Scooter Saga

"Earl," I asked one day, "do you need your computer?"  I sometimes use his because it has a bigger screen and, being closer to the wi–fi router, it can be a bit faster than mine. "Why–are you going to sell it?" "Ha, Ha.  Very funny." Earl calls me the "Craigslist Queen" (I also have an Ebay account) for a reason.  I'm not very remarkable on my feet, but when there is something to sell on a computer, I'm a whiz.  I'll sell anything that's no longer useful (to me) , rather than store it.  I've discovered, being home a lot, there is stuff here that goes unused, is taking up space, but may be of value to someone else.  I'm not immune, but look at the notion of 'saving things for a rainy day' as a trap just waiting to spring. We bought two scandinavian design youth chairs for our grandchildren.  We wanted them to join us at all indoor and outdoor dining tables, but didn't want a high chair look...

View from the 'Hood' (pardon the pun). All the photos were taken 10/16/2014, either on our street or one street over. Autumn is coming!  I love that transition time from Summer to Fall.  The leaves begin to turn, but you still get the colors of both seasons.  The floral abundance declines, sharing the stage with rock wall plantings.  I can just see more of everything (mountains, clouds, neighboring houses) when the summer foliage thins.  Fall comes with brisk temperatures and fresh-smelling air, but it's also potentionally hazardous for Skeeter and me.  I was scooting along at the tail end of our glorious summer, when I heard a horrendous sound coming from under Skeeter.  No, not that kind of sound.  Besides, being inanimate, she can't do that .  I had run over a tree branch, which then got wedged in the wheels.  Fortunately not too wedged, so I was able to extract the branch and continue on.  However, it was a reminder...

One would think this household merger didn't involve the needs of Earl and Michael; it's all about me and Heidi.  Well, that's true, but she and I are halves (granted, the better half) of a married couple.  For the most part, the four of us agree about the upsides and downsides of co-habitation.  But I started thinking, there must be unique concerns to the other half. Full disclosure:   Heidi's and my ataxia aside, this is a traditional, financially solvent household (that is no small deal) .  We are two women married to two working, salaried men who leave the house before 8 am and usually return before 6 pm.  That said, the marriages have historically been fairly equitable.  Both men shop, clean, cook and take direction.  Actually, Michael does more cleaning; Earl does more cooking. Heidi and Michael have been together 20 years.  Getting to housemate know another person (even a son-in-law) is the more salient issue.  Even though ...

What happens when you have two women, one house, two housekeepers, one personal assistant and different ways of doing things?  It could be contentious, but so far, it hasn't been.  The significant thing is that Heidi and I have help to share.  Casa de Schuman is no 'South Fork', but the house is well laid out, compartmentalized and lends itself to separate living.  We are pretty adaptable and anticipated an adjustment period going into this merger.  Heidi and I may be driving Sandie and the housekeepers crazy, but we're doing fine.  The really interesting phenomenon is that even with more bodies and traffic, she and I do a better job staying on top of daily order than before. I've had the same housekeeper for 18 years; it's a personal relationship.  The good news is, she's younger than me.  The bad news is, she isn't a good deal younger than me and deals with the usual aches and pains of midlife.  However, I'm fortunate to be retired ...