Blizzard

It's Monday night, and we're hunkered down for the expected Blizzard of 2015.  As a survivor of the infamous Blizzard of '78, there's nothing in my mind that could compare to that classic.  That being said, I have to admit to being a bit nervous about the next 24-48 hours.  We have a backup generator, which has saved our asses in the past during the power outages that accompany most major storms here, but today I had trouble getting it started.  I got the ancient thing going twice for a short time before it just quit on me.  I tried again later with no success.  Now I have to cross my fingers and hope we don't lose power (unlikely), or I find a way to somehow rejuvenate this venerable piece of equipment back to life.  So tonight is an exciting time.  We have a fire going in the fireplace, which we will try to keep going through this storm.  We've stocked in food (and wine, of course) for the next couple of days, and if we still have power, I've planned a nice chicken dish for tomorrow.  If not, well, maybe some canned soup heated over our gas stove will suffice while we shiver in our coats.

We do have a last resort.  If we have no heat and our new house doesn't lose power, we could always go over there and sleep on the floor, since we have no furniture.  That doesn't sound real appealing.  That's way down on my list of options for now.  I think I'd almost rather find a homeless shelter with a bed.

I went back to the Farber last Wednesday for my monthly checkup.  Everything was still great, except I had come down with a cold, so they stopped my Revlimid for a week.  I got a prescription for a 5-day azythromycin antibiotic pack, which I started on Thursday.  I felt shitty for a couple of days, but fortunately, I have recovered and feel much better now.  The bad news is that I gave my cold to Gretchen, and now she is suffering.  If the weather permits, I will go back to the Farber on Wednesday and resume my normal schedule of Rev.

This has been a crazy time with the impending move.  We keep boxing up things to move and filling trash bags with things to throw out.  We also donated a ton of things to Big Brother Big Sister last week.  I almost think we are ahead of the game, but then I remember the 100 things I haven't dealt with yet.  Yikes!

The new house interior has been painted, and it looks awesome!  New rugs and furniture and granite counter tops are in the works.   My smartest move to date?  I rented the previous owner's snow blower for the winter.  Even though we hired our plow guy to do the driveway, we have 2 long walks from the driveway to the front and back of our new house.  I can't imagine having to shovel those, especially after the 3 feet of snow we are about to get.   Good move, Bill!  I'll try not to break my arm patting myself on the back.

In the meantime, we're just hunkering down and waiting this one out.  I'll let you know if we make it through.

Moving Frenzy

I want to apologize to all of you faithful followers who have been waiting with bated breath for me to update my blog...well, maybe 2 or 3 of you at most.  Anyway, it has been a hectic time as we prepare to move into our new home in West Newbury.  We closed on our new home on January 3, but it wasn't without some last minute drama.  At the last minute, our mortgage application was denied because we didn't show a monthly "pension" income from our investments, a new requirement from Fannie May and Freddie Mac.  WTF?  Anyway, we scrambled around to cover the deficit in order to close on time.  We've arranged things to make that problem go away and will re-apply for the mortgage.  Serendipitously, the rates have dropped over the last month or so, so we might come out smelling like a rose.  Somehow things have a way of working out.

We have been so fortunate that Nancy, the new owner of our current abode, has graciously allowed us to stay here as renters until we are ready to make the move.  That has given us time to sort through our stuff while we pack and schlep boxes on a daily basis to the new place.  Our deadline is the end of February, but we hope to complete everything well before then.  We damn well better be out before then, because I'm spending the last week of February in North Carolina on my annual golf outing with my brother, Terry, and a bunch of friends.  Our friend, Barbara, has been a Simon Legree, whipping us into action to get us moving (so to speak).  When we look at what we've done so far, it seems like a lot, but then when we look at what's left...Holy crap!  We've got a long way to go.

As a closet hoarder, I have accumulated a prodigious amount of useless items over the years that I am agonizingly sorting through to decide what is really important.  The college notebooks that I don't even understand anymore had to go, because it's embarrassing to realize how stupid I've become over the years.  Who was this seemingly intelligent person that I used to be?  Duh.  It's interesting to note that my focus has shifted from what might I be interested in looking at again to what might Gretchen and the kids care about looking at again when I'm no longer here.  To tell you the truth, other than family pictures and memorabilia, not much!  It's humbling.

We decided to hire, Amy, the decorator who staged our house successfully for the sale, to help us figure out what to do with our new home.  While we could actually move in without any major changes, there is a lot we want to do before the move...painting, upgrading the kitchen counters, some new furniture, etc.  We still don't know where to put everything, so we need lots of help.  Amy, HELP!!! 

I'm still feeling good, and I go back to the Farber next week for my monthly checkup and Zometa infusion.  After I prodded them last month, they realized that I still need some of my childhood immunization shots to protect my new immune system, so I'm scheduled to get those.  That should bring me up to date on that score.