WEEK-END's over. We had a heavy rain in the early hours of the morning. Having stayed up late watching a thriller movie made going to sleep take place about 2 am. I had no trouble falling back asleep when the storm blew into town around 4 or so. I heard some thunder and went back to sleep immediately until 8 am. Didn't come out of sleep zone.
Took my meds to wake up. Quietly surfed the internet watching vids about LIBERAL, KS. where I grew up. Security Oil where my dad pounded the pavement to make a living, is no longer there. A concrete drive is all. He managed this Service Station that never closed. The building is fresh in my brain. His office is still there where he smoked cigars at his desk. They had a round island where the cars were fueled up by employees that would check your oil and wash the windows of your car as well. Service with a smile.
Gosh, if a Service Station did this now, we'd think it was high class. Self-serve is all the rage these days at the pumps in 2023. Most of us don't think anything about pumping gas ourselves and paying at the pump. Many grumble about having to check themselves out at Walmart, Target, etc. but think nothing about self-service at the pump anymore. There was a time that self-serve at the pump was looked down upon.
Hubby went to ALDI and said they have become self-check just like DOLLAR GENERAL. I'm getting the hang of it and it doesn't bother me that I'm checking myself out. I can oversee how things go into the bags and use as many bags as I want. WITHIN REASON. These plastic bags are recycled into being used in small waste cans in my HOME. Two bathroom cans and one by my recliner for junk mail etc. I use these plastic bags in the cars as well. So if I keep the DOLLAR GENERAL bags, they come in very handy. Many do just what I do. The smell of ink that off gases from the plastic bags sometimes stinks to the point I can't use them and willingly do not. I suppose this could cause health issues?
Have mercy, LIBERAL is such a bland place. It was the people that gave the area some beauty when I lived there. I have fantastic memories. TODAY, it appears so flat and lacking vegetation. Like the JOKE says, you see a telephone pole and think it's a tree.
I was curious what others had filmed about LIBERAL. I know a new High School building was built awhile back. It was built on the edge of town where West Junior High was almost in the Industrial part of town. The kids now think it's alright to attend school amongst the Industrial part of town. The school building I went to is being used as a church and storage. Most of the interior is uninhabited. The exterior still looks quite good though. I had wondered why the unused part of the building was not torn down selling the used brick. Clear the lot and rebuild something else worthwhile to improve the situation. Politics???
After we settle into the COTTAGE, I want to take a road trip starting where I met my Husband, got married, started a family, etc. Visit each place we lived and reminisce. Take pictures and smile. Maybe rent a RV and sleep at RV Camps along the way. Eat lots of sandwiches.
We'd start out in Liberal where we met, drive to Marion where we continues to date getting married then to Wichita as a newly wedded couple onto Guymon, Oklahoma back to Liberal. Go to Hugoton. Back to Liberal and off to Omaha, Nebraska. Back to Liberal. Onto Kingwood and Spring, Texas. Back to Marion. Then to Tulsa and Jenks, Oklahoma. Then to Manhattan and outside of Wamego where we lived on a farm. A quick stop at small town America, another small town and back to small town America. PAUSE. Did I forget anyplace?
Would I ever go back to LIBERAL to live? I don't think so unless I had acreage and a fine mansion to decorate. Perhaps I can have that right where I'm living where there are actual trees and rolling hills.
Lately, I have watched a multitude of videos about tiny houses. My tiny house is a reality with our COTTAGE. She needs TENDER LOVING CARE to get her up and going which we hope to do this coming year. To get completely out of debt, we will need to sell our main house and completely pay off all debt. The thought of being out of debt thrills me. Let it happen in a good way.
Prepping to get out of this 1883 house has required a great deal of packing. I cannot do all that needs done with the recovering from this surgery. THREE WEEKS in tomorrow.
When I look at where we are, I am a bit overwhelmed.
The blue room upstairs is nearly empty. Today, I will walk through the upstairs and see what else needs packed. The linen closet still has bedding in it. Think I should take it over to the COTTAGE today at a slow pace.
Hubby's closet still holds some odds 'n ins. What was called the Victorian room has some small piles of stuff just sitting waiting for the human touch to load it up. Then there's the Vintage room. She's empty. So I have the Linen and Hallway closet to empty, Hubby's closet and the JUNK room. Upstairs will be vacant. PTL.
When this is all done...I'll have to move to the Basement to empty it. I can gently go through the vinyl storage boxes. Hubby will have to carry them up the stairs and out to the car to be hauled to the storage unit. THEN THE CARRIAGE HOUSE needs attention. We have a great deal to do YET. Stay focused.
We seem to own more stuff in our 60s inching toward our 70s then any other time in LIFE. I believe I can forge ahead and get rid of about 65% of it still. Down sizing and becoming more of a minimalist is overhauling my attitude.
SUNDAY MORNING with gray skies and cooler temps. Praise the LORD.
Hubby will finish up the things he is doing in the screened-in porch this week. The Navy Blue JUNK room will be completely cleared out. Not sure if he'll lay the wood floor in the Blue room this week. I'll continue carrying small items to the main floor. Need to go to the Basement and go through some tubs. Take some bedding over to the COTTAGE.
We have a bed set up in the COTTAGE that I will use for a staging area to stack bedding on. I'll take all the quilts and open them up laying one on top of another. Then when the time is right, I'll photograph each quilt and neatly fold them to fit on a top shelf in the closet. Trying to figure out where everything will go is burning some brain cells.
It seems like the more time that is given to downsizing, the more time it is taking to getting out of here.
