It Had to Happen; A Few Bad Days #12

Not that the bad days had anything to do with the lifestyle change or prairie life, but still a dip in the up mood. Thursday morning I woke up after a fitful night, feeling like I'd been hit by a Mack truck. Swollen glands, headache, the whole bit. And Frank couldn't find his hearing aids. He has these super duper ones that the VA gave him because of his hearing disability. The hearing loss, caused by the Army not issuing earplugs at the rifle range, is significant. So we tore the house apart. For two days. It's now been several days and still no sign of them. Frank looked gray with worry for a few days.

My ickys passed by Saturday, but his hearing aids still remain lost. On Friday, he went to the VA in Prescott and they told him they'd replace them but he had to stand in line - expect them in about sixteen months! He called the doctor who tested him and prescribed them (not a VA doc), but he couldn't help. Monday, he'll call the VA in Minnesota where he got them and hopefully they'll have a better solution. Not like we can replace them at $5,000. I'm getting tired of repeating myself and listening to a very loud TV.

Last weekend, we went in search of an arts fair advertised in the local paper. It didn't exist. Probably canceled and no one bothered to change the announcement. Funny small town stuff. On our search, we rounded a corner with a cardboard box advertising a yard sale. I caught some writing on the inside flap - it was one of our boxes we donated to local U-haul. "Bren's Clothes"

Speaking of the local paper - it comes once a week. If we take the daily paper, we'd have to go out to the main highway. At least Rusty gets to collect the paper for us once a week. He loves his chores.

Our numbers are temporarily growing. Looks like we'll have two guests for a month or so. Lance's good friend is also moving to the area but hasn't got a job or a place to live yet. Scott will be moving in when Lance and Christie arrive to stay tomorrow. His cat, Debo has already arrived. Debo has been bunking in the garage since Christie is very allergic. Scott has been helping them move. He's a big, sweet, powerful guy, but he's kind of a bull in a china shop. First day, he's lugging in a mattress alone and knocked a picture off the wall and broke it. Next day, my door wreath met with his finesse. He'll be staying in L&C's half of the house.

Rusty's afraid of Debo. He wants to play, but when Debo romps toward him, Rusty runs for the house. Big tough watch dog? Not.

Next week should be a whirlwind: Lance and Christie arrive for good, two new temporary members and my Virtual Blog Tour to promote Honey On White Bread. There's a grand prize at the end of the week.

My coffee corner. I'll need a lot this next week

Right now, this minute, I'm more consumed with the tour. By the end of next week, I'll have a better idea of how our communal living will work. Fingers crossed.







Click here for blog stops:
http://www.brendawhiteside.com/news.html

Took Off My Watch and Found...Post #8

Frank's watch broke the day he retired. He considered it a sign and isn't buying a new one. I've never known Frank without a watch - not even taking it off when he slept. I love the attitude but being a writer I have deadlines, I told him. Then I thought about it. If he's not in tune to time, then my preferred schedule of writing, which is anytime, won't conflict with him. This could work. Last night I said I'd cook him his special retirement dinner (stalled because of the move) this weekend. He gave me such a blank look - why wait for a weekend? He had a good point.

A dusting remains

We got snow last night. I'm so glad we'll get a little here. I'd miss not seeing the flakes fall from the sky now and then. On my way to the post office, I watched it come in over the mountains - low hanging clouds kissed the tops of the peaks leaving them white.

Last night the snow came

Speaking of the post office, I let them know our box was up and took the hold off. We've lived in two countries, six states and twenty-six homes and never had to put up our own mailbox. This was Frank's observation since he's the one that took on the task.

I read something funny yesterday. There is a virus people get when they buy a new home - they go partially blind. This accounts for not seeing all of the spots on the carpet, not realizing the cabinets were only faced with oak and thinking we'd have plenty of cupboard space. Lance and Christie have yet to move in with their stuff and I'm not sure where it will all go. But then Lance and Christie are not collectors of "stuff" so maybe we'll be okay. Lance has the mindset I possessed while pregnant with him and I lost for several years. I'm getting back to that belief. We're still dumping "stuff" as we unpack. And I'm waiting to see what other things I missed during my viral blindness.

The view on the way to Jerome

Frank and Rusty on the patio of a cafe

Bruce on the road overlooking the road below

While Bruce was with us, we decided to take one day and not unpack. He'd been so helpful and so nice to drive out here with Frank, he deserved a break. Plus he figured out how to use a curtain rod that I'd bought the wrong size. We drove up to Jerome. He was rightfully awed. And I'm thrilled it's so close. Didn't realize how close it is. Jerome is an old mining town; an inhabited ghost town built on the side of the mountain. The road up is switchback heaven and kind of scary. Bruce is now determined to come out, with Beth, in a few months with his motorcycle. We'll do a ride and go up the scary side one more time. Frank and I did it a few years ago. Fun but a bit scary.

Ate at the Mile High Grill

Short cut between streets

In the ongoing effort to cut expenses and live on Social Security, we cut our cell minutes. We had to switch to Verizon because they are the only ones with reception out here. Sprint was going to hit me with a $120 contract cancellation fee but after a lengthy "discussion" and a transfer into accounting, they determined if I could fax them a copy of my driver's license to prove I really had moved to an area without coverage, they would wave the penalty. Then after nearly two hours at the Verizon office in Prescott Valley (the office in Chino is too small to handle the switch over), we had cell coverage again. Only I can't figure out how to work the phone yet. So...we're down to 450 minutes between us but we have a land line again with unlimited long distance. Grouping the cell, land line, Internet and satellite TV under Century, we save money and pay less than before. AND I'm really happy to know that our two close couple-friends in MN and my longtime friend in NM all have Verizon so we can talk and talk - that is if I were a phone person, which I'm not but at least if they call me I won't get nervous over using the minutes.

Today I make the trip down to Phoenix to go to the Indian Hospital. I dropped my medical insurance because of the exorbitant cost, but thank goodness I'm American Indian. I'll explain in another post.

I Don't Want to Watch Me Take a Bath! Post #7

Rusty was very happy to see Frank

Over a week but I'm connected again. Frank is already complaining about the slowness of our "high speed" connection. I'm just happy it's as fast as it is out here in the boonies. Sorry, Pauldenites, but that's what it feels like. And I'm okay with that - in fact, I'm more than okay with the boonies. I started to say I'm lovin' it but I'm really sick of that McD commercial.

Rusty jumped higher than I did when we saw the U-haul chugging up our dirt road trailing a wagging tail of dust behind it. Bruce, in the little Chevy, followed in its wake making his own dust trail. Both guys looked a bit haggard.

Rusty finds unpacking very boring

But not too haggard to get cleaned up and find a bar with the Super Bowl on the TV. We headed toward Chino Valley. The first bar sits all alone with a sign out front that never comes down - "live music tonight" and a smaller sign that says "bikers welcome". We passed it by thinking maybe no game would be on and we'd save it for a stop when we were on the cycle. I'd seen the sign announcing the Super Bowl and drink specials at a bar called The Log Cabin in Chino proper. I'm not much of a football fan but I tagged along thinking it would be good to sit in a bar full of fans, have a beer and check out the locals.

I wish I could post some pictures. I forgot my camera but took some pics on my phone. Trouble is we traded in our Sprint phones for Verizon before I took the pictures off.  I'll try to paint the picture:
Cute bar that has seen its better days. On the mirror behind the bar, a couple of house drink specials were listed - one of which was

"F--- you juice $4.50". 

That should help with the feel of the place! Fifty something bar maid, dressed like a teenager, long black hair and friendly as hell with a voice that reflected too many cigarettes and too much whiskey. A grey-mustached, ball cap wearing guy with thin legs and a round belly who hung on the edge of the bar, behind it so that you might think he owned the place but couldn't tell for sure. A really old, fat, half-lit codger sitting at the bar who used the F word as an adjective in every sentence. A nondescript couple who came in late. A young, skinny guy who sat at the first stool as you walked in the door. A stool away from him, a man in his thirties who either stared in his beer or at the TV screen. Not much of a crowd. So much for mingling with the locals. The waitress brought us popcorn and the drinks were cheap. Retired people like cheap. She also promised chili dogs when the chili was hot. Frank had one, Bruce and I passed. Frank said the only good thing about them - they were free.

Frank hasn't found his 'Cheers' yet. Not sure where the Super Bowl crowd hung out but we didn't find that either.

A Mexican man carrying tamales came in with a big smile on his face and very little English in his vocab. Maybe-an-owner-guy took several bags and told us these were the best tamales anywhere. I bought a bag. They were still hot and steaming. $13 a dozen. We had some of them a day later and oh my! He wasn't kidding.

Kitchen

Lance and crew arrived the next day only a half hour later than expected - the expected arrival time was an hour later than he told us. He brought a big burly guy that made him look small (and he's not) and a wiry little guy that could lift a lot. Frank said it would take four hours to unload and it took two. Good thing because Lance was ill but wouldn't stop. We filled the entire house with boxes, including Lance and Christie's half of the house. Lance's comment - Mom! I thought you said you downsized.

A few parting comments for today:

One week off the Internet equals 93 emails on my personal address and 247 on my business address.
Unpacking a thousand boxes takes twice as long now as it did fifteen years ago.
Will I ever have nails again?
Mirrors should not surround your tub if you're over forty.

A Week to Get Internet Service?? Post #6

Frank avoided this

Frank is in Gallup, New Mexico. Sure glad he chose the southern route and not his first choice through Denver. He should roll into Paulden around 1:00 tomorrow - UHaul truck, UHaul trailer and Bruce driving the Chevy. I've packed up the stuff I've had at my sister's and loaded the Explorer. Rusty and I will be up before the sun and hit the road tomorrow morning. The main plan for Frank and Bruce tomorrow is to get in, park the UHaul and find a bar with the Super Bowl game. Of course!

Monday will be the day to unload. Lance and a friend will trek over from Flagstaff and we'll all attack the truck. Yeah, really looking forward to that.

One of the first things I have to do is cancel my Sprint service and get set up with Verizon. Verizon is apparently the only company that gets good service. My Sprint phone does not receive a signal at the house. Since there is no signal, I should be able to cancel without penalty. I'm waiting until I get Verizon to fight that battle.

I'm mainly concerned about getting the Internet hooked up. Century Link told me it takes five to seven days. I have to locate somewhere in Chino Valley to sign on. McD's? I may be out of touch for the most part. Can I handle that??!! So that is the main reason for this blog post. I feel like I need to let someone know I haven't split, only in suspension until I'm reconnected.

Thank goodness I got my galley for The Morning After and was able to proof it and get it sent back before I'm in suspension. I'm excited about this novella from The Wild Rose Press but no release date yet.

That's that. Tomorrow we begin actually living in Paulden. Now the fun begins.

More on the Weekend - Post #3

Monday can wait. I didn't get to totally sum up the weekend's discoveries. Did I mention the gunk we cleaned up? Okay, yeah, but don't forget it. We worked hard and still didn't finish. If you were to spill something red and sticky in the pantry that splashed on the wall and dripped across the wire shelving, wouldn't you wipe it up before it dried? I'll move on.

Debra goofing around.

I slept very little Saturday night. Maybe it was the air mattress or the quiet that was so quiet it was loud. Or maybe Rusty, who had his eye on us half the night, snored part of the night and moved from bed to rug to bed the rest of the night had something to do with my restlessness. Or maybe the million thoughts zinging in my head. Anyway, I knew without a doubt I couldn't let Bob come get Debra and leave me alone Sunday night. So we got up at 6:30am and dug in so we would both go back to Phoenix Sunday afternoon. We got it clean enough to move into. The rest could be finished whenever.

We worked until past lunchtime, packed up our stuff and Rusty and headed out to find Mexican food before the drive back to Phoenix. Wow did we find it. Side note here, I don't think I've mentioned. Paulden is small. There is one bar, one gas station and a post office. That's it. So down the road, eight miles south, is Chino Valley. There is only one main street, but on that street you'll find McD's, Subway, Sonic, Dominos, Pizza Hut, CVS, Safeway, two steak houses, a few bars, a couple of gas stations, the great Chinese diner and a couple of Mexican food places. But we found THE Mexican food place. It's an order at the counter place and there's no margaritas, which could explain the big take out business they do. The young gal behind the counter loves her job, speaks fluent Spanish and is small-town friendly. I will be frequenting this place often! Alfonso's - open 8 to 9, seven days a week.

I called Frank about the window problem. Made his day. He said he'd contact the realtor. The water pressure is odd. In the bathtub it's strong, in the bathroom sinks it's a trickle. Have to figure that out. We have a well. Never had one before. Could there be something to do with that? It may sound crazy, but I love the idea of having my own well. The idea of it is much more romantic than it actually is. There's no round, rock structure with a bucket hanging under a wooden eave. But still, we have a well...

Built-in entertainment center.

Oh, and I haven't mentioned the built-in entertainment center. Back in Minnesota, there's a nine foot long, three-piece solid oak entertainment center Frank needed to move. What to do? Frank put it up for sale. The trade off is pathetic really. The built-in is not real hard wood. Phoney stuff. But it is built-in. Rip it out? Then how to deal with the carpet and wall? And the oak one is so heavy and big to get into the U-haul. Before I could change my mind and regret the loss, it sold. Just stuff - I have enough stuff.

Frank's computer is dying. Great timing. Retiring on social security in the middle of moving cross-country does not allow for new computers in the budget. Especially when I don't have a handle on the budget yet. No idea how much our new lifestyle will cost. I can guess - all electric, no water bill since we have a well, trash service. Then there is phone, television and Internet. Four adults in the house and splitting the bills. Nope, not a handle. Computer purchase will stall until after the moving bills have piled up.

The drive into the sunset back to Phoenix is becoming a familiar lovely site. If you've not been to Arizona, we have some of the most dramatic sunsets. Fell into bed at my sister's Sunday night with the alarm set for 5am. Monday - carpet cleaner, well water questions, meet the neighbors, Christie sees her house for the first time and Rusty meets the other two dogs. Details next time.

I'm Packin'

Double meaning on that title. Got the cover for my contemporary western for The Wild Rose Press ebook due out next year which brought the title to mind, and I'm packing to move so...

I really hate packing. It doesn't matter if I'm going away for two days or two months, it's an excruciating process for me. This pack is worse (worse than excruciating?) because it's three trips rolled into one. I'm packing for a drive to Arizona for a three week Christmas vacation AND for an additional three weeks there while my husband flies back to Minnesota AND packing as much as we can bring on this drive for the permanent move. I'll miss out on the final pack that he'll undertake on his own, but still! Poor me.

Normally, I'm this over organized, obnoxiously detailed person, but for some reason if you put a suitcase in front of me, I fall apart. Each item becomes a major decision on whether to bring it. Packing is the one area of my life I procrastinate. I'm the person who has her Christmas shopping done by Thanksgiving and in the mail the first week of December. You'd think for a major move like this, with only four days until we leave, I'd be standing at the door, bags packed. I wish.

So today, I'm really going to get serious about packing. I'll stop standing over the empty suitcases and boxes and actually put something in them. I'll get past the staging area, quit tripping over all the piles of maybes, definites and what-are-these, and actually put them in a box.

But first I'll have another cup of coffee, write a bit on my book and think on it a while.

Blogging on Thanksgiving

I really am, just like I do every 24th of the month over at The Roses of Prose (TROP). Click on the link below.


So I thought today, I'd blog about my blog.

I'm not often given over to straight out promo, but that's what this is. And I'm blogging it. 

All month The Roses of Prose ladies (of which I am one) have been blogging about what they're thankful for. Considering tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I'm blogging, I'll be thankful just to have someone stop by. And for stopping by and leaving a comment, you could win the very first ever copy of Tattoos, Leather and Studs, my e-novelette. I'm really excited. It releases officially on December 4th from Melange Books. So if you don't win, and you like the excerpt (read it tomorrow on TROP), you can get your copy by going to www.melange-books.com.

Here's the teaser:

Rachael suspects her date, Jason, is a drug dealer, and she’s torn between her attraction for this hot bad boy and running for safety. But a famous rock star vying for her attention and spiked champagne pose far more trouble. On a blind date she’ll never forget, Rachael learns first impressions can lead her down a dangerous path and straight into the arms of love.

So come on over between the turkey and the pie or at halftime of one of the football games.

http://rosesofprose.blogspot.com/ 

Happy Thanksgiving!

August is a Blurrrrrr

What a month! I made it through a move that was difficult (an understatement). I joined a group blog, Roses of Prose, which I know will be fun once I'm settled and caught up. Poor Rusty tore his ACL and had to have surgery. He's doing better but still hobbling around on 3 legs. My editing jobs fell behind because of the move and now I'm buggy eyed from reading and trying to make deadlines.

But hey - good news heaped on me and took away some of the stress. I'll have four books in varying lengths released between November and January. I'm psyched! Excited! Thankful! Hop over to my web site for more information.

In the meantime, don't forget about my novel that is available right now, Sleeping with the Lights On. I'd love it if you'd order straight from the publisher Buy Link but it's available wherever fun and entertaining books are sold in both print and e-book formats.