The Beginning

 ...to be fair, it's not as bad as i thought it was.  i'm pretty sure that my original assessment was tainted by a great deal of stress that had been building up for quite some time, stress about the job, the physical ailments, the parents, all that stuff.  but today was the beginning, as eventful as anything else, and as satisfying as could be expected.

so, to start with, i'm really tired, because i got up as early as i'd planned to.  i'll have to plan a bit better for tomorrow, but for today, it was not bad.  i said my prayer, i got up and got into some shorts and a tee shirt, came downstairs to make coffee for my mom, took my meds, checked my insulin (112, yo) and gathered what i was taking with me.  i knew i'd need to get more cleaning shit, but i got my contractor bags and some other trash bags that were attached to nothing here.  i took a pair of long pants, i took my water bottle and travel coffee mug, and i took my meeting briefcase.
I stopped at the Bell for breakfast food and at McD's for coffee.  i then made my way to the house.  i started out, as you can see, with pictures.  i decided i would chronicle and that's exactly what i did.  and that's when i saw it wasn't as bad as i'd thought it was.  it is clutter, and it is age, and it is in need of some serious TLC, but it's not destruction, and it's not the end of the world.  not at all...

i was waiting for my friend B, who came late and almost made me late for the meeting, but i had expected that.  part of the breakfast i'd brought was for him but he got there long after the food was as cool as the coffee was cold.  but he looked it over, we agreed on a price and he has some people that he says will come and do the major shit.  and that was that for the morning.  while waiting, i'd cleaned out the upstairs bathroom and the spare bedroom.  had to get a sense of what i was working with.
let's see if i actually took a picture of the bathroom.  think i have one, but it's very dark, as the room has a bedroom bureau in it and the curtains were closed.  but that is back in the bedroom now, and there's not much more to do in it right now except clean.  tub is sprayed and waiting for a scrubbing.

the spare bedroom carpet was easy to pull and roll up, and in the hallway outside the bedrooms, the wallpaper came off pretty easy,  i'm going to take pictures of those in the morning.  when i start again, i'm sliding the mattresses that are on their sides standing down the stairs, and i'm going to start pulling the carpet in the main bedroom.  there's some baby items behind that mattress that are going to come out as well.

i have to say, the spirit in the house is immense.  i have spent the day feeling both my grandparent's moving around me, showing me things and telling me things without speaking.  i'm still going to have a sage smudge done when i'm done cleaning, but i don't feel anything harmful in what i'm experiencing.  i ask for things and they come to me.  it's like the manifestation of prayer, working toward specifics.  i am going to have to go to the basement tomorrow, i must survey the landscape, see what damage, what critters, what has to be done and take care of getting it done.  but for now, i'm moving as well as i need to. 

i've had lunch with Lonnie, talked to Syd, talked to an old friend who is recovering from surgery, i've bought pizza for the parent's house, and i'm in bed.  i'm tired, and i'm ready to get on it tomorrow.  i'm grateful to Jehovah for the bounty.  i'm grateful for the chance to change and reflect.  and i'm going to get into it tomorrow, if it is God's will i should open my eyes one more time.