Tuesday

 Trying to get back into the groove of things again. I am all caught up on washing. Not so much on housework. I did remember to (finally) call the library bookshop today to try to set up an appointment to donate some books. The person in charge will (hopefully) ring me back. I have about three boxes ready to go. If they cannot take the books I am going to just give them to a charity shop. I'd rather the bookshop have them, but at this point, they just need to leave my house. 

I must have slept wrong on my hip last night as it was hurting this morning. After my walk this morning it hurt quite a bit - ouch ouch. I was planning on doing a small food shop, but decided to go home instead. 

MIL and I have decided to go to Jane's on Thursday. I don't think either one of us really wants to go back but it has to be finished. I'm hoping once we get into the groove of it again we'll get the remaining things packed up quickly. Tomorrow it is supposed to rain. I MIGHT be able to get in a quick walk and then I am going to do the quick food shop and then some housework. Fingers crossed I'll hear from the bookshop person too!

Phone Photos - Things That Make Me Smile

135/365 (Sunday May 15)

This was my birthday trip (to Interstate State Park). We went on the Sunday so that son-in-law could come with us. It's such a beautiful park

136/365 (Monday)

Another of daughter's huskies. This is Koda (aka The Princess).  She makes me smile. Comes across as aloof, but loves attention, though she's a little quieter and more subtle about it than the other two. 

137/365 (Tuesday)

Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge. It really is quite wild looking. I love it. I wish I lived closer. I doubt that I would end up getting even less done than I do now!

Home Again

 We just got back this evening so I thought I'd pop in quickly. We had a lovely time away. It was lovely and relaxing. I spent lots of time at the wildlife refuge and lots of time with daughter. Husband had a lovely time just relaxing most of the time. He's been very busy at work so a break was what we all needed. 

Tomorrow I'll start some washing, cleaning and sorting, then it will be back to normal - back to Jane's. 

I've got some catching up to do on blogs. I've popped over and read a couple but a little tired. It's surprising what a long drive can take out of you! I'll check in with more tomorrow. 

I have been taking my photo-a-day (Phone Photos - Things That Make Me Smile) but obviously I have some catching up to do! It's day 142 and the last one I posted was 131! I think I'm going to spread them out over a few days lol. 

132/365 (Thursday 12th May)

I packed my camera bags and in them I put... This was the day before we left for daughter's. Really excited. 

133/365 (Friday 13th May)

Cheating with this one a little. A long drive but smiling because we finally made it!

134/365 (Saturday 14th May)

Sasha, one of daughter's dogs. She was so excited to see us! All three dogs were really excited. It's lovely to be remembered. They are such a handful, but lovey to be around - and they give great cuddles. 

That's it for today. I'm going to relax a little before bed!

I'll be Back - Quick Update

I haven't posted in a week or so. We are visiting daughter in Minnesota and I just needed a little break from everything. Having a lovely time spending time with daughter, her husband and their dogs. I'll be back on Monday. It was my birthday on Thursday and I got to the spend the day with them. There's a Wildlife Refuge not far from daughter's and I am enjoying going there and watching nature. 

I'll have lots of catching up to do when I get back! Hope everyone is well. 

One of the eagles that nests at the Wildlife Refuge

A Burst of Summer

 Don't know about Spring, but summer has arrived full force here in my corner of Southwest Michigan. It was 90F/32C today! Phew. Too warm for me. Ha ha. After complaining about the cold I am now too warm! I wanted some lovely days where it was cool in the morning and I could open the windows and feel a lovely breeze. It's not to be. The sun is shining though and I am thankful for that. 

Today MIL and I went over to Jane's. We managed to box up all the Christmas Village and it is ready to be donated. The family room is clear. We then moved on to the Living room where we had put out all the lighthouses. Those have all been boxed and put in storage tubs until I resell them. The rest of the things were boxed up ready for donation. I shall be taking a weeks break from Jane's house as I am travelling to visit daughter for a week on Friday. So excited! It's a much needed break. I brought home some items from Jane's house to take to daughter. There were a few things she had wanted. I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but there was also a small antique chair that Jane wanted daughter to have. When we were sorting out the bookcase near the chair we came across an envelope that had daughter's name on it. Inside was a card telling daughter about the chair and that Jane wanted her to have it. The card was written in 2015! 

My morning walk was warm but sunny and the sunrise was just beautiful - a sky of deep purples and a little hazy. There was a lovely mist over the field as I took in the sunrise. What a wonderful way to start the day and something to make me smile and be thankful for!

131/365

Tomorrow will be a busy day. I have to go to the shops and pick up some food for our drive. It's a twelve hour drive and we are planning a stop at somewhere we have been meaning to stop at on the way so we are taking food to try to cut down on costs. I also have to clean house, do some washing and pack! So excited!

Spring has come - I think

 It was sunny (sort of) and very warm today. We've gone (as I thought) from cold to hot in one swoop. Today it reached 84f (29C), tomorrow it is supposed to be 87F (31C). We don't have the air conditioners in yet (we only have window ones) so it's all the windows open and maybe some fans. It is nice not to be cold, but I haven't sorted out my summer clothes yet so I struggled to find something to wear - especially for my walk this morning! I didn't get around to sorting them out today either. 

I didn't end up going to Jane's. MIL is going tomorrow so I thought I'd go with her. It was lovely to have the day to work on my house a bit. The pile that had been sitting in the dining room has mostly (one box that needs to be donated) been put away and I am actually feeling a bit more relaxed about the house. I have some major sorting out to do of my own stuff once Jane's house is done, but at least the unsightly pile has gone!

I sat in the garden for a while this evening. The birds are out so late. I saw a Red-headed Woodpecker in the neighbour's tree. I am hoping it stays around a while. I don't see them that often. This is the first time I've seen one in my area. Yesterday it came to my garden and I was able to get photos. Of course, I'm behind in sorting them out. I will be taking my computer to daughter's house and will work on some while there when we are sitting around. 

Phone Photos - Things That Make Me Smile 128/365 (Sunday)

Just a lovely walk by myself. It was at my local place but I really needed some alone time. 

129/365 (Monday)

After the dentist had a nice walk with my friend. The sunshine and warmer temperature made me smile!

130/365 (today)

Yes, it's another outdoor photo. I saw the beavers today! Was lovely. I was out early and the birds were singing, the sun was shining and it was lovely and quiet. Made me smile and a lovely way to start the day!

Monday - Ugh Dentist

 Monday plodding around again. I had to go to the dentist this morning to have the permanent crown put on and another filling. Luckily being so busy I only really had yesterday to worry myself about it. I had the earliest appointment they had - 8am - so I didn't have time to think about it before hand either. I managed to get through it. There was a moment or two, but I reminded myself to stay calm and not panic and it worked. I now don't have to go back until October. It's a load off my mind. 

After the dentist I went for a walk with my friend and stopped at the shops before coming home. I can't say I was particularly productive today. I had some auctions to box up and get ready to have shipped. Luckily, I am able to have the postman/lady pick them up when they drop off our post. It's really convenient and will save me a trip to the post office. 

Tomorrow I am going for an early walk and then I shall pop over to Jane's and start boxing some bits up. I feel very relieved that the sale is done, now it is a matter of boxing up and sorting out the bits left. We are hoping to put the house on the market soon. 

This last Saturday was the first of the month which is the day for #1day12pics. I actually managed to complete it. I chose the theme Flora as I was at Jane's house for the sale. I took my camera and managed to pop out at hers to take some photos and some photos in my garden. Mine are mostly the wildflowers (weeds lol). 

Busy Week

 I don't think I've posted at all this week. I was intending to but time got away from me. I was at Jane's every day as the Estate Sale (where we sold items from her house) was Friday and Saturday. It went fairly well. I think we were pretty organised for just my mother-in-law and I doing it ourselves. The traffic was pretty steady. We didn't sell as many collectibles as I had hoped but we sold a lot of the furniture which were the bigger pieces and lots and lots of books. We had a couple of book dealers come and they bought many of the history books. 

Now we have to decide what to do with the rest. I think the Christmas Village pieces will have to be donated. They aren't expensive makes and I don't think there's much of a market for them on Ebay or anything. The lighthouses I am going to try to sell on Ebay either individually or by lots. This will be my summer project along with the postcards. So, I am going to box up the lighthouses, put them in plastic boxes and store in a closet at Jane's house at least until it sells or my house has some TLC sorting done. I am giving myself a limited time as I don't want them in my house indefinitely. I have sold on Ebay before - I have even sold a couple of Jane's lighthouses recently and they did well. I also sold a couple of her postcards (one sold for $61!). 

The little bits and pieces will be packed up for donation. The remainder of the books will be boxed up and MIL's cousin is going to take them to a book sale that an organisation that she is involved with has. We still have some bookcases left and I think I will put them on Facebook marketplace for a couple of weeks and if they don't go we will donate. I would really like the rooms to have only furniture on the edges so they are easily seen when the house goes up for sale. 

This week the plan is to get the Christmas Village boxed up, the books and the lighthouses. The rest will have to wait. On Friday husband and I are taking a trip to visit daughter for a whole week! A whole week of doing nothing - no sorting, no housework and very limited cooking lol. 

I have some catching up to do with blogs that might take me a couple of days. I am glad the sale is over. I had nightmares that nobody was going to show up. Thankfully that wasn't the case. I can relax a little and slowly things will get back to somewhat normal. 

I have been keeping up with my Phone Photos - Things That Make Me Smile

123/365

While looking through postcards I one that MIL had written Jane when they were young. It was an old postcard, no photo on the front, but it was fun to read and made me smile

124/365

The blossom is finally blooming at the lake! A walk before going to Jane's. 

125/365

It's another photo from my morning walk. I had to miss the next two days (as the sale was starting early) so I made the most of this one. It was chilly but the grass is finally growing, and things are starting to look greener. Soon the trees will be filled with leaves!

126/365

A treat at the end of a long day! I'm an introvert by nature and I find talking to strangers quite difficult and mentally draining. I managed to talk to people at the sale, but at the end of the day I was emotionally drained. It was good to sit down, put my feet up, eat one of the treats daughter had sent me and fall asleep!

127/365

I was smiling when it was over! This was my view most of the day as I was the cash person most of the time. 

Now to catch up...

Beginning May

I'm not making any plans to get a lot done this month. We are working hard at Jane's to get things ready for the sale. I had nightmares last night - about every kind imaginable, I think. I'm worried people won't come, worried things won't sell, worried that we won't get things done in time. I know that, in the big scheme of things, the sale isn't a huge deal. It's just a worry.  I really want to make sure Jane's things are taken care of. 

I'll be glad when the week is over, but it won't be the end of it. We will still have to get rid of the leftovers and then tidy up the house before listing it for sale. At this point it just seems neverending

And that's the end of my moaning. 

I have things to look forward to this month - we will be going to visit daughter for a week in mid-May! I am so excited. I haven't seen her since Christmas. I usually see her between then and our trip in May, but with all that's been going on I haven't been able to get away. 

We also have our first camping trip over the holiday weekend at the end of May! Another thing I am looking forward to. I love just being outside, sitting around a campfire, sunsets and sunrises (hopefully). 

Not this month - but something else to look forward to - I have booked a trip home to England in July. It's just for two weeks, not my usual six. It's a little bittersweet too as usually Mum and I are planning things to do together. My middle sister has invited me to stay with her and I will be with my sisters on the first anniversary of Mum's death. I shall finally be able to visit her bench!

Phone Photos - Things That Make Me Smile 121/365

Yesterday husband and I managed a walk. We got to this section of beach, and it was deserted. There were some logs that had washed in from the lake and we sat down on one and just listened to the gentle sound of the waves brushing the shore. It was absolutely lovely. So calm and peaceful. 

122/365

Before I went to Jane's today I took a walk with my friend and we came across this lovely painted stone. It's been a while since we've seen one. They always make me smile. It was the perfect beginning to the day. 

Busy Couple of Days

 I'll play catch-up with reading blogs tomorrow. 

It's been a busy couple of days. We were over at Jane's yesterday and are plodding along getting everything ready for the sale. I have a feeling that next week I will be spending a lot of time at her house!

I didn't go for a walk this morning. Husband had to take my car in - we had a slow leak in the tyre (tire) and had to end up having all replaced. He was going to drop me off for a walk, but the weather wasn't the greatest and I didn't want to get caught out in the rain. 

When he got back we went over to Jane's and sorted out the garage. We had a lot of cardboard boxes and plastic storage boxes that had to be moved. We don't want to get rid of them yet as the things that don't sell in the sale will be going to the charity shop and will need to be packed up. There is a screened in back porch at the house and husband moved them to there. We did put some broken or weirdly shaped boxes in the recycle. It's a big load off my mind. I find it hard to organise that sort of thing and I just panicked as I saw a big mess and no way to sort it. Husband is a bit more analytical and managed to work it all out. He also checked the attic while he was there (taking off a handle that was in the way and replacing it after). Thankfully it is empty! He also replaced a light fixture in the hallway. The garage was the last of The Big Mess. 

When I got home I did a little more sorting. Jane collected postcards and I had brought home a couple of folders (binders) full of them to sort through and pull out to be sold. There are still three more to do. I actually really enjoy looking through some of the postcards. She has some from over 100 years ago and it's wonderful to see how things have changed. 

Tomorrow we are going out for a Sunday Adventure and a walk. Later we have to go to Jane's briefly. I am looking forward to getting out and walking as I didn't today. 

Photos for today - a couple of the 'flowers' (weeds) in my garden - taken with my camera. I am finally trying to use my macro lens a little more. Things are finally starting to grow a little. 

And a little catching up on my Phone Photos - Things That Make Me Smile project. I am still taking the photos one a day - not so good at organising them which is why I am documenting them here as I can look back and remember which one I took for the day and why!

118/365

Such a peaceful way to start the day. I've been getting to the lake earlier than my friend and I wait for her at a certain point. I just stand there and listen to the birds and the sounds - the perfect way to start the day. 

119/365

Yet another nature photo. Yup, it brings me joy. I love this crooked tree. It has such character. Always makes me smile, especially on a day where I really didn't want to spend another day sorting the house. 

120/365

Today. Well. If I was doing another photo instead of phone photos it would have either been a photo of the hawk I saw sitting on my fence this morning (grabbed the big camera and managed some photos) or it would have been one of the photos I took of the flowers blossoming in Jane's garden. As it's a phone photo it has to be one of the postcards that I've been sorting through. There are so many good ones, old ones, black and white ones. 

The one I'm sharing is actually two sides of the same postcard. It was one that was written and sent in 1940. I find it interesting that with all that was going on the same mundane things were written on the card!

I think if you click on the photo you should be able to read it. 

Goodnight all. 

Just Another Day

 Managed to fit in the minimum I wanted to get done so I'll chalk it up as an okay day. Was cold this morning, but warmed up a little this afternoon. The house is still a bit of a mess. I'll try to work on it this weekend. I have empty boxes sitting around. I want to keep them so I can put my donation bits in but don't want them sitting around so I might break them down. 

Tomorrow we're back at Jane's. Not sure what the goal is tomorrow. Straighten up a bit more. I'd like to take a few pictures as I want to start placing ads on Sunday. Not sure I'll achieve that. I might have to pop over at the weekend. I need to get back to writing lists so I can stay on task and feel as though I am achieving something. 

So that's another day done and dusted. I was going to stay up later, but I'm really tired so popping off to bed. Here's hoping I can actually sleep when I get there. 

I thought I'd share a different pic today. This is a collage of ones I took on Sunday. The birds are used to being fed at this nature park and this Red-Winged Blackbird couldn't even wait until husband had got out the food. Apparently the first bag husband got out contained peanuts which these birds don't eat. The bird squeaked at him until he got out the right food. So funny.