Category: Uncategorized

We made our move official today. We applied for new drivers’ licenses.

Minnesota keeps the records active for your license for five years. Since we were only gone 3 1/2 years, we were still in the system. Dave renewed his in January of ’08. Mine was due in July of ’08 but since we left in June, I didn’t renew mine. That meant I timed out of the renewal window. Dave got to just renew his. I had to take the knowledge test. (They no longer call it the written test since I got to take it on a computer.)

I recently read all the Minnesota Driver’s Manual except the part about DUI since I don’t drink. Yup, there were at least three questions about alcohol and driving. I guessed right on two of them. So, I got a score of 94% right (missed one other one that I felt had trick wording then guessed wrong as to what they were really after). Still I felt pretty good about doing so well.

And the line was shorter for those taking the test so I actually got done before Dave did which amazed me.

At least we didn’t have to take the behind-the-wheel test which is good because I know some of our driving habits have gotten a little sloppy over the years. Plus they changed some guidelines. For instance, I was taught to hold my hands at the 10 and 2 positions to have the best control of the wheel. With the standard installation of airbags, they changed that rule but I didn’t know that until reading the manual. How do I learn to hold the wheel differently after all these years? And two-lane roundabouts? Didn’t have those in the US back when I was a teenager but now I know what I’m supposed to do in those–at least in Minnesota. 🙂

Unfortunately, Minnesota doesn’t just hand you a license right then and there like South Dakota does. They cut a corner off your old license to invalidate it then hand it back to you to use as ID. They also give you a huge piece of paper to act as your temporary license. If you get stopped, you are supposed to give both to the cop. The paper does NOT fit well in the ID pocket of my card case. But the new ones will eventually come in the mail and we’ll be all set again.

Tomorrow license plates and an attempt to get my handicapped placard without having to visit the doctor again. I’m hoping the fact that my SD application was signed by a Minnesota doctor will be adequate. Or maybe I can just pay to replace a lost placard since I don’t think mine here actually expired. Wish me luck.

TTYL,

Linda

I read this on another blog and immediately wanted to share it with so many people I decided the best way to do that was just to send you all the link. In spite of its title, it is an upbeat piece.

http://annienygma.com/2011/11/im-a-bitch/

TTYL,

Linda

Stonehill Apartments, the complex in which we now live, is old enough to vote. The sign out front says, “luxury apartments.” And they were. When they were built. Back when this was new, apartments did not all come with underground parking nor built in microwaves and dishwashers. Over the years many improvements have been made. Like central air conditioning units for each apartment.

But, not all the improvements have been done to all the apartments. For instance, our unit came to us with the original microwave. No turntable. No “minute” button. No “popcorn” button. And not nearly as much power as the rating on it said. It took a long time to cook anything in it.

Today we got a brand new microwave.

With all the bells and whistles we had come to take for granted.

We are thankful.

TTYL,

Linda

In a corner of our living room, Dave disappears into his own world.

No, he doesn’t perform for the public. Other than the one song he learned for public performances as a child taking piano lessons. But, he does enjoy playing, learning more and, sometimes, making up his own. Having a dedicated space in which to do this was one of the things that coaxed him off the road.

TTYL,

Linda

Most of our married life Dave and I have had queen sized beds. Even our very first rented place had two queen sized beds. Of course we both slept in the same one–we were newlyweds. We didn’t even have sheets with us for the other one since Dave was in flight school for just five months so we only took with us what we could pack into a VW bug.

When we went full time RVing our first motorhome technically had a queen sized bed. The couch unfolded to reach a couple benches then the table dropped between those benches and back cushions from the bench seats went on top of the table to make a queen sized bed. That quickly became too much work to do each evening and morning so we stopped dropping the table and just slept with our feet one on each side of it on our u-shaped bed. We bought twin sized comforters to make that possible.

Our second motorhome also had a queen sized bed–over the cab. Those of you who know me know there’s no way I was climbing a ladder to get into and out of bed. So, Dave slept up there and I slept on the couch which we later converted to a daybed.

Our most recent motorhome came with a king sized bed. With absolutely no room to get beside it to get into and out of it. So, before we even took delivery of that we had the dealer convert it to a queen sized bed.

Last month, once we delivered that RV to the consignment dealer to sell for us, we headed home, staying in motels along the way. Most of those motel rooms had king sized beds. And we discovered we love king sized beds! So we started discussing the possibility of buying a king sized bed for our new apartment.

But moving a king sized bed is a challenge we weren’t sure we wanted to tackle. Especially getting one into an elevator for delivery to a third floor apartment. Then I remembered that a king size is the same width as two twins. And that you can buy a bed bridge to fill the gap between them. So we decided to buy two twins and make our own king sized bed.

When they finally arrived, Dave had a bad cold. The second one in a row–the first being in his throat and the second being in his sinuses. For weeks we had both been suffering from it and the loss of sleep caused by his coughing and snoring.

So we put our new twin beds in separate rooms. And discovered that works for us since we sleep different hours anyway. Now, Dave can go to bed and I can stay up reading and computing without waking him when I finally go to bed. And he can get up early and have breakfast without disturbing my sleep. It still seems odd to us not to sleep in even the same room let alone the same bed but, for now, this is working for us.

I like my new bed. It is very comfortable. So comfortable I have trouble getting out of it in the morning. But, when my dream starts including toilets as it did this morning I know it is time.

TTYL,

Linda

ps. Note that my bedside touch lamp now has a shade.