This is not all that I did. I went endlessly shopping for things that should have been simple. Scrubbed floors with a sponge on my hands and knees. Cleaned both bathrooms. Hung out with friends. Read a book. Did some work on my chapter. But this is the basic idea:

I drove in last Tuesday (a week ago) with only tubs, since it was supposed to rain the whole way. I got ten drops. Too bad. We could have used the rain.

Tuesday night after unloading the truck, which did not take long, I went washer and dryer shopping.

Wednesday morning Bob D and I walked through the house. Then I went to the closing. That was very easy. Give them money, sign my name, get the keys.

Wednesday afternoon lunch with a friend. Then had two contractors scheduled.

I got a great bid on the porch that would make the house beautiful, but I can’t afford it. Maybe when Dad sells the house, if he’s still handing out money…

The fence guy did NOT show up on Wednesday but did show up on Thursday. The price isn’t great, but it is okay.

Wednesday evening I went to buy the set of washer/dryer I thought was best. Those turned out to be more than I expected, since I did finally find reviews. However, one place had the really good ones on supersale, if you were willing to go with red. So the new washer/dryer are red. I like red.

I found a kitchen set that I like, that I think R would like, and that is less than $600. Solid mango wood. Well built. But if Dad sells the house, then I don’t need it. So I haven’t bought it. Even though it is on sale. Massive sale. I need something if Dad doesn’t sell the house. But I don’t know/won’t know.

Of course, the sale ends July 22, so it is possible that we could arrive and go straight over there to purchase the table and chairs. (If I don’t have Dad’s by then, I have no idea when I might get them.)

Thursday morning I bought a bath mat and looked for towels. I also bought some groceries, so I could eat at home.

Then Thursday lunch I went out with Nancy. That was nice. She had a good suggestion for where to place the china cabinet. Thanks!

Had no hot water in the shower, so I got online and checked my email. The email from the gas company said I had to schedule a turn on. I thought I had already done that. So I went through the whole online thing. Then I got an email saying they didn’t service my area. (I saw them in the alley!) So I called. Turns out I had a service contract. The gas was on. But still no hot water. So they sent someone out. He checked on the meter. It was running slow, so he replaced it. That means I’ll be paying more for gas than the folks who used to live here.

He also put up a curtain that I had pulled down and had no means of getting high enough to put up.

I found a set of colors put together that have our kitchen yellow, living room gold, and washer/dryer red with a white called popped corn (Behr). So I am doing the big ugly brown wall in Popped Corn white. Yeah. Bought that paint.

Friday I woke up almost in tears. I did not have a clue why I was so depressed. I called the doctor and the pharmacist to find out if skipping my evening medicine (which I had forgotten to take) was the cause. Eventually found out that it was not.

Hubby did not know I was crying that morning, but sent flowers. Beautiful yellow roses. Whoo hoo, R! Great timing on that.

It may have something to do with being in an empty house with a card table and two camp chairs, one of which’s bottom is breaking out. Oh, and the fact that my gorgeous antique blue Depression glass looks bland and boring with the colors in the house here.

Called friend and asked if her SIL could do some work for me.

He said yes. So Saturday we spent four hours trying to get blinds. (That didn’t work because the saw was off so they didn’t fit.) He left and I took the blinds back. 5.5 hours later they were finished and all but one fits. (One they thought should have been 33, even though the box says 34, and so now it’s one inch too small.)

That evening, during the 5.5 hours of re-cutting the blinds (four new cuts each, plus taking them out of the box and then having to repackage them), I went to see a friend who is in the States for furlough. I was there about an hour and a half. It was good to see her. Left a tithe check for her literature fund.

After I got the blinds I went to Bob and MD’s house to get rocks. They have a yard full of rocks and want to plant grass. So I filled every tub I had to what I could lift and took them home.

Sunday morning went to church with the Ds. That was nice. Not sure it’s what R is looking for, but I could see going there myself.

Lunch with the whole D family, minus J’s wife and baby, who were at her folks’.

Afterwards Jill and Mark and their two angel girls came over. Mark did the blinds and hung the ceiling fan. Jill and I talked. The girls and I danced, ran, played, watched Veggie Tales on my computer, and generally enjoyed each other immensely.

I paid him $20/hr, which is less than he was worth but more than he thought he should get.

He said he would paint the accent wall, but I don’t know when he is thinking about doing that.

Mark and Jill agreed to come by the house to water the lawn on our water rationing days so that I won’t lose the lawn. I will definitely have to do something nice for them. (Plus money, probably.)

Went back to the Ds house and got a load of rocks. Took it home and unloaded it. Then they asked me when I was coming to get rocks. I told them I’d been and gone, but I did go back and get another load.

This morning early I also went and got a load. Then I went back and got another load. Instead of unloading it, though, I hung out at the Ds house and did my laundry. Yeah! (I didn’t bring a lot of clothes because I thought I would have a washer/dryer within a few days. Nope. Ordered.)

I called the insurance company and had my insurance increased to cover several other pieces of jewelry:
my graduation set
Grama Rill’s set
Thomas Singer necklace
other fetish necklace

Turns out the insurance company only pays a maximum of $3000 for jewelry that is stolen. It’s up to $1500 each piece, which is what I was told, but then it’s a total of $3000. I have more than that in vintage, antique, and Native American pieces. So I upped the insurance.

I also got a quote on the cars. Cheap. But I don’t know how much it would be worth it.

Then I called Geico and changed everyone’s car but R’s to New Town. R’s going to be in Big City for another few months. Dropped the price somewhat, but not a lot. (Or at least it didn’t seem like a lot to me. It may to R.)

Went to the water place and told them I was me, gave ID, and got approved to keep my water on. Called the Water Service people and found out that my pressure was “fine” but that the meter was slow… That means my water will cost more.

Mailed off the signature pages the insurance company had decided I absolutely had to have sent by today.

Got a light switch to replace the one in the truck that has been falling off for a year. (I tried supergluing it. That did not work. So did not work. Thankfully Bob D was able to get it back off.) He said try an auto store, but they didn’t have any. Or go to Ford. They had one. $17 to stop the annoyance of the light switch falling off in the dark.

Went to check out another furniture/junk/antique place (I think I have been to eight in town now, including two Goodwills and the Salvation Army). Nice stuff. Some chairs I liked, but didn’t like the table… Thought about buying two chairs which had no table, but didn’t.

Went to the cabinetry place Mark recommended. They designed a cheaper pantry than the expensive guy but will do a good job. So I’ll be getting the pantry. Tomorrow morning (after a rock run), I will go sign the contract and put 50% down.

Tonight I am going to Lowes to take back the blind and hope they will refund my money. (They don’t have any more blinds or I’d want a replacement.)