Antiquing on a dismal day.

 

Today was a day we planned to drive up to Hudson, NY and do some antiquing.  The big problem was with my legs - I couldn't walk far, and I was grateful to have my cane with me.  Thankfully, I'll be seeing my doctor in a couple of days, and hopefully he'll able to help me walk properly before my cruise.

But first...

We got up at our usual time today, and got out of the house around 2 pm.  I knew it was going to be a long drive to get to the Antique Warehouse in Hudson, NY - 80 miles away.  For the most part, we made good time getting to Hudson, stopping only for gas and a bio-break.  By the time we got to the warehouse, the heavens had started opening up, and we rushed inside to get out of the rain and explore the place.

Once inside, we were overwhelmed by the size of the place.  Half of the building was occupied by the warehouse, with a smaller section occupied by smaller, independent shops, and a small section occupied by an Amtrak maintenance department.  I could barely walk, and was glad I could sit on any chair I could find in the place.  However, our stay in the warehouse was short, as it was warm and humid inside.  I couldn't wait to leave the place, so I could get comfortable.

Our next stop was a restaurant that Vicki and I went to when we returned from our trip to the Flax barn sale.   Savona's is part of a 4 restaurant group operating in the Hudson Valley.  I have wanted to go back with RQS in tow, and today was our opportunity to try this place together.  However, we had to pay for 15 minutes of parking, and it took some time for me to use the app to pay for those minutes.  Once I paid for those minutes, we went inside and ordered our meals.  RQS said that I made a better Caesar Salad than the restaurant, but that's because I make the dressing from scratch.  When the main course came, neither of us could finish our food.  RQS loved the place and would go back in a heartbeat.

We got home around 8, and I was aching - my legs could barely support me.  But I was safe, and I was at home.  And that's the important thing.

Dinner at Lefteris - Even salad can taste good if done right (a short post)

 

Lefteris Gyro is a family owned chain of several Greek Restaurants, whose first store is pictured here.  It has been one of my go-to places when I want good Greek food and don't want to risk a bad meal somewhere else.  Tonight, RQS and I went to dinner at one of their other locations, and as expected, we had a tasty meal.

But first....

I finally changed the appointment I had scheduled with my doctor to take place one week earlier than planned.  My knees were telling me that I'm older than I look, and that I needed to have the doctor examine me while I had time to take care of things.  Yet, with uncooperative knees (and legs), I decided NOT to do a load of laundry.  Instead, I lallygagged until it was time to get showered, made up, and dressed.  And then, I picked RQS up at the train station.

The first order of the evening was to go out for dinner.  We saw the skies darkening, but chanced the restaurant in Hartsdale, NY.  We both had the Greek Salad with Chicken, and took home some leftovers. When we got in the car, we were lucky.  It had just started to rain, and we didn't get wet.  But that didn't mean we weren't affected by the rain.  Halfway home, the heavens opened up, and I could barely see the road I was driving on.  Luckily, I knew to drive slowly, and made it home without incident. 

Tomorrow, we plan to take a long drive.  Let's hope the weather cooperates with us. 

Recovering from unforced errors

 

Yesterday, I mentioned an "Unforced Error".  Today, I recover from that error.  No, I'm not bothering with the bank until next week.  Instead, I just needed to put myself in the right frame of mind to function for the next few days.  Of course, I've been putting off calling the doctor for an earlier than planned for visit to discuss what's happening with my legs.  I've been waking up around 7 am after 5 hours of sleep.  Several years ago, I was getting more sleep and waking up later in the morning.  Now, I'm concerned about the little changes in my health which may add up to big things.   I'm not as worried about my sleep as I am about other things.  I have so much on my mind these days, and yet, nothing that I can't handle with some friends to lean on.

- - - - - -

I knew I needed to get out of the house.  And by 6 pm, my legs were starting to feel like they could support me for a while.  So, I got showered, made up and dressed, and out the door I went.  Although I had no exact plans about what I wanted to eat, I knew I wanted something with more plant based protein than I usually have.  So I decided on Chinese.  One problem - the new restaurant I wanted to try didn't have working AC.  On an 85+ degree day with high humidity, I'd melt in the heat.  As a result, I was off to another place to eat.

A couple of miles down the road was a diner I've been to before.  The food was good, the prices reasonable, and the portions large enough to have leftovers.  This was the place I chose to have dinner, knowing that I'd never make it to Trader Joe's for a food run.  As expected, the food was good, and I got out of there at a reasonable time to make a phone call to TCL.  (Nothing much in the phone call was worth reporting here.)

Eventually, I made it home with a stop at the local supermarket for some food items.  $35 later, I was out the door and on my way home.  I'm glad I didn't buy much, as my legs were starting to complain again.  But I had food for tomorrow's dinner, and that was the important thing that I took care of.... 

 

I made an unforced error. AARGH!

 

Yesterday, I went to the bank to do a couple of things, and I screwed it up.  It didn't help that I was in Mario mode (and was uncomfortable), tired, and a little bit hungry.  Everything was a little out of whack when I went to the bank down the hill.  

But first....

As I've noted lately, my legs have been bothering me, and they didn't want to cooperate with me when I got up.  It was a pain to do much of anything because I couldn't trust my legs.  So, I was doing everything slowly and carefully.

When I decided to get moving and prepare to go to the bank, it was around 3 pm.  And then I went down the hill.  I had the proceeds from the sale of the family homestead to deposit, and I was nervous about handling this money, as I wanted it handled properly and put into appropriate vehicles for use.  Entering the bank, I found that my favorite staff member there was in semi-retirement, and no longer is in the branch.  (This is the woman with a TG offspring.)  So, I ended up sitting down with a junior account manager, and then was handed over to the more senior person.  And this is where the up sell began.

First, one can't (as I was told) do a split deposit with the amount of funds I was bringing into the bank.  So, the senior person tried to sell me on a savings account to be used temporarily where I could get a bonus of maintaining $150k there for 90+ days.  One problem - they don't pay a reasonable rate on this type of account, and my money would be locked in for 90 days.  But I was weak, and focused only on the "free" $1k.  So in my weakness, I signed up for the deal.  Even though I'd get all of the benefits of being one of their "Private Client" customers, this would be a problem for me when I shut everything down.  I'd have to make sure to shut down the "Private Client" relationship, or I'd get charged $35/month.  OUCH!

Driving out of the bank, I regretted what I had done.  After a quick fast food lunch, I called Vicki, as I needed to talk to someone.  I didn't make a big mistake.  Just one that will cost me time sometime in the near future.  And it was enough to leave a bad taste in my mouth for the rest of the evening.

 

Lunch at the Gazebo with MSJ

 

I set up an Amazon order last night, knowing that I'd want to think about it before placing the order.  One thing I ordered was a yoga mat, so that I can do the exercises I'll need to rehabilitate my legs before I go on my cruise.  And it was the weakness in my legs that made itself apparent when I met with MSJ for lunch.

- - - - - -

This would be a day spent fully as Marian.  It was nice to present as a female again, after a weekend where I ended up presenting as a male due to yesterdays finalization of the house sale. So, I took my time getting ready after waking up, and cooked an egg for breakfast for the first time in a while.  After watching some videos, I got showered and dressed, and headed to the deli in town to pick up lunch.

MSJ met me a little after 1, and we headed over to Croton's Senasqua park, where we planned to eat under the gazebo there.  Unlike most days, it was busy there, and we had to look for an open bench before we could start with out lunches. (Out of 10 benches, only 2 were unoccupied.)  Once we sat down to eat, we got down to catching up on things.  I talked about my visits to the city, my cruises, and the house sale.  MSJ talked about family affairs, and difficulties with her business.  While we were chatting, town employees were setting up for a shindig occurring later in the day. One thing I mentioned was how several people took me as a cisgender female, and she was glad I had some validation.  What I didn't have the chance to mention was one conversation I had a while back in Shoprite, where a cisgender woman and I were talking about menopause, and I noted that I haven't had to worry about it for years.  😇

Around 3 pm, we left for our homes.  I ended up stripping off my dress and started to fall to sleep.  And then TCL called.  AARGH!  She wanted a review of the voice she used on her answering machine.  At least, the call was mercifully short, and I was able to take a nap until 6 pm.

- - - - - -

Tomorrow, I'll deal with the issue of depositing some checks at the bank, and switch back into Marian mode for the rest of the day. 

Selling the family homestead - At Last!

 

I could have found a picture of a mat asking whether the people at the doorway were missionaries or not.  But this one reflects my position on Covid during the darker days of the epidemic.

- - - - - -

RQS got up around 10 and found me in the living room watching TV.  I was not in the mood to bother her, and figured that if I left her place around noon, I'd be able to pick up my brother by 1 pm, and get to the law office for the closing by 2 pm.  While I was killing time, our attorney called - the closing was delayed 1 hour.  While on the phone,my brother called toe to say the same thing.  So I killed more time and picked him up at 2.

We did a last minute inspection of the house and threw out some garbage.  I grabbed a single outlet extension cord that I planned to use to connect my printer to a non switched outlet.  At 2:30, we left for the law office where the closing would be held.  And we were there just in time.

Real Estate closings are relatively simple, but require a lot of "I Dotting" and "T Crossing" to make sure that all items on a checklist are taken care of in the proper sequence.  And I was totally confused by the paper shuffling that went on.  Thank God that our lawyer knew what he was doing, and explained the things we needed to understand.

We were done with the closing by 4 pm, and made it to a nearby restaurant before 5.  And that's where the three of us (myself, my brother, and our lawyer) had a filling dinner.  All too soon, dinner had to end, and I was on my way back home.  Rush hour was over, and I could finally relax again.

- - - - - -

Tomorrow, I can get back to being Marian again and do things I want to do.  Additionally, I have to touch base with a financial advisor, and with the foreign birth registry to take care of the next steps in processes I've committed to.  

Shifting to RQS's place for convenience

 

Lately, I'm grateful that I use a cane (albeit mostly for security), as my legs have been giving out on me.  So, the decision to drive to RQS's place to spend Sunday evening and go to the closing on the family homestead the next day wasn't done lightly - it was a matter of practicality.  There was a much smaller chance of getting hung up in a traffic jam on the way to the closing when I didn't have to cross a bridge, and I knew I had to play these odds.

Knowing that parking spots on the correct side of the street would be scarce the later I looked for a spot in RQS's neighborhood.  On one side of her street, there is no parking on Mondays and Thursdays from 8 am to 11 am.  On the other, there is no parking on Tuesdays and Fridays during the same hours.  I would either have to get up, get showered and dressed and kill several hours, or I could sleep late and meet my brother at lunch time.  So, we left my place before noon, and found a good parking spot around 2 pm - about 600' from RQS's place.

Going up the stairs was painful, as my legs didn't want to cooperate with me.  But, with a little bit of use, they functioned acceptably.  Yet, I knew that I will need to do some exercises to strengthen some muscles to get my mobility back.  And I will need to do this before leaving for my next cruise, as I want to go on the shore excursions and not feel like a cripple.  At least, I was able to take a nap when I was upstairs.

When evening came, we ended up getting delivery from a nearby Thai joint.  The food was good, and I was ready to fall out again after dinner.  I'm growing less able to eat large meals on a regular basis, and have already started to cut down some.  Hopefully, I won't look like the lady in the photo above when I'm on my cruise....