Saturday-8:30am

Another sunrise this morning.

Too early for me--LOL! 

Here's the last pictures of Karma in "her" chair.

The lift chair is gone.  Along with the file cabinet, floor lamp, and old sewing machine.  (New Life said they had a lady who came in regularly looking for sewing machines whether they worked or not.)

But they refused to take the desk because it was too big.  Here she was in her glory days.

Stripped.

Karma was baffled when our friend was in pieces and part of our living room was gone.  (Karma had been shut in the bedroom while they carted things away.)

Lots of room without the lift chair.

I put Karma's biggest bed where her chair used to be and she's been sleeping in it every day.  ??  (Look at all that dust on the desk chair legs--OMG!)

Anyways, since I had more room, I decided to move the table the other way so it would be perpendicular to the windows.

So much easier to get around the table...

...and still plenty of space so Karma isn't afraid of being stepped on.

I have to hip-push the table around--as I have always had to do since I bought it in 1997 after I hurt my arm.

But this time...I heard a loud crack!

Easier to see with the flash.  

The table now leans and wobbles a little.  :(
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I sent Leah the pictures.  She's already thinking of a way to at least prevent further cracking.  I told her I know it won't be pretty and I don't care.  What is it with things breaking down around here?
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Anyways, I called Dakota Boy's Ranch to see if they would take the desk.  They can't guarantee any furniture will be taken because it is left up to the discretion of the drivers as to whether they think it is useable or sale-able (same as New Life--who rejected the desk).  Anyways, I waited...told me between 1-4pm.  
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Nobody showed up.  I called and somehow my slip was lost.  So now they are supposed to come to "look at" the desk between 8-11:30am.  That's why I am up so early that I saw the sunrise.  ;)  And I decided to make my old friend a little more presentable.  I thought this may have looked like too much and they couldn't see the fronts of the wood pieces. 

So I shuffled things about this morning so they can see her well and she looks less imposing...maybe?

Well, we'll see if they take her.  I still have a couple more places to call...but if nobody wants her she will end up out at the dumpster.  :(  Let's hope she finds a place to go so she can still remain useful, you know?  Today would be good.
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I have been so busy with these kinds of things that I still have not been online.  Good grief!  Just have not had computer time.  Or after a couple weeks away from my normal routine I can't seem to get back into it?  Truly, everything is totally off kilter over here.  My cranky old body is protesting about all the furniture moving.  All my lists are gone and my OCD-self is waiting for October first to begin with my new planner (which, in itself, is a jolt to my whole mental system--LOL!).  Things will fall into a new routine.  Might take a few weeks.  But meanwhile...lots of changes in the old homestead (chaotic surroundings!) for me and Miss Karma.  We are adjusting.  I really like all the changes.  Just takes some getting used to after almost a decade.  ;)  And it is all still in progress.
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  So, just popping in to say hi and let you know why I haven't been around blogland or haven't responded to emails.  Sorry.  Life has had me by the balls.  ROFL!  ;)  But it's all good.  Things will settle...and it will all be very good.  
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Have a great weekend!!  :):)
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"The only way to live is to accept each minute as an unrepeatable miracle."
Margaret Storm Jameson  

Tuesday-9am

I am finally back!  

Whoohoo!  

Have a lot to fill you in on...plus an Ian video!

I slowly kept up reading blogs, but made no comments because of the pathetic intermittent Century Link connection. But as of yesterday I am all set to go in cyberville...and my land line still has my old telephone number.  :)  Now I just have to call Century Link for an immediate disconnect today.

I was actually up really early and caught a sunrise. 

Been quite a long time since I've seen the orange display... 

...of the waking morning. 

We did have some gorgeous fall days... 

...but what have I been up to?  Nobody wanted the four fish.  So I cleaned the bowl.  You will notice--no snails, gravel, or live plants.  Much easier to clean.  I got out an old "cave' for them to hide in, added their slate rocks, and they seem to have adjusted and are quite happy again. 

We had days and days of blanketed skies and cold.  Even had frost and freeze warnings. 

I finished cutting up the stabilizer for the diaper tote...

...and ironed... 

...and ironed...a little at a time...

...while Karma's curled up under a blanket in defense against the cold. 

I was emptying the desk and file cabinet for days and days.  Dagan stopped by after work one day and moved... 

...Phil and... 

...my pen cabinet for me. 

More chilly, dark days. 

Karma has suddenly wanted to be up off the floor and in her chair again.  She barely uses it all summer.  Won't she be surprised when it is carted away! 

I had to finish up the ironing on of the stabilizer using a chair.  (Sciatica has come back for a long annoying visit.)

Finally got all the pieces that needed stabilizer ironed and was ready for the next step... 

...to set up the 40 year old sewing machine! 

See that silver knob?  Well, I couldn't loosen it to be able to thread a bobbin. 

Not even with a gripper.  Leah had used the machine last for her neoprene project and she is much stronger than I am--LOL! 

I had to wait for Dagan to stop by again to loosen the knob.

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Meanwhile...my Franklin Planner arrived!!  
For the T Stands For Tuesday group over at Elizabeth's...the coffee pot is as close to showing you what I was drinking for the last two weeks as I can get--ROFL!!  ;) ;)  

SO EXCITING!!  

Changing up an old and extremely familiar system is quite jarring to someone with my OCD tendencies.  But I will be as ready as I can be by October first.  Am almost there now. 

I made it over for a McFamily visit last week. 

Mr. Ian is such an expressive fellow that out of a dozen shots this is the only one that was not a blur.

So Gramma decided that Ian is definitely a video boy.  ;)   Ian and Gramma were having a little chat while Mama and Daddy were having a subsequent conversation about cameras.  

It's the only way I can really let you see clearly who Ian McGregor really is, anyways, right?  Guess I'll be spending more time on youtube--LOL!  ;) 
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Had some days with partial sun.

Mostly 60s during the days and 40s at night, but we hit the 30s a night or two.  I heard it snowed in Montana!

Karma finds her heat where she can.  
The morning sun's angle is changing rapidly.

I finally got the file cabinet... 

...and the desk completely emptied.

Cleared off the bookcase next to the desk and the curio cabinet so that the Eventis person would have the easiest access to all the mysterious wires and cables--and because I planned to have Dagan move my printer, too.  And where did all the tons of stuff I removed go?

Where else.  
My bedroom.

It's become a catch-all, waylay area again.

Meanwhile...Dagan had loosened the knob on the sewing machine, right?  So I thread the bobbin...get all set up to sew...and the blasted needle won't go up and down!  The wheel won't turn--at all?  Now what?!  I drag out the old manual...and hope it is the belt.

Not the belt. 

So I decide to try to stare into the scariest part of the machine.

I couldn't get the gears next to the wheel there to move at all.  :(  I am bummed.

Dagan and Leah were coming over last night to take the desk apart so I asked Leah if she would look at it.  She doesn't know anything about sewing machines, but her mind understands mechanical stuff better than either Dagan's or mine does.  I've put so much money into this old machine over the last few years that if we couldn't get it working...I am done.  It's like having an old car where every time you turn around something new breaks down, you know?  *sigh*
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My Eventis guy arrived yesterday...sorted through wires and cables...here he was double checking my phone before he left.  Super nice guy!  I am back in cyberspace, people!  :):)

I had him set up the Eventis box over on the curio cabinet.  Was going to try the top of the bookcase but the cords weren't long enough.  Might work after the desk is gone, he said.

Dagan and Leah came.  Dagan moved my printer and set it up.

They dismantled the desk and also took the arms off my desk chair.  [Was so sick of not being able to tuck the chair under the desk because of the gigantic arms that I was actually looking for a new armless chair online.  (They have red ones!) But it suddenly hit me...I wonder how those arms are attached on my desk chair?  Bolts!  Off they came--tada!]

Dagan and Leah put together the floor lamp from IKEA, too.  Not sure if I will switch it with the art table lamp or not.  Have to get used to both of the new lamps first.  :)

Me.  Well, I got to sit in my chair and have a nice long chat with Ian--who was smilier than ever.  He fell asleep for a quick snooze and woke up shortly before they were getting ready to leave.  No pictures.  My arms were full of baby the whole time.  :):)
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Leah said the sewing machine seems to have frozen up solid.  She couldn't get anything to move, either.  So, I packed the machine up with all its feet and bobbins, etc.  Yes--it's goodbye to the old friend who sewed Dagan's baby clothes and so many things over the last four decades.  I suppose somebody might want it or know how to fix it themselves.  The verdict is in, though.  I am going to have to buy a new sewing machine.  The diaper tote has been put on hold.  :( 
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I'll ask them at New Life if they want a broken sewing machine, too, when I call today for pick up of the desk, file cabinet, lift chair, and broken floor lamp.  [Dagan convinced me that, even if four out of five arms still reluctantly work, not to stick it in the garage as a lamp backup.  "I thought you were purging?  Purge!  Your new Target lamp was only $13.00."  True.  True.  The failing one was a $29 Target special, too--LOL!  Sometimes one needs a push.]
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So...here I am.  Back in blogland.  Sunny day...53 degrees.  And I have to start making phone calls...Century Link, New Life, UPS (to pick up the modem from Century Link)...going to be one of those telephone days.  Wish me luck!  I hope all goes smoothy this time.  ;)
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 Feels good to be back.  Great to have pages pop right up--OMG!  Been soooo long!  Well, I've got to get moving.  Things to do before Caroline arrives this afternoon.  Have a super day!!  See you again soon this time.  :):)
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"The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance."
Alan Watts

Thursday-9:30am

Just an FYI:
I am switching both my internet and land line phone and discovered that trying to leave Century Link with my old phone number (which is a common courtesy between companies) is like trying to get off Facebook.  First they would not release the number to Eventis because I didn't have a disconnect scheduled.  So I had to schedule a disconnect.  Half hour on hold before I got a human being.  

[Note: apparently when you select the "cancel service" choice you are no longer a valued customer who deserves to be told how much you mean to them every 30 seconds or get to listen to pretty music because I had totally dead air for 30 minutes that time.]

The human being--well, when I told her what happened about Eventis being denied my telephone number...in a heavy southern drawl she called him a liar!  Several times!  Insisted they would never, ever do such a thing.  ROFL!  I told her, sorry-but I believe Brett at Eventis.  I set up a disconnect for the 23rd to be on the safe side.

Brett tried to put the paperwork through again--but then they wouldn't release my telephone number because I had a disconnect scheduled!!  Grrr!!

So I had to call back and wait on hold (with apologies and music) to be an out-right, bald-faced liar and tell them to cancel the disconnect.  And after he had done everything properly the puzzled young man said even after he refreshed and refreshed the screen it still showed a disconnect pending on my account in one spot on his computer so he went and talked to a supervisor.  They told him to ignore it because that just happens sometimes.

Well, that was yesterday.  Century Link technically gets five business days to respond (hand over the permission for me to keep my telephone number).  We had rescheduled my day to connect with Eventis to Monday the 15th.  I haven't heard back from Brett--yet--so I am hoping we don't have to change the date again (but we might) and things are finally sorted out with Century Link.  If they disconnect the phone line before Eventis comes then Eventis can't "capture" the line so that I can keep the number, I guess.  So--after I am all hooked up and all is working with Eventis--then I have to call Century Link back again and ask for an immediate disconnect.

My year's contract is up on the 24th.  They had better not be trying to drag this out so they can charge me a fee for breaking an automatically renewed contract, you know?  That went through my mind, too. 

The internet came back after about 24 hours...well, sort of.  Still dropping to zero every few minutes--so I haven't been commenting on blogs, but I have been able to slowly read them all and keep up with what's going on in blogland.  :)  

By the time I get back online with a decent connection...you are forewarned that there will be a long post with lots of pictures--LOL!  ;)  

Well...see you when I see you, I guess.  :) :)

 

Saturday-1:30pm

Just a quick heads up...about an hour after I posted yesterday I lost internet altogether.  Since I am getting a new company on Wednesday (Eventis, actually my former provider) seems rather pointless to call Century Link on a weekend...when they probably won't do anything about it till Monday anyways.  So, I am without internet until some time on Wednesday for those of you who might notice.   ;)

I am over at McFamily's place right now keeping their cats, Sammy and Annie, company for a while while they are gone...so I'm using their internet.  Might watch some Netflix streaming while I am here, too.  ;)

Oh, and I decided to also switch over my landline so that I can completely dump Century Link--tada!  That will take some extra time because I want to keep my same telephone number I've had for nine years (forms and such), but I should be free of Century Link by the following week.  And he said it won't cost any extra for installation and the billing will be the same.  Hurray!!  (They're running a special where there's no installation fee, modem fee, and I don't have to pay anything till October!) 

But this means I won't be back until probably Thursday...maybe even Friday, depending on what's going on, you know.  Just so you don't worry.  Karma and I are fine.  Our internet, on the other hand, is dead as a doornail--LOL!  Later....