I arrived safely in Indian River. I felt I was "home" at the little blue cottage. I'm sorry most of you never saw it because it was so cozy and friendly. It was a collection of recycled, repainted, repurposed furniture and "stuff". It always made me smile.
My first evening was spent with Emily, Brett, Garrett and Gracie and what a wonderful evening it was. There's nothing like children's laughter and hugs and kisses to make you feel better. Now I'm getting ready to go to bed and wonder where I will sleep. I decided the same thing I decided in Louisville. I slept in HC's bed and had the best night's sleep in a long time.
I plan to stay here until November 1. At that time I will return to Louisville to vote (if you don't vote you can't complain) and remain there for Thanksgiving and Christmas returning to Indian River December 26. That much I know I'm doing! Everything between now and then, who knows?
In addition to no previous experience writing checks, going to the bank, paying bills, etc., I also had never worked in the yard. I'm not an outdoor person. I always say I use the out of doors to get from one indoor place to another! I'm the person who when outside is looking for a concrete place to stand. I hate any type of bug, snake, or rodent, no matter how cute or pretty or interesting they are. But here I am and there are leaves to rake...lots of leaves. I know we have rakes but they are in the garage and I'm 100% sure there are spiders in the garage. So, first I have to go to the grocery store and buy bug spray. Once I'm back home, I hold my nose, stick my head in the side door to the garage, and empty the bug spray. I feel better. Rake in hand, I begin the task. After about an hour of raking (with gloves on), Brett pulls in the driveway and asks what I'm doing? DUH??? He goes into the garage, comes out with a leaf blower (who knew?), and in about 15 minutes had all the leaves at the fire pit! Now here's the good part. It's OK to burn leaves in Indian River. Do you know what a wonderful memory the smell of burning leaves is? I pull up a chair next to the fire, close my eyes, and I remember my Dad raking leaves and burning them in our back yard while my sisters and I jumped in the piles. What fun!
My outdoor chores completed (ha! ha!), now comes the hard part. I have to fix dinner for myself. Until I came to Indian River, I had been very fortunate to share meals with family and friends. Oh I know there were times when HC was alive I ate dinner alone but it was a temporary thing. He was out of town, on an appointment, at a meeting, or whatever. Now it was not a temporary thing, it was permanent. What do I fix? When do I eat? Who do I talk to while cooking and eating? I spent the next hour trying to figure out what to do. It sounds so simple...fix dinner. I can't tell you how painful this became. I ended up crying, decided I wasn't hungry and went to bed.
The next morning I realized I needed to make a plan. I used to do this when the children were young and I worked. Make a menu for the week, make a grocery list, buy what's on the list and just DO IT!
Today will be better.
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