Monday, February 1, 2021

Staying up

 The news is not good. Politics sucks. No visiting. No breakfasts with friends. The pandemic continues mutating. The virus owns us. Masks forever.

My accountant sends a packet every year. It's my clue to shove together my paperwork and head down to her office in the village. The packet is on my kitchen counter. I never open it; I know what to do.

I looked out at several inches of snow this morning. I considered shoveling, so I opened the door to take measure of the white stuff.  Today's snow flakes are snow shards, little shafts of ice coming straight down. I looked at the clock; it's too early to call Donnie. Or even text him, I think, from his complaint at the Christmas snow dump, "You know I'm not up that early!"

It was only 9:30 in the morning. I have no idea of the expanse of "too early", so I'll wait till noon to rouse Donnie. The forecast looks decent for the end of the week, so I texted Pam, I'll be along when the weather breaks. Pam has been my friend since 1990 and my accountant shortly thereafter.

I was typing away at some paragraph when another text came in: "Remember I'm not doing indoor appts this year, so you won't even have to get out of the car!"

That was a literal gob smacker! 

Of course she probably isn't. I bet the packet even says so.

It's merely February. Three entire months until I can hang mandevilla and button jackets around them when there is a freeze warning.

Looking for amusement, here are some pictures that came from Laura, the young lady who graduated high school and cannot attend in person beauty school training until October. She probably could start her Kent State courses now, but not in person, and she is an in person sort of student.

So, she got a job at Chipolte, up to 39 hours a week, prepping and grilling. She was rooming with a friend (adult), and being nicely molded for the future, I thought, when hey, presto, she found an "apartment". It literally is the sun room addition to a post war home. It is the length of the double garage, so I'll guess it's as much as forty feet by thirty. It has an entire wall of windows, a closet sized bathroom and a kitchen sink, stove and refrigerator.

Laura moved into the Enormous Room at Thanksgiving. She took her bed, her dresser, her desk, her wardrobe. The latter is enormous, and she cannot bear to part with a thread. She'll figure it out.

The wardrobe lived in stacks on the floor. I thumbed through the internet, in search of an inexpensive solution. Laura helped me, and I had to explain why so many of her choices wouldn't work. The one we picked is brilliant:


I advocated for this because it's advertised to hold 2,000 pounds, and will come apart again to move. Better yet, she wound up with two units. The first was missing one of those structural poles. I emailed them with the part description and part number. They sent an entire unit. I got no answer to my inquiry to return. So, it's under her bed, and Uncle Tom can fabricate the missing pole.

When I set out to put some "stuff" into this room, Laura struggled with choosing between a closet solution or a kitchen solution. I eventually figured that out and set out to solve her kitchen problem, too. This is what the "grown ups" do, for crying out loud. Now she has a proper prep area too; no more chopping onions on thin air.



And that probably is all I can squeeze into the enormous room.

46 comments:

  1. I thought you might enjoy the threads here. :)

    https://mingei.org/stories

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  2. Good that Laura still has your guiding hand.

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  3. Laura's place sounds great and creative thinkers are making it even better, much more home-like. Yeah, the news isn't good. I wish I could have my shot right now. I would even take the Johnson and Johnson one, although I would prefer the Pfizer or Moderna.

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  4. You are such a wonderful grandma - every child needs one.

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  5. My jab awaits me. Appointment booked. Not that we'll be able to behave any differently afterwards.

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  6. You always have been and still are a wonderful grandmother.

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  7. The virus is morphing and the vaccines are still slowly being distributed. At least when everyone is vaccinated most if not all will not die from the virus. For this I am grateful. Laura's new place sounds great. She is really a grown-up in many ways. She is lucky to have you to guide her toward the best solutions and outcomes. She must appreciate your support.

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    1. Yes. Keep your eye on the prize, which is staying alive, not partying.

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  8. I agree with Yael, you are a wonderful grandmother.

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  9. Interior solutions, well done YOU! manageable easy to shift stuff. So sensible. I am napping through the next couple of months, when i get a vaccine i will be happier.

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  10. I hope you are feeling better today, Joanne, after your shot. Still trolling for vaccine down here in Stark. Take care. P.S. Great selections on storage units.

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    1. Much better, thanks, Kris. I hope you still are gardening down there.

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    2. Oh yes, it's therapeutic AND yummy. LOL

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  11. Good luck to Laura in her new home! We used to call one-room apartments "bed-sitters" but that's a pretty old-fashioned word now.

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  12. I am so glad that you and Laura have each other.

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  13. Glad for Laura. What is the enormous room please? Stove?

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    1. A miniscule bathroom, a kitchen sink and a stove with oven. An kitchen overhead kitchen cupboard or two. I think I have some pictures. I'll try to find them.

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  14. Great that Laura has her own place now and that she has you. Lucky young woman!

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  15. Darling Joanne,

    It is so important to keep involved with young people.

    Although we have no children of our own, we have always sought out young people, either mentoring them for university, inviting them for meals, etc etc in order that one stays in touch with everything going on in the world. Young people are our future and Laura is lucky to have your support and guidance. We are certain that she values it very much indeed.

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  16. Good job Grandma! I'm excited for Laura. I remember my first one room efficiency apartment at 18. I felt so grown up. Thanks for sharing the pictures, it takes me back.

    The news stinks here too. I didn't think a year after this started it would still be going on much less be worse. They have only vaccinated 6% of the Missouri population so far and that includes medical personnel. They are supposed to be getting the over 65 people now which includes us, but there doesn't seem to be any vaccine.

    I hope you are feeling much better Joanne! I'm so glad you got your shot and have an appointment for the second.

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  17. I am so tired hearing my sister bemoan the injustice that Trump is being forced to endure. I can't even talk to her anymore. She makes me want to slap her face and wake her up! I love making rooms work! My grands are all settled in. Several years ago I had the best time with my granddaughter-in-law, tramping through flea markets and junk stores and putting her little house together for her and my grandson and their little girl. It is but a sweet memory now.

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  18. Laura has a good start...and a good helping hand xx

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  19. I love how you and Laura help each other in the ways that you are best suited. It's beautiful!
    May we get enough people vaccinated soon that these days of isolation will someday end.

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  20. Hari OM
    I am almost envious of Laura's bedsit... for much of my life I lived in single-space accommodation and having had a caravan upbringing, it worked well. You two are really rather a good team! Stay warm... I'm permanently under the doona at the moment. YAM xx

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  21. When we need to reorganize a room I plan on inviting you!

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  22. Laura's first apartment all to herself!

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  23. First apartments are always so exciting! I think the wardrobe is a great thing. -Jenn

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  24. I am pleased that Laura is doing well and also that you are there for her.

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  25. Great ideas for the apartment. I like that you're thinking ahead to a future move, too. She's lucky to have you to help her think and design her space.

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  26. Yay grandma! What marvelous and reasonable solutions and she is one lucky grandgirl.

    XO
    WWW

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  27. You are the best Grandma. Laura will learn form this and manage better when her next move happens. I've seen similar kitchen units at Ikea, made especially for apartments so the tenant can take them when he/she moves on.

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  28. So 9.30 am is too early? As someone who gets up at 7 am, that seems like almost lunchtime to me! Some ingenious storage arrangements in Laura's new home. I hope it's well-heated in such wintry weather.

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  29. "Chopping onions on thin air" just sounds so risky. I'm glad Laura doesn't have to do that anymore.

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  30. I love the wardrobe. My first mental image was of an old, wooden affair that weighed a ton. This is so much better, especially the modular nature of it so it can be moved elsewhere. The kitchen is also great.
    Does the room stay warm with all of the windows?

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    1. Laura has covered all the windows with plastic insulation. Her "heating" system is an electric heater. I do not know how warm she is able to keep the room. My guess is not warm. However, she was raised in 65 degree winter temps. She has at least one feather comforter. And, she's probably not home most days.

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  31. Good advice on wardrobe. An odd type of apartment but I have seen some odd ones out there.

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  32. The various mutations of the virus leave me quite depressed, but we have to carry on. I fight against the idea that the grand cull of humans has begun in my lifetime, but it has to begin in someone's if it is going to happen at all. We are all starring in our own disaster movie.

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  33. Great job on helping Laura out with her enormous room, Joanne. Looks like you did excellent work. Hope the weather turns for the better out there and you can get rid of some of that snow. Take care.

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  34. I remember my youngest daughter's first apartment. It was tiny, a little galley kitchen, a tiny bathroom with a shower, and a sitting room/bedroom/dining room. It had the most amazing wood work and pocket doors between the kitchen and the all purpose room. She loved it.

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  35. Your granddaughter will always remember her first huge "open concept" apartment!

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  36. Ohhhhh - freeze in May?? Really? That sounds bad. Sounds like you helped with good solutions to turn one huge room into three livable ones.

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