The epiphany

Know what I realized this morning? I don't like my house. Actually, the house is okay. But I made so many compromises when I bought it, that now I'm not really happy there. I got a better deal with a USDA loan, but it dictated where I could buy. So I ended up way out on west side of Nashville, where I know absolutely no-one. All of my friends, including the boy, live on the east side. Granted, the commute is much better than it would have been on the east side but it limits my social activities quite a bit.

I also wanted a place that was private enough that my cats could become outside animals again. I'm living in town. A town with more feral cats than sense. A town that seems to collect pit bulls. On a street that. . . well that brings me to the next point.

I HATE MY NEIGHBORS! Bunch of drug dealing derelicts, living off the government and my taxes. I don't know if any of them have jobs. The family across the street does. But they still live like bums. Umpteen cars, and never mow their lawn. I wanted enough land to where I didnt' see my neighbors.

I bought in town because my father kept talking about the dangers of living alone. Dangers? See above. I'm in more danger in my own yard from pit bulls & drug dealers. Biggest danger of living in the middle of nowhere? Mowing my own yard. Seriously. Its not like my neighbors would check on me.

Oh, and then there is the guy who mows my yard. Creepy, but cheap. I would rather mow my own very big yard. Get me a riding mower, a hat & a cool drink, and I would be in the zone.

What else? Oh, the kids seem to think that my yard is public property. I just want to fence the whole thing up.

So I have decided to not make any more major investments in the house. I'm going to fix a few things that have to be fixed, and maybe do a couple of cosmetic investments. Carpet, definitely. Maybe new countertops, just to update it. But I am going to start sticking money in an account just to cover closing costs on selling it. I don't care if I have to go back to renting for a while, after that. My next house will be what I want. By the time the real estate market comes back, I should be in good shape. I will have to tolerate the situation for a couple of years, I guess. But I can do that. Maybe. On the other hand, maybe I could start calling the codes department on some things on my street. :)

Back from the Beach!

 This was the view from our condo. Beautiful, huh? :) Every morning, I would sit on the balcony and watch the manta rays (sometimes in groups as big as 50!), sometimes dolphins, and even a manatee one morning. It was great.

My oldest friend, and the boy got along well. They have nothing in common, except me so I was very, very nervous about it. It could have been a disaster. But they did okay. We went putt putt golfing, to a haunted house, to a winery (YUMM!!), and a sunset dolphin watching cruise.

The vacation was good, but it's weird how it compares to prior trips. For my friend, M & I, I would say it was one of our best vacations ever. We've never done much more than beach, shop, eat out & read. She can be pretty 'sedate'. So this was a pretty big departure from our normal vacation. And I think it was great! We had a really good time. I hope that future trips will be similar.

Now for the boy. We had a good time, too. But when it was just us, we sat on the balcony every evening, and talked. And talked. And talked. We talked about everything, politics, religion, family, futures, pasts...you name it. We talked about it. Kind of hard to do that when there is someone else around. We were able to talk after she went to bed, but it wasn't much. I missed that. Plus, when he was cooking before, we had a whole routine going. It worked for us. I don't know if I can describe what it was that missed in this vacation. The intimacy maybe? (yeah, no comments from the peanut gallery) It was still good but different. His current tour schedule ends on 10/22. I think I found a condo for the week after that, so maybe we can go again. Just us. We'll see.

Got back from vacation with the enrollment information for an online class waiting for me, along with my first homework assignment. Oh joy. Working on a new certification. I'm just not in the mindset right now. But I better get into it. Company is paying for it. :)

All of my plants are doing well. The tiger lilies are bloomin, big & orange. The delphiniums are a beautiful blue. The yellow yarrow is still blooming, and the red yarrow is getting close. The gaura is so pretty, with pink blooms against the dark leaves. I love it. I'm hoping the jasmine starts blooming again soon. The scent is wonderful. And the veggies are doing great, with lots of blooms so hopefully I can save some $$$ at the produce dept this year.

Well, that's enough for now. Enjoy the pics. My friend, M is an amazing photographer.