Don't Tell ME!

Once again I have borrowed from another to fill my page and help spread a really cool video. I found this over at Geoff's Blog and will probably be humming the melody all day.



Thanks again Geoff. You do some awesome stuff!

On a side-note, Michael and I drove up to Williamsburg last night and had dinner with my two youngest... When we got there, my son (23), who I haven't seen in almost four years, got up out of his seat and gave me a huge hug... I didn't want to let go... My eyes welled up with sorrow (for him and the loss of his mother) and joy (for me being able to hold him, talk to him, and even laugh with him again). I was so anxious and nervous all day yesterday, all for not... My daughter (21) got some things off of her chest (reasons for distancing herself from me) but in the end, it was all about ALL of us... We are still family and good friends aside, we are all WE have.

It was grand!

Over, "Out", and proud of the way my youngest children have handled things in their lives... From my world in Portsmouth, VA.

Still Settling in and other musings...

Moving can be quite the drain... But things are finally coming together. Michael's son was down with us for the weekend and we finally found a stackable washer/dryer on Monday, so the laundry is done at last, folded and put away.

Our schedules are somewhat mixed right now, but it's nice to come home at night and wake up every morning with him close by. The schedule thing will work itself out with time..

My two youngest children have come out of their non-speaking mode... I have thoughts about why, but only time will tell for sure. I am not going to give up the opportunity to work things out, but I do have reservations as to what is motivating them... More on that subject at a later time.

Otherwise things are wonderful yet I find less time to post on here for the meanwhile. I will, no doubt, get back into the swing of things soon...

Over and "Out" for today, from Portsmouth, VA

Gone in ONE Day!

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I was so worried about how much time it would take to sell the house up in Glen Allen. The housing market today is "iffy" but I guess it was in the right place at the right time, at the right price... The small room on the left end of the house (was a bar when we lived in it) was filled with boxes and "stuff" to be picked up this week by Diversity Thrift. So when my Realtor's office told me they had scheduled some showings on Saturday afternoon, I was skeptical at the very least, that anyone would be even slightly interested.

I listed the house about 25k under the "market" and "comp sales" values (after evaluating it's overall condition and the length of time the "comps" were on the market) knowing I needed to move it faster. There were 3-4 different parties interested since the sign went up (and the listing was signed) last Saturday. At about 4pm I got a call from one of my Realtor's associates, then another asking for a fax or email address I could receive an offer on... By 5pm I had the offer and reading it, my jaw dropped... FULL PRICE!!! Offer expired at 6pm (it was signed and faxed back by 5:30)!

More to do around here in the new place... Everything has found a resting place, so I will concentrate on hanging some wall art today!

Over and "Out" (and happier than a Pig in Poo) from Portsmouth, VA (the other P-Town)...

Home in Portsmouth

We are here and my five days off (my short little vacation) are over... It was anything but relaxing...

Saturday I drove up to Richmond, and spent the day clearing out rooms in the house in Glen Allen while Michael spent the day at his place packing. Sunday we both spent the day in Glen Allen painting the living and dining rooms. Monday we finished packing at Michael's, loaded up the cars with his stuff, and brought it all down to our new place. Tuesday, we loaded up some of my things in Michael's car and while he unpacked at the new house (waiting for the gas company, the water people, and the cable guy), I packed up the rest of my stuff and waited for the delivery guys to pick up what little furniture I had. They showed up and I followed them over to the new place where they delivered all the new furniture too. Finally, Wednesday I continued unpacking and setting things up while Michael drove back up to Richmond to help his ex-wife move her stuff into his old apartment (she and her husband are taking over the balance of his lease there)...

Whew... By the time Michael got back I had started winding down and had a beer or two or three... We finally got a chance to just relax a little before heading to bed.

For those not familiar with Portsmouth, VA, here is a photo of the harbor.

Portsmouth is on the left, in the distance to the right is Norfolk (the cruise ship terminal and Nauticus can also be seen). Our new place is about 8-10 blocks further to the left, so it's a nice walk or easy ride to the waterfront, where we can pick up one of the passenger ferries over to downtown Norfolk.

We have plenty of room here and look forward to entertaining our friends and family. As soon as everything is put away, I will take some photos...

Enough for today. I work until Tuesday and Michael starts in his new position on Monday... Still lots to do here...

Over and "Out" from our new home in Portsmouth, VA

More Snow...

My car is 3rd from the left...

A traveling fool...

I don't mind the snow at all... It's been a few years since this area has seen any major snow storm. What do they say about March? "In like a Lion"? You can say that again!

The winter storm that harassed the southeast on Saturday, came through late yesterday and over night last night, and has pretty much paralyzed Central Virginia. I worked yesterday until 6pm, went over and signed the lease on the new place, went home and packed a bag, then took off for Richmond at about 7:30. Mind you, the drive from my place in Chesapeake to Michael's in Richmond, usually takes about an hour and forty-five minutes. Last night it took two and a half hours! It rained most of the way. Through Newport News, Yorktown, and Williamsburg there was nothing but heavy rain. As I passed through the Toano and West Point exits the rain turned to a mix of snow and rain... And then it got eerily quiet as it turned to snow. It wasn't bad at first as the roadway was still slushy... At that point I was about 10 minutes behind the regular travel time.

As the snow got heavier and more dense the road got whiter and narrower. You couldn't see where the two lanes of I-64 began or ended. When will people learn that you cannot use your brakes when driving through an accumulating snowstorm? Soon it was easier to see the edges of the roadway. There had to be 30-40 cars along the next 18 miles that had slid off the highway and in to the ditches on either side... Probably following the tire tracks from the car ahead of them..

For those (few) that read my posts, living north of the Mason Dixon line, 5-8 inches of snow probably doesn't sound like much. You have to remember that this area is not that snow prone, so the counties each own like 3 salt trucks and plows. Hardly enough to keep the interstates cleared, let alone the other primary roads in the area. They are calling for temps in the low 20's tonight, so the secondary roads will be icy disaster areas tomorrow.

Looks like most of my plans for this "Weekend" (Monday/Tuesday) will be rescheduled. As I look out into the parking lot here at Michael's, the snow is about 8 inches deep and my little car is covered head to toe... I think I will stay in today!

More to come I'm sure...

Over and "Out" from snow covered Richmond today!