Hard to believe it’s been nearly a month since I last posted!
And yes, June was a busy month–just as I anticipated. Suddenly, my freelance workload picked up, so I was squashing in bursts of writing at all hours between numerous trips to Sacramento County to visit and tour potential new homes, sorting and packing stuff from closets and from under beds, bittersweet runs to the local hospice charity thrift with boxes full of donations, and several irksome dump runs.
And of course, along with the physical work, there was the emotional cost of preparing for a move as momentous as this one. Nerves were jumpy, tempers on edge, the next mini-burn-out just one more aggravation away.
But we did it. I’m pleased to say that Mom and I weathered the storm. Aside from a few flat-out sick days for her and my usual daily thrum of rheuma-dragon-induced discomfort, we did just fine. It was all systems go.
Then our buyer’s loan fell through. We’d finally found the perfect condo and were *this* close to putting money down; while we were both glad everything went pfffft before that money changed hands, we were pretty bummed. We still are, since it means starting all over again. But as time moves on, we’re both glad to have a little breathing space again. (And of course, just as the pressure was relieved, my writing assignments slowed back down to a trickle. I’m going to do some artwork instead.)
Mom’s condo is back on the market, so we’re once again keeping it in pristine, eat-off-the-floor condition 24/7 (an aside: my mother being the fanatical neat-nik that she is–and her advancing age hasn’t changed that–her home has always been pristine 95 percent of the time, so this isn’t any huge change 😉 ).
And of course, I always look for–and find–silver linings. Although there still may be some culling and tossing left to do depending on the size of the apartment or condo we eventually move into, I think we did darned good job of Getting Rid of Things. The Load is much smaller. In fact, some of the hardest stuff, emotionally, has been dealt with. When this move finally happens, I’m hopeful that it will be much less painful overall than it might have been.
My RA has been bothersome, but it didn’t ramp up into The Awful Flare I was afraid of. FDR was never so right as when he said “the only thing we have to fear is…fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” It remains concentrated mainly in my hands and feet, a constant, mostly-low-level throb and ache. When it grows larger, I can just about count on seeing that the barometer is rising on my Weather.com page. And while there have been some rough, painful nights, even those were relatively few. So far, so good.
In other news, my daughter turned 33 (!!?!) last week. I baked her a rainbow cake and gave her a very nice set of high-quality colored pencils. Like me, she’s an artist, so I hope the gift will inspire and motivate her. I have the same set myself–and I’m about to start a new project.
Why now? Why not?
I hope this finds all of you feeling good and enjoying the summer. Here’s wishing everyone a great 4th of July.
RheumaBlog 
I hate that fear of the unknown, always wondering how the “dragon” will raise it’s ugly head next time. But, oh well, it keeps life interesting!
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Interesting, indeed. I’ve always felt that the unpredictability of RA is one of its worst characteristics. You never know what you’ll wake up to in the morning–or what may be in store 15 minutes from now. It really is such a strange disease. And of course, the fear of the unknown can make it much worse. I’ve always tried to stay in the moment and avoid anticipating what might be ahead, but it’s not easy, is it. I think we’re programmed to speculate, based on past experience, and that’s often a good thing to do. It only turns bad when what we speculate on becomes fearful.
Blah, blah. My, I’m digging today! Best wishes to you, Andrew. Keep healing!
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Wow! What a lot to get accomplished. It is good that you got so much done and even though it was a (serious) bummer about the buyer falling through, it’s probably a gift from the Universe that you have some breathing time between now and when you really have to move. Enjoy the down time as much as you can. Sending hugs.
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Thanks, Carla. We’ve already got a new prospect who wants to tour the condo a second time tomorrow, so maybe this was just a speed-bump. 😉 In the meantime, I really have been enjoying a relatively quiet week. We don’t do much for the 4th (except be glad for it), so I’m going to spend the day working on my art project. I’m headed into long-uncharted territory; I’m a little scared and very excited, too. Wish me luck!
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So sorry your buyer fell through but really glad that, even when ‘life’ is mostly ‘work’ you’re still maintaining some work/life balance with your artwork. That’s so important! What pencils do you use? I use Faber Castell Polychromos and LOVE them -although my teacher’s persuaded me to move into watercolour too now. She sees it as a step up – I see it as a step sideways! 🙂
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I’m using Derwent Coloursoft Pencils this time, Penguin. I’ve also used Prismacolors (which I love) and your Fabor Castell Polychromos in the past. This is my first project with Derwent, and I haven’t actually used them yet; I’ll let you know what I think once I get started. I’m in the very beginning stage just now, nothing but paper, an HB pencil, and a ruler in hand. Oh–and a long-ago photo of a Stellar’s jay I shot from my kitchen window way back when. I made a grid and drew in a light outline of the bird and the branches, each line so tentative–it’s been years since I’ve drawn. So far, so good! It’s an adventure.
Your teacher is steering you right. Have you ever tried laying down a pale wash of watercolor, then working over it with colored pencil? Wow. The color becomes so deep, P. It’s just beautiful.
Well, here I am, going on and on. Such fun talking art with a fellow artist! You’ll have to tell me more about your projects. I knew you were quite a hand at fabrics and stitchery, but didn’t know you were also using other media. How very COOL! 😀
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