Final Preparations

We are days away from our drive to Longmont, tensions have been high because of Sharon's work, the holidays, and the upcoming proof of concept trip to Longmont, Colorado. Each day I think of something new that must be done before we leave. Today it was taking care of all the storm windows on the house, taking down the Christmas tree and putting away decorations. These are both done. Another chore was putting the trailer hitch on the Volvo, but Because of the cold outside, I am going to delegate that to J&R in Glen Ellyn. It should be under $100. Oh, then our dryer died this morning. No heat. I'll make a trip to Young's appliances tomorrow morning. This will cost either about $300 for repairs or $1,000 for a new dryer. Our real estate agent comes over tomorrow evening, Sharon has a dentist appointment tomorrow, I am trying to get in a Naturopath appointment, I get my hair cut Tuesday and we pick up Kathy, Kevin, and Brady from O'Hare Tuesday. I am going to try and get the car packed on Wednesday because I work Thursday. We have reviewed and reduced our lists of what we are taking. It is easier to go to Spain for six weeks than to drive to Colorado for seven weeks.

Political Correctness?

What has gotten under the bonnet of the right with their concern over political correctness? Why is it not OK to say happy holidays? I don't feel like saying Merry Christmas damn it.

I think the political correctness that they hate is the same as old fashioned politeness and consideration with a new name. I have always tried to be polite and considerate of others, does the right consider that wrong? Apparently.

Shopping Carts VS. Cars

Today in Costco I had to deal with customers who likely drive much like they push a shopping cart. Moving down the aisle and decide to stop? How about pulling to the side? There are others sharing the aisle with you? Intersections? Just bull through or on the other extreme, be so tentative you are frozen in place. Winding back and forth. Stay on your side! Taking up the whole aisle. No point in keeping to one side so that others can share the aisle with you. The crutch? How did you make it into the store under your own power if you have to lean on your cart to walk? Can you go any slower? In the parking lot, walk slowly, and diagonally across the traffic lane. Obstruct cars as much as possible. Put your cart in the cart corral? Naw, someone else will take care of it.

Then they get in their cars. Signal? Must be broken. Stay in their lane? Not a chance. Four way stops? Haven't a clue how to handle them. Drive across aisles or in the wrong direction in the parking lot because. they can.

I must have had a bad cart pushing and car driving day.

Bah humbug!

Random Thoughts

Older homes have a narrative of the families who have lived in them and around them. Ours have a narritive going back to the 1920s when it was built. We know little of that narrative other tha. the 21 years we have lived here we know the Halquist family came before us and the Anderson family before them. Our 21 years here have been comfortable and the house has been filled with friends and family. We are still comfortable and content here.

Which brings me to thoughts on moving to Colorado. The cold last couple of winters here and my body's issues with that cold are what has prompted our looking into moving to Colorado. This is why we are renting a house for seven weeks in Longmont. If the weather is milder during those months and the sun is shining I may be more comfortable with my neuropathy. Sharon pointed out this week that we shouldn't make a move based on change for the sake of change and she is right. I have been excited about the possibility of change - a new modern home, a new city to explore, mountains to see, trout streams to stand in. But, we should look at what we might give up. Leaving friends behind, being 600 more miles from Kathy, Kevin, and Brady. For me that is somewhat offset by being 800 miles closer to John, Kristie, Avery, and Anika.

Today I used J&R Automotive in Glen Ellyn to replace sway bar links on Red. They have been in Glen Ellyn longer than we have and I have never used them for automobile service. I drove over there at about 7:15 this morning, dropped off the car, and walked home. They called shortly with an estimate and I had them replace all four sway bar links, front and back. Total cost $340. The same service from the Mazda dealer which I will no longer go to, $322 for the front and $522 for the rear. J&R was done by 9:30 and I walked back over there to get the car. Easy.

As I walked back and forth from J&R and our house I looked at all of the houses along the way. Some are in fantastic condition, some are not but, back to the first paragraph here, they all have a narrative. We will start a new narrative if we purchase a new home in Colorado.

Changes

Today I have been thinking about changes that happen when you move. New neighborhoods mean new grocery stores, new cleaners, new hardware stores, new doctors, new friends, new experiences. Changes in latitude and changes in attitude. We have been in Glen Ellyn for 21 years and everything around us is familiar. We don't think about how to get somewhere or where to go. We know. We just know. If a cat needs care, we know which vet to call. If we need service on our heater, we know who to call. If we need a new appliance, we know where to go. If we need dinner, we know where to go. In a new town, we have to discover those all anew. All of this came to mind while picking out a Christmas tree and wreaths at Hacker's today. They have become our go to for a ything related to plants. We will miss them, and all the other easy go tos in Glen Ellyn.