I know it's
been a long time--nearly a year--since my last post, but I never wanted this
blog to be a mundane account of day-to-day events. When I look back to the beginning, the posts
were fast and furious (38 the first year), but became less frequent over time (eight
last year). I suppose that as I began to
heal and adjust to my new life, I didn’t feel as much of a need for an outlet.
So, let me
catch you up! I started a new job on July 1st. Another major development: anticipating my
new job, I gave myself a three week deadline before my start date to get Bunny’s
former office cleaned out and turn it into my new home office. Gawd!
That was a massive undertaking! Every
evening after work, I’d head in with boxes and garbage bags, ruthless in my
disposal efforts. My mother would have
been so proud!
The
Salvation Army came by once, a trash hauler came by twice, and 50+ bankers’
boxes of books, several large containers of charitable donations, and 70
contractor’s clean-up bags on, I conquered the room that I’d avoided for so
long. Within a week’s time, I painted
the walls, laid a new floor, and redecorated it just the way I wanted it.
So, after much angst and several false starts, I made the room my own. Of course, there were
moments of sadness. I would find notes
Bunny had scribbled or photos he’d hoarded, and I would melt with sorrow that
he’d been so sentimental. Then I’d
inevitably find a pile of grocery store receipts from 2006 and snap out of my
tears. I don’t use the room nearly as
much as I’d like, but redoing it was a necessary and important step to moving
on.
The drawbacks of my new job: I don’t get to see my beloved Atlanta friends
anymore, and the commute to downtown Tampa. The county’s infrastructure just
wasn't meant to handle the amount of traffic that goes from the extreme north
of the county into town every day. Before
school started, the issue wasn’t so noticeable, but since then, I’ve been spending
a minimum of 45 minutes on the road every morning. Anyone who’s ever ridden shotgun with me can
just imagine how much I love bumper-to-bumper traffic. NOT!
I wanted to get a condo when we bought this house, a little over 13
years ago. Bunny, however, liked having a house with a yard, even though he
never ventured into it. One of his arguments was that the resale value on a
house was better than with a condo. He also
chose the subdivision where we lived, which is well-known in the Tampa area,
but is fairly remote. Bunny worked in St. Petersburg—well over an
hour’s drive, each way. He didn’t mind
the long commute, though, because he was a big fan of audio books. Occasionally, he would mention something he’d
“read,” and I’d tease him that audiobooks didn’t count as reading, because even
the cats could claim to have read something that way.
After my
first year as a Wideaux, I decided I needed to be closer to civilization. My plan was to find a new job, then work
there six months before I started looking for a condo nearby. My distaste for the traffic situation
expedited my timeline: I was condo-hunting by mid-September. After several
weekends of searching and negotiating on two that didn’t pan out, the third
condo I put an offer on will be mine just before Thanksgiving. With some luck (and a little remodeling), I
should be moving downtown by the end of the year.
No news on the dating front, but hopefully that situation will improve
once I move. It's too hard (for me, anyway) to find single men in the suburbs.
My last foray into online dating was such a disaster that I abandoned it within
about 10 days. For now, I’m focused on my career, my granddaughters, and
my move. The girls are growing so fast,
it’s hard to keep up with them sometimes.
Trinity and I talk about Bunny often, and I think it helps us both to
keep his memory alive. I feel sorry for
Sarita that she won’t be able to remember what a loving grandfather she lost.
My plans to move haven’t been all sunshine and roses: my excitement has
been tempered by sudden fits of crying.
I suppose it’s natural to feel torn about moving. After all, this was the last house Bunny and
I bought together, and the last house he lived in. We had many wonderful times here, and, towards
the end, some very sad and difficult days.
I expect there will be more tears before it’s all said and done, especially
since I’ve hit the dreaded winter months.
In the end, though, the move will be good for me. Plus, I’ll have more new things to write
about!
