Aftermath Blog

What to do on a rainy day? Play with my new train set!  Grandma & grandpa finally got around to getting Nolan his Christmas present.  Setting it up involved a lot work on our hands and knees and laughing at our ability, or inability, to decipher the directions.  Mission accomplished after Rachelle helped us with the track layout.  Click here for a few more pictures.

I didn’t have any recent pictures of Renee smiling so I thought I’d post one that would make her smile. Here’s a toast to the birthday girl.  “May your day be filled with joy and happiness.”  I still remember standing in the kitchen at 4:00 am waiting for Grandma D to come and watch Robyn while I took mom to the hospital.  You were born at 7:47 am.  You were named after a girl (Renee Cox) who lived down the street from Grandma W.   We really liked the name as it was unusual at the time and it started with an “R”.  Your middle name came from my best friend’s mother who had recently passed away. (That’s your history lesson for the day.)  Thanks for being a great middle child, an awesome mom, and a loving daughter.

Here are some random thoughts about our time away.

• We were hoping for warmer weather but don’t miss the snow shoveling going on in MI.
• Can’t get use to NC drivers making U-turns at intersections when you think they are just going to turn left.
• Haven’t met any of our neighbors and don’t expect to.  Everyone seems to keep to themselves.  But I have started to give them mental nick-names.
• Can’t believe how dependent we’ve become on our computer.  Love Skyping and paying bills on-line.
• Funniest moment of the week: After installing a new keyboard on my laptop and while in the process of testing it, Jo says to me, “What are these three screws for?”  Whoops!
• Now that we are using our cell phone exclusively, glad for the 5,000 roll-over minutes we’ve accumulated.
• Received notice that they are going to begin re-roofing our building next week.  That ought to make for interesting afternoon naps.
• Glad Jo brought the necessary kitchen utensils to make brownies and chocolate chip cookies.
• We seem to be drinking a lot of sweet tea.
• Still feel like we are on vacation and loving it.

Here are some thoughts about our first ten days of wintering in NC.

• Having your mail forwarded by the U.S. Postal Service sucks.  Very slow in delivery.  A better option is to have all your mail forwarded once a week rather than piece by piece delivery.  We have only received one piece of mail in ten days.
• The traffic signals can be confusing.  It takes a long time to make left turns.  No Michigan lefts here but you can make U-turns at intersections.
• When Jo goes shopping with Rachelle I have to remind her that the car was full when we came here.
• The sun rises much earlier here than in MI but sets about the same time.
• Haven’t lived in an apartment/condo/townhouse in 40 years.  Takes awhile to get use to hearing your neighbors flush their toilet.
• Tracfones are an inexpensive alternative to a second phone but only work when they are turned on.
• Glad I brought some basic tools with me.  There is always something that needs to be fixed even in a rental.
• You can talk to a human being when you call FedEx. This is important so they can explain to you how their system works.  It works just as stated on their website – no exceptions.
• Thankful I have the Easons taking care of the homestead.
• The local cable company’s basic service leaves a lot to be desired.  You get what you pay for.
• Really enjoying spending time with Nolan – oh, with Rachelle & Josh too.

It’s another Papa day.  Almost ready for his morning nap, Nolan decides to watch a few cartoons with me in Josh’s recliner.  It’s rainy here today with temps in the 40′s.  Looking forward to a rebound to the 60′s starting tomorrow.  We enjoyed church services yesterday with Rachelle & Josh at Eastern Pines Church of Christ.  The pastor, D.J. Maxey, is an excellent speaker and the congregation is very welcoming.  We are looking forward to going back many times during our stay.