Sunday, December 31, 2023

Year-end Lists 2023: Personal

In 2023, we sold my mother's farm, and I've been spending the proceeds fixing up my house. As you can see, it's now got a fresh coat of bright yellow paint. After two years of hearing "Are you sure that's the color you want it?" it turned out lovely and I get plenty of compliments on it. Every other house on my block is grey, white, or beige, now that the one red house has been demolished. So it's about time someone added some color to the neighborhood. For Christmas, it looks like a gingerbread house with all the colored lights and red ribbons wound around the porch columns. But the more important fixes can't be seen. The crew replaced a lot of rotting exterior boards, plugged in the gaps where the bats got in, replaced the broken storm door, replaced the chimney grate, insulated the solarium floor, and built a new deck (with a handrail!). I also got new gutters, had some trees trimmed, a sewer pipe replaced, one new toilet installed, and had the dryer repaired.

But in the middle of all that, the upstairs bathroom developed a leak and I didn't know it until it seeped through my bedroom ceiling. The water filled a #2 washtub several times. I got the leak fixed pretty fast, but then insurance got involved, and they determined I needed a new ceiling downstairs and a new floor upstairs. The good news is that I found out my downstairs ceilings are not made of asbestos, as I had assumed. I also lost the wallpaper and overhead light in the bedroom. When the wallpaper came down, I found it was hiding a lot of drywall damage. So two rooms got renovated that I didn't plan on.  

While that work was going on, I moved my bed into my office, and reduced my work commute to about two feet. But it's all back to normal now, so I can dream of a new kitchen someday. I doubt it will be in 2024.

Gothgrrl achieved the title of doctor in February. Since then she's been practicing under supervision, still getting grades but no longer going to class. She will graduate from Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine in May. She also got engaged! They have tentatively set the date for December 2024, when he gets his PhD. Grad school is a good place to meet men. I will eventually have two Dr. Cellanias in the family, so I will have to come up with another pseudonym. I don't know what Dr. Cellania is going to do between graduation and the wedding, but she will have to start paying off her graduate school loans. I suggested she move back in with me, since there are plenty of veterinary clinics nearby that need help, which is not the case near the university. Then I found out how much money she is being offered even for temporary work, and saw that she doesn't really need my help to save rent money.

My grandson is now a toddler! He took his first steps without holding on to anything the day before Thanksgiving, and hasn't stopped yet. He's got places to go and things to do! He isn't speaking yet, but he's doing sign language, and understands two other languages. He has the world's most beautiful smile. The whole family is doing well. Son-in-law got his master's degree and a promotion in his job. Princess couldn't license my old car in Missouri without expensive upgrades, so she gave it to her future brother-in-law, which involved a lot of driving, plus insurance and paperwork from me, but at least it got us out of having to buy him a Christmas gift. And he will need that car if his fiancĂ©e lives elsewhere for work for six months or so next year. 

In my extended family, my stepdaughter gave birth to a healthy and beautiful little boy on the day of the winter solstice. That is also my late husband's (his grandpa's) birthday. He makes eight total grandchildren for me now!

When the family got together for Christmas, I was reminded that we all stated our goals for 2023 and all achieved them. I didn't even remember mine, but Princess did. What are our goals for 2024? Doctor and fiancĂ© each want to graduate, get a job, and get married. I believe they will both do all that. Princess and husband want another baby. That's up to God, but it's certainly attainable. I don't have any particular goals for my personal life in 2024, which is odd but true. I've decided my goal is to make my church's food program sustainable. No, I don't know how, but without a goal, it won't ever happen. 




I also want to thank everyone here for visiting my site in 2023, and I wish you all the most wonderful 2024 possible!



16 comments:

  1. Sounds like your family is all doing well and have good reason to look forward to more success in 2024. Personally, I love your house colour! Especially with the black roof and white trim -- looks very charming and classy!

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  2. You go girl! I follow you from Fraser Colorado, and love your blog. Happy New Year!!

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  3. Wow! You must be so proud of your family, thanks for sharing. The house looks just perfect. Hope you and your loved ones have a great new year, I follow you from Athens Greece

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  5. Long time lurker here! Adore your blog and your house color looks fabulous. I am always thrilled when I hear of anyone's "kids" doing well. Happy New Year to you and the cats. Thank you for the hours of entertainment!
    I follow you from my new home in San Sebastian, Spain. I'm in language classes and all of my classmates are Ukrainian - refugees. I appreciate the video in their behalf.

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  6. The house looks fantastic, that color has what they call curb appeal, looks good enough to hold a wedding for Dr Goth and Dr Inlaw.
    You've set a great example for all your kin with hard work though all the ups and downs. Too many people think bloggers just cruise the web and bring stuff back to post. They have no concept of how hard it is... especially one of your caliber... day in, day out.
    Debra knows.
    There's a lot of people who appreciate what you give us but never say so.
    Happy New Year.
    xoxoxoBruce

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  7. Thank you for the update, Miss C- And the house looks wonderful!
    Take care, and here's to a wonderful 2024!
    -MarkOfIowa

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  8. New Year greetings--and thanks for sharing highlights of your life, and the web--from Montana.

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  9. Best wishes for your new year, most of all health and contentment.
    For me, that's the base for inner peace, for peace of mind.
    And good luck shall be the icing on that cake, with a cherry on top :-)

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  10. Thank You for All the Moments of Mirth and Exotica Daily Over a Nice Chunk of My 82 Years! I REALLY appreciate it!

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  11. Yellow is a perfectly wonderful colour :)

    So many thanks for bringing a daily dose of stories to entertain us. All the best in '24.

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  12. Congrats on all the good news from 2023. I think your house looks very cheerful in yellow. And thanks for all the blogging this year. All the best to you for 2024!

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  13. I loved hearing the good news and nearly cried over the water damage.
    You will thrive in 2024.

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  14. Hi there MissC! Congrats and have a great 2024! Have been following you since waaaaay back then and want to let you know that I care for you and your family and wish you the best for all of you. Whenever you happen to be visiting Italy, I'd be happy to have a pizza with you all, that's a promise! Happy New Year!

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  15. Thanks to all of you for the well wishes, I love you all!

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