Closet - Recap for Past Six Months

 Shiloh, IL (Hi  30  Lo 15)

I want to say thank you to everyone that reads the blog and left comments in the last six months. It's been quite a journey. 

Since I made up my mind about staying here and hopefully will sign a two year lease in the next couple  weeks,  I went out and bought shelves for the closet. It was getting unbearable in the closet getting  around  getting what I needed. I don't like things not in their place. (Click on photos to enlarge). 

                                                    Unorganized and a mess. Nowhere to put anything.

                                        The pile of parts for shelves. It took a couple tries to get it right. 

                                                        Perfect!

                                                    All done

                                                 All my t-shirts, towels and washcloths nicely stacked. 

                                                    All the puzzles to put together. As I finish them I'll take to thrift store. 

I have the whole apartment done and the way I want it.  I worked on a cat puzzle all week off and on with more crocheted orders.  I finished a burro which turned out well. 

Tuesday I went over to Frank and Angie's for dinner. We also watched the volleyball game that Kendall is in for college. They're doing quite well winning several games this year. 

The rest of the blog is about the six month recap from Jim's death.  If you know me I tell things as I see it, either right or wrong. This is one of those times. 

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How am I?  Do you want the truth?  I'm at six months, how do you think I feel.  Yes, I'm not a basket case like I was at first, but the emptiness and loneliness is rough. I have to remember millions of women go thru losing a soul mate. Men do too. It's a different kind of loss and I can't imagine losing a child, that would be even worse, but also it's something you have to deal with and everyone does it differently. 

Everything in life changes. We lived in an RV for six and half years, we went everywhere together. We never fought, we were as one. That is missing now. I'm learning how to deal with companies that don't care if you've lost a partner, just give me what you owe and give you tons of problems because you're now "one" not a couple. Electric and phone were the worst. Hint on something important. If you have bills in his name, get it in yours or be sure it says OR with both names. Credit cards if in his name you can't change you have to start your own credit and the limit is small.  It took a few months to get the income due me. The men don't have that problem, everything is already in their name. I finally just this week, six months later have the electric company getting it right. The income is finally settled. The rent lease is still to do and taxes were a total pain, but I THINK I have it right. I'll get that in the mail in a couple weeks. Insurance and taxes was Jim's thing. I just don't understand it. I also hate dealing with companies on the phone. I've had to do that a lot over the six months. 

Being in Illinois is not like Florida in winter. I hate the cold, mainly because I hurt with arthritis. My skin is dry and scratchy plus dry eyes. I'd much rather be in Florida in the winter so I'm working on being there for the worst cold months next year. If it doesn't happen I'll do what I did this year, find projects inside. It's dark and dreary along with the brown grass and blah looking, nothing like the fun watching the alligator out the back door and the lake with birds in Florida. But it is what it is. Everyone was telling me not to make decisions for a year, and more things were against moving then to stay here. I'm with the kids and that's important. The doctor said the stress wouldn't be good to move at this time, so there's that too with this age. 

I found a zoom and groups dealing with Glioblastoma cancer which has been a great help. There's four of us that get together on zoom in the afternoons or evenings every day supporting each other. All of us are coping much better just having someone around. We eat together on Sunday evenings and just sit quietly at times. It's great, it may change this summer when we can get out more, but for now it's comforting. 

The next six months will be more eventful dates to get through alone. Our anniversary is the 28th of March, my birthday which has always been a big deal with Jim will be in June. I bought tickets to Florida to be with one of the zoom gals for July which will help. I plan on doing a trip to friends this summer at some point depending on the gas prices. 

I'll see what's in the future, one hour at a time. See you next week.