthday present. He will always be a Classic Rock fan and it was a really good concert.

From there we went north to the Headwaters of the Mississippi River at Itasca where he started riding his bike on August 28. He is following the Great River Road. We are 10 days in and he has bicycled over 550 miles, averaging between 50-60 miles a day. We made it to Onalaska, Wisconsin today and I'm at the laundromat while he is off getting a massage. (He deserves it!) I am the sag wagon driving the RV and doing the cooking. I have managed to use my bike a few times and join him for rides of about 15 miles. I ride out part way, then back to the RV and load up and meet him at his next stop. It's been fun. We hope to finish in Muscatine, Iowa and be back home to Colorado after visiting friends in Iowa by September 17. He's disappointed we don't have enough time for him to go all the way to New Orleans. I told him we will come back and he can start in Muscatine and head south from there.

I also hired some yard work done this year and we are having a 100-year old plains cottonwood taken out when we get home. That should be an adventure, too!

I am looking forward to getting back and spending some time at my machine! Take care everyone!

Sue

Sue, that trip sounds really interesting! We were at Itasca years ago when we visited DH’s sister in Minneapolis. We also saw the MS River at New Orleans on a choir tour a few months before Katrina. I haven’t seen any of it in between!

Donna