My first 6 weeks as a country girl

[judy]

You all know how much I love it here. Now, the fall foliage is within a week or so of reaching its peak. I'll post the pictures I have so far soon. Most of the residents here are gone, give or take weekenders. It's not empty here, but it's so nice and quiet. I have lovely neighbors on my road. Everybody here minds their own business, which is perfect.

Summer is very different. A lot of socializing goes on at the pool. I liked that a lot too.

I see Jessie and the family about twice a week, which is perfect. We talk just about every day. It's so nice to just be able to call and say "Can I come over? Are you busy?" The children amaze me. Not that I'm biased, but I have been so blessed with three wonderful little people. I just enjoy them so much. Steve and I get along beautifully. We have a lot of similarities, so we know how to deal with each other, I think. I have so much respect for him too, and he knows it. What a turn around.

I cleaned out my wallet of Brooklyn business cards, library card, etc., and found a "wish list" I wrote in 2003! I didn't even have this wallet then. Be that as it may, my goals or wishes were to have enough money to have a savings account, to begin to get ready to move to a small town, to meet a wonderful man to share my life with, and another wish I can't remember right now. I can't believe that in 5 years, all the goals but the man in my life have been reached!

I did sign up for Match.com a couple of weeks ago. I got a lot of responses, but the 2 men I would have dated stopped writing when they found out where I live. They both live about 1 1/2 hours away, which is difficult. It is a start though. I believe that once you put your desires out there, the universe responds. I think intention is so important! It's like prayer. It is my feeling that God is always right there, but that I have to reach out to him and be willing to share everything with him.

Talk about God being on my side! I had some extra cash after the closing costs, etc. I spent some here and there, mostly on things for the house (Okay - maybe I did buy some clothes. They were on sale!) My little "house fund" was diminishing, and I want to have some things done here. My stepmother decided to put her condo up for sale. I own half of it. I inherited it from my Dad. After about 3 -4 weeks, I got a decent check wired into my bank, and the decorating is back on again! It's not a lot of money, but it will cover what I need. The buyer got the mortgage just about a week before the first bank collapsed. Just in time!

Steve and his buddy, also named Steve, are going to do the work. Steve didn't want me spending a fortune on contractors up here. You know how it is - they don't show up, they charge city people much more, and so on. We came to an
agreement on how much everything should cost, and they should be starting in a week or two. They're not charging me much for labor either.

I'm having the carpet removed and laminate put down. It's a beautiful mahogony and looks like wood to me. They're going to paint, do the lighting, put up ceiling fans, shelves, redo the pantry, fix whatever needs to be fixed, put new vanities in the bathrooms, and on and on. I'm not redoing the kitchen cabinets. Too expensive, but the hanging cabinets are 10"x10"! They're ridiculous. I can't complain about the kitchen though. I love my new stove, my microwave is also new, I actually have a dishwasher, and my washer and dryer are really nice.

I have to pick out paint colors. I'm not good at this. I always painted my walls a nice linen color. I'd like to use reds, golds, greens, bronze, and cinnamon as accent colors throughout the house. So far, we decided that the wall that you see as you walk into the living room is going to be a very deep red, and the rest of the walls, a white that Jessie used called opalescence. The kitchen opens up into the living room, and so does the entry hallway, so I don't know what color to do those. I want the downstairs bathroom to blend in too. Any ideas?

I bought a new couch. I had no intention of doing this, but Jessie was honest and told me that mine just looked so used. I have had it for about 16 years. I also bought a dresser on eBay, which, hopefully is as nice as the picture.

My car is being fixed by Steve #2, who is also a mechanic. I have to begin to look for another car. This one is going - it's 11 years old, as much as I love it.
He's saving me a lot of money.

The dogs are great. I ordered a top for their ex pen so that I can let them out on the deck and not have to sit there watching them. I'm so afraid of hawks, etc. I actually let them go out with me without their leashes when I put the garbage out. They're so good! I don't let them out of my sight though. Max and Annie are getting along very well. She loves to play and so does he. Gracie was a lap dog. Annie is not, although she follows me wherever I go. She's a puppy though. She loves Max. He's not nearly as jealous of her as he was of Gracie.
Annie is the cutest little thing. She loves to snuggle and sleeps in my bed right next to me. I can put the blanket on her, cuddle her in the crook of my arm, and she's so happy. I love when she wags her tail! She's so tiny. It's so good to have a puppy.

Jessie is feeling well, which I thank God for every day. I've been driving around just enjoying the scenery and the quaint small towns. I love the people here.
I have really slowed down, and can't believe I have this wonderful life. Today, I just vegged out. I'm so comfortable here. I really enjoyed my day.

Pictures:
1 - the couch and coffee table I ordered
2- the color I ordered them in
3 - the dresser I bought