First I have tried several times to write an entry --usually before bed--and each time I fall asleep! If I sit down I sleep...it's that simple. This too shall pass..things WILL slow down but for now it has been a WHIRLWIND!
The health update on Bob is toward the bottom if you would like to skip to that and not hear family news from the last month! It's been over a month since I wrote.
Don and Renee--the folks, now friends, that we bought the house from--granted me permission ---before the closing--- to go into the Lenox house to start cleaning and moving things in--- so I did! I was at the Lenox house as much as I could be getting the house ready so that when we closed I could start painting the rooms that I wanted to paint. So that is exactly what happened...
Remember---during the last few blog entries we planned on renting ALFORD...however that has all changed now. I had a 'lightbulb" moment after the closing that said "Wouldn't it make more sense to rent LENOX and spend the summer in Alford "..It's summer...Tanglewood, Berkshire Theatre Festival and so on...Lenox is very convenient to all the activities....my theory during that lightbulb moment was that it would be much easier to set up a 'new house" to rent than a house that you've lived in for many years... and the Alford house has some "quirky" issues that have always become apparent when we have company..for instance how we light the stove top and such. Lenox is newer, new appliances and I think just easier.
So that's the new plan and I've worked SO hard getting it ready...planning, moving painting, cleaning, buying needed things, returning things that didn't work out, setting things up...changing what I set up to a different "set up" because it wasn't working ...blah blah blah... and doing regular life stuff in between. Most everything that has been moved has been moved in a mini van!!! We are the MVM --mini van movers----either in our van or my friends Al and Barb's van. He takes the seats out of his van so the whole van is empty except for the driver and passenger seats. We fit a sofa in his van!!!! Along with other items on the same trip. People can say anything they want about mini vans but they are SO USEFUL! Paul, a neighbor in Alford did one pick up truck load to Lenox. That was an adventure..the roads were SO bumpy..it took us like 35-40 minutes to get there. The mini van does work out better but this particular day Paul was available and I needed to get the bed moved...I was sleeping on the floor in the girls room for a couple weeks and I really wanted to see the progress of a bed being moved in! lol
About 90 % of this move has been me...Bob is working..sometimes traveling and still not feeling great.... mom is busy renovating a new house that they bought so she is completely focused on that! THAT is an amazing project! Anyway usually mom is my huge helper but not available AT ALL this time..I joke with her and tell her you picked a fine time to be unavailable!!!!!! They had worked on getting the house they bought for months.... BOY DID IT NEED RENOVATION! Timing is everything!
I say "solo" however on the occasions that I've simply NEEDED help it worked out that someone was able to help. At the beginning Al helped "get me started". We had to move the metal storage cabinets to lenox so I had a place to put things in the garage as I brought them. He also helped me put all the metal shelving together for the garage and basement....His wife has helped feed us during all this transition. My friend Elizabeth from 16 years ago....I ran into her about a month ago...called me one day while I was trying to figure out who I could ask to stay with the girls while I ran out to get groceries..this is when the sickness started..both girls were sick for some time..Olivia was out of school for about 1 week and Natalie a couple days...anyway Elizabeth called at that moment asking if I had anything I needed her to do to help that day? Mind you we hadn't been in touch aside from that chance meeting in Great Barrington. She babysat so I could go out to the store and not drag sick Olivia with me.
Just yesterday I called our Alford neighbor and friend Joe and ask if he'd help me get the speakers out of the ceiling in the library in the Alford house and I met him there within an hour...I was thinking he could do it sometime this week but it just happened to be a good time for him to come...now we can get the stereo system hooked up and the office put back together...there are wires all over the wall and the desk top. They guy that does this work needs about a week notice...I look forward to that being buttoned up.
My friend Donna got me a great deal on a Dyson Vacuum cleaner and delivered that....That thing is amazing! Never thought a vacuum could be life changing LOL
The day my friend Anne came and gave me a great idea to switch where the girls are sleeping..made PERFECT sense!! I'm so glad we set it up as she suggested...it's so much better. And Anne came on Saturday a couple weeks ago ---in the middle of writing 4 papers for graduate school,-- to help me set up the living room...took 3 hours but it looks great! Emily helped move some stuff, went on an adventure to pick up the dining table and chairs I bought on Craigslist!!! and she painted a couple hours....Emily was one of the gals that talked me into painting the rooms..I wasn't going to do all of that painting I figured I'd do it at a later date! ...then Joan stopped in--I LOVE that people can stop in now---and reiterated what Emily said and she too encouraged me to do that painting. Sooooo I painted and painted and painted. The room that had been a boys room--blue-- had to have 3 coats of primer or was it 4???? and 3 coats of paint....WOW..I went around that room so MANY times I lost count!
It's been a lot of juggling and asking for help when I need it but it's all getting done. ..one step at a time...
There are so many stories such as these...I can't mention them all.... I have wonderful friends and a support system. Thank God for that.
As you can imagine living in Lenox has made a tremendous impact on time driving...I still do some back and forth getting mail, moving more items... but much less driving. The girls LOVE the new house! Common with many children while riding in the car I often hear "Mom how much longer until we get there"....now after they ask how much longer and I tell them they say "mom if we were going to Alford how much longer would we be in the car"... I tell them and they giggle.
So I have 2 more rooms to photograph to start advertising Lenox to rent. Here's hopin' !!!! I sent some preliminary photos to a friend in real estate who has been helping to guide me a bit. This is a different kind of renting than I am used to.
Bob's update....He still has all the previous issues mentioned...lack of saliva, feeling chilled, eating is still a challenge, taste buds off, routinely battling Thrush in his mouth.
The new issue is an infection in his jaw...same side his cancer was on. He's having a hard time opening his mouth and is hoping that having the tooth worked on will clear up the tightness issue...though he is concerned that it may not help. He has to have root canal "re done" ($3000.00 just for the endodontist and that does not include the new crown) not to mention the time away from work....
I'm sure he just wants to feel normal again.
That said... he carries on each day....does what he can..watches LOTS of basketball these days! Loves March Madness...and frankly any sport that is on TV!
He drove to NJ last Saturday he has a younger cousin battling (and from what I understand seems to be losing the battle) of ovarian cancer. He drove down to visit her.
Our Alford neighbor and friend Ann---the couple whose dog Sophia we are caring for---sadly lost her battle with cancer last week. When we took Sophia the day after Christmas the plan at that time was to get her body into remission so she could have a bone marrow transplant...this never happened. They could not get her body into remission. Her memorial service was this past Monday in NYC. We are very sad about her passing.
I now hear the puppies that are awake downstairs so I need to go before they wake the girls up. I fell asleep with the girls last night at 7:30ish which is why I woke up at 4 and was able to write this....now the day begins.
Hope all is well with all of you.
The "snowglobe" is all shaken up on our end but eventually it will settle..many good changes are happening.
I hope to write again soon but please understand if it takes a while again!
p.s. Natalie's check up on her eye went fine!
