Some of you may have noticed that yesterday’s post came after a week of silence. That is the longest such period since I launched the blog 2 ½ years ago. Because of my regularity in the past, I know some of you have wondered if everything is all right. I am happy to report that Kate hasn’t had any special problems. In most ways, she has had a good week. She does experience more delusions and hallucinations than she used to, but they haven’t increased in the past seven days.
The real answer is that I have been more occupied than usual. Our children and grandchildren were in town Thursday through Sunday to celebrate my 80th birthday. We had established this date before Covid-19 entered the picture. We did our best to maintain the appropriate physical distance recommendations but were together a lot during that time.
Prior to their visit, I began to make preparations for the move. Mostly, that has involved getting the house ready to be put on the market in December or January. We’ve been in the house 23 years this month, and there are several things that require attention. The biggest is eliminating a leak in the swimming pool. After a year of searching, we found it two weeks ago. I asked that they not begin until after the birthday celebration. They will be here next Tuesday. In addition, I have also been communicating with a number of people about gutter and woodwork repair.
I also felt a need to take action on the preparations for the move itself. I know someone in connection with my work with United Way whose business is helping seniors who are downsizing. She is also helping a few others who are moving into the same building we are. Several times, I had spoken informally with her, but we finally met at our house earlier this week. She can handle almost everything in connection with a move. For us, she will probably focus on the logistics of the move itself.
The first step in getting ready is to identify what we can take with us. I have contacted the person Kate worked with on the interior decoration of our present home. She is going to meet me at the house next Tuesday. In advance of that, I have been carefully reviewing the floor plan of our apartment. That has given me a general idea of what I can take with me. I will work with our decorator to get more specific. Then we well develop a plan to get rid of the rest.
All of these things together with my responsibilities for Kate have just made it more difficult keep up with my regular posts. I hope that won’t continue. Having set things in motion, I will develop a plan that I hope will be carried out gradually. The people I’m working with will play a large role in making the move easier for me. I also hope we won’t move until February or March. I know there will be unforeseen bumps along the way, but I am currently optimistic. As Kate often says, “We’ll see.”
