Ridgetop - our place and how we muddle along

Ridgetop

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Yes, the first half of the evening was absolutely perfect. Had I realized that the groom was unable to hold his liquor and had no idea that his limit was 1 or 2, I would have appointed a bodyguard and instructed the bartender not to serve him.

However, the professional photographer we hired was only there through the dinner sitting, then she left. She got pix of everyone behaving appropriately and of the cake pre collision with Doofus' face. Thank heavens the professional pix will be nice. The photographer is posting the pix on line for us to view. :caf

The groom's grandmother was supposed to fly out from Florida with Nikki. DDSIL2 is her favorite grandchild. She is in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's and at the last minute decided that she could not make the trip. It was to be a surprise for DSIL2. I was very disappointed but now am very glad that she did not see his disgraceful behavior. It would have broken her heart.

In the meantime the wedding will provide the guests (thankfully few and mainly close family) with many riotous memories which will be outrageously enlarged and distorted over the coming years.

I do feel that I was able to pull off the best of a bad situation. I showed a pleasant and calm face to all the guests. I quietly issued my orders to the Maitre D' as if I supervised similar events constantly. I did not allow myself slap the groom upside the head. I did not drown him in the vomit bucket. No matter the temptation I behaved as a lady.

I credit my grandmother's early training. She raised me and I have always attempted to behave in pubic situations as she would have approved. Also earlier positions in charge of various functions where upsets occurred have steeled me. Not to mention my tightly slimming undergarments that did not allow me to slump in despair. No wonder the women of old had such good posture in those corsets. You have to stay upright and move slowly and calmly. :lol:

I did require 3 Mai Tais but they were small and weak.

The groom's behavior provided a valuable lesson to the grandchildren on the dangers of alcohol. Their parents were quick to take advantage and caution them against liquor. Naturally they will learn the lesson for themselves when they grow up. 🤢

On Monday I sorted out the leftovers wedding items. The extra crayon boxes and activity books went onto my grandchildren's shelf. I found the unused guest book that I had forgotten to put out. (I knew there was something i was missing at the time.) Having bought for 100 guests I had 60 unused favor boxes and bubbles left along with the guest book and the just married signs. Our dear friends' daughter plans a small wedding reception next year and happily said they would love them so they will not be wasted.

I also had the "Just Married" vinyl window stickers which were not used since the neither the groom nor his bride were fit to drive themselves in any vehicle. I considered that we could have duct taped him to the hood of the car and driven him home that way but it was a fleeting thought brought on by the thought of him laying cold and dead with a deer tag in his ear. I dismissed the thought immediately but not with as much distress as it should have occasioned. :)

Over the following week Annabel, Robert, DDIL2 and I came down with the mild cold Maysie had brought home from preschool. Gotta love preschool - for a year no one got anything except Covid - now we are back to preschool infections. I took the opportunity to alternate between cleaning out closets, dressers, and inside storage areas and taking to my bed with a pitcher of orange juice. I kept checking myself for fever and signs of Covid in case I needed to swig Ivermectin but it was only a minor case of sniffles.

On Thursday or Friday evening a surprise thunderstorm blew in. Massive lightning strikes - unusual during our major storm systems. Lots of rain. Supposed to rain all day today, but only a small amount last night. Whatever we get we need. :fl

Then another sad blow. I called my dear friend/mom to go over and tell her all about the eventful wedding. The family was in the midst of setting up Hospice at her home. :hitWhile I knew it was coming she had seemed to rally before DD2's wedding. Now it seemed she was failing fast. She had weakened to the point she could no longer walk and could not be left alone. She is in constant pain in all extremities. Her son has been staying with her at night and her granddaughter, who can work from home, during the day. I am going to spend tonight with her. They are trying to find a caregiver but the agency rules say the caregivers must be in the room at all times with her. They are forbidden from reading, watching TV, or sleeping and must remain in the room at al times! Creepy to lay there while someone just sits and stares at you. :hide I asked DDIL2 if she knew anyone and it seems her auntie does that work. Unfortunately the auntie is currently working with a patient but is going to refer a friend. The family can interview her. I offered to stay with mom when needed so between the family and me she will be covered. DH offered to stay if needed as well. We both love her so much. This will be the end of another chapter in our lives.

Each major occurrence in life is the end and beginning of a different chapter. Our lives are not just one flowing story. Getting morbid here.

Annabel is very cranky today. She had shots yesterday and was feverish and crying. I gave her Baby Tylenol and she is sleeping now. I am going to leave for Lois' now. Need to be back by 1:30 DS1 can pick up DGD1 from school. Otherwise I will pick her up. I need to come back to do dinner and pack a bag for tonight. Also come home tomorrow morning because DSIL2 is out of town again working tomorrow and DD2 has to work so we must watch Annabel an extra day this week.

This coming week I plan to do more cleaning out of the Connexes. Both now have large empty spaces n the shelves and also large empty spaces where we moved out shelving to other storage locations. The PVC storage unit on the driveway is almost empty on all shelves so a lot can be moved over there from the Connex emptying another shelf unit. We need to move the shelf units and all contents from one Connex to fill it with hay. DS1 keeps wanting to move my stock of TP over to the driveway shed but I want to keep it safe in the Connex. The men want to use it up since they are now able to buy more but not happening. They are of the shake and dry component while DDIL2 and I are not. They do not see the need for excess TP. Told the girls to start stocking up on diapers in larger sizes.

Got to go to Lois'.
 

Baymule

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I’m so sorry about your mom. I’m more sorry for her suffering than anything else. My Daddy had bone cancer, it was very painful.

Yes, one chapter ends, turn the page and another chapter in life begins. You don’t know what is in the next chapter until you live it.
 

Ridgetop

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Got an urgent call Friday. My dear friend/mom needed me to come and stay with her overnight. DH and I both stayed on Saturday. She needs a lot of help. I helped her on Sunday with a sponge bath and washed her hair. She hopes to have a caregiver by today.

She is upset because her grandchildren won't come and get some of her cut glass and crystal. She wants to give them to the 2 grandchildren before she goes but they refuse to choose anything. I tried to explain that by choosing something they are accepting that she is dying and they are in denial. Instead I said that I will bring some gift boxes over and she can choose pieces to give each one, and the great granddaughters, and I will wrap them up carefully and label the boxes for the kids and grandkids. Then when she is gone they will be waiting for them to open for Christmas. In the case of the great granddaughters (6 and 1), the items can be kept until they are old enough to appreciate them.

Her granddaughter has finally accepted that Lois will not make it to the wedding October 25. Whether she is still alive or not, she is too weak and fragile to attend. she did go to the engagement party in September and saw all the old friends there so was happy about that.

I will go over on Thursday or Friday.

After the weekend and yesterday of not looking at my mail, it took me an hour plus to go through and delete all the junk, and read my correspondence! :ep DH does not read any of the mail so I have to slate any Facebook stuff for him, frat and reunion friends mail. I just move it into the appropriate files and every so often make him go in and read it all. I am not his answering service although he seems to expect me to be his social secretary!

We are finally signing the paperwork on the Yantis property tomorrow. The appointment was for today but when the notary received it all the documents were dated tomorrow! He had to reschedule the appointment. We are getting in just under the wire on this since I think the time limit to close runs out December 25 (180 days from close of Yelm sale). The Identification period ended in August s if we did not close before December 25, we would have to pay the capital gains tax whether we bought the property or not! The first problem in closing on time was the survey which kept being extended for over a month. So lots of amendments as to closing date. Then more extensions of the cosing date since the rice had to be adjusted due to the survey # of acres. Then The escrow company (abstract company) had no experience with 1031 exchanges and made several mistakes, including not vesting the title in the name of our trust which was the owner of Yelm in the paperwork. This had to be the exact same owner name to satisfy the IRS 1031. More extensions while they said they had not been informed of this. This was not true since I personally spoke to "Shelley" from the title company on the phone and gave her the information, Kris had emailed them a copy of the Confirmation of Trust on August 16 (copy of that email in my files), and I had given the Confirmation of Trust to both the title company and the lender when meeting with them in Texas. However, after another bunch of extensions, we are ready to go tomorrow. I need to emai the cattle tenant and have Kris send him a new land contract for the coming year. His current contract with Mrs. McDonald runs through the end of 2021. Our house tenant wants to start moving stuff into the house as well.

God willing, we will be leaving for Texas the end of October, beginning of November to deal with the septic, electrical, and game fencing. I told DH the fencing could wait till this summer if we don't have time to install it now. We are hoping to be in tx for BJ's memorial. Then we will head for DS3's place on the way home since the entire family is meeting there for Thanksgiving. We were bringing the trailer up there to sleep in anyway, so can just go straight there from TX.

Emptied out the PVC storage shed in the driveway and found 2 more boxes of books. Sorted them and have got them on the shelves, with others to donate. Then I also went through all our shelves of old DVDs and matched them with the ones we have replaced in CDs (family favorites). Those are now sorted to donate. The added bonus is that I have freed up shelf space in my pantry cabinet for stocking canned food, etc. Also have extra space in the hall cabinets for same.

Am on almost the last couple lbs. of lamb formula. Lamb will wean when I finish this batch. She is 2 months old today, eating hay, and I have enough for another 2 weeks. BAD NEWS!!! :th Can't order any Manna Pro lamb formula from Chewy who no longer stocks it. Also only able to find Manna Pro Lamb formula in 3.5 lb. bags from other suppliers. :caf Will try my local feed dealer. Other local dealer said they can't order 1 bag! I like to have it for emergencies. I pack it in individual containers that I seal in plastic. Stays fresh in the laundry room.
:weeeYAY!!! My local dealer can order it for me BUT don't know yet how much it will be. Oh well, better to pay than watch an orphan lamb starve. Waiting to find ut the cost. :hide :fl

Anyway, as I was saying, I cleaned out the PVC shed. The giant box with my saddle and retained horse tack was taking up a large portion of the floor space, as were my 2 standing saddle racks. I set up one and put a smaller nylon saddle on that one, then folded and stored my favorite travel rack in the loft We had cleaned that out and I dragged out the jumbo tool chest that we used when working on the apartment from the loft. I scrubbed it out, and DS1 got casters to put on the bottom. For 10 years I wanted to do that but couldn't because we were always using it!!! I attached the casters and moved all my horse blankets, saddle pads, etc. in it from the giant cardboard wardrobe box. The second nylon saddle went on top of a walking horse pad on top of the first saddle on the other rack. I have another large tool box with the cruppers, breast collars, bridles and halters, etc. stored in it. They went back into the PVC shed with the saddle rack. I draped an old sheet over the saddles and tied the corners together underneath to keep the saddles clean. :) Nice and tidy with mostly empty shelves now in the shed!

Then I checked the Connex. One of the that has all the Christmas decorations in it is otherwise almost empty. We need to remove the last 8' shelf unit (now empty) from it and put it in the milk shed. Then I can start moving stuff from the other Connex to the milk shed. Mostly building supplies - 2 new medicine cabinets destined for the Texas house, several light fixtures, one an antique brass fixture, ne a new fixture and the other a quirky new antler chandelier along with 2 antler wall sconces. Not sure what I will do with them but want to hang in to them for a while yet. They can come to TX with us. Also needing to be moved into the milk shed is MJ's antique wood burning kitchen stove which we want to bring to TX with us. We will probably get rid of the old round wood stove because it is in such bad shape. We would need to find someone who works in iron to repair it and we don't think it can be repaired - probably just will buy a new one for the barn in TX. Also our new stove top for the house here which we bought and never installed because we kept planning to get new countertops but can't find the time to be without a kitchen long enough for the countertops to be removed and new ones installed! :rolleyes: DS1 said we might as well move the stove top to the milk shed and look at the instructions to see if we can just install it in the old counters. DS2 said he would pay for new countertops but the installers don't want to leave my tile backsplash in place. Not sure what we will do about the counters but will move the stove top to the milk shed. With the wood burning kitchen stove and new stove top out that will empty a lot of the second Connex. Also keep sending off unwanted stuff t Salvation Army. I still have my great grandmother's pressure canner. It has metal arms that have to be screwed down by hand around the lid! I am considering making it into a garden ornament again. At one time I had it and on old dairy milk can (the big farm ones) in the flower beds as ornaments. Might keep it for a porch ornament in TX. Not sure what I did with the old milk can. Might still be in the flower bed with a tile on it and a plant sitting on it. I'll have to look. LOL
Then a trip to Palm Sprigs to take my good furniture to sell at the consignment shop. Antique Asian stuff too good to dump at the Salvation Army. DS1 says he will bring all the Christmas stuff over to the house in November which will empty the last shelves in the first Connex. With those shelves empty, DS1 will move the empty shelves to the second Connex and the milk shed. VOILA! An empty Connex for DH to fill with hay. The time line seems long, but we are already halfway through October so not as long as it sounds. Particularly when you realize that all the Christmas stuff will not need to return to the second Connex until January. Hay prices will have increased but I do what I can when I can. I am not able to move everything by myself anymore. I figure if I just keep moving along little by little, there will be less to move to TX eventually.

I wrapped up and sent some of my grandmother's crystal to DD2 as well. Of course I replaced it in the cabinet with the crystal from my friend/mom. It had been her mother-in-law's. My grandmother's crystal matches some that DD2 already has that I gave her. Also very old.

When it comes to fine crystal I no longer wash it by hand. I wash it in the dishwasher and it comes out beautifully. I have never had any break other than some newer cheaper stuff I bought! And I can use it more often by washing it this way instead of hoarding it for "good".







 

Baymule

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I'm so sorry that your friend/Mom is doing so poorly. Maybe her granddaughter and her new husband can go see her in their wedding finery so that Lois can see them. Then she could maybe feel like she got to go to the wedding.

It is good of y'all to wrap up her crystal and things she wants her grandchildren to have. That is a good idea.

Closing on the Yantis property! :weee :weee:weee

Looking forward to seeing y'all in November.
 

Ridgetop

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:fl:fl:fl till tomorrow when we are supposed to sign. Then I have to notify the septic and electric people so we can schedule that work in early November. We will do the fencing next spring or summer when we will come out for a month again.

Our truck is in the shop. They are waiting on parts. Might have to take DS2's Black Dragon to TX. I don't like it since it rides much higher than ours and I can barely get into it even with the running boards! However, we need it to tow the trailer - wait, it doesn't have a 5th wheel hitch. OOPS! Might have to stay in a motel. :idunno DS2's truck was just in the sho for a month. If we can't pull our trailer with the Black Dragon, we will have to get DS3's Big Red and take out trailer up to Nipomo with it. We need our trailer up there for sleeping quarters for ourselves and one other couple over Thanksgiving! Just as things look like they will go right - they DON'T!!!
:barnie
 

farmerjan

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:fl:fl:fl till tomorrow when we are supposed to sign. Then I have to notify the septic and electric people so we can schedule that work in early November. We will do the fencing next spring or summer when we will come out for a month again.

Our truck is in the shop. They are waiting on parts. Might have to take DS2's Black Dragon to TX. I don't like it since it rides much higher than ours and I can barely get into it even with the running boards! However, we need it to tow the trailer - wait, it doesn't have a 5th wheel hitch. OOPS! Might have to stay in a motel. :idunno DS2's truck was just in the sho for a month. If we can't pull our trailer with the Black Dragon, we will have to get DS3's Big Red and take out trailer up to Nipomo with it. We need our trailer up there for sleeping quarters for ourselves and one other couple over Thanksgiving! Just as things look like they will go right - they DON'T!!!

:barnie
:th:th Always something......:idunno:idunno:hit:hit:hit
 

Ridgetop

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Not sure - possibly a month? :th

Saturday - DS2 is home today so will be able to have him help move the big wood cookstove into the milk shed along with the new stove top for our kitchen. Once those are out of the Connex we can move the 8' shelf unit to the milk shed and I can get far enough into the Connex to transfer boxes either to the milk shed, the Rubbermaid shed, or sort to donate or dump. There are several boxes of old paperwork and bills that I need to sort and shred. Some need to be kept until we sell this place for tax reasons. Some cover the purchase and sale of the apartment building - need to keep those for capital gains tax info. Many are just old utility bills. Since I was a legal secretary I tend to keep more documents than necessary. However, DS has been known to shred stuff then have to locate copies the following month due to a mistake or dispute. Better to keep the stuff for a couple of extra years and then sort and shred in my opinion. Need to buy some new plastic file boxes to store anything in that needs storing so rats can't chew it up, then store those boxes in the milk shed.

Have been sorting out items to wrap for Christmas this year - some of my grandmother's crystal and china. Also have ordered and received the toys we are giving the grandchildren. One toy each because money is short after the wedding costs and the ranch purchase and our trip to TX. I am also stocking up on some things. Sugar and flour, Bisquik, rice. Noodles and pasta I already stored away. I have a case each of corn, green beans, and other beans. Not enough for this family, but I can only store so much. I am also buying some powdered milk. Years ago when I did daycare in my home, I used to mix reconstituted powdered milk and whole milk to save money My family never noticed the difference! The alternative would be to buy a goat, but then I have the problem of buying more hay and grain. I will buy powdered milk a bit at a time until I have enough to at least cook with. Can't keep chickens since I have a problem with my lungs and their feathers. I suppose I could buy some dried egg powder like the military uses for emergency use. On the other hand, if it gets that bad, we will be in really bad trouble. LOL At least DS2 and DD2 listened to me and ordered extra diapers. Again, I can sew some diapers up from cotton flannel and gauze if necessary but I really don't want to. Their babies their problem. If flour still came in flour sacks we would be home free! :lol:

We have baby Annabel again today since DSIL2 is working out of town on Saturdays for extra $$$. So far, have had Annabel M T,F, S, and Robert Th. Wednesday DD2 came by and spent most of the day here. She had errands to do so left Annabel to take a nap. So although technically Annabel was with her mother I had her for about 4 hours. Then Maysie came over after preschool to play with Elizabeth. Just realized why I am so tired!

Oh well, hopefully I can get the boys to do the Connex shelf and emptying thing so I can start moving boxes from the Connex onto the new vacant shelf areas in the other sheds. It is at times like these that I realize how old I have gotten! Even 10 years ago I would have moved the large shelf myself. The antique stove might have been too heavy, but I could have maneuvered the new stove top onto the dolly and moved it across the field and down to the milk shed.

I got the results from the ankle xrays. Some tendon damage, mostly arthritis, with -

SURPRISE! evidence of a healed break in the left ankle!!!

I don't know when that happened. Probably when I was having trouble walking on my ankle while working on the apartment 10-11 years ago. Went to the podiatrist since it felt like it was my feet. He did foot xrays not ankle xrays so missed it. The break apparently did not displace so might have been green stick. I'm tougher than I thought! Always poo-pooed those movie strong guys that took a couple bullets then crawled miles with a broken leg to fight the bad guy and win. :lol::gig Maybe it happens.

Maybe I can lift that antique wood stove by myself after all! :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:
 
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