tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6394593369099711178.post2624581894526166679..comments2024-03-18T03:18:23.620-04:00Comments on Memoirs for my children: Bath failruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15293058709021665140noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6394593369099711178.post-81795820726877308452013-09-19T11:14:56.685-04:002013-09-19T11:14:56.685-04:00It seems like you've had a lot of loss in a sh...It seems like you've had a lot of loss in a short amount of time.<br /><br />Your children are all so close in age that they left one right after the other. You lost your last chick when he flew from the nest, you lost your nest itself, you lost your health and your hair, you lost your fledgling teaching career, you lost your familiar friends and acquaintances and to top that off, you lost your kitchen. Cooking is one of the ways you cope with difficult times but now you have lost a decent stove and a pleasant kitchen in which to cook. You have even lost a normal bathtub so Calgon can't take you away from it all. <br /><br />I think I can understand why you would be distressed and yet still grateful at the same time about having a good roof over your head. It was touch-and-go for a while that you would even have a place to live. That doesn't negate the difficulty of all the changes happening in such a short span and limited options for dealing with it.<br /><br />Take good care of yourself, Ruth.Hope T.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07861626818618433758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6394593369099711178.post-46530522267978284542013-09-17T17:45:13.330-04:002013-09-17T17:45:13.330-04:00Regarding the house, I came to a standstill when I...Regarding the house, I came to a standstill when I ran out of space. There are still a couple of boxes in the garage, many boxes in the basement, and a bunch of homeless stuff clutters up the would-be-cute sun porch. I have absolutely zero motivation to continue unpacking, now that there is nowhere to put anything more.<br /><br />On paper, this house is 400 square feet bigger than our old house. I can't figure it out. Of course, that does not include the finished basement in our old house, which we used heavily, and which added another 700 square feet, bringing the balance to -300 square feet here. <br /><br />But even only considering the upper floors, it seems that we have gone to (perhaps) more space in the halls, bathrooms and bedrooms (except ours, which is smaller than our old bedroom), while losing space in the living room, dining room and office/study.<br /><br />Of course, for our stage of life these days, with no kids around anymore, it is a plenty big house, probably too big. I just feel sort of sad when I see my big old comfy leather recliner, solitary in the dim basement. I think I might feel better when my kids actually get to the point where they need furniture, and I can give them some of this... and then buy stuff that actually fits in this house.<br /><br />The bitterest pill to swallow is the kitchen. I went from a completely custom kitchen that we had redone exactly the way I wanted it--both for form and function--to a very unattractive kitchen with major design flaws in the layout. I even went from a gas stove, on which I was practically a gourmet cook, to an old electric stove on which I either over or undercook everything because I can't control the heat properly.<br /><br />I know I sound like a baby. I have cabinets, counters, and a complete set of working appliances. I should be thankful. But even my friend , who was visiting me last week, said, "I have absolutely no aesthetic sense, and those counter-tops are even getting to me. I can see why you don't like them." <br /><br />So. I pray. Because it is hard to get a kitchen redone when you don't know anything about any of the contractors in an area. And also it is costly, and that stresses me out and makes me sad. Especially when I let myself think about how we had a beautiful house, and 20 acres of beautiful land that we could have built another house on, had we gotten dissatisfied enough with the one we were in (which wasn't happening), and we sold them both and still had to go into debt for this house that is too small for my furniture and has a mug-ugly kitchen. Call me materialistic, but I really struggle with being sad about this.<br /><br />Oh... but it is twice a MONTH, not twice a week with the bleach for the tub jets. Not quite so bad, but still not what I was hoping... (rueful smile)ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15293058709021665140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6394593369099711178.post-16125773043054490312013-09-16T22:20:00.591-04:002013-09-16T22:20:00.591-04:00Twice a week with bleach?! Wow, I will know what t...Twice a week with bleach?! Wow, I will know what to avoid if I am ever searching for a new home. I never really cared for jacuzzi tubs either and that was before I heard about the twice a week thing (with bleach!).<br /><br />How is the rest of the house coming along? Is the house too small to fit the furniture or is it just that the arrangement of the rooms is different from your old house?Hope T.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07861626818618433758noreply@blogger.com