After a somewhat frightening flight, Lav and I finally made it to watch the royals tie the knot. You wouldn’t believe how crowded that place was. I guess no one knew what time the nuptials were, because some of those Englishites stayed outside the church all night waiting for the wedding to get started. Lav and I barely made it. We didn’t even have time to change which was okay because we forgot our gowns, anyway. I’m sorry to say we fell asleep before Prince Charles walked Meghan down the aisle. We missed the whole thing.

Good thing our crack-up reporters were all there. We’ll get a full report when we meet up with them later today.

Later today…

PG hooked up with Queen E. just as she was getting out of the car at the church. Unfortunately, she forgot Prince Philip back at the palace and they had to jump back in the car to go get him. She told PG forgetting Philip was worse than forgetting her pocketbook, although between them, they don’t have two nickels to rub together.

At the last minute, KK pulled up in a van filled with her own flowers leftover from Mother’s Day…..”WAIT!” She yelled!

After the nuptials were over, Yram took a ride with the bride and groom in the carriage. Doesn’t the Duchess look surprised to see Yram in the backseat?

When they got to the tea and crumpets, guess who was serving the cake? Miss Patricia said they got twitterpated with her for cutting the pieces too big. Good thing she brought along some of her delish brownies. Those Englishites are tight with the edibles.

By the time Lav and I woke up, we had to go in search of a bathroom. The only one we saw had a guard guy standing in front of it. We tried to tell him we really needed to use the facilities, but he wouldn’t even talk to us. I don’t think those Royal Guards know how to speak United States.

Woops…wrong picture…Those girls were ahead of us. We were so happy to finally find an unguarded chamber throne.

So, when it was all said and done, everybody had a lovely time. We got a royal sendoff and Lav even snagged an awkward Cam hat.

We managed to catch up with those same high flying pilots who got us pretty close to home.

 

Hope you enjoyed our accounting of the events. We told Queen E you all said hey. She invited everyone to Charles’ 70th birthday, but Lav and I are busy that day.

 

Well, Lav and I decided to attend the royal wedding. We’re not really crashing it. We figure since we’re both so tight with Queen E, it goes without saying we’ll be welcomed like family. Who knows, maybe we’ll even walk Meghan down the aisle. It sounds like she’s having a little trouble filling the position. I really don’t think Charles is the right one to give away the bride, do you? He can’t even give away poor Cam’s awkward hats.

Anyway, we caught a ride with two high flying pilots who are headed across the pond to enjoy all the festivities, and pick up some souvenirs…

Don’t miss Saturday night’s blog. Lav and I, along with a few of our friends, will give you the lowdown you won’t get anywhere else. Our motto is, “We cover like non-other.” Plus we have a a couple of crack up reporters with us.

We’ll also be selling T shirts and socks…

I’m sure the whole royal bunch is waiting at the airport for us to arrive…

I think we’re landing. I heard one of the pilots scream…

 

I had a real epiphany at my book club meeting the other day. I hope I misunderstood the point of the book we discussed, because if I didn’t, it means I’m bat crap crazy.

As usual, I didn’t start reading the book until the day before the meeting. That works for  me because I can remember most of what I read for twenty-four hours.

Have you read Saving CeeCee Honeycutt? Just in case you haven’t, let me fill you in on some of the controversial subject matter.

I was only a few pages into it when I read this:

In case you can’t read it, here’s what it says in a nutshell. And I do mean, nutshell. CeeCee’s mother buys prom dresses at Goodwill for a dollar and parades around in them while wearing a crown. Apparently, she was the 1951 Vidalia Sweet Onion Queen. Unfortunately, her life went downhill after the event. It’s all very sad.

Do you think it was the dyed to match high-heeled shoes that put her over the top? I don’t do that. I always make it a point to wear sensible shoes.

See? Mari and I have on sensible shoes. On the other hand, Lav appears to be trying to draw attention to herself. 

We escaped for a quiet lunch at the shed one day. They make you check your crowns at the door.

Lav and I don’t wear crowns every day and I happen to know Lav paid a lot of money for her Queen E. parade dress. At the time, I felt rather smug about the fact that I only paid five dollars for my Kitty Reynolds red gown, and yes, I purchased it at Goodwill.

Miss Vidalia Onion Queen nearly ruined her daughter’s life because she felt the Vidalia Onion was the only thing that validated her life. That is too sad for words. An onion should not have the power to be life changing. Highways can, though. My mother was Miss Highway 16. It changed her life and mine, for the better.

 

At the book club meeting, I told everyone that I identified with CeeCee’s mother. One lady looked at me and her eyes got big as she said, “Ohhh, yeah…” That worried me just a little.

Cousin, Lav was Miss Paper Coffee Cup, one year. We were all thrilled for her. (She accidentally recycled her dress and that was the end of that!)

These days, it’s more important than ever to think about how your actions might affect others. What if one of my grandchildren decide to run for office. Will the photos of their aging grandmother with a crown on her head pop up all over and be misrepresented? Will a congressional committee decide my darling grandchild is not fit for office because his or her grandma was an unabashed crown perp.

And what about my cousin, Lav? Will that picture of her being violent with a pitchfork bring her family down? Or will it be her fascination with tumbleweeds?

 

 

And then there was that selfie we took while riding in the red convertible.

I can’t think about this anymore. Our descendants will just have to stay out of politics. We’re probably doing them a big favor.

I just hope we quit reading those scary books in our book club.

 

I think I’ll run over to the Goodwill store and see if they have any dyed pumps to match my red taffeta dress. No…that wouldn’t be sensible. I don’t have anything else that goes with red heels.

Do you want to hear something funny? I was looking for pictures tonight and my google photos are all categorized. They’re in groups of things, people, pets, locations, mountains, deserts, trees, cars, castles, food, etc. Our tiny house is under trains. I think I’ll refer to it as the caboose from now on.

Here are some photos I took tonight showing the progress we’ve made.

I bought a cheap quilt at Walmart today…didn’t even get the shams. The bedspread we had in the small house looked too drab and I don’t want to spend the money right now to get my forever spread, quilt or comforter. Besides, we don’t know what we want. A true minimalist would say this quilt is just fine, anyway. We don’t have our newly framed pictures up yet, either…maybe tomorrow. There is no room for dressers, which is why we must continue to cull. We have plastic bins on wheels under the bed for extra linens and everything else is in the closets or in bins in the ample storage cabinets in the bathroom.

More of the bathroom…

Words to start the day with are between the mirrors and above the cabinet on the other wall. (I love my South Dakota dirt shirt given to me by Dianna, aka KK.)

We haven’t put the towel bars or paper holder up yet. The washer and dryer are in a little alcove in the bathroom. Most of our other houses had the W/D next to the door that leads to the garage. I like this set-up much better.

I had this large glass terrarium and decided to plant some cinnamon basil, peppermint, and chocolate basil in it. It smells heavenly. I’ll remove the lid during the day.

Some of us are more traumatized than others, but we all enjoy a good walk three times a day. All except Dollie. She guards the house. We still have a lot to do, but we’re starting to enjoy life again.

I can see that minimalist living will have to be a state of mind. A desire for things is innate and living another way will take some getting used to. I still have a long way to go, but I’ll stay on the train. I’ll leave you with a little something I read today.

These words were taken from a book written by Kahlil Gibran in 1923.

For what are your possessions but things you keep and guard for fear you may need them tomorrow?

Is not the dread of thirst when your well is full, the thirst that is unquenchable?

Have you remembrances in your houses; the glimmering arches that span the summits of the mind? Or have you only comfort, that stealthy thing that enters the house a guest, and then becomes a host, and then a master.

*****************************

All aboard the caboose Beasterhops. Don’t worry…you’re safe with me. Nobody’s perfect!

 

 

Catchy title isn’t it?

For a whiny baby, I had a pretty fantastic Mother’s Day. We met our two daughters and their families at a park for a picnic and it turned out to be just what we needed. Kip and I and the three dogs were among the last to leave. It felt so good to relax and have fun with all of the grandkids. We all had a ball…

 

A very big ball…and good food! I didn’t get to see my sons, but I got flowers and had good talks with them both…

Tiny Home living…

I was never completely sure I wanted to sell our house and move into a tiny home. I finally decided I didn’t hate the idea badly enough to fight it, so here we are. Things happened quickly at first. We sold our house and moved the dogs and cat into our RV. We had no idea it would be three and a half months and many challenges later, that we would finally move in.

I’m learning a lot about myself. I have always had sufficient stamina to get through whatever is happening. I have always managed to stay positive in most situations and if I  get depressed, it usually doesn’t last long. Maybe it’s because we’re getting older and I haven’t been getting much sleep these past few weeks, but I have had some times when I have been very emotional and little things can throw me for a loop. I don’t like being that way one little bit. I’m too big to hide under the bed and besides, there’s already too much stuff under there.

Maybe I’m talking like this because we had to call the water/sewer company tonight on the emergency line because we were having a problem with the sewer pump. It all worked out fine. They came out immediately and fixed what turned out to be a minor thing.

This is our fourth day living here and we have been trying really hard to put our house in order, so to speak. I have changed things around so much, I’m wearing things out. It’s more difficult than I thought it would be to discard things, but I have found it stresses me more to feel like the place has something in every inch of space. I have packed and repacked plastic crates in an attempt to be organized and know where everything is or isn’t. If I can keep the crates of the nonessentials in the barn for a couple of months and not need them, I will discard the contents without looking at them ever again. I know I have said all of this before, but guess what? I’m saying it again. If you’re thinking of a TH, it bears repeating.

On the plus side…

We love the neighborhood and we love the house. It’s kind of exciting now that the worst is over.

We still have to put in a small yard, fence the backyard, put in a mailbox, finish the asphalt part of the driveway, get the remainder of the siding on, put in the new door with the built-in dog door we ordered, build the steps front and back, put electricity in the barn, get the builder out here to fix things on our punch list, and whatever else comes up.

But do you know what I have to do right now? I have to read the last half of a book for my book club meeting tomorrow. I’ve decided it’s important to read what other people write once in a while. Looks like it’ll be another late night.

I should be able to take some pictures tomorrow to show you what we’ve done with the place…

Oh…I guess I should explain the title of the blog. I put myself in charge of games yesterday. I brought pin the tail on the donkey. Turns out I didn’t know how to play it.

The whole story to follow….

Dollie: I know you’re bone tired, but can we talk? I can’t believe I just said “bone.” The dogs and I had a meeting today and I was chosen to be the scribe. My notes say, “Tell her we have a bone to pick.”

Can I come up on the bed with you?

MG: Sure…What is your beef?

Dollie: I have ten issues on my list. Only two include the word, beef. Now I’m confused. Can I call a friend?

MG: I’m your only friend, Dollie.

Dollie: I’m okay with that…I know you think I’m a loner, but even loners need someone to throw them a bone now and then…there’s that awful word again.

MG: I get it, Dollie. You think you’re not getting enough attention. I try very hard to give you some quality time every day. You do realize there is no fenced yard or dog door at this RV park. I have to walk the dogs several times a day. What does it say about that in your notes?

Dollie: We discussed my training them how to use a litter box, but they just don’t get it. They tried to bury their bones in my sand…gross. I seem to have bones on the brain. Forget them. Will you rub my ears and scratch under my chin?

MG: Sure…What exactly did those dogs have to complain about, anyway.

Dollie: They say you keep them on a short leash…and they want more of those whatchamacallits.

MG: Bones?

Dollie: Sounds about right. Gotta go! I hear Kip getting my food ready…

MG: Bone appetite

Dollie: You need to bone up on your French, MG

Have you ever been so tired you can’t sleep? Lately, I’ve been dreading the nights because they can be rather long when you’re too wound up to sleep. In addition to the tiny home challenges, I have been having a little battle with the clock. I’m two weeks behind on a project that I decided couldn’t be more than three weeks late. I finally completed it yesterday… ahead of schedule.

Maybe I can sleep tonight. I feel like a zombie and my body and my brain feel like they’re both operating in slow motion and when I get like that, I begin to worry about everything.

I haven’t had any time to keep up with my kids and grandkids. They probably think I don’t care. They’ll grow up and say, “Grammy, Grandma, Lil Papa, (they all call me something different) was always too busy for me and she never gave me a birthday gift on time.”

The baby above is now the five year old below.

It’s the tiny home’s fault. It has taken four months of my life and I still can’t live in it. An inspector has to come and inspect the work the water/sewer guys did before the electrician can wire the water meter.

I try to find the time to take care of me. I always hear people say that to others when they don’t know what else to say. “You must take care of you,” they say. Tonight I had a chocolate explosion blizzard at Dairy Queen, so if not good, I’m at least better.

Well, I’m going to try to wind down, so I can sleep and my slo-mo isn’t  any worse, tomorrow.

The photograph is for Judy. She thought I should switch the little rabbits so the slope of the boy rabbit’s ears were going in the same direction as the slope of the ceiling. Judy is getting way too much sleep. She needs a little slo-mo brain intervention. I do like the suggestions I’ve been getting, though…thank you.

Next morning…

I slept great! I’m a new woman. I can’t wait for today’s visit to the tiny home.

In last night’s blog, I showed pictures of how I had decorated the ledge in the kitchen of our tiny home. I asked for opinions and suggestions, and I got some. Judy and Lav said to put the large egg between the two beasterhops on bicycles and the two smaller bunnies where the big egg used to be. I did that and I think it looks better. What do you think?

I think I still might need to move the larger beasterhop a little more to the right.

Jean and Lav seconded that I should change the display with the seasons; especially since this is virtually my only place to display things.

This cork board is my only place to display photographs. This is really a tough one for me. I think everyone who reads my blog knows how much I love pictures. I can look at them for hours even if I don’t know the people in them. There is something so magical about capturing a moment in time that you can look at and remember how you felt and what that experience or that person meant to you. I can imagine there are a lot of daughters out there pouring over old photographs of their mothers. I look at my old family photos all the time. I haven’t specifically taken pictures of items that I love, but at the suggestion of Patti Arnieri, I will in the future. It’s an excellent downsizing tip. I wish I had taken more pictures in the past. Kip wishes he had pictures of his first car. I wish I had a real picture of my dog, Berferd. I can’t believe we never took one.

I pinned some pictures of the grandkids to my board today. I don’t have everyone represented, yet. It’s time to print more recent ones. I will do that and take another picture for you after we get moved.

The second picture is of a plate Heidi had made for me. It has all of the grandchildren’s names on it. I think that was three babies ago.

On to the buffet. Here are a couple of choices. Remember, what I don’t use will be stored if it has a family attachment… or given away.

1. Above the buffet is the traveler’s map Heidi gave us for Christmas a couple of years ago.

The smaller, framed picture is a picture of Kip’s Grandpa McNinch’s Lazy three Quarter Circle Brand. He named his ranch the Star Corral. The other figure is the Beasterhop sitting on a snail and reading a book.

Below is with the plate without the stand, two minimalist ideas, and the antique egg made in Germany that I want to get a dome for. I may put it in the glass display cabinet in the bedroom. I have several things, such as the Queen E. anniversary saucer and cup, Jean gave me, Grandma Sanderson’s demitasse cups and saucers, and Mom’s stemware to display in that case.

I’m trying to find the perfect spot for the ‘meaning of my life’ collage, Judy Dykstra Brown made and gave to me at the 2016 reunion in Murdo. It’s very special and includes a Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow pin contributed by Judy’s sister Patti. I first thought she had given me the very pin she won in high school, but she later told me she found it on eBay. It’s all very cool. I didn’t win many awards and I lost my pin years ago.

I included a couple of shots of a few other things I put on the counter. I am so determined to keep the counter clear of clutter.

I took a picture of the entry stand. I put a little RV replica Kip’s sister gave us and one of my hats on it. Any ideas here? I had Kip put a rack with hooks behind the door in our bedroom for jackets, since we don’t have a coat closet. The thing on the floor is an old boot taker offer.

I still have the remainder of the kitchen to complete. I’m almost finished unpacking and putting away all of the things stored in the cabinets and drawers. We have the bathroom and bedroom to put together, and we get to pick up the pictures that are being framed on Mother’s Day. I can’t wait to see them hung on the walls.

I also spent quite a bit of time, today, in the big barn going through the partially emptied boxes. I’m consolidating the ones that will be stored, packing the things that will be given away, and saving things we think the kids might want before we give them to someone else. We have four huge crates of photographs and I’m the only one who ever looks at them. There is something to be said about being able to download all of your photos onto your computer. I have also scanned thousands and stored them on an SD card. The next thing I will have to do is organize everything on my computer, but let’s not go there, yet.

This is a lot of fun for me. My tiny home might not be full of glam, but I’m beginning to love the idea of being a minimalist. It’s more difficult than I thought it would be, but I intend to stick with it.

Water tomorrow??? We Shall See what We Shall See

I said I was going to involve you in my minimalist decisions as I decorate our tiny home. I haven’t gotten as far as I wanted to before doing that, but I will show you some pictures and tell you the kind of challenges I’m having.

We have been pulling boxes out of the garage, one by one. On average, I have decided to find a place for about two-thirds of each box I’ve gone through. I already know what things I will be storing in the shed or barn, but I will keep them at a minimum. I do not want to have to go through the mountain of things that made the first and second cuts, a third or fourth time. I will store three categories.

1. Christmas decorations…I only kept the tiny ones. I have my nutcrackers and a few other things with sentimental value. I feel good about the culling of the Christmas decorations.
2.  I will store my beasterhops, and everything that goes with them. I want to continue writing about Beastertown and I will use all my pieces as props for the photos. I already have them organized in plastic tubs, so I feel fine about keeping the source of much of my writing joy.
3. Off season clothes…I will store our winter clothes, now. I have cut down considerably on the size of my wardrobe. For someone who still struggles with finding her “look,” this has been tough. Keep in mind, I love to go to resale shops. If I have learned anything through this experience, it’s that too much is too much, no matter what you paid for it. That has been a depressing discovery for me.

That’s about all I will store. I know when I’ve completed purging and storing, and I sit back in my comfy chair on the porch, I will feel a sense of freedom. I’m sure I will miss a few things, but I will have everything I need. (I could still shop for others, but unless it’s for a really good friend, or a family member who won’t be offended, I can’t get comfortable with doing that.)

I started my challenge with the ledge in the kitchen. All this time, I have thought I wanted to decorate it with beasterhops. For those of you who don’t know, a beasterhop is a rabbit who rides on a bicycle. I want your opinion on this. I’m a little gun-shy because one year, I wanted to leave my nutcracker collection up all year, and my girls said, “absolutely not.” I haven’t asked them about the beasterhops.

The large egg on the left is an antique basket-weave egg that was given to me by a good friend. I like the way it looks, but I don’t want it to get damaged or dirty sitting up there. She did tell me it has been in her attic for years, so at least people would enjoy it. She gave me another egg that is an antique made in Germany. It’s much smaller and I could possibly find a little glass dome to put over it and display it, instead. It’s really beautiful.

I found the large lady Beasterhop on the bicycle, when we were camping in Glen Rose with a group of friends. All the girls went shopping at these really fun places, so I associate Missy Beasterhop with an especially fun time with friends. I think she may be a bit too big to be up there. What do you think?

The ceramic boy and girl Beasterhops were given to me by another good friend. I love the way the boy bunny is looking back at the girl he must really adore. I think they look good. Maybe I should find another little bicycle to set beside or behind them. The Beasterhop on the bicycle is The Beasterhop. The day of the book signing for We Shall See what We Shall See, Kip found the bicycle and I took Mr. Beasterhop off of one of the thousands of decorations my friend, Pat had given me. He was on a ladder which is why his legs already looked like he was riding a bike. Kip took Mr. Beasterhop and the bicycle over to our friend, Scott’s, and he shaped and sanded the wooden stand that holds him up. He will be displayed all year round. See how special all of these are to me?

I promised Kip I would not load the whole house down with beasterhops riding on bicycles. After all, I must have some room for crowns and hats.

We have eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, so there is not room for everyone’s pictures on the walls, which is why two years ago, I asked for a nice looking board to tack pictures on. Heidi got me the neatest framed cork board. I love it and it’s easy to take down the old pics and replace them with more current ones. That’s it hanging on the wall in the hall. I haven’t put the pictures back on it, yet.

Heidi also gave us the map above the buffet to chronicle our trips. We put little pins everyplace we have been on our motor home vacations. It looks a little high on the wall, but I’ve since put a couple of things on the buffet so it looks better, and it needs to be at eye level so you can see all of the pins.

We now have little red stools around the island, and big stools at the counter. The bar stools are pretty big, but Kip wanted them to be comfortable for big guys like him.

 

As you can see, the place is still a cluttered mess. Remember, we are still moving in and we can only visit until we have water. The sewer is in, but of course, it doesn’t work without water….Sheesh! What an adventure this has been. Thanks for hanging in there with us. I’ll take more and better pictures of our progress, tomorrow.

We’re trying very hard to remain happy campers. Some days we succeed, and some days we struggle. Hey… at least the dogs and cat haven’t run away…yet! They’re just hoping the recliners still have their names on them.