Teri Parris Ford's Blog

The End of March

With Spring officially here, we've been having lots of weather-- freezing rain to 80's and sunshine. It's the great thing about living in the midwest, you just never know what kind of weather you might be in for and it's ever changing even within one day. This week was Erika's spring break and I promised her a visit to help out however she needed. The weather was too cold for gardening so I unclogged her bathroom sink and set up her tv with my Plex account and took her to 5 Guys for dinner. I also got one last trip to condo to gather all my garden stuff that I had left behind 2 weeks ago-- a couple of planters, a composter, a bbq and lots of dirt from my garden box that had been carefully cooked through the years with composted food. I took a couple loads to Monika's -- stuff that is still in storage in Erika's basement. My mom had a huge mirror at the end of her stairs that I put at the bottom of my stairs at the condo. Well, Monika is the only one with a long stairwell to add the mirror to and she's not sure she wants to. There are quite a few items like that, that we are trying to figure out what to do with. We don't have a lot of family heirlooms but if it was at my mom's house, it's something that is precious to us typically, even if I know she most likely bought that item at a garage sale.

I stayed at Monika's Wednesday to help with the overwhelming amount of work she has to do and made my way back home on Thursday. On Friday I had a water softener and new faucet put into my bathroom-- two splurges I purchased with my condo funds. When I'm in Rochester, I spent a good part of my day at the gym, doing yoga, swimming, working out etc. I really looking forward to nicer weather to start gardening more. I got started on Friday adding dirt from the condo to my garden beds here. Between the 3 girls' homes and mine, there seems to be a never ending amount of work to get to. Setting aside time to write has been difficult but on my list of things to get to in April. Note: photos below, picture of my new faucet, doing yoga and Jim playing piano for a student singer at a talent show.

 

Moving on Up!

Monika had her walk through and closing on Monday morning and I drove down to Madison with her cat (Perry, who used to be my mom's cat) later so that he would not have to wait in the car to get into the house. Lewy and Marty both stayed with Erika. They are about 17 years old and we knew this move was going to be hardest on them and the 3 hour drive to Rochester would be too much. Erika brought them over to Monika's new house on Wednesday night after Monika and I had gotten her bedroom, office and living room set up. I thought moving out of the condo was hard work. Moving into a new place is just as difficult. Monika wanted to scrub floors and paint walls. The reality is that she is downsizing in square footage from our condo to this house so she is having to make some difficult decisions. She decided to donate our old dining room table and chairs because her new place doesn't have a dining room. I have my mom's old dining set and preferred to keep that one. I left her on Thursday morning with a ton more work to do but the basics set up. She will have something to work on in that house most likely until she moves out!

Jim bought her a new car (a Toyota RAV4) last week so we would not have to worry about her being without transportation anymore. Monika had gone over a year without a car to save money for her house and to utilize the new bus system in front of our condo that was extremely convenient. She now lives on the north side of Madison where the bus system is not quite so convenient and Erika is no longer a block away (she's about a 1/2 hour away now). She is about 10 minutes closer to Rochester though!! I'm feeling quite content now knowing each of my daughters are settled in their own homes. I was thrilled to be back in my house in Rochester where all the comforts of my home are. It's been a long transition of retiring and moving out of Madison. Jim has been working in Rochester for 15 years already, so it's been a long time coming but Rochester is finally feeling like home for me.

The End of an Era!

It became official about 10am this morning but I will start at the beginning of the week. Jim and I drove down to Madison on Monday. It was Jim's spring break and the weather was very cooperative. We enjoyed very mild temperatures, perfect for nice walks and doing lots of work without coats on. The progress was slow going as there was still so much in the condo to unload. We started with clearing out the basement on Monday but the list of rooms to be cleared on Tuesday did not get finished. We picked up a U-Haul box on Wednesday to fill but it ended up being a lot smaller than I had hoped. I used a U-Haul box for my mom's stuff and stored it for nearly a year before transferring it to MN from CA. Monika only needed to keep her stuff safe for a week. 

Because the closing was so early on Friday, Jim and I went in early on Thursday to sign all of our paperwork so we could leave back for Rochester after clearing it out. Jim and Monika left once all the furniture was stored either in the U-Haul or at Erika's. Erika let us use her garage for the weekend and we filled it! I stayed late to return the Spectrum equipment (we had to have internet access right up to the very end) and finishe cleaning. I didn't leave until about 10pm Thursday evening. The 3 hour ride back home was good. While it is sad to see our home of nearly 25 years gone, I am thrilled to be done with the expense of the place. I will be at the mercy of either Monika or Erika when I want to visit Madison now. 

Monika was able to get her house closing moved up to Monday at the last minute. So instead of needing to stay in Rochester with Jim and I for a week, she is only here for the weekend. We are all so very tired from all the moving BUT we will be in for more. I'll be glad once Monika is settled in her new home> pictures next week!

Big Changes

I love March because it means the worst of winter is over. This week we got out of the freezing temps and into the 50's on Monday but got blasted with a blizzard on Wednesday. Jim got a snow day and I got a great workout shoveling snow but I didn't take any photos. I'm noticing I'm taking a lot less photos now that I'm retired. Sometimes I look at the time and what seems like 5 minutes goes by but in reality it has been an hour. It just drives me crazy. I have so much to do and never enough time to get much done. I'm watching a lot of tv shows too-- so that takes up time, plus I spend most mornings at the gym 2-3 hours as well.  On Thursday Jim left for his last army weekend event. He retires from army next month after his 60th birthday. It boggles my mind that Jim and I are turning 60 this year. I remember my mom being baffled by her age and telling me she wished she could talk to her mom about aging. When she got sick, she told me it was confusing-- to feel so young and healthy inside her head but then to deal with the frailty of her body. It's part of the reason I work out so much. I do not want to be frail as I get older. I am so glad my mom verbalized these things to me.

I have been in the process of writing a novel. It's an account of my summer of 1979. I had to pick a very short period of my life to write about to make it doable but I am adding stories and memories of events that happened prior to that summer. It's been a slow process. Writing is not easy and I often put it off to get other things done. I've been watching Masterclass programs on writing to help inspire me as well. I'd like to get this project done by the end of the summer but we'll see. I started this blog decades ago as a practice to write regularly to prepare me for writing a novel. I can't believe how I long I put this project off.

This week > Paint the hallway and dining room, replace and add lighting to the living/dining area, replace vanity lights and switches in my bathroom, replace kitchen outlets, order new insulated garage door, finish my taxes (I owe $$), walk and write. 

Pseudo Golden Birthday

Monika turns 29 this year but there is no 29th of February. Last year she turned 28 but not on the 28th as there WAS a 29th! So the reality is she just doesn't get a golden birthday, but I'm celebrating for her this year as it's a big one with lots of changes coming in March. I drove down to Madison on Wednesday and got to sub at Memorial on Thursday and Friday. I really enjoy subbing for Joe once in a while but this week I got to sub for my replacement (who's name is Joe as well). It was wonderful to connect with a lot of my teacher friends as well as hang out with Erika for lunch. Friday after school Erika and I took Monika to the Nitty Gritty for drinks and waffle fries to celebrate! I'm taking her out to lunch later today and made an appointment for her to get a massage tomorrow. So we are still celebrating!

It's March!! I'll return to Rochester on Sunday for the first week of March and Jim will leave for his last army assignment. The second week of March is Jim's spring break and we will return to Madison to finish cleaning out the condo and to help Monika move out. We close on the condo mid-month and the end of an era will ensue. Not having the condo doesn't mean I can't come to visit and sub in Madison. Erika has a condo nearby and has an extra bed for me. Monika is hoping to close on her first home on the east side of Madison on March 19th. We will need to store all of her stuff for the week between closings. We have been taking stuff to Erika's basement -- luckily she has a large one that is open and empty. There is still a lot of work to do! I'll be so happy once everyone is settled.