Life after Mexico

Moving is NO FUN!. And finding that you only have the choice of one mover in the city where you live, who really didn’t do a good job for you once before, can be a dicey choice. But what is a girl to do? You go with who you have and pray!

Zoom-a-lo managed to arrive on time (9:00 a.m.) and when they departed at 8:00 p.m. they had packed, wrapped, and loaded the van that would take all my household goods to a PODS facility in Oxnard, CA where it is presently ensconced awaiting a unit to open up in my ACTIVE senior living residence in Santa Barbara, CA.

Of course, something had to go wrong – it’s Mexico! And while my things were stored in the Zoom-a-lo warehouse awaiting departure to go ‘up Nord’ a water pipe burst and drenched several of my boxes. I was so happy that my good friend Phyllis was able to rush over so I could figure out the cost of the loss. (I lost almost my entire life-long collection of sewing books! and a bunch of make-up!) I think her being onsite, taking photos, and including me on a live video call made a big difference when it came to settling on what I was owed.

The next night was my official going away party hosted by that same good friend Phyllis and her handsome hubby, Arturo. The guests/my SMA besties who were in town provided a fabulous array of sides while Arturo manned the grill with his own delicious beef mixture for hamburgers and hot dogs!

The next day I was picked up by the great airport shuttle, Bajigo, at the ungodly hour of 2:30 a.m. so I could arrive by the required 2-hour prior departure time for my 6:30 a.m. flight to Dallas! ARGH. There were storms in the area so I missed my direct flight to Wilmington, NC, had to get one through Charlotte, and then pray I could fly standby for the next flight to Wilmington. Does anyone besides me remember when flying was fun?!

I arrived much later than planned but when you have the very best of friends like Janet and Bob, you know they will be at the airport whenever you arrive and welcome you into their beautiful home for the next 5 1/2 weeks!!! while you have cataract surgery on both eyes!

While there, the most they would let me do is cook and/or take them out for lunch or dinner.

Besides completely ‘new eyes’ I spent time with old friends, watched the sunrise and looked for baby turtles on Wrightsville beach and found a fabulous sushi restaurant what included a fresh orchid as a side to your meal. I also saw the wonderful ‘Mrs Harris Goes to Paris’ movie. Be sure and see if it you want a way to spend a lovely afternoon. Great story plus fabulous costumes.

Janet and Bob did have a date set to throw me out as they were finally having their master bathroom completely remodeled. That meant the guest room bathroom wasn’t big enough for the 3 of us to share. And because of the noise and dust, the guest bedroom would become their Master bedroom until the construction was completed.

So I booked a seat on Greyhound. Let me just say that busing in Europe and Mexico is a whole lot more upscale than going Greyhound. But it got me to Raleigh on time and my good friend Nancy was waiting. We were off to the Blue Ridge Mountains to spend 4 days with my good friends and old neighbors, Don and Karen, in their lovely new home outside of Burnsville. As usual, Karen, who is the best cook I know, outdid herself with delicious meals. And what a treat seeing a full moon hanging over Mt. Mitchell and a feeder being well-used by numerous hummies!

And also we spent two wonderful afternoons at the Orchard at Altapass to listen to live blue grass and country music performed by well-known local musicians. The people-watching was amazing. Cloggers dancing, elderly couples twirling across the dance floor, and dog-lovers all enjoying the beautiful weather with a backdrop of the Appalachian mountains made for a memorable visit.

Nancy and I returned to Raleigh where I got to spend a night at my youngest son’s home before catching a flight to Atlanta the next day.

The plan was to stay with good friend and travel buddy Joyce in Sandy Springs for a week or 10 days before moving over to Clarkston where I would begin my 3-month house & pet sit.

Joyce spoiled that plan by returning from a visit with her brother in CA with a case of Covid. I was at a loss of where to go and what I would do until the family whom I was to sit for said – come on over!

Dade and Julia welcomed me into their home for almost 2 weeks before they flew off to Italy to find and buy their dream home. They left me in charge of their lovely home in a really wonderful neighborhood filled with the friendliest people and the care of Beau and Leo, my furry charges.

Clarkston is located southwest of downtown Atlanta. It is known to be one of the most diversified suburbs in all the of the US. It certainly has a plethora of restaurants from all over the word. It’s home of the huge, fabulous DeKalb Farmers Market . Kudzu, the fun and funky antiques and shopping emporiam and downtown Decatur all are within a 10-minute driving radius. Yes, they left their car for my use and thank god for GPS! Getting around Atlanta would be impossible without it. Their freeways are terrible and jam-packed day and night!

I have been allowed to participate in the City-Wide Couture Group meetings which are part of the Atlanta Chapter of ASG. I have been asked to give a talk at SEFAA (South Eastern Fiber Arts Alliance) in November about the company I founded and ran for 20+ years, STITCHES, Great Fiber Getaways. I have also been introduced to several really wonderful fabric stores and of course, having Joyce and good friend Mary nearby has lead to wonderful outings for lunch, shopping, and visits to art and antique fairs.

There is soooo much to see and do in Atlanta. I have only seen and done a little but I have the rest of September and all of October and November to explore. By December, fingers crossed, there will be a unit available for me to move in to in Santa Barbara. But if not… well I’m open to any invitation to come for a visit or if you need a house or pet sitter?!!!

Until next time…..