Eight Prius loads of stuff, and there's still more...

While it's true that I have moved several boxes of stuff for my daughters, and the largest roller bag in the world and a couple more boxes for my mom, I would have thought that eight carloads might have done it. I'm predicting that unless I really give away most of what's in my garage, there are a half dozen more trips I must make if I truly want to leave only the furniture for the movers.

On a more positive note, I'm feeling rather comfortable in my new place.

Quite like a queen despite the paired down shoe collection. With such a nice closet, who needs shoes? Though as you can see, I still have quite a few pairs.

The rest of the place will no doubt be cozier once it's fully furnished......

And I'm not rattling around there all by myself.

I'm not exactly sure what the prince and princess are up to in this picture. My grandchildren set up these little scenes when they were visiting. It might be that the princess is throwing the prince from the parapet. Or maybe they're dancing in the moonlight. I hope to be dancing at my new place with the moon reflecting off the water later this summer.

10,000 Tasks in the Land of 10,000 Lakes

Yesterday was patching day. Today was sanding-vacuuming-washing-and-priming day. I dragged the vacuum cleaner, a mop and a bucket, and can of primer from one end of my St. Paul condo to the other this afternoon. Tomorrow will be painting day in preparation for the new closet "systems" that will be installed in my bedroom closets and in my tiny kitchen pantry. The kicker is that I actually enjoy this sort of thing. With two walks to the hardware store plus the actual work, I got some exercise and saved myself at least several hundred dollars. How could that not be fun. I have always loved improving the places I've lived-- even as a renter.
I'm a sucker for pretty.

Right after Mr. Ex graduated from law school, he got an offer for a temporary job in Denver. We lived in a 450-square-foot apartment in the middle of L.A. then, and I stayed there while he went to Denver. While he was away, I pulled up the filthy carpet and hand-waxed the beautiful old wood floor. I custom blended paint colors tinting and mixing the almost-free paint I'd gotten at a flea market until it was a pale sandy rose and painted our living room.  Everyone looked gorgeous in that room.

I was both stricken and furious when he left me. By then we lived in a big house with a pool and a jacuzzi, a playground, a built-in barbeque big enough to cook a side of beef. We had a gorgeous patio next to a waterfall and a billion other things we didn't have when our life together was smaller.

I made this list sometime after he left me, pissed as hell that all my sweat equity was washed away, and that he let me work as his general contractor and as a laborer on a house that he wanted for himself and the Little Missus.

What I Did or Hired to be Done from Jan. '07 to Jul. '07 ( I chose to focus on this narrow period of time because after studying his cellphone records, it was pretty obvious to me that he knew he was leaving me by January.)

Haulers for misc. junk

Xmas lights down

Winterized Shade-Tree canopy system for patio

Solved drainage issues in driveway and front flower beds

Pond repair

Organized Mr. Ex's pile of papers in garage

Tree trimmers

New garage doors

Painted garage

Cleaned and organized garage top to bottom

Free-cycled the stuff we don't want

More shelves from CA closets for garage & repair of bin in back hall closet

Maintenance of AC & heating

Researched TVs

Carpet & rug cleaning

Direct TV installation

Garage floor installation

Set up garage as M's party room

Fed roses

Researched and bought new fridge

Got rid of old fridge

New shower head

Termite control

Plumber

Sprayed roses

Pond guy again

Landscaping tune-up

More work on Pond

Constant yard work and gardening

I'm pretty sure I would feel like I was living in a mausoleum if I'd been the one to keep the house.  I don't miss it--except for what I grew there.