CHAPTER FOUR - USING THE INTERNET FOR IDEAS
Since I've been here, at Brooksby Village in my new apartment, my main goal has been to find a place for everything that I moved in with.

That turned out to be an impossible dream.

The reality is, I still have to let go of more "stuff."

I'm making progress but I realize this will be an on-going project.

Now comes the fun part!

DECORATING
I've always enjoyed decorating, love to browse in shops like Home Goods, Bed, Bath and Beyond and Pier 1 even if I didn't need anything special. Now that I'm in a new place I just might find something new that would be right for my new space.

I haven't been to any of those stores since I moved in but the wheels are turning.

The cabinets in my galley kitchen do not go all the way up to the ceiling so there is space to place SOME THINGS up there.

I have given it a lot of thought and the things that I have tried just did not work.

NO FAMILY IN THE KITCHEN
I have lots of family photos so I thought, "wouldn't it be nice to have them lined up all across that area."



With Steve's help and patience we lined them up. I lived with that arrangement for a while and then came to the conclusion that "it wasn't right."

LIONS, TIGERS, ELEPHANTS, OH MY!
Tried a collection of lions, tigers, and elephants - no - that didn't work.

FACES - NO
Tried a collection of "faces" - no - that didn't work.

LET ME GOOGLE THAT FOR YOU
I was running out of ideas, so I decided to turn to the internet. I went to Google and typed in "how to decorate the top space of kitchen cabinets."

I got my answer!

Plates!

A COLLECTION OF PLATES
Appropriate for the kitchen, and I had a number of them here and there.

It didn't take me long to gather up an interesting group of plates.



Steve put them up, and as soon as they were up - "I knew it was right!"



Now I know that when I need help "for whatever" the internet is the place to go.







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CHAPTER THREE - AN ANNIVERSARY AND A BIRTHDAY
A TWO WEEK ANNIVERSARY

It was just fourteen days ago today that I moved into Brooksby Village. As the days went by I found what fits where and what I needed to make the place feel like "home."



Today was the first day that I am staying home all day.

I did laundry, paid bills, did a bank statement and even had a nap. With everything that I had to do and think about I haven't had a nap in a very long time.

This was the FIRST day since I moved in that I really feel like this is "home."

The pictures are not hung, there is more to be done about placement of furniture, but it's comfortable and I pretty much know where things are.

A few things are "among the missing" but I'm sure they are here somewhere!

One day last week had a descision to make: Should I go to the market and shop for some staples or attend a class in "Chi Gong" which is the ancient art of gentle movement.

"Gentle" sounded good to me so I skipped the market, went to the class, and met a very nice lady who had recently moved to Brooksby too. We can help each other find the in's and out's of this large community!

My mother's words came to mind that day, "If you don't go out, nothing happens."

A BIRTHDAY

If you told me one year ago that I would be living in a retirement community I would have said, "you must be kidding me., it's not going to happen!"

But here I am celebrating another birthday in my new home.

In previous years, Steve and Carol have taken me on mystery rides, places that were unique, towns that I would enjoy but not able to get to on my own.

This year was different. They came here and brought lots of wonderful and thoughtful gifts.

I'll just tell you about one that was especially thoughtful.

Wherever I have lived in my adult life I've had a print or photo of Van Gogh's Sunflowers.

Even when I rented a condo in Florida, a Sunflowers print hung in my bedroom.

Now I have a Sunflower that is on my bathroom wall. I couldn't hang anything on that wall because the bathroom door closes on that wall so a framed glass print was out of the question.

Steve had a remedy for that! He found something that looks like it's framed but it's not. It fills up the wall nicely.


Easy Apply Wall Sticker Painting - Sunflowers, Vincent Van Gogh

I have my sunflower and no worry about breaking the glass!

We were so busy doing so many things that when it came to dinner time I suggested we pick up a "meal to go" at one of Brooksby's casual restaurants.

We took it home, had a feast.





Now Steve and Carol know what I am talking about when I say, "the food is good, generous, and enough left over for lunch or even dinner the next day!

As a matter of fact, I'm having dinner at home tonight, all I have to do is heat it up!

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CHAPTER TWO: MAKING SPACE
The project for the past week was, "finding where to put stuff, and making the most of the space that I have."

I've heard about people having to downsize and I knew that's what I was going to have to do.

After all, I was going from a spacious two bedroom condo to a one bedroom unit.

One of the big projects I had to do before moving was "figuring out what stuff to get rid of." That was a huge job and to this day, I'm still trying to whittle down what I brought here!!

This unit was listed as having "an extra large bedroom." I'd hate to see what an average bedroom looks like!

Fortunately my desk, computer and printer fit into the room!

Ok - that worked!

I do have a walk-in-closet, a hall closet, and a linen closet.


Image: Walk In Closet

When I first moved in, things were jammed into the spaces that were available just to get them out of the way.

Finally a week has passed and I finally have found ways to make the most of the space I have!!

One thing I do have is lots of cabinets in my galley kitchen.

Now I ask you, "who needs all those cabinets in a kitchen were there will be very little cooking."

One morning I got up bright and early and couldn't wait to get out of bed.

I had a great idea - instead of jamming the bathroom cabinet drawers and linen closet with surplus items, "why not put those things in a kitchen cabinet and use the bathroom drawers for more important things like toilet paper?"
Taking those surplus items out of the linen closet made more room for the towels and linens that I have too much of anyway. I discovered that I have way to many large bath towels and hand towels. "More stuff to get rid of."

This downsizing seems to be an ongoing project!!

With the help of a good friend of mine we worked on the walk-in-closet and one of the things we did was place my shoes on a shoe rack, on the floor, rather than they way I had them in my condo, up on shelves.

A miracle happened "we made more shelf space!!!

As a side note I must tell you that when I purchased the shoe rack I did not realize that it had to be PUT TOGETHER.

As Yul Brenner said in "The King and I" -"it was a puzzlement" When my friend opened the box, the nuts, screws and bolts came tumbling out.

I never thought she'd be able to put it together, but she did!!!

What we accomplished that day made me feel so good, that I still find myself looking in the linen closet, walk-in-closet, and kitchen drawers, with a smile of satisfaction on my face. ;-)

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CHAPTER ONE - A NEW LIFE
It was weeks of packing, getting rid of stuff, a house full of boxes, disorder everywhere, and dealing with much more than I anticipated.

Is this the right time and the right move to make at this time in my life?

Boy, those questions kept me awake at night.

Looking back at it now I realize that when you are in your 70's, you are active, your health is good, friends and family are there for you, so you think: "why make the move?"

Time marches on and things change, your neighborhood changes, friends relocate or pass on, your world gets smaller.

TIME TO MOVE ON

I bit the bullet and did it!

I surprised myself on moving day.


Image: Moving


Image: Bedroom being moved


Image: Den being moved

I thought I would be sad, in tears and sorry to be leaving my spacious condo, leaving a familiar neighborhood and many good friends.

I realize the only thing I'll really miss are the friends I have made over the years.

Just because I have left the area doesn't mean I'll lose touch with my dear friends.

The phone is available, the car is available.

We will all work on getting together from time to time. It's not like I am going to a different state.

ADJUSTING TO A NEW PLACE

The movers showed up at 9:00 a.m. By 12:00 p.m. they were on their way to my "new place." What teamwork we had!


Image: Lunch at the new place before things moved in

Between the movers, Steve and Carol, and little old me my place was in pretty good shape by evening!

As a matter of fact a friend, that I met years ago in Florida, is living at Brooksby now. She knew I was coming in that day, knocked on my door at 8:00 p.m., and was just amazed at how 'settled in' my apartment was.


Image: Livingroom


Image: Livingroom


Image: Bedroom


Image: At my Desk

What surprises me is how well I have adjusted to a one bedroom unit.

I have to say, it's a cozy place.

There are pieces of furniture that I took with me that will have to go, and eventually I'll have to get rid of more clothes.

I knew when I was planning this move, it was not the unit itself that was as important to me as the lifestyle that it would give me.

The other night I went to dinner at one of the restaurants on the premises. What a delicious meal I had! One of the ladies said, "you get the Brooksby Bulge here."

Sounds like that first year when you live on campus at college, you eat lots of pasta, drink beer, and you gain weight.

I hope that doesn't happen to me but I do feel like I am living on campus!

The hard part of the transition is over - now I'm looking forward to meeting new people and getting involved with new activities.

Let the games begin!

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