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.... 

Starting a weekend at home (a short post)

 

There are times that I don't have much to say about myself, politics, cruising, or transgender related issues.  Today is one of those times.  And yet, I stumbled onto an ethical question brought up in the New York Times.  I'm glad that I wasn't caught between two generations with different values.

But first....

RQS arrived at the train station at the usual time, and we decided to eat out at a local pizzeria.  She had to be careful with what she chose to eat because a crown came off her tooth.  Although I could have had a steak, I chose to have a pasta dish, as I wanted something filling which would allow me to have leftovers for today's lunch.

After dinner, we drove to a local ice cream stand for something sweet, and then it was time to go home and strip.  One thing this T-Gal has in common with every cisgender female is that we feel comfortable when we remove our bras.  Unlike cisgender females, I have to make sure that my falsies are properly maintained.  But I digress....

The next day, we stayed inside all day.  YouTube videos occupied our day, and the only "work" I did was to move my ID and money from Marian's wallet to Mario's wallet, as we'd be driving to RQS's place so that I can go to the lawyer's office for the house sale on Monday.

As I said - this would be a short post, as I didn't have much to say.....

Lunch with Maria (in spite of the recent weather)

 

The above is certainly not a lunch for a summer's day.  But it does illustrate how full I felt after finishing off a chicken sandwich and a bowl of clam chowder at lunch.

But first....

Over the past few days, we had several inches of rain which caused major problems in the area.  Tuesday was the worst of it, with 6+ inches falling in my region, causing some small bridges to be washed out, some roads to get flooded, and some hillsides to fall onto local roads making them impassable.  On Wednesday, we still had a little rain, but all of the roads I needed to take to New Jersey and back were clear.  Today (Thursday), I had to deal with a sporadic light mist of rain on the way to Cold Spring to have lunch with Maria.  However, Maria had a much harder time to reach me, as the main road from her place to the restaurant we were to meet was closed.

 

In my area, there are 2 main roads on the East side of the Hudson River to reach Albany (our state capital): Route 9 (which is mostly a local road that connects communities along the river), and the Taconic State Parkway (a limited access, divided highway that parallels the river, but is more inland).  I live near Route 9, and use it to travel upstate (or, at least until I cross the Hudson to connect with the New York State Thruway (another limited access road, part of the US Interstate roadway network).  I had to leave Route 9 before the washout in order to reach the restaurant, while Maria had to take a detour.  So, she was a little bit late.

When Maria arrived, we were seated outside, under a large umbrella.  This would keep us dry in case of a light rain, and get drenched in case of a heavy rain.   It was a little of a crap shoot, but we chose outdoors seating and were lucky.  I told Maria of my issue with the foreign birth registry (among other things), and she told me of things going on with her family (her daughter is moving out of state), and more importantly - she is starting to date someone nice.  Yay!  We had the longest lunch we have had in a while, and I'm hoping that she and her boyfriend (?) can meet both RQS and I for dinner soon.

All too soon, we each had to go home. And when I got home, I had no energy to do much of anything.  But it was a good day.....

 

 

 

Thanks to RQS, I can get a needed document.

 

As I mentioned in a prior post, a bureaucrat ruined my day by telling me that I have to resubmit paperwork to be recorded in a Foreign Birth Registry.  Today, with the help of my partner, RQS, I was able to locate a record requested by the bureaucrat and request it from NYC bureau of vital records.

But first....

I didn't get much sleep last night because of the email I received from the overseas bureaucrat.  So, when I finally woke up this morning, I had only gotten 3 hours of sleep.  This wouldn't be enough to make it through the day, but it would be enough to see RO in Parsippany, NJ for lunch.

Parsippany, NJ is one of New York City's suburban communities, not known for much other than a highway or two, as well as a shopping center and some strip malls.  For us, the town is a midpoint between the Poconos and the Hudson Valley, and a convenient place to have lunch now and then.  And it is in Parsippany that one of the very few remaining Fuddrucker's franchises stands.  We both love their burgers, and will occasionally meet at Fudd's for our lunches.

Both of us reached Fudd's at the same time, and ordered our burgers.  Then, the catching up on life started.  I talked about the sale of the family homestead, my upcoming cruise(s), and the status of the foreign birth registry.  It was nice to see RO, but the time to leave came way too soon.  So, we made a date for September, and then went on our way.

- - - - - -

On the way home, I chatted with TCL, and she wondered why I didn't suggest getting together.  I mentioned that I was in Marian Mode, and didn't think she'd be comfortable seeing me as Marian.  Eventually, I made it home and was able to take a nap for a couple of hours.

Next, it was time to go to dinner with Vicki.  So I put my dress back on and drove to Yorktown Heights to meet Vicki at a restaurant where one of her friends was performing.  I was running late, but got to the place on time.  Vicki complimented me on the dress I was wearing, Part of our conversation involved the quality of my feminine presentation, and how she respects the effort I make in that presentation.  Although the food served was decent (both of us ordered Caesar Salad w. Chicken), I'm not sure if I'd order the dish again.  Then I mentioned how my appetite has changed lately, and Vicki noticed that I lost a few pounds.  I mentioned my health issues, and that I'll be discussing them with my doctor in August. All too soon, it was time to go, so we parted ways. 

- - - - - -

Later in the evening, I had my nightly call with RQS.  I told her of the problem locating official NYC records for the foreign birth registry.  She found the record I was looking for, and made it possible for me to order the paperwork I needed to send to the registry.  (Now, I have something to talk to Maria about when I see her tomorrow.) 

Even though RQS got the smallest amount of space in today's entry, she made my day!  And now, I can proceed to get the paperwork needed for the foreign birth registry.... 

 

 

PS: My Grandmother and Grandfather (not my biological grandfather) got their marriage license at the end of one year, and got married the next day in a local church.  It must have been unusual in the 1940's to have a Protestant marry a Catholic in those days.  Too bad that my grandmother didn't save any pictures from that day.     

 

 

Installing a Door Knocker (a short post)

 

OK, this is not going to be a long post today.  I have too much on my mind to talk about my day, or about the big issues that occupy my mind these days.  Instead, I'd like to talk about something simple: How should people announce their arrival when delivering things such as a hot pizza?

- - - - - -

When my apartment building was constructed, the doorbell buttons were placed below the mailboxes on the main landing.  This is not intuitive for most people.  So, I placed a new doorbell button near my front door - and no one knew to ring me.  All they could do was knock on my door - and I couldn't hear it from my bedroom.  So, I decided to buy a door knocker.

The first door knocker I bought was way too big for my door, a star shaped knocker that measured 8" x 4" from top to bottom and side to side.  The minute I saw it, I knew it wasn't right for me.  So I decided to go to Home Depot and Lowe's to find something I could put on my door.  Well, Home Depot no longer carries these items in its stores, and the only one at Lowe's cost $70.  There was no way I'd spend that kind of money on something that would rarely be used.  So, it was back to Amazon to order a new knocker.

Two days later, the new knocker came to my place.  And I decided to install it during an afternoon where I'd be at home for the day.  I was lucky to have a cheap drill to put new holes in my door.  But it was a pain to screw the knocker onto the door, as the "Knocking ring" (whatever you want to call the piece hanging from the lion's mouth) got in the way of screwing the screws into the door.  AARGH!  But I got this job done in two separate attempts, and not have something which should make a loud enough sound when someone's at the door. 

 

 

PS: Today's post reminds me of a joke from the movie "Young Frankenstein."  In one scene, Gene Wilder is looking at Teri Garr's breasts and the giant door knocker nearby, and says "What Knockers!?!"  Leave it to Mel Brooks to slip a joke like this into his films.