Nya, nya, nya, nya, nya, nya!

If you've been following along with us, you know that there's been a complaint filed against us with the city. Well, today, the inspector called and, as it turns out...our addition is NOT UNPERMITTED! Turns out, there IS a permit on file with the city for our addition. Oh, and there is not an un-permitted  ramp (there's no ramp!)...and, we're not the only ones on the block funneling rain water off of our roof/yard into the alley. Thank goodness! So, long story-short...we've not done anything wrong!

Can you imagine anyone being so petty and passive-aggressive to want to block a house from selling that they would file a grievance with the city so that said persons could not sell and move away?!? 

You know what? I'm gonna go get another martini!

It's May Day!

 It's May Day! May 1, 2021.  So, the house is still on the market. We've been shown more love by neighbors than I could possibly believe. 

So, let's get real here. We had a truly viable offer. Donaleen screwed us over. Her "there are drainage issues with this property" (not so!); "property line disputes" (only with her - we never argued over the property lines!) killed a truly good offer: young family with two kids who would have loved living here. Charlie went over and told Donaleen and John that if they really wanted us to leave, to not say anything to anyone. Donaleen's response was, "I don't want you to move; I want you to behave." Apparently, she believes we are twelve year olds rather than 65-year olds. And, she did not elaborate on how we were "misbehaving." I'm done - I'm out. Please, let a developer come and give us an offer - because, if someone wants to buy our place and build one, two, three... or god-forbid...a McMansion...I'm ALL in! 

But, back to our lovely neighbors...we've been gifted a week at Sun River by one of them. And, Melissa, thank you! So, Monday, we head for Sun River for a week of relaxing and riding bicycles. 

In the meantime, I hope Ron finds a viable buyer for our house and we are able to move to Clackamas County!

Chico, here we come!

We're leaving for Chico to see Nick on Friday. Well, actually, we're leaving Thursday. We'll head to Central Point so Duane can take his dad to the doctor on Friday, and then, we're headed to Chico to see Nick! Woohoo!

The house is still on the market. We missed our opportunity on the first house in Milwaukie - but that's OK. There's always another house out there. (We're told that the inventory is slim, but that just means that the right house will really be the right house!) 

I'm so glad our realtor, Ron, hasn't lost faith in our house or in us. Duane was worried there was a "toxically wrong" with our home. Ron assured us that no, there wasn't anything toxically wrong; that it would be the "right" person to purchase it and yes, there were things that needed work, but they were "next owner projects". I love him!  

Once we leave Chico, we may actually head a little way further south - we haven't told anyone yet, but we may just go on an exploration. 

It's your house - but not your HOME...

 So, did you ever want to feel like you lived somewhere, but it really didn't live there? Sell your house. Or, put your house up for sale. 

We put our house on the market April 9 for $900,000. We cleared out (and to quote the younger son) a butt load of crap, gave away another ton, some trash to the land fill over nine days. On April 8th our house went on the market and we went to the beach for the weekend. 

I've never felt more under the gun than doing this. So...we got a bid ...$825,000...terribly low for our original offer of $900,000. We're not going to settle for anything lower than $850,000. Soooo...perhaps we're not selling after all. The good news? We've cleaned out the house! 

BEST NEWS EVER!

President Biden has signed the COVID-19 stimulus bill this afternoon that will provide direct checks to Americans, provisions for schools opening, a plan to help families with children and more vaccines! That was news this morning. 

Then, just now, at 3:30pm PST, it was announced that the President would announce in his address this evening that he was going to direct all states to make vaccines available to ALL adult people who want a vaccine by May 1!  He has directed the supply be ramped up to the point that everyone can get a vaccine within fewer than eight weeks! For us, that means Molly, Sam and Nick will be able to get vaccinated! As long as we can get them an appointment (and I think that will mean any pharmacy will make them available) they'll be getting vaccinated! That light at the end of the tunnel is coming - and it's NOT a train! 

On another topic completely, Molly and I are at the beach - weather is gorgeous; we've seen deer and birds - no whales yet, but I continue to look at the ocean for spouts. This is my fourth trip to the beach since November 2020 and each one of them has had beautiful weather! Beautiful to the point I didn't need a coat to go outside (good thing this trip, since I forgot to bring one). 

We got our first COVID vaccine today!

 It happened! We got it! Charlie and I drove to Salem to the Oregon State Fairground and got our first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. How does it feel? There was utter relief...giddiness (truly!)...and I don't mind telling you...I think I see the end of the tunnel.

I was skeptical when a friend told me she was going to Salem. I waited until two other friends went down and was successful. And, may I just say - the Oregon Army National Guard is FANTASTIC!  This is what the National Guard was meant for  - taking care of the citizens. 

Three more weeks and we're covered. Now....we just have to get Sam and Molly vaccinated - and our bubble is compete. 

What I'm going to miss when Covid-19 is over...?...?...?

So, I know we're all waiting for this f--king pandemic to be over. But, let's be honest, there are some things we're going to miss...for example: 

• NYT's "At Home" section of the Sunday NYT. We've gotten more delicious menu items from this section of the NYT, than we have in a long time; 
• Staying home - be honest...we all wished we could have an excuse to do nothing, at home, for awhile...but, enough is enough! I'm ready to go places;
• Going to the gym...ok, ok, ok...there are many of you that who really want to go to the gym, but to be able to say, "Uh, no, I really can't go and work out because of Covid..." was liberating!;
• Binge TV watching. In all honesty, I've been a binge TV-watcher for years! But, with Covid, I didn't have to justify it - you all just finally caught up; 
• Hanging out on the front porch. So, Charlie and I have spent more time on our front porch in the past year than perhaps more years since we've lived here. (And, we've lived here almost 37-years!)

Now, that's what I'm going to miss. But, what am I looking forward to? Oh, there's a whole host of things. Here are a few:

• Eating at a restaurant (without a mask!) - I really want someone to bring me food and a cocktail (Hendrick's martini, please, with a twist?) 
• Las Vegas - again, without a mask! - I want to sit next to a stranger at a Blackjack table, sit next to some stranger at a bar, stand next to a stranger at a Craps table and have a good time!
• Seeing people - I mean, anyone, anytime, anywhere we can! Indoors, outdoors, underwater - well, maybe not underwater, but you know what I mean!
• Flying to anywhere! So, maybe in the first time in history, Americans can't go anywhere they want - Canada, Mexico, Europe, Asia...I want to be able to go to Canada! I'm looking forward to going to Canada and Europe. We have friends in Canada and in the UK. I'm looking forward to visiting them. 

So, that's it for now. 

It's February....2021....

So....2021 is fully in the swing. And, it's now February (well, it will be tomorrow). There are at least three vaccines - maybe as many as five that we might be able to get. That's IF they have enough...IF we float to the top of the list...IF...IF...IF...IF... Still drinking too much, but since I'm really posting this on January 31, tomorrow's a new day... and a new goal. Let's talk about the state of the state/country...I had high hopes for Kate Brown, but how could she be so dense? Do you really want to figure out stuff? There's no shame in asking our neighbors to the North (Washington State), can we piggy-back on your stuff? Contract tracing - WA state got it right over a month ago. How do we do vaccine distribution? (Oh, here's a hint NOT A 27 MEMBER TEAM THAT HAS TO COME UP WITH A WORD OF THE DAY BEFORE THEY START THEIR F---ING WORK!) And,then there's the Dems in Washington, DC...KILL THE FILLIBUSTER! Take the bet - run the gamble. Kill the fillibuster (and, yes, when the Repubs are back in charge, they will exploit it to the full extent!) but, in the meantime, pass the Covid relief package you want and make that the bullet point Dems can run on in 2022 - and you just might get a solid House and Senate majority! Is it a risk? YEP - it is, but it's one at this point I'm willing to take! FUCK THE RIGHT-WING, REPUBLICAN NATIONALISTIC COWARDS!

All hail Joe Biden and Kamala Harris!

I'm here in my pajamas, drinking sparkling wine/prosecco and reveling in the fact that Joe Biden is the new US President! We did survive (barely, and only some of us) that other guy (like Stephen Colbert, I refuse to use his name). It was a beautiful inauguration - Lady Gaga was phenomenal, Jennifer Lopez made me cry (really, ask Charlie!), and I've become a poetry convert by Amanda Gorman (when is she going to publish a book?!?). I have hope again...But let me assure you...here is something everyone should remember - this is not safe. Do you want to keep credibility at the forefront? Ask questions! Here's the first one for you: "Many people say..." Here's what to say in response, "Name three..." If they can't name three you believe are credible, take a side long glance. Now, to segue...I have said to Charlie many times since the election was called, Barack Obama's election was historic. I will never discount that. But, Joe Biden's election was important. Important because these assholes who could not accept a Black man as President of the United States (oh, boohoo, you're white and now have to prove yourself!) now have a white man who accepts that his "legacy" is not threatened! Kamala Harris is our Vice President (both a woman and a woman of color - oh, boohoo!) As I watch CBS News' coverage of the the inauguration, they are talking about how this administration plans to help the country, they invoke the fact that the Repubs are talking about the National Debt. I say, "Are you giving money to OUR citizens? Or are you financing the military industrial complex (thank you Dwight D. Eisenhower(R))? Because if this money is going to help OUR citizens, give them cash! There's an easy way to get it back from those who really don't need/deserve it - make them pay it back on their tax return! Not a difficult calculus! Everyone seems to think it's really more difficult than it really is. Finally, good on you Joe! Good on you Kamala! I'm with you - ask me to do something - I'll do it!

Some irony...

In six days, we'll have a new President (thank goodness!). But here's some food for thought - - A man who is perhaps the most gentle and kind person to be elected President of this country in a very long time, is having to decide if the people of this country can be "in person" witnesses to his innauguration. - The same man is perhaps the one man who should be most in fear of his life to be innaugurated to the position (let's face it, there are white supremisists and Trumpists who would find it the utmost honor to see to it that he never served a day as President.) - Fifty state capitols are battoning down their hatches to make certain they are not overrun by those same people. - I am beginning to wonder if the USA is still the country everyone should aspire to be a part of. Six days, my friends...

Nine Days...

We survived (did we?) January 6. January 6 is known as "Three-Kings-Day", Epiphany, the last day of the 12-days-of-Christmas. This year, though, it meant "An insurgency, a coup-d'etat, they're fucking storming the Capitol!" Today, we still survive. In nine days, Joe Biden, (and I will be referring to him as President Joe - not to be disrespectful, not to lesson his position - but knowing that he is my President and that he will restore the position to where it should be) will be inaugurated. I am so proud to be an American. Please...Joe, continue to make us proud...make us what we were meant to be. Kamala, I pledge myself to you as our first woman President, to be whatever you need me to be as an OLD american woman.

One more day of 2020...

The only good thing about there being one more day of 2020 is that December 31 is Sammy's birthday! This holiday season, we've gotten to visit with Molly, Sammy, Sarah, and Sarah's mother, Jeanette. We had a great time. The sorry side was not being able to be with Nicky and Liz. How to express how lucky we are: no one has truly suffered this horrible pandemic (Liz was lucky - so lucky!) and we're all relatively healthy (honestly, how healthy can you be at 40 pounds over weight?!?). I'm still drinking too much (well, I've cut back somewhat - not every day - but when I do drink it's too much), and because it's cold and dank, I'm not getting outside as much as I should. My goal for 2021 is that I will not only get outdoors, but out on my bike and in the world (well, at least out in Portland and maybe Oregon). As soon as we get the vaccine, Duane and I are heading out and about. Let's hope it's sooner than later. We're hoping for the great Southwest: New Mexico, close to El Paso (somewhere in New Mexico), southern California, Utah - oh let's face it - anywhere! In the meantime, I need to get on a bicycle, get outside - do something....

Post Election...Covid's not over...

So...It's the end of November. So far, we've survived Covid. Charlie hasn't gotten it...I haven't gotten it...Molly hasn't gotten it...Sam hasn't gotten it...Sarah hasn't gotten it...Nick hasn't gotten it... Liz got it! It's OK...because, she's OK. So... We're all good. A vaccine is on the horizon, and as soon as we can get it, we're getting it, by god! Anyway... a great Thanksgiving - Molly, Sam, Sarah - it was so much fun, I can't even express how fun it was. Christmas is next. We're hoping that Nick and Liz will fly up and join us for that one. Now, the real purpose of this post. What I'm thankful for with Covid... - It's suddenly OK to not leave your home. (Yeah, I know folks are bitching about not being able to go places, but, I'm OK with it!) - Streaming television shows...I've always loved veging out in front of a television, and suddenly, it's OK! - Drinking too much. (OK, maybe this hasn't been given the acceptance of other stuff - sweat pants, no make-up - but admit it - you've had too much to drink, too, the past eight months!) But, Joe Biden has been elected President! Kamala Harris is our next Vice President! I'm going out on a bike ride tomorrow (time to get back in shape because I'm certain my new President is going to ask something of me) and there's a new day dawning.

Halloween, 2020

It's Halloween, 2020. Weather - lovely in Portland, OR - relatively warm 47 degrees; full moon (Blue moon, to be exact); no rain. Do you know how rare it is to have no rain in Portland, OR on Halloween?!?... In a year of Covid-19, we had 5 - count them - 5 kids come Trick-or-Treating. Yeah, the CDC said trick or treating was not a good idea this year, but this is the event that folks decided that the CDC was right about? Masks? "Don't infringe on my rights! I shouldn't have to wear a mask!" Six feet apart? Again, don't infringe on my rights - I should be able to go wherever I want. But Halloween...little kids...collecting candy...at a safe distance...this is what people believe is the norm. OK, admittedly, I live in Portland, OR - damn liberal, antifa accepting Portland, OR ... Not the point. We're three days from the election...for history...please go vote...make this administration a one term administration. And, if you're feeling generous, turn the Senate blue, too... My liver is begging you....

Have you watched "The West Wing"?

It's October 13, 2020. Exactly three weeks from the election. I have decided to rewatch "The West Wing". It feels like a seminal moment. Donald Trump has, apparently, survived COVID-19. Good on him?!? I'm not certain that that's a good thing. Don't arrest me - I'm not advocating overthrowing the government. I digress.... Donald Trump has no idea how the government works. He's a genius - just ask him. If this country doesn't have the where-with-all to vote against him, I'm convinced that we're doomed. Go watch the entire collection of the "West Wing," - you'll find eerily familiar episodes...

Happy Anniversary!

I've been married to the love of my life today for 37 years! And, that said... The State of Oregon is on fire - literally, on fire. Jackson County is on fire (Charlie's dad has been evacuated twice in the past two days to Grants Pass). Clackamas County has evacuated 80% of the population because of two fires converging upon themselves. Lincoln County, where I have been privileged enough to spend much of my life vacationing at a dear friend/sister's cabin, is in danger of being subsumed by fire. This feels like the apocolypse! Tomorrow marks the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy. I don't know what your "god" is - allah, god, whatever...we just need to get through another year. Don't forget to VOTE! Don't let the bastards win!

Are we really safe???

Let's be clear...Black Lives Matter...I'm worth it...and, I'm still really nervous about the outcome of this whole "Covid-19" thing. So...again, let's be clear... Black Lives Matter...we're going to be on the right side os history. I'm a senior (ok, I'm finally embracing the senior citizen thing - not happy about it, but I'm a senior citizen) and I stand with everyone who is marching out there with "Black Lives Matter"...with "Women Matter"... with everyone who matters... Covid-19 is again emerging as a real thing. I'm watching the 2020 BET Awards Show - and honestly (Charlie is saying, "If you have to say "honestly" you're probably lying!") there's nothing more honest than these...I don't even like awards shows...but who can deny Alicia Keys?..... Stay safe, my friends....

It's been a month...

So...it's been a month since I posted. Things have relaxed. Well, let's be clear. People have relaxed (read: dropped their guard) with regard to this whole Covid-19 thing. Wear a mask? "My constitutional rights say I don't have to!" Social distance? "I don't have to!" And, as a 64-year-old (on the cusp of being in the fragile population) I'm really torn. I really want to go do stuff, but I also know that that's stupid! People are dying - there's a second wave (but, to quote Dr. Fauci, "we haven't left the first wave, yet.") I've decided to go back to the only family (Pam is going to be really mad!) is the only contact I have with the outside world. I'm going to tell Sam and Sarah they can come over and, of course, Molly can come over, but I'm thinking we need to insulate to others for awhile. Oh, BTW, Mamacita Salsa? Excellent! Go buy some! On a different, yet same vein...if they get a vaccine (or need a guinea pig for one)... I'M IN!

I love books...

I love books...No, really... I love books! I read (ok, listen to audio books)probably, ten to fifteen books a month (well, the pandemic has caused me to listen to waaaay more books than I typically would). I have a book for you, though, that is what I like to call a "read with your eyes book." "The School of Essential Ingredients," by Erica Bauermeister is the very book. Now, I've read many reviews of this book - some that say, "where's the story?," to "it jumps around too much." But trust me on this one - treat yourself and get a physical copy of this book and read it! It's a love story. It's a story about a sorcerous (not really, but you'll come to believe that Lillian really is one!). It's sad, it's happy - if you're a reader, it's everything you want in a book. And, it's a really fast read! So, even if you hate it (which, you will not!), you won't lose more than about ten hours on it. Being married to a man who loves to cook, it made me think about what it means to prepare a meal for those you truly love.

Why do you love people?

So, I started a new book today (well, full disclosure - I've had this book for over a year, just haven't gotten to it) "The School of Essential Ingredients," by Erica Baurermeister. It's a really fast read. As I put it down for the first time since starting it, it fell open to the epilogue and there was a note inserted: "Dearest Theresa, Thank you for buying this book. It warmed my heart, made me cry, and made me think. I love you so very much You mean the world to me. Yours in perpetuity, CDO." I read this note - and read it again - and then had to ask my dear one, "Did you read this book?" "Oh, I was so worried you would give it away before you found my note!" It's a lovely book - if you're reading this blog - you should read this book!