"The Stable Song" - Gregory Alan Isakov with the Colorado Symphony (offi...

Unusual Soccer Move

 These are my soccer strengths

• I have a good sense of where other players are on the field
• I pass well - accurate and the right intensity
• Fairy good defender

These are my soccer weaknesses

• Almost zero dribbling/ball skills
• I can not kick it hard - as in corner kicks or goal scoring
• Therefore I'm almost useless as forward except to pass to someone else 

This is why it was so remarkable today, when I somehow got the ball past a person or two, and even then pulled it back (almost a ball skill) and then passed it to my teammate who has beautiful footwork skills. Even my team knew how unusual it was as one of them on the sidelines yelled out, "Tammy going down the alley!" or something like that.  (I really wanted to remember what he said, but alas I do not.) Anyway this brief moment of feeling like a skilled soccer player was very fulfilling and also led to me quickly call a sub as it tired me out.

In fact my entire team passed and played together really well today and it is so fun when that happens, when a group of individuals works well together.  And it's only the 2nd week of the session and they have all paid me - which also doesn't often happen.  (I sign up the whole team and then they reimburse me.)

When I was explaining all this to Michael I realized that one of the reasons I may think I'm good at passing the ball is that people on my team always expect me to pass it.  With the more skilled players on the field, you might not be ready for a pass from them, because if they can take it down the field past people they will.  But with me, 95% of the time you know if Tammy has the ball she is going to pass it, so they are always ready for my passes, which means it makes it look like I am a good passer.

So maybe my passing skills look better than they are...oh well...

On a different topic, Michael printed out a spreadsheet with a budget and estimated home costs for me to review and spend some time with.  I find this whole home ownership prep quite perplexing and difficult to understand.  I think this will be helpful. 

And I got some late season raspberries at the Farmer's Market that were delicious.

Disorganized or Perfectionist?

Michael signed us up for a, I'm not sure what you'd call it, a virtual 5k?, thru his work.  Basically you run/walk and then send in a photo.  I'm not really sure the details. We did the jog/walk this AM.  We did a little sprint at the end and a woman said, "I think she won," which is at least the 2nd time we've been jogging and an older woman has cheered me on :).

After that we did our attempt at a weekly money discussion trying to get on the same page with buying a house etc.  (I say attempt as we have been doing it, but last week I was camping and the week before he was camping, and a couple other weekends in Aug we were on camping/trips as a family.  So we are trying to get back on schedule now.) Anyway our discussion today went really well.  At one point it began to go sour, but we just paused for a moment and were able to redirect in a positive manner.

We are both going to consult some resources to try to find someone who knows more about owning property as tenants in common (which allows for unequal ownership).  I know about it in general, but I would like someone with more expertise to consult. 

When we were talking about the inheritance of a home, say if we both died in a car accident, Michael completely heard me backwards about what I'd like to happen with my "share".  Fortunately I restated it in a way that made us realize the misunderstanding which put him at ease.

Then another thing that has been on pause the past month and a half is going thru the house. I want to go thru the house, before, we move to get rid of things we no longer want or need.  We were making good progress in July and then the aforementioned camping trips etc happened so that has been on hiatus.  Today I pointed out to Michael (because I am the nag on this), that he likes the results of this work and to remember that. He agreed.  He was describing me as disorganized - because for example in the tool closet/area in the basement, I just want to get things on the shelf and he wants to think it thru.  I showed my file cabinet/closet etc and said I am not disorganized, however I definitely am also not a perfectionist.  I think both he and my parents were/are perfectionists.  They either can have something be a disaster or be perfect, and will let their need for perfection prevent them from making something better. I don't care if it is perfect, so I will hastily clean something up to get it to a level of acceptability. This made sense to Michael and he ultimately agreed with me that this was a better description.

 

The Old/New House

 If you happen to peak back at my post from July 10th, you'll see this home is looking much happier now!

I stopped by about a month ago as my dentist is still near my dad's to take some photos.  Habitat was working on it so I hesitantly approached the house and the site manager, once I told him who I was, was so happy to talk to me.  He spent an hour giving me a tour of all the work they'd done. 

They were clearly having some fun with it as they'd framed this old wallpaper with a "Save" sign written on the wall.

I asked if I could bring my brother's family sometime and he said, "Monday - Friday 9-3 I'm here."  So we waited a few weeks so we could see the next phase and visited today.

 

 

 I was crying when I posted those photos of the dilapidated house, and now I'm crying because I'm so grateful for all these people and all the work that they have done.  They are taking such good care of it and putting in an immense amount of time and energy.

And somehow, despite the fact that they've been working on this house for a few months.  Today of all days, while we just happened, to be there, they pulled out the bottom drawer in the the hallway and found STUFF STORED UNDER IT!!

Do you see this pile of crap in my backseat?  I am going to start having nightmares again about finding more stuff that we had left to clean out in that house!!

While we were looking thru the house I threw the pile in my old bedroom to take away. My old high school comforter is one of the things in that pile.  It is going in the trash.  I don't even want to think about any of that stuff anymore.

After we left my brother's family was going to the nearby thrift store (which is the best).  I went too and ended up getting caught up there.  I haven't shopped for clothes since before Co-Vid with the exception of a raincoat for the Boundary Waters camping and new underwear.  Anyway, I found a tennis skirt - which I never had interest in until I realized they have spots to hold tennis balls which could be useful - so I'm going to try one.  I also found a dress that I wasn't able to try on, so who knows if I'll like it, and a few other things.

THEN I went to the grocery store, hungry and on the way out saw a key lime pie.  I remembered back in high school when I was dogsitting for my friend's family and I got an entire pie at Baker's Square and how luxurious it felt.  Not because I want to eat a whole pie, but rather because you knew NO ONE else was going to!  There was no hurry!  And I am home alone this weekend and that sounded so great, just to have it in there and if I want to eat a piece great, but for the next 72 hours I will not think, "If I don't have a piece it will be gone."

And THEN I came home and saw the theater 4 blocks away from us, which has been closed for a year and a half, sent a flyer.  I haven't had any inkling to be in a space like that, but I saw a couple things that interested me, so I looked up their Co-Vid policy and it said vaccination or a negative Co-Vid test was required to enter.

Then I saw that the show tomorrow is a comedian.  I have wanted to go to a live comedian for years!  I am hesitant though as I don't want raunchy comedy, I want G rated comedy.  Well the opener for tomorrow's show I recognized as someone that went to my college, so I looked up the main performer and listened to about 4 minutes of her show.  Her first joke was about Costco, I'm in.

All Star Park and Rec Tennis Instructor

 

 

#1 - One of the benefits of co-parenting is that pretty much whenever we get home from a trip or camping, it is time for the girls to go over to their mother's.  Therefore after getting home from camping on Sunday, I didn't have to motivate myself to get groceries.  Michael and I could eat what is leftover in the fridge, freezer or garden. That was the case Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday...today I got some groceries and made an actual dinner.

 #2 - I have the most dedicated park and rec tennis instructor imaginable.  His name is Dave, and I'd recommend him to anyone.  On Tuesday it was raining and there was a possibility our lesson would be cancelled.  Dave sent out a text to let us know it was a 50/50 chance of lessons that day.  Dave knows I don't have a cell phone, so he sent me an email saying the same.

 Today he sent this message

 "Hey Tammy,

I just realized I didn't update this email for you. I'm glad you made
it, but I'm sorry for making it a question mark for you."

It had stopped raining, it was dry outside, I went to tennis. TWO DAYS LATER he  thinks to apologize for not updating me.  He teaches FIVE days a week. He probably has 50+ students, and a job and kids!  Really Dave it's not necessary.  He also threw in a comment, which is helpful as I do wonder if I should be in a lower level.

#3 - "It's really cool watching you play singles -- you hit very well and very
defensively when those baseline bombers come after you, eventually
wearing them down :)

-Dave"

He gives this amount of care and attention to everybody! He is a gem in the park and rec land.  (Really he just truly clearly loves tennis.)

#4 - It was good to, for the second time this week, hear thunderstorms and rain with our drought.  Michael went out and cleaned the gutter in the street that was plugged up. And cool air is coming in the windows.

#5 -  Michael is excited about the new scale he is getting. It has lots of measurements and it keeps track of it all.  I am excited that he says he will get rid of the old one, that is what matters to me, not accumulating more things!

 

 

 

#1 -  I forgot to meditate yesterday - I'm trying to do 10 minutes a day for the month of August.  I did 9 days in a row, but forgot yesterday.  So right after I got out of the shower this AM I sat on the bathmat and meditated for 10 minutes.   I really appreciate our upstairs bathroom, and the window faces East so the morning light came in.  It was quite peaceful.

 #2 - I have 15 minutes before I planned to leave, I wasn't feeling prepared, but I'm almost ready.  I am meeting my freshman roommate from college to camp a couple nights.  She had her first of 4 kids right after college so, though I've invited her on occasion to things in the past, this is the first time it has worked out.

#3 - I am going to stop at the hazardous disposal site on the way to drop off some chemicals and batteries we set aside while cleaning things out.

#4 - % Well - the other two I'll have to post in my journal.  Since it is only 9AM, I'm not going to rack my brain too hard to get to five, but I won't be on screens the next couple days.

This Town

#1 - Last night as I was pulling into the driveway I was taken by a song on Radio Heartland. I wrote it down on a scrap of paper - This Town by Robert Vincent and I remembered today to look it up.

#2 - At first I described the song as a lullaby/soothing, I didn't know what it was about but it was giving me energy and excitement.

#3 - Then I looked up the lyrics and a whole new level of appreciation appeared.

#4 - And this made me excited about the small outdoor music festival we plan to attend later this month.  I went for 5 or so years by myself, then finally convinced a friend to join me in 2014.  In 2015 the festival went on hiatus.

 I also met Michael in 2015.  It is very family friendly and I thought he and the girls would really enjoy it, but it remained on hiatus. They tried to bring it back last year but Co-Vid cancelled it.  

 I am less convinced the girls will enjoy it, as they are teenagers now and I doubt the music is their style.  But it is camping in a beautiful setting.  And it is not a mass of people, there is space to go for hikes and be alone too.

#5 - Speaking of groups of people - it is National Night Out and we got invited to two "parties".  We usually go to the one on the street behind us, because there are only a few houses on our block. But we are on a corner and the house across from us invited us too this year.  I think it's important to know your neighbors, and yet mingling is draining for me, so going to two events was a bit overwhelming.  Then one of the events got cancelled today so it will just be one and that feels more manageable.  I just brought over a card table and some folding chairs.  And since I bought a packaged salad for both events now I'll have lots to bring to the one.