Here's the Difference

Yesterday the weather forecast here was 8-14" inches of snow, and they were right on target. But here's the difference. The snowploughs were staged on the highways by mid-afternoon. By early evening, trucks were spraying, scattering salt or sand on my street. This morning, the snowplough has been down my street three times already. Too bad they don't do driveways!

Here's the view from my "sun" room . . .

The First Pittsblog

We left 8 inches of snow in Oklahoma and drove to Pittsburgh. Some would question the sanity of that, but already it's worth it. When a little one tells you "I love you as much as how far you used to live," well, you can see what I mean.

We arrived Sunday evening, with no intention of unloading the truck. We were dead tired, brain dead and just glad to be here. But when you add two young boys willing to carry stuff up stairs trying to see how strong they are, a son-in-law who is incredibly strong with just a touch of ADD, and a daughter who is in shape and energetic from corralling the entire crew, a 16 ft. truck can be unloaded in nothing flat. When it was all said and done, it was definitely the right thing to do. Tom and I worked that night assembling the bed and literally fell into it. Nighty night.

Monday morning we walked less than a block to a restaurant to fortify ourselves for the day's work, then the fun began. Right now, we're about 90% unpacked and organized. The main area left is my art room and office, which requires a trip to IKEA and that's the plan for today. I'm ready to get set up and have a bit of my old routines in place. There are plenty of new routines, one of which is using a French press for coffee. Only one day of it, but I'd say I'm hooked.

Right now, I can hear the train rattling down the track. This is a new sound for me. Not a bad one, just a new one. Lots of new sounds and sights. One thing we have commented on is that people here drive slower. The speed limits are slower. Lots of bifurcated streets (love that word and I've heard it so many times lately, for some reason.) And from what I've read, Pittsburgh drivers are rated #1 for courtesy. I'll let you know. I have a feeling my driving here will test their patience.

If I Were a White Book, I'd Live Here

There's something about hotel decor. It's bigger than life. It's bold. It's something you'd never have in your house. The Lorien Hotel in Alexandria, VA, is a boutique (Klimpton) hotel. I've stayed here before and am always fascinated by the "book room." It's an area off the lobby where they provide complimentary coffee in the morning and wine in the evening, both of which I've enjoyed. It's a calming room with just enough interest to offset the sterile personality.

One wall, about 15 feet long, floor to ceiling, is solid bookshelves with every single book wrapped in a white-enamel paper book jacket. White and off-white plaster decorations serve as bookends and break up the monotony of the books. Shelves are painted a soft tan. I am actually quite taken with this wall, whereas some people come in and are completely put off and angered by it. To me, the entire wall is a piece of art. The people angered say things like "How could they cover up the titles of those books?" "Why would anyone do that?" "Who does these things?"


The rug in the room has a soft fudge border with a grey-blue interior. A sofa, about the color of the border, faces the book shelves and has four oversized end pillows. Rather than the usual 14" sized pillows, these are 24" square. Two are soft blue; two are cream. Other furniture includes gray leather cubes, matching the interior of the rug. In front of the book shelves is a black lacquer drop-leaf table with an over-sized white porcelain rose and a black iron bird sculpture. The table lamp has a clear glass base and a white shade.

The coffee table in front of the sofa is an 8 ft. long leather ottoman. On top of it is a wooden tray that covers the majority of the tufted leather. In the tray is a tall, white square vase with fresh white hydrangeas, a white lacquer box and a gi-normous hand that I absolutely love!



Two tan wing backs and two dark blue club chairs complete the setting.
But there's one more thing. Above the sofa is mirror, 8 ft. long, 4 ft. tall. It's as if the designer wanted to be sure that you could see (and enjoy) the white book art anywhere you sat. With the placement of that mirror, you never lose sight of the books. And that's why I think it's art.

Perspective

It's an interesting exercise to go through your life's accumulations and see what you want to take with you to set up a new life. It's especially interesting when you want to leave your current life looking as if nothing has changed. I have stacks of boxes in the garage ready to go to Pittsburgh, and yet nothing seems to be missing from our house. Only when I unpack and start trying to make an empty place feel familiar will I know what I'm missing.

One thing I've had a difficult time with during this process is over-thinking. Thinking about things from every angle, trying to figure out solutions for things that don't exist yet. I've had to make a conscious effort to step back and realize that nothing will be of universal proportion and things will unfold as they are meant to. I've had to remind myself that I'm not in control and crazy thinking will definitely make me crazy.

The countdown is here. This time next week, I'll be writing from Pittsburgh!

Resolution for the Day

Henry Moore said, and I quote, I think in terms of the day's resolutions, not the year's. I like this. Much more manageable. Not as much pressure. I can do this.

Happy Package

This the top of a drinkable probiotic product "GoodBelly BigShots." Makes me smile every time I open one.

Ending a Year

One thing I do every January 1 is to take the kitchen calendar and use it as a tool for looking back over the events of the year. The trips, appointments, celebrations that are written down serve as way of remembering other things that don't get written down. For me, reflection is a better way of moving forward than making resolutions. Self-reflection and clarifying. Backwards and forwards. In fact, I found it interesting to learn that the month of January was named after the Roman God Janus who had two faces – one looking backwards and one forwards. Makes perfect sense.

I've spent quite a bit of time this year thinking about how I live my life. I know many of you are aware that Tom and I have toyed with the idea of moving to Pittsburgh. Well, beginning in February, that's where I'll be. We rented a duplex for 6 months as a trial; I'll spend most of my time there, coming home every other month for a calligraphy class and spending some time in the office. I'll be working remotely and developing a once-in-a-lifetime relationship with my grandkids. Tom will visit for sure, but will primarily hold the fort down here. We both have a certain amount of trepidation, but there's also an excitement about it. Probably more for me than for him.

When I originally started talking about cutting back on my job, taking a piece of it that would permit me to work from basically anywhere, this is what I had in mind. Spending time away from Tulsa when possible. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out. A new journey, that's for sure.

Medical Care

I went to pick up a Rx today and the price was so outrageous even the clerk paused and said "Can that be right?" It was $743. I did not pay for it. I decided I would call the dr. tomorrow and see about getting an equivalent. The pharmacist said there was no generic. Tom told the pharmacist we'd be back after we mortgaged the house. I guess if I can't get an equivalent, I'll wait until after Jan. 1 so the amount can at least go toward my deductible. Doesn't that seem totally crazy? Plus it makes me mad.