22 September 2024

Writer is somewhat ready to do this. It has been almost 10 days since something has been put forth from The Hermitage. She is going to assure you ALL that we are ALL still breathing, ALL still functioning and ALL still full of hope. With that said, most of the dozen or more bruises have dissipated. IcyHot is still working on the shoulders, hot showers on backs AND AdvilPM to help us sleep. 

Organizer "thought" she had everything under control, AND for the most part she did. AND does. No one is complaining, but SHE is, at times, distraught at how slowly things are going. WE ALL remind her that she needs to practice patience. ALL of this has been "collected" for at LEAST 50 years! We can't just deal with it in a few days. We've tried to remind her to calm down. There is a yellow post-it we found in a box that is helping, to a point. This is what is written on it, "Sometimes we need to become frustrated to make a breakthrough in our thinking. It's part of the process." WE also take breaks when we are at a breaking point. Sometimes it is a walk. Sometimes it is a phone call. Sometimes it is just standing outside. Financier and Banker remind us that we are now saving over $200.00 a month, and it's ALL going to be okay. 

There was NOwhere to sit in The Hermitage the first little while. AND there were slim trails from the front door to the kitchen, WHICH we could barely get to the sink. Chef hasn't been able to cook. Baker hasn't even thought of working. ALTHOUGH BOTH have found some COOL things they'd forgotten ALL about! THAT was interesting. They also found that now we not only have duplicates of most things, BUT quadruplicate of many things. They have decided to part with MANY things. Maids finally cleared a way to the fridge, and garage. That is a bonus. 

Zoophilist went with Chauffeur to the old homelands to take 6 huge bags of blankets, towels, pillows, etc. to the animal shelter that was begging for donations. The roads and streets in the old homelands are NOT the same. Chauffeur didn't get lost, but questioned the madness over there. 

Laundress has done several loads of laundry.

Kitchen and Scullery Maids have washed SO many dishes, silverware, Tupperware, ETC! Chef and Baker are NOT on strike, but doing the minimum. 

Gardener took a much needed break and mowed the lawn and watered by hand. 

Correspondent had Chauffeur take her to the post office to mail a birthday card and some notes of appreciation. While in line she asked the people in front of her what was in the five white boxes they were sending off. She knew they were birds, as the boxes had that. She was told they were "racing pigeons" worth several thousand dollars and on their way to the Philippines. On the ride home she and Chauffeur discussed the many things people spend their money and time on. ALL of us have our own issues, and we see others have them too, they are just more expensive. 

Builder and Landscaper saw some French Doors in the back of a trailer. Chauffeur stopped to inquire and found that they were indeed going to the trash. ALL of the windows were intact and the doors would be perfect for the three-sided building Builder and Landscaper want to erect in the backyard. The guy said we could have them for $50.00, and we thanked him and said it was okay. We just wanted to "save" them from a death at the dump. After visiting with him for about an hour, he said we could have them for free. Perfect! Queen's youngest would be somewhat impressed.

Those responsible for items in 2-4 drawer files, and 1-2 drawer file, emptied out the files to be used as planters and have been going through the arduous task of going through each file. They were ALL astonished that some of these papers, magazine articles, newspaper articles, ETC., ETC., ETC., were at least 50 years old! AND WHY DID WE KEEP THEM?!?!?! The things they found brought back memories, hopes, dreams, plans, and much more. ALL for naught. NONE of these hopes, dreams, plans, ETC., have come to fruition. Architect drew many house plans, which never happened. Crafter, Painter, Seamstress, Quilter, Crocheter, Knitter, Organizer, ETC., haven't done ANY of these things. A break was needed. 

We thought of ALL of the things that were SO important 50 years ago. NONE of those things are important at all now. All are basically meaningless. Time has taken its toll and are nothing now. We are all alone in The Hermitage. There is no one really who "cares" about any of this "stuff" and we have found that because no one else cares, we don't either. We have come to a point where we are getting rid of everything that ever meant something and replacing it with things that mean nothing. That way, somewhere in the distant future...hopefully WAY distant, it will be easy to just toss everything out. It is meaningless. 

All of this has caused us to have mental, emotional and physical distress and agony. AND take another much needed break. 

We have learned that some boxes don't need to be opened at this time. They are boxes that were filled in 1996, moved to Missouri, NEVER opened and then moved to storage in 2008, AND NOW they are here...with ALL of their memories. We opened one box and it had all of the little dresses Seamstress made for Queen's daughter's from the time they were born until she made baptism dresses when they were 8. The box was closed. What to do? We don't know. Another box had fireman turnouts one of the boys must have used for Halloween one year. Also the youngest son's bright yellow M.C. Hammer parachute pants! More memories and the box was closed. 

Sometimes two walks are needed. Since Chef isn't working on cooking, we try to remember to eat. We do remember to drink our water. We rest and take breaks. We remind ourselves that this isn't a race and it doesn't have to be done RIGHT NOW! 

Disciple has done a LOT of praying for ALL of us in The Hermitage. She knows the pains we are dealing with. Some mental, some physical, many emotional. MANY. Some of us pray with her. Some of us cry. ALL of us are thinking about life...and death. Three friends died within a week. One funeral was attended. The other two are at the end of the month and beginning of next month. Disciple has a LOT of conversations with those on the other side. Especially those who are the highest. She knows that all of this has happened according to His will and timing. We don't know the future, BUT we KNOW that HE KNOWS! He knows what the future holds and is preparing us for that. We are thankful to know that Disciple is strong and focused on the things of God and what is happening. 

Employee went to lunch with a friend she's had for almost 40 years! That was a welcome break. It was GREAT to visit and just talk about things. She is a great friend.

Grandmomma had another break and diversion with the youngest grandson. His parents were celebrating their 16th wedding anniversary. Saturday morning Chauffeur took us to Hemenway Park in Boulder City and saw the wild Big Horn Sheep.  He is SO like Zoophilist. He SO wanted to pet them. He had to be reminded that they are WILD animals and that they can and will butt you with those horns! So he patiently watched them and hoped they would come and eat out of his hand. They did not. They are not crazy. The wild donkeys on they other hand would do that, but they are on the other side of town.  We went to the marina's and fed the ducks, mud hens, striper, and carp. We had a LOT of science lessons, as well as lessons on all sorts of things. When we went over to Boulder Beach, he learned about the area between the hard part of the earth and the MUSHY part, as he sunk to his knees in the goo. Oddly enough, this was one of his favorite parts of the day. 

Fashionista has been reunited with clothes that no longer fit, and dozens of pairs of shoes, some that she hasn't ever worn! AND the heels are SO HIGH! Holy cow! We are wondering IF she should even wear them!!! Could be dangerous! She is wild though, so we shall see.

Each box brings some interesting surprises. One box had a black notebook. Inside the cover it said, "Elder Gunderson, St Louis Mission." We have things that belong to each of Queen's children. We have found things that belonged to Queen's parents! We've found things that belonged to Queen's King...How did WE become the keeper of the treasures?!?! We have NO clue. Except that they left The Hermitage and WE were left to deal with things. AND not wanting to deal with any of it, we put it in a box...and now we have to deal with it. Like it or not.

Financier and Banker wish they knew how to sell things online. They are also checking out a consignment place not far from The Hermitage. 

All of us are ready to simplify the lives in The Hermitage. It is interesting that most people spend their lives gathering, collecting, saving, embracing, ETC., and WHY?!?! Now we are spending our lives getting rid of all of it.

We are thankful to know that God knows us and what the future holds. 

We are thankful He is looking out for us and preparing us.

We are thankful for the help so freely given to get to this point.

We are thankful for progress.

We are thankful there is a bigger picture. 

We are thankful to know the bigger picture.

We know we are loved.

We know we have been through FAR hard trials and challenges and survived. 

We know this too shall pass. 

We are SO BLESSED!!!

 13 September 2024 FRIDAY THE 13th!!! WOOHOO!!!

Writer hasn't written in awhile as we have been extremely busy at The Hermitage.

This "could" be a long write, as there is SO much involved and it "could" reasonably cover 35 years. BUT alas, she will try to sum up.

Life is messy. Never let anyone tell you otherwise. AND when you "think" something is the way it should be, more often than not, it makes unexpected turns. 

In the last 35 years we have left what we knew. Regrouped several times. Got back on track, only to be derailed several times. A few months ago, the kids were over for dinner and left this sage advice. "Stay in your own lane. Mind your own business." However, it seems that there are times when you are in your own lane, minding your own business, doing exactly what you should be doing AND someone sideswipes you! Throwing the status quo completely OFF! AND it wasn't YOUR fault, OR, YOUR choice!. Nevertheless, you keep rolling on. NOT like anything didn't happen, but you dust yourself off, keep going, and make the most of it. We have learned SO much!

Well, in the last 35 years we were sideswiped countless times by others. Because of this, ALL of us in The Hermitage were afraid to make any decisions as we were afraid of the outcome. SO, we were putting up with things, dealing with things, and trying our best to keep the ship afloat. 

We've learned about plans. Ours vs God's. His is ALWAYS the right plan. When our plan went out the window in 1986, we were devastated, distraught, frustrated, panicked, suicidal, and much more. Everything we thought we knew no longer made sense, and it seemed as though nothing really mattered anymore. We didn't care about life, as it seemed meaningless. We were lost and had four children to mother. 

Disciple was the one who tried to make things make sense. She put up a scripture--Proverbs 3:5-6. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” We had to start somewhere AND that is where we started. We had NO CLUE what was going on or why for several years, but kept going...on trust. 

Then we learned about timing. God's timing. We learned there was a time for everything, a purpose, and a reason. Trust God. Trust the timing. Check out Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.  

Life went on. We bought a new Hermitage built in 1895. A HUGE Hermitage. AN awesome Hermitage. Six bedrooms, three floors above a full basement. Victorian. The works. We loved it. BUT life went on and changed in multiple ways. 

We made a decision in 2008 and left this HUGE empty Hermitage. Packed everything up with the help of about 35 people and put it all in a 53' semi. Then everything went in storage for what was only supposed to be about 6 months at the most. That 6 months turned into 16 years. ALL of us in The Hermitage could sympathise with Maureen O'Hara in The Quiet Man when she married and said "I just want my things about me." For years we have wanted our things. All of our things. But the timing wasn't right. Something was always amiss. 

Then last month Organizer got things figured out. Disciple was off for two weeks at the Temple. Weather was good up there. Cousins were able to help. So, Chauffeur got the carriage ready and on Friday, September 6th she drove us up to Payson, Utah. We stayed with our cousin. Then on Saturday, at 9 we picked up a 26' Penske truck and drove to the storage unit. It took 8 of us less than 6 hours to load the truck, counting the time we took to eat pizza, visit, laugh and enjoy the company we were with. Half of us were over 70 or close to it. The others in their 30's or 40's we think. Those of us in The Hermitage were emotional and SO thankful to get this done. Curtis, the obvious "Tetris Master," and Charisse filled every nook and cranny. Absolutely amazing! The rest of us loaded dollies and Bruce and Mike ran them up and down the ramp from the storage to the truck. Efficiency at its finest!!!

There are many ways to show love, TIME is one of the biggest ways. When you give of your time, you are giving all and showing the greatest love ever. ALL of us in The Hermitage are deeply indebted to and give THANKS to Bruce, Charisse, Debbie, Curtis, Mikol, Mike, AJ. YOU ALL are the heroes of all of us in The Hermitage.

We played Farkle many times. Spent Sunday doing Family History with Debbie. We stayed up WAY too late, laughed and talked about life and lives. Farmer helped feed the chickens. Gardener helped sprayed weed killer on the yard. We went to have "Utah" Chinese food. We felt like a burden had been lifted. We felt like we were free from trials of the past. We could feel the cover of that book being closed.

Jessica and Jason came up from Cedar on Monday morning and Jason drove the truck back to Vegas. Chauffeur followed Jessica.

As Chauffeur headed down the on ramp getting on the 15 southbound, ALL of us in the carriage cried. We cried for several miles. We are SO grateful. Disciple prayed and gave thanks for everything that happened, how it happened, the timing, the help, the amazing family we belong to. She prayed that all of those who helped would be blessed in their lives and health. We were back in Vegas at 4:30. Jason unloaded a few BIG things, then they left to be back with their children. 

Tuesday was TOO smokey outside from the California fires, so we all stayed in The Hermitage most of the morning, taking care of things inside and arranging things. Angelo came over and moved much of the BIG stuff off the truck, leaving just a couple of big things. Some of us took boxes in since the wind came up and blew the smoke somewhere else. WE HATE the wind here, BUT that was a godsend! Jenny came by and helped with stuff that still needed to be put away before we quit at 9. 13,627 steps.
We have learned that Advill PM is our "friend." THANK YOU Angelo and Jenny.

Wednesday we had help from an AWESOME stranger who's in-laws live at the end of the street, the neighbor next door, Lora, as well as friends from Church, Colleen and Don, and Gina. The sister missionaries borrowed cookie sheets...and then brought cookies over. Another neighbor brought over frozen mangoes! OH MY GOSH!!! We'd never had them, but they were amazing! She also brought dinner over for those of us in The Hermitage! 8,981 steps.

By 4 PM on Thursday the truck was unloaded and swept out. Thank you to Lora, Dennis and Dave!!! Then another hero from Church, Garrick (Paula) Burden helped us take everything into The Hermitage, garage, and back patio. He moved so fast and was so amazing! It is done. The kitchen is filled. The living room is filled. We probably have two dozen chairs, etc. and nowhere to sit. HAHAHA...kind of a drag. 12,911 steps.

Organizer did a great job. We have amazing family and friends! We have opened and worked with things in at least 3 dozen boxes today. We have learned which ones to open and which ones to deal with later. We found that there are MANY boxes that came from Vegas, to Missouri, to Payson and back to Vegas that have NEVER been opened since 1996!!! THOSE we don't want to deal with at this time. They have "memories" in them that brought tears today...although some brought laughter. We've found random stashes of money in boxes. We found a real shark in a bottle. We have NO IDEA who that belongs to yet. We found 6 Christmas trees in 6 different boxes ranging from 2' tall to 7' tall! We already had two ironing boards and two irons here at The Hermitage, BUT in storage there were two more ironing boards, a steamer, and three more irons! AND the only two who use an iron are Seamstress and Quilter!!! We had two waffle irons here at The Hermitage, and now another one. We found LVHS swim team and football team gear. We found dresses Seamstress made for the girls when they were growing up. We found M.C. Hammer pants from the 90's! We found birdhouses that Artist painted. We've found treasures lost long ago, and now found. Every box has at least one surprise in it, IF NOT MORE! It IS Christmas in The Hermitage. We have EVERYTHING we ever wanted and more. We are blessed. AND because we have SO much more than we need, we have been giving things away. Clothes that no longer fit, but are back in style. We would LOVE to fit into them, but don't see that happening in the near future. We have huge bags of towels, pillows, and blankets ready to go to the animal shelter. We are sorting things for the garage sale, DI, kids, etc. 

Angelo drove the truck back today and Chauffeur followed. That is done! 

We've found that we have multiple bruises on our legs, today we have shin splints, AND we have a black eye from a board that fell. We really DO NOT think we are cut out to go into the moving business AND hope this is the end of our moving episode. 

Tomorrow Laundress is going to have to get a handle on washing ALL sorts of things. The counters are full, so Kitchen and Scullery Maids will be busy with things in there. Organizer is reorganizing cupboards and cabinets. Disciple will be going to a funeral in the morning. 

So this is the short story, the "sum up" of the last 35 years. Writer left out the difficult parts and gave some of the rest. Life is NEVER normal in The Hermitage and won't be for months. BUT we have our "things about us" and we are moving forward. We have NO idea what the future holds, but we know we have survived things we never thought we would. We know we have loving family and friends. This storm has passed. This part of our book is shut. A new chapter lies ahead. We don't know what, BUT Disciple knows that GOD knows and has prepared us for whatever it is. We have peace in The Hermitage. We have hope. We have been SO blessed!!!