Changes

As the winds whip the lake into a white-capped frenzy today, the winds are bringing changes to my life.

• On September 4th, I became a grandmother. To Theodore Roman Shaffer, I will be known as MomaGin.
• To date, I have managed to lose 45 lbs. by following the Dukan Diet since June. By January, I hope to have lost the remaining 25 lbs.
• A very special friendship of over 40 years continues to surprise me.
• After almost two years at the Rowing Repair Center in Oak Ridge, TN, my beloved wooden Owen rowing shell has been restored wonderfully by Tim Searles.

I was looking at my first post. Boy! Have things changed in the last 15 months!

My dear friend, Dot, passed away in April last year. She was a very creative, positive, genuine, and loving person. I miss her.

Moma passed away while working in her garden on May 25, 2013. She joined Daddy on the day after what would have been their 61st wedding anniversary. I miss them both.

David and Jessie got married as planned. They have moved with their two "boys", Zeppelin and Henry, to a beautiful loft in the heart of downtown Atlanta.

Laura has a new partner, Bay. They are expecting my first grandson, Roman, around September 1st! They live with their two doggies, Sweet Pea and Gatsby, near Birmingham.

My house renovation is going extremely slow at this point as my workers disappeared as has my cash flow. It will get done, just very slowly. The shower is functional, I have a toilet in another area, and I'm using the kitchen sink. All the essential comforts, just a little spread out. I am sleeping in a recliner for now, but hope to get the floor done in the new bedroom so I can get my waterbed set up. Today I got the washer/dryer moved and am currently cutting a hole through the wall for the dryer vent. I hope I finish today because I've got clothes to wash!

Last week I did manage to straighten and rearrange the garages so that my tenant can use his garage and I can use mine to actually house our cars. I sold the Shasta Compact and I think the Magic Bus RV sold as well. Back to car camping for me!

Using the ELF a lot! Made a couple of modifications to help with visibility - strobes and a large slow-moving vehicle triangle on the rear hatch.



As I approach 61 years in this lifetime, I have not lost weight, I have taken up learning to play the fiddle, and have, for the time being, quit going to church.

Renovating not only my house but my life.


Ernie moved out the end of February.


It's not what I would have done, but I'm glad it's done. It's been good for me - freeing.


Should have listened to my Moma, but then again there has been much learning, growing, and adventures I would have missed.


It is what it is and was what it was.

Renovation Update and ELF Arrival

House project is slow.  Lots of delays with the weather. The wall tile never came in to Discount Building Supply after over 6 weeks, so I ordered some from Lowes.  Won't be here until the 25th.  Actually, one good thing about ordering from Lowes is that I can pay for it interest free over 18 months. The workers can do the final sheetrock mudding and sanding, then put down the floor. Maybe by then the wall tile will be here. We can't do Ernie's toilet until the other is online which can't be done until the wall tile is up.

This is from the hallway looking in.

The laundry area is on the left and the shower on the right.

This is looking from the shower.  The toilet will be on the left.  The odd-shaped area will be used for linen storage. The sink will be to the right of the ladder with a mirrored medicine cabinet where the little cut-out is.

These are the tiles. From left to right: the accent tiles to make a stripe (using two rows of the six show in the sample) around the wall at about 3 1/2 feet above the floor, the wall tile, the main floor tile, the smaller tiles for the shower area.

In the meantime, I will try to get the remainder of the old studio cleared (maybe this afternoon). Again many thanks to Alden and Javier for the work they did! It was quite overwhelming before they helped out! Chris, my niece's husband, who has a floor cleaning business, will then clean the concrete thoroughly. Then I can stain it. He will clean away the residue after it dries.  Then I will seal it.  After that is done, we can start on my new bathroom,

I also can start the landing from the bathroom and hallway/ramp as soon as I catch up with office work.  I'd like to do that myself, but maybe the workers can do it while we are waiting for the tile.

Laura is coming this afternoon and staying overnight.  She has her grandmother's '92 Oldsmobile, thanks to her dad. It will be good to see her here. I probably won't get much work done while she is here though.

A week ago last Friday, 2/7, Ernie ran into a curb and tore up the wheel and all sorts or stuff connected to that.  He wasn't hurt. The repair place is waiting on parts. We're driving the RV if we need a car.

Short runs can be done with our ELFs which arrived Friday. Yay! They are great!

The dogs are excited, too!

Ernie and his ELF.

Me and my ELF!

Of course, Blossom had to go, too!

Friday we test drove them around the neighborhood, then I drove across the causeway, onto the walking path north into town and back. We rode them to church and lunch Sunday, then I continued on to the pharmacy and Kelly's house.  They are great around town. The motor has good acceleration to help in crossing the highway and intersections.

Renewal and Renovation

I am renovating my home.  I want to die here.  Not anytime soon, for sure.  I just want to make the house accessible and pleasing so as I get older and inevitably less mobile, I will be able to stay here and not have to go to a care facility.
New bamboo floors and wider doors.  Slopes instead of steps. Shower without borders.  Grab bars. Laundry out of kitchen. Studio next to bedroom. Waterbed, soaker tub, aquamarine blue stained concrete floors.  A corner with windows for reading and sunsets. Beautiful colors and finishes. Calming. Reflective.  A space for "grands" and grandchildren, friends and family.  Chaos amidst the calm on occasion.

My first blog ever!

I am calling this blog "Out of the Blue on Browns Creek and Beyond"  because I love the blue here of the water, the mountains,  and the sky and I love to travel, hence the beyond.

As I approach the big 6-0 this year, I thought that it might help to record some ideas, thoughts, and experiences.  At least that way, as my mind ages I can have something to look back on to help me remember things.  Writing should also help my mind to stay sharper as I age.  It will also be good for me to search my soul on a regular basis as I often tend to avoid that.

One of my current goals besides this blog is losing weight. I have already lost 1/3 of the amount I intend to lose by cutting back on and making better, healthier choices of what I eat and increase the amount of exercise I do.  I hope to be at goal weight by June*.  My husband, Ernie, and I have joined an excellent exercise class at the Guntersville Senior Center.  I have also been doing a great Pilates class at Marshall Medical North Therapy Plus on alternate days.  On days I can't do those classes, I use my rowing machine.

I plan to have my first garden here this year.  The idea is to have a raised bed box garden.  I am excited by that.  I already have a compost bin going and want to have a rain barrel for watering.  This week I will choose the exact placement and begin killing off existing vegetation using cardboard and/or newspaper.

For the first time in my life, I have something I have always wanted - an art studio of my own!  I intend to spend a little time each day there doing something creative and work up to spending longer times as I can.  Last winter, I taught a Drawing Class.  In March, I will teach a Calligraphy Class utilizing that space and materials at hand.  I have really enjoyed doing Zentangles and spending some creative time there with my great-niece, Kate, and my friend, +Maria Brindle .

My daughter, +Laura Dixon , and her partner, Matt, will be starting a new segment of their lives together by moving back to Birmingham this week.  Laura starts work at "Iron City".  It will be opening soon.  Be sure to check it out!

*In June, my son, +david dixon , will marry his beautiful +Jessie Landon .  I am very happy and excited about that.