Comings and Goings

Betty and I finally caught up with each other, she with lots of company, Mimi involved in multiple tasks.  These included getting a cashier's check at the bank, faxxing insurance documents hither and yon, and finally using most of the gift card Anne Mary gave me at Trader Joe's.  (You can be sure I bought some cheap Chardoney along with the garlic and onions.)
In addition, following my policy of persistance, I took the shoe holder with which I had been so thrilled, back to B, B & B.  I asked if I could trade the 60,000 little pieces in the box for their already assembled floor model.  Of course, the manager refused and. okay, fair enough, I tried, he said no, and I'd just have to go on keeping my wardrobe on the floor...
But hold on, wait a minute--he ("Dave") then told me to give him a half hour and he'd put it together for me--and he did! I'm delighted to have my duds neatly on the fabric shelves.
Went here and there with a bunch of other chores, too, but nothing of interest except to me. Finally got connected with my friend and we had a good talk. I miss her, but am glad they'll soon be on the move, too. Singapore son Mike has also moved,so lots of comings and goings recently.

Table and Highway Robbery

El and Greg got back from San Luis Obispo, having had a lovely time.  I was presented with a gift from there, a cute "wine apron."  It's in a kind of rough fabric, like oldtime barkeeps used to wear, printed with a variety of cockscrews.  Can't wait to wear it when I have company!
Got in touch with the Craigslist table's seller and later, Ellen and I drove to Fillmore (about 22 miles) to see it.  We did, I liked it, got some shaved off the asking price and drove away with my new table.  It's wood, painted white, in a kind of country style.  Seems to me it'll go well with the four kitchen chairs (Swedish-y, in light wood, with rush seats) I have left and coming soon, I hope.
We had to take the legs off to get it in the car, then Ellen and Greg put it back together again.  Looks good, although with the leaf, is slightly large for the space, but okay.
Bed, Bath & Bad Practices will see me shortly.  I bought two over-the-door plastic hooks there yesterday, thinking $4.99 plus tax was a good price.  I then stopped at the 99 cent store for a few other items and what did I see?  Yep: identical hooks for a cent less than a dollar.
Will I actually take the ones from the highway robbers back?  You bet your bottom sheet I will!
  

Table and Towel Rack

Took the table back to Target, but found a possibility later on Craigslist.  Contacted the seller and asked her to let me know where she lives and when I can see it.
Stopped at the office to ask if I could add towel holders to the two bathrooms.  Oddly (it seems to spoiled me), they have only one.  I was taken aback to be told yes, but I'd have to remove them when I leave.  No biggie, I figured, I'll get an over the door one.
Went to Bed, Bath & Big Pricetags and bought it, along with a sponge holder and a paper towel dispenser.  
But darn, I'll keep only the former; when the rack's in place, the bathroom door can't be closed and the towel thing seems too cumbersome.  Okay, I'll think of something else.
Actually, it's kind of fun to test my ingenuity in improvising.  And by the way, I think a big test is rolling down an interstate right now: I'll soon have to figure out where to put what when my furniture comes and whether all those boxes will even fit in here.
Note: I'm pleased that finally I'm able to get into this blog from my tablet.  I'd been having some difficulty before which I think stemmed from the two e-mail addresses I have.  In truth, I'm so grateful I have the tablet, although it took me a few years to get used to it.  Thank you, kiddies!

Coming Soon!

Oh, joy!  Bekins woke me at 7:30 (yes, I've been a slug-a-bed lately) to tell me the moving guy is going to pick up my furniture tomorrow and start the trek west!  Happy day, but now I must prepare.
I'm a tad worried because there's a real possibility the stuff won't fit in my apartment--the boxes, that is.  Well, I'll just have to move things around and hope for the best.
The great news about it, too, is that the cost--I held my breath when she was about to tell me how much--is several thou less than I thought it would be--whew!
Just fed Kitty Boy and will be back at 5:00 to give him his dinner. Now I'm off to get a cashier's check for the moving fee and to take back (sigh) the table I bought yesterday.  Will look for a larger one elsewhere.

Back at El's

Here I am back at El's at 4:18 on Monday a bit after 4:00.  Had a busy day already: Picked up a bunch of stuff, including a small table at Target, but now I think it's too small and may take it back.  Found myself on the Freeway again--a sheer accident, as always--but really, it wasn't bad.  I drove to Oxnard, but was able to make my way back to Victoria Avenue, with which I'm familiar.
Went to the post office to send Mike's mail and bought chicken, which I intended to prepare in the oven, but--oops!  I forgot I have only a frying pan, plus a small sauce pan Ellen lent me.  Picked up a rectangular cake pan at Walmart, which will do fine.
I'm getting much more adept at my tablet, finally and at long last.  I can access virtually everything I can on the desktop; it just acts and reacts a little differently.  I still find it harder to type on it, even with the keyboard, but it's doable.  Last evening, as I enjoyed my Chardonnay, I watched a few things on YouTube--just as entertaining as television and without the commercials--most of them, anyway.
The big news is I pumped my own gas!  Yes, all by myself and I didn't even asked anyone to help. It's not so hard and I know I'll get used to it as a normal activity.
At Ellen's invitation, I'm doing my wash here.  She and Gregg are up in San Luis Obispo for a mini-vacation and I'm here to feed Sebastian and put out her trash.
So things are going swimmingly, I'm happy to write, and Jersey seems far away, literally and figuratively and that's my quota of "lys" for today.

Running Like Crazy

I've been running around like crazy the past few days, just getting this and that, such as a large bowl, a can opener, a frying pan, and folders, and so on.  My furniture consists of my bed, which I bought new--very comfy and I sleep like a log--two kitchen chairs Ellen lent me, and a small folding table Greg lent me.
Lots of new car (and I like it a lot) stuff: insurance (car, tenant, and landlady), banking obligations, and so on--drags, one and all, but they have to be done and I'm beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel. Laid all my incredibly varied paperwork out on the bed, put it in piles, stored in folders, and otherwise got it more manageable, a big load off my mind.
Drove "downtown," which I was pleased I was able to do, and visited several thrift shops.  Bought some baskets and two pretty tumblers, plus some storage items.  Enjoyed that a lot.
I'm writing this at Ellen's, as the tablet--while it's useful otherwise, is more difficult to type with, plus balky at certain times.  She are Greg are going away for tomorrow for overnight, so I'll come back to feed Sebastian, and will probably add an entry then.

Car

Got a car, a 2013 Hundai Accent.  It's identical to the one I rented--even the color--and I like it a lot.   Pretty good deal on it, too, I think.  Bought it from Hertz Rental Cars.  This is the second time I've done that and I hope it turns out as well as it did the last time.
Had a business day with business matters and picking up this and that.  I may not post for some time, as I have a problem using my tablet; also, my Comcast e-mail will expire soon.