The Eyes Have It

WHAT WITH ALL THE UPHEAVAL and change and good-byes and worries, my tear ducts are getting a workout! Bob also keeps them well watered--in a good way.

Real Women Read Real Books

THROUGH THE YEARS, we have accumulated a ridiculous stash of books. Seven large bookcases crammed with books have had to be emptied and their contents schlepped to Goodwill. The guy at the dropoff place has started putting the "Closed" sign up when he sees us coming--true story!

E-readers are going to save the planet.

His and Hers Garage Sale

IF SELLING OUR STUFF were a contest, Bob would be the clear winner. Tools and musical instruments seem to be on everyone's "want" list. Parrot playground? Not so much.

If Craigslist were a grocery store...

AS I'VE SAID, most of the people we are meeting at our garage sales and through Craigslist have been delightful. But lately there have been a few . . .

Spiders like it when you move furniture

LILIA AND I SAW more than our share of spiders trying to escape as we disrupted their homes. We couldn't squish them, though, so we became pretty adept at capturing them and letting them go outside. 

Apparently that's NOT the story they tell their kids!

What a MESS!

BOB AND I HAVE SAID for a long time that what we really need is a tiny apartment and a big barn for all of our hobbies and activities. Seriously, between the three of us, we take part in (and have the stuff to show for it): Drawing/painting, playing various band instruments, songwriting, button making, woodworking, theater, puppetry, playing guitar, dance, sewing, knitting, crocheting, Ukrainian Easter eggs, calligraphy, writing, Origami, scrapbooking, picture framing, recording live music, videography, drumming, reading, reading, reading, and... I'm probably forgetting something. 

We have decided that our family motto is "If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing," and if ever there is a family that has lived up to their motto-- it's us.

This makes for a very, ahem, full household.

Today we gave away the leftovers from yesterday's garage sale. Friends say, "You know you could donate that stuff to Goodwill and get a tax deduction?"

Yes. But getting big, clunky desks to Goodwill is so much harder than watching other folks load big clunky desks into their Very Big Trucks. And we are meeting some of the nicest people! One sweet family took our entertainment center and told me that they are going to "up-cycle" it into a children's play kitchen, like this. How cute is that?

No one wants to upcycle Bob's computer desk. 

This is the story of a family of crazy people. At least that's how I feel when I talk to people about what we're doing. Here's the scoop: We are quitting jobs we love, selling a house we love but can't really afford, and moving back to San Diego, where we have lots of family.
Do we have a place to live? No.
Do we have jobs? No.
Do we have a nice savings account to get us through? No.

What DO we have? Lots of dear family, and lots of hope that we can make a go of it, using our various (sometimes seemingly useless) talents. 

I started the blog because I think it might do people good to read about our misadventures, and think, "Hey, at least we're not doing what THESE people are doing!"

So... enjoy, and be grateful for all of your sensible, well-thought-out plans! (And if you happen to send up a prayer or two for us, that would be fine too.)

Julie