3 Grumpkins Sittin' on a Bench

Here we are, the "3 Grumpkins", sitting on the bench just watching the leaves blow and feeling the ice crystals dancing on the breezes that swirl around our yard.

UGH! :=(

Why are we grumpy? Because it seems that scooting weather is coming to a close for the season and Squirt is now in the storage unit preparing for her winter nap.

Oh, my! What will we do with ourselves? We are really gonna miss her!

But we've got a gig on Halloween night, doncha know...

We're going to sit out here on this bench and frighten away the ghosties and goblins and winter ghouls so that the little children can go around the apartments and get candy and popcorn and all sorts of goodies in their sacks.

Pretty good work for a bunch of dried up ol' Punkin Heads, eh?

HEY YOU! Yeah, we're talkin' to you: BOO!!!

And have a HAPPY HALLOWEEN, ya hear?

Pretty Day in the Burbs

Not far down from my apartment complex I found an access road to a pretty plat of homes along 2 lane rural roads and side streets with cul-de-sacs.

It was 75 degrees, sunny, and a balmy autumn day. So nice for a little ride...

Another view down a peaceful side street...

And another...

Here's a "deer warning" sign next to an open field that stretches for acres.

Who knew "the country" was so close to my own doorstep?

Saw a lot of motorcycle riders. Unlike in "the country", no one waved back. Ho hum.

Hey, this burb scootin' is not so bad after all!

Looking forward to more joy rides this week with warm temps in the forecast...

Quick Zip = Lousy Trip

Around my neighborhood this afternoon on the scooter.

And I mean "quick".

No photos, nothing.

No time for THAT.

Just constant glances in the rear view mirrors, to the right, to the left.

The constant threat of cars everywhere!

Did I enjoy ANY scenery? No.

Did I relax, enjoy the ride? No.

Do I look forward to going out again tomorrow? Hell no.

What I DID feel is that I took my life in my hands today just to get in a 30 minute scooter ride.

I am so sad. I have lost the joy of scooter riding as I knew it.

I don't know what this means for my scooter riding future or if there even is one.

Right now I feel as if I've lost more than I've gained by moving here.

I lost my job, almost lost my dog, and now lost my scootering joy that got me through times like these.

Things are not going well...

And yes, I'll have some cheese with my whine...:=)

Changes

Here we are, sitting in our new scootin' digs! This will be my first day to take a ride around the area later this afternoon as it has rained or I have been super busy dealing with the last details of settling in the new place.

What an adventure getting here! A week ago Sunday I rode Squirt down (or over, depending on how you look at the map) from the county where I had lived for 6 years and into THIS county now which I called home for over 10 years before that.

I am here and I'm not going ANYWHERE! LOL

The 57 mile ride along the back roads of southern Ohio was fabulous! I started out around 12:30pm and I arrived here around 3:30pm. Yes, I meandered along on my 49cc, but I stopped along the way for "butt rests" and half-way through for lunch and hot chocolate!

No kidding! It was COLD riding in 60 degree temps out in the country! At least to start out. By the time I got into the second half of the journey I was warming up and starting to relax and enjoy the scenery.

By the time I got into the burbs of Cincinnati in Clermont County I was hitting roads that were two lane with little or no shoulder and I did find a few cars on the road on this Sunday who rode my hi viz hiney a bit too close for comfort. I just pulled over into drive ways or on to side streets to let them go by. It worked ok.

Here is the last photo I took out of Adams County as I departed the area:

It is a pretty autumn scene of the reservoir in Winchester, Ohio. A place I enjoyed scooting to on some of my lunch rides over the years.

I'm going to miss those bucolic rides, but I am really excited about some of the adventures I am going to have down here too!

Within the last week some other changes occurred too. We had quite a scare on Wednesday when we almost lost our Maxi, "Co-Pilot Extraordinaire":

She became very ill overnight and I rushed her to our new vet, howling in pain. She had a blocked urinary tract and had to have emergency surgery and her kidneys shut down due to the blockage. We were beside ourselves with worry, but she had the surgery and came out all right. She is such a trooper, that girl!

She came home the next day and I've been her bedside nurse ever since. Right now she is wanting to go full tilt and jump and run, but the leash is out and the Dog Mom is holding on to her to keep her as quiet and calm as possible.

She is doing fantastic and we are grateful beyond belief.

Also, our new vet examined our Tree Walker hound and told us he is NOT "terminally ill" with cancer as our previous vet clinic did in August. She examined him and said he is healthy and the tumor can be removed easily. We plan to do that and he is back home here and adjusting really well to apartment life. Just amazing...

If that weren't enough, I lost my job yesterday and I won't post the details, but suffice it to say that we will somehow be ok and I will find something that I enjoy and that will be fulfilling. Strangely I am not worried. Some endings can be better than we anticipate.

So that's my update to changes in my scootin', dog-lovin' world!

We are loving living here and I look forward to posting some ride reports and pics within the month of October, at least.

Then comes the cold and Squirt goes over to storage for the winter.

Maybe it will be a mild one again and I can get a few "putts" in on the scooter and on the golf course!

Finally!

As of last Saturday night, we are finally sleeping in the apartment! Hurray! I made two trips out to the almost empty farm house these past two days and we have one more trip to make on Saturday. Then on Sunday I plan to ride my scooter across two counties to this location. About 50 miles.

It is quite an adjustment to go from a house to a 1.5-ish bedroom apartment. The biggest issue is that our kitchen has very little cabinet space. We are having to get really creative in order to set it up for even light snacks and meals.

But we will figure it out.

Otherwise, it is so nice to be so close to everything and to see people on a daily basis.

Here where we live there are lots of dogs. We have 4 plus my Walker hound who is terminally ill with cancer. We are hoping to see him gently over to the end when it comes. I can't say that managing this many dogs in an apartment is easy. It's not.

But we are getting lots of walking in that we never got to do in the country setting where we lived. I think I will lose weight here quickly and get even more fit than I was when I lived here before.

Am I happier? Mostly.

I am in that strange psychological middle place where I am no longer part of my old life yet not part of any life here. I went from "burb girl" to "country girl" and now back to "burb girl".

I know I have changed since I lived here 6 years ago. I became a "country woman" out in the wilds of that county. As to whether, or how, (or who) I will become I do not yet know. I've had a few tearful, reflective moments wondering if I will ever get over this transition.

Here there is noise, exhaust fumes, constant traffic versus total silence, fresh air, and virtually no cars.

Sometimes out there I would hear the clomping of horse hooves on the pavement from the passing Amish buggies. I always enjoyed that throw back experience to a simpler time.

I loved looking at the stars in a clear night sky as well. Here the suburban lights obliterate any viewing of even one star.

As for scooting here, that I do not know either. I have seen no scooters at all and very few motorcycles. This immediate area is heavy traffic congestion, 24/7.

On the Met I will be forced to ride on the side of the road like a bike most of the time or get creamed. It certainly won't be a relaxing experience in the least. My alternative is to go to a larger scooter or motorcycle and ride in traffic.

Neither option appeals to me right now.

I see pictures of the places I used to ride and I feel a sad longing, like leaving an old friend that I will never see again.

I am in a "letting go" place right now.

Moving Update: Draggin' My...

...cup of java around this morning in the almost empty house in the country!

We're at that point in the move where we're are still sleeping here and our clothes, shoes, and kitchen stuff are down in the apartment 50 miles away. We are using plastic forks and knives from Mickey D and plastic picnic plates.

We're also eating only take-out, which around here means Subway foot longs and McDonald's breakfasts. There's pop and snacks around if you can dig through the clutter and find them. Usually I am too tired to care!

But, hey, it's a bunch of FUN!

Still got our TVs and beds and dog children all out here and we can still take a shower out here so it's all good!

And about "scaling down" to move? Wow! We are really having to scale down and purge our stuff, but we are finding it to be liberating and really a plus.

Maybe by this weekend we will have our dogs, beds, bathroom shower curtain, TVs, and such down there for sleeping. That is the plan.

My scooter is still out here and I am going to scoot down one day and take it to a friend's garage half way the distance until we can get it down the other way. I have to coordinate rides on both legs of the journey.

Lots to move out still, but it is past the "rough stuff" of clearing and cleaning out.

At some point brawny nephews will move our big furniture items down for us.

Got no photos to share about all this, sorry.

The little creature above pretty much sums up how I feel right now....

Pooped!

Easy Livin' Comin' Up...

We've been running back and forth these last few days taking things down to a big storage unit and taking measurements of the floor plan in our apartment. It's been a busy time, but exciting!

We are on the first floor, corner apartment with a small undercover patio deck on the back. We will be able to do some landscaping off of our deck and also to add rails, steps, any set-up that suits us. We can even choose to go in and out of our apartment off the back porch if we so choose. Here is a pic of the "raw" outside:

Another angle showing where I plan to park my scooter until colder weather. It's in front of the window where my friend is standing. This window is right outside where I will be sleeping, so I could hear anyone trying to steal her. This is a safe neighborhood, so I hope to not have that experience, but it is a nice precaution.

Here is one direction from our apartment. This is a green, landscaped, pretty walking area. The best part is that I don't have to mow or trim it! That is Maxi, Co-Pilot Extraordinaire, in the foreground:

Another angle the other direction toward what is called the "courtyard". We lived in a second floor apartment here, in the opposite building, for 10 years before moving to the country house. Maxi knows this as her puppy hood home. For me, it feels like home too. I love it here:

Our little "naked" kitchen with breakfast bar:

My "built-in" office area (they must have known I worked out of my home!):

The exterior yard area has lots of shade trees, offering a pleasant outdoor experience both morning and evening. Plus we will have a pool to enjoy in the summer months.

My scooter will winter in our storage unit next door and my local Honda/Yamaha Power Sports dealer is about 5 miles away. Plus there is a Harley store about 1/10 mile up the road where I can hang out and drool and buy gear.

My partner will drive 10 minutes to work, instead of an hour. I will still work out of my home office, but drive out into the country to serve clients, as I did when living out there.

We can easily get to the zoo, aquarium, concerts, restaurants, dog parks, golf courses, bike trails, scooter club events, museums, the arts, and THE COUNTRY within a few minutes.

I can scoot out my door to wonderful markets,grocery stores, malls, and anything else you can imagine as they are all minutes away.

These things many of you take for granted, I know. But for us, we have lived in rural isolation for the past 6 years. It was 10 miles to the nearest dollar store and you looked out your window and porch and saw nothing but trees and an occasional deer or rabbit. You had to drive everywhere to get anywhere for anything.

Now that is nice for awhile, but after awhile it works on a person's mind and spirit. Moving out of there for me is like getting out of solitary confinement.

Picture Tom Hanks finally getting off that island and it is feels similar to me!

Friday I get the key and we start to set up our household as "Burb Girls".

Will 49cc cut it in the burbs or will I get my keester run off the road and be shopping 125-150cc in the spring?

Time will tell, as it always does...

A Perfect Home

One of my two dogs that must be adopted out for the move, Rascal, found a perfect home last night. I interviewed a bunch but these kind souls and their cute Shit Zu brothers became my Rascal's new family.

He has a big fenced in back yard, a dog park and walking trails out back, and wonderful dog-centered parents who plan to lavish him with love and care.

I am so grateful to this kind couple for giving him a loving, forever home.

STUFF...Packin' It Up

STUFF. Too much of it! That's what I am all about right now.

Room by room, cupboard by cupboard, box by box. It seems to go on and on.

I hate moving, but I love getting out of here!

Where will this go or that go? Do we really need this anymore, or at all?

The garbage pile, the Good Will pile, the storage unit pile, the apartment pile.

Take these to the library donation shelf, these to the curb, this to the dump.

Just when I think I've made some progress, there is more STUFF.

Ouch!

Squirt is sick! No, really "ailing" sick. Something is wrong with her front fork and the guy from the little rural Honda Power Sports shop is supposed to stop by and look at her this week. Luckily she is still under warranty.

What is happening is that as soon as I sit on her, the front fork suspension "bottoms out". It is the weirdest thing. And no, I am not THAT heavy, so that's not it!

She just started doing this and I can think of nothing that has brought it on. I did not hit any cavernous pot holes or jump any ditches or gulleys.

Or not that I can remember!

I've got to get her up and running because in two weeks I will need to ride her 55 miles to the west into the burbs of the city to her new home.

Woe is me!!!