Zatera Ul

We were on vacation last week. We drove across Wisconsin, and vowed together to never buy a home that is under a HOA. Especially not a HOA that will let you paint your house “any color, as long as it’s beige.” We took the car ferry from Milwaukee to Muskegon, which was nice, except for the part about OLC throwing up all over MFH. The secret to not getting seasick is to stay out on the deck at the rear and center of the boat where the rolling is minimized and you can see the horizon well and you’re away from the galley’s smell of fried food.

Then we spent a few days with each of our families. OLC got to learn about beaches and lakes. She also got to see “wild kitty” kittens playing and to learn a new phrase: “gramma crackers” (graham crackers).

When we were at my parents’, we made a side trip down to meet Sallie of A Quiet Simple Life and her family. We had a nice visit (their home is beautiful!) and it was fun to see her daughter and my daughter, almost the same age, playing together like old pals.

I got to go through what was left of my grandma’s things; she died last winter. Everyone else had been there ahead of me, but I still found some treasures to take back with me, like her old carving knife that should be in a museum, and useful craft supplies.

The main blip on this trip was that money was a little tight to start with, and I kept miscalculating how much we had to spend on what. It was like my math brain was totally awol. But it all worked out in the end.

Also, towards the end, OLC got sick. She went with MFH to crash an old acquaintance’s wedding and was so sad that she wouldn’t even eat olives. Then they came back to the motel and she threw up all over me. After that, she was just listless and tired and feverish. In the morning we had to start back to Minnesota, and what we did was drive back in one day, instead of two. It worked out well; she rested most of the day, and started to perk up again after about twelve hours on the road, but by then we were almost home. Then we had a day to just hang out and rest.

Watching the home decorating shows on cable at the motel gave me some ideas about what to do with our furniture in the apartment. After we got back, I spent some time rearranging the living room, and actually got it looking like a living room rather than a warehouse. I also moved some bookshelves out of the dining room; our old-door-for-a-top table takes up almost the whole space.