Travels with The Rayman

Our TV stand from Ikea,

Our door to the balcony

A few of our pictures, a new Tulip lampshade, and the Rayman are on display.

Who am I? What am I doing here?” A famous speech opener for the man who became Perot’s VP pick  Well, that quote has been bouncing around in my head all month as we settle in to our 807 fq foot apartment in Willamette View.To be perfectly honest, I never saw this coming. A least not until I did. And that, dear readers of a certain age, is something I would like to inform you about as you, too, may consider such a move.

It is brutal but you are in control. You of sound mind can make decisions about what to take, what to leave, what to donate, what to burn. Just kidding. We didn’t burn anything including our friendships. I found it exhausting and extremely difficult. Some of our friends that have faced the same life-change recently did it their way. We did our way. There is no right way. There is no wrong way. There is just a way.

Today’s kids don’t like our stuff…except ours did. Some people don’t have children…the cat lady thing and so they had to figure out how to handle it.

In the end, it is just stuff. 12 sets of dishes, That was a no-brainer for me. I had five sets and now we have 6 plates, 6 salad plates, 8 bowls and I’m not looking back.  One set of silverware, and the list goes on. All those fancy wine glasses are history, Ikea glasses inhabit the space and they go in the tiny dishwasher we now have.

In looking back, I wish I could have seen how  much of our stuff was superfluous. See it. Like it? Buy it. For shame.  Now all that I need to do is give up cooking.

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Today I’m announcing that I’m giving up cooking. It was a great hobby. It resulted in many, many fun times and marvelous meals. But that was then and this is now. My apartment doesn’t even have an oven and my toaster oven sticks out like a sore thumb because it looks so huge is its environment. My Kitchen Aid stand mixer is not long for my kitchen. The Cuisinart is on its way out. It is sad but it’s not. We have 4 restaurants on property with a wide variety of food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We don’t need to go to the grocery store. I don’t have to plan the food of the day. I can eat mushrooms. Rayman can eat what he wants. It is simplification at its best. The food is not as good as mine but I’m okay with that. When I want a great meal, we can go out.

Currently I’m trapped inside with Covid. Dinner was delivered to our front door last night. And as I look at the calendar, food delivery is a huge plus as the clock keeps ticking. Pros and cons. 

What will I do with my spare time if I recover from Covid, along with Rayman? Swimming, art classes, seminars, field trips, concerts, golf, writer’s group, aqua aerobics in the indoor pool with hot tub. A counselor that is available whenever we want to talk. Movies in the auditorium. Mixology classes. The kitchen isn’t that small. A cocktail can be concocted. Exercise equipment to keep the body moving. Walking groups, hiking groups. The list goes on.

To improve my life, we need to get rid of more stuff but I’m use to it and it will be fine. Hell, I can’t even find what I have yet. 

This is actually a great opportunity to  be happy. To visit with a great group of people that live here, 500, in all I’m told. Life is a series of choices and having made ours, I’m all in. No one likes a whiner. Only winers!

Please do come and visit sometime (if we know you). We can show you around.And we can have fun. And you can see what we have done for yourselves. 

This is not for everyone. Nor should it be. We all have our stories, our families, our friends, and our own situations.

And Beau likes it! The kids approve. They will not have to do what we had to do when our parents died. Probate, a difficult trust, unloading all the loot. It will be done and they can relax. I wouldn’t wish my experience on any of them. I consider it cruel and unusual punishment. But that is just me.

If we survive, we will be heading down the highway to the Central Coast the first week in Sept. I’m so excited. My book is 99% done. May get published next week. I’m looking for a good joke to tell to warm up the crowd when I do my launch and book signings. I’ll take suggestions!! It is actual history beginning in 1847 in Beloit, WI and ending in Paso Robles. As I am a fifth generation Californian, I think I know a thing or two and yet, I learned even more! And you will too. I promise.