I haven't updated this blog for a while. I've been a bit preoccupied lately, as Gretchen fell and broke her foot last week. We were at a Barenaked Ladies concert in Lowell, and Gretchen was dancing with Jeff's girlfriend, Christine, when she failed to notice a step and fell. Thank goodness she didn't hit her head this time! She sprained her right ankle and broke her 5th metatarsal. The concert was great, as in "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?".
Anyway, she is now hobbling around with a boot and a walker, since she can't put any weight on her right foot. I also bought her a wheelchair online (which might be hot, since it has hospital IDs and numbers to call if found). The guy I bought it from insists it wasn't stolen, so I really want to believe him. Once Gretchen doesn't need it any more, maybe I'll call to see if somebody wants it back. But for now, I'm in denial. Fortunately, she isn't in any pain now, and the swelling has gone down. She has been icing it regularly and keeping it elevated, so I think the healing is going well. We go back to the orthopedist again next Tuesday to see if she can start putting weight on it. We'll see.
In the meantime, I'm getting some good lessons on how to keep things going around here. I'm learning about where and when to put OxiClean tablets in the washer, when to use bleach or fabric softener, what not to put in the dryer (some hard lessons already learned there!), cleaning the dryer lint filter, and where the spare toilet paper is stored, to name a few. But I think I'm catching on pretty well. One good thing is that now that we are more or less house-bound, Gretchen is more amenable for me to cook some more meals. Today, she suggested that I cook up a pork recipe that she found in a magazine. It looked great, and I also found a cool recipe for a risotto (which I've never made) in the same issue. I shopped for all the ingredients and made what I will modestly say was a fantastic meal for us! Yum! I may not know my way around our laundry room, but I do know my way around our kitchen. I love to cook!
Gretchen's injury also makes house hunting and packing a bit problematic. We haven't found anything yet that meets our needs. I mean all we want (ideally) is a small cape (2000-2500 sq. ft.) on a small lot (1/2 acre more or less), with a master bedroom and bath on the first floor, an attached 2-car garage, a wood fireplace, located on a quiet street with a private back yard. Is that too much to ask? Well, I think now that maybe it is. We haven't found anything close to that yet. I keep thinking about 6-year old Susan on "Miracle on 34th Street" who gave Santa picture of the perfect house she wanted and found out on Christmas morning that he had found it for her. Well, it ain't Christmas, and I don't know any Santa Clauses, so this could be more difficult.
We have until the end of September to stay here at a very reasonable rent ($1,000/month). We could extend this for another 3 months at our option, but we don't want to take advantage of the new owner. We would really like to leave here by the end of September or shortly thereafter.
One option we are considering is to rent an apartment or house on Plum Island in Newburyport for the winter. Then we would have a leisurely time to continue looking for the perfect home while enjoying the beach and ocean over the off season. This option is starting to sound pretty good.
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