Melody Johnson

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

dragging it all out

Every day I think, I am almost finished. And then I realize that half of moving is putting the stuff away in the new house. So I have spent many of my days since the last post, doing that. Today I got my bookshelf to put away my books.

It's one of those that just unfolds and snaps into place. I 'intalled and filled it' in ten minutes. O, I know that it is now top heavy and those big heavy books will get rearranged, but I just wanted to get the boxes out of the room and feel accomplished.

Today I also brought over all the garden stuff from the previous house, three hoses, rakes, shovels, weeders, bird feeders and shepherds hook, planters and ditsy small stuff.

My yard is a mess. NOT from me, but from the flipper who tossed his garbage into the yard and let the leaves hide it all until the wind picked up. Broken concrete, rocks, shoes, frisbees, bottles, a gazillion branches and a used paint roller. What a jerk. My lawn guy says he will clean this all up with his crew, because "I am a rich lady" and I guess I am, considering I don't want to pick it all up myself.

On the good side, I seem not to have any Bermuda grass, where grass is actually growing, which to me is a miracle. Bermuda grass turns brown in the winter and in the spring it invades where it is not wanted. Horrid stuff. So I must have enough shade to keep the fescue green even in our hot summers.

Now that I am no longer a caregiver, my social life has blown up. I see friends at church and they follow me home, and drop by with stuff to eat or gladly take my giveaways. I've been invited to lunch several times and I was able to accept the invitations, which is just a thrill.

I'm thinking about having the interiors painted, and my brother in law has installed new interior doors, which he will paint when he returns from seminary next week. I got paint chips yesterday at Lowe's, but this picture doesn't do the vibrancy justice. I was making a shadow, I think. Anyway it is delicious color and we'll see how it looks on the walls in a few weeks.

Also my counter top icemaker arrived and I am still waiting for the ice to form. It is supposed make ice in nine minutes and it has been running for an hour. If it doesn't work soon, I am going to send it back. I bought a used one from Amazon, so that may be the problem. My fridge that I got from FB Marketplace has an icemaker but nobody was able to make it work and it is probably something in the computer, which is so not helpful.

I am not going to get my undies in a bundle over these little things. My days are filled with so much happiness and gratitude that the things I have mentioned in this post don't seem to puncture my balloon of joy.

OK two more things. I have a nearby Walmart and I happened to see a tub of Marketside Pesto that was truly green and homemade looking, and I succumbed. It is really truly good and for the winter it will certainly suffice until I can grow my own basil again. And today I was in the mood for crunchy fried chicken, (where does this come from?) and the deli didn't have their tenders out, so I went to the freezer section and got some store brand fully cooked 'crispy' breaded tenders, 1 lb, 9oz for $7.87. I have an air fryer setting on my toaster oven and it really did the trick. Cruuuuunch!

It's grand finding these good things.

Friday, January 9, 2026

Nearing the finish line

I have just the bits and bobs left to move. But why am I dreading it? Mostly because as I move stuff I really must ask myself if it is worth the move, or should I just go directly to Goodwill and avoid trying to find a spot for it. That has definitely worked for me in the past, but I have a few more closets in this new house and that is the dilemma...I could just keep it all and later decide. Which never happens. Arrgh.

Today I hoped to get to the closet that held my quilts on hangers and batting and a box of smaller quilts.

I have an allocated closet in the new house and yet...I know some of the quilts are hanging lengthwise and may hit the floor. Or not. But it stopped me from moving them until inevitably I ran out of days.

Of course they all fit. Perfectly. Duh. Also in this closet is a box of paintings and drawings from 40 years of moving. And a ton of hanging unquilted tops, not even squished into this closet. As you can see, one quilt is just about on the floor, minus 1/4 inch. Other really big ones are doubled up on two skirt hangers. That works.

My next dread are the serving pieces in the high cabinets in the kitchen... which contain items that are in the wishful thinking category. I mean, how often am I hosting a massive party where I need a lasagna dish to serve a dozen? It's red and so I keep it.

And platters...? Wha? The days of hanging out at TJMaxx and buying stuff because it was a pretty or my colors, or a great bargain, are continuing to haunt my present day. And you know the awful truth: they are all greasy or dusty or both. Yuck. So gritting my teeth, I will return to the old house, fill the sink with hot soapy water and wash and dry and load all those items and be done with the procrastinating.

And lastly, my art supplies need to be moved. I have TWO big closets with shelves where they all can go. It is also a matter of wishful thinking, but I believe the time has come where my art wishes may come true.

Lastly, the garden tools, hoses, 'window boxes' and just minor garden stuff has to be moved. I will do that last as they are all dirty and I have to prevent the car from all that.

Speaking of the car, I got an early start today because rain was forecasted and I wanted to avoid getting my quilts wet. I managed to load and unload them just as the rain began. But then as an afterthought, can I get the car into the garage?

The garage is set up as the workshop, because my brother in law, John, has been installing all new interior doors which have to be trimmed to fit the odd openings. He is gone for the weekend so I gently nudged the dryer and a few doors out of the way, and managed to just squeeze in the car, without touching anything. That was quite satisfying.

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

She's about a mover*

I've been thinking, this is not the first time I've found myself sans-husband. It was back in the mid 70's and I learned how to do just about everything that I used to depend on others to do for me. I felt pretty self sufficient. When I faced a problem, I said to myself " Well, if a man could do it, how hard could it be?"

Pretty cocky, eh?

I changed tires, moved furniture, installed my shower head, got a divorce pro se, that is, without the help of a lawyer ( or the fees), drove long distances with a paper map, and did lots of stupid things too, but managed to stay out of serious trouble.

The energy I had in those days was amazing. I would work all day wrapping meat in the freezing cold butcher shop section of a big grocery chain, eating nothing but free cookies from the open packages some customer opened 'by accident' and drinking the free coffee that the store provided. Then I'd go home, take a short nap, and get dressed to go out scouting men and seeking entertainment. Use your imagination, it was the disco era.

I weighed nothing and could go braless without attracting much attention. Those were the days.

What's the difference between that Melody and me now?

50 years.

I think I can do all the things I used to do, but my feet, back, knees, and shoulder beg to differ.

Pooh.

Now I enthusiastically accept help and gladly pay for the chance to hand over the work to someone else.

I have a realtor, plumber, remodeler and landscape guy on speed dial. or would have if I could figure out how to work speed dial. Nevermind.

That nap before dancing is a nap right through my favorite tv show.

Changing a tire? You mean the one around my middle?

And going braless is an assault against common decency. 'Course I still may do it, but only if I am going to Walmart, wbere that is the dress code.

I must say, the cookie eating habit never left me, and I know more about meat than I am willing to invest my money in. Dinner for me now is lunch around 11am. I am thrilled to be eating the things only I like to eat. Girly food.

And as for men. I am so over it. Thank heaven hormones have left the building.

*For old times sake I am including a musical interlude.

Monday, January 5, 2026

Moving Day, At Last

Things are moving so fast that I can't keep track of what day is what. I have been sleeping at the new house since New Years Eve which was LOUD here, with fireworks from around 9pm til way past 1am. I didn't have window coverings then and was entertained in my bed, by the pyrotechnics provided by my neighbors. Just my bed and chair got moved that day, and well, the tv was part of that too. My tiny life takes place in just my bedroom. ha!

But I have been making moving trips in my car daily so lots of stuff is here already. I don't really pack. I just have bins which I fill and then unpack and put the stuff away and return with the empties for the next round. I've moved before, as you know, and this time it is a really short 5 minutes between houses.

There is also the black garbage bag trick. I bought a box of those and put stuff that won't fit in a bin and move it that way. Yarn overflow has been brought to the new house in those bags and when I open them later it will be like yarny Christmas again.

I've invested in these metal shelving units, which I first had three houses ago as a pantry and had to leave them them at that house (pooh!), so I found them again online and ordered three sets at $29.99 each, but today I looked and they cost more now (?) They will be used as linen storage in my bedroom walk-in closet, fused fabric and garment fabric storage in the studio, and are lightweight and easily moved, which as you know I do often. I have two big shelved closets in this new house and they will hold art supplies, and solve that problem, keeping everything accessible but hidden.

+++

I was all set to do the decor as Black and White, like an urban high rise condo, ( as if!) and even had a quilt in mind to finish as the inspiration.

But then I got 'persuaded by Pinterest'...haven't we all been there? Now I have a new plan. ha! Key West, Acapulco, Cancun, Jamaica, the whole Caribbean.

Tropical color is so ME! What has prevented me from doing this before?

Tuesday, December 30, 2025

Life As a Single Woman

Today is closing on my new house. Yesterday I bought a refrigerator off of FB Marketplace, because the opening space was too small for my very large current fridge. I am happy to have been 'forced' to find this smaller fridge, as it is in keeping with the new Life of a Single Woman that I am entering.

The other day I was hungry and didn't want to cook anything as my stove is now pristine (like it was brand new) and I didn't want to mess it up. Nuttiness has set in. I got a rotisserie chicken and will eat that for days in various concotions. Cleaning the microwave will happen next month.

I have scheduled and then postponed movers and then rescheduled them to come January 5. In the meantime I will do as I have done before, and move in small carloads and find places for things slowly over the next few weeks. I plan to have the current house ready to list by January 15, which is probably a fantasy. Unfortunatly it has turned cold (for Chattanooga) this week.

While I am still in mourning, it is not for the husband that recently passed, but for the guy he was 20 years ago, before the Parkinson's ravaged his brain. Memories spring up and knock me for a loop and I break down and then make myself stop, because crying hurts my eyes for hours after and I am just tired of that.

I am loving the freedom and mental clarity that has returned after having been focused on living with a dying person, with all the caregivers in the house and the mess and laundry and medicines. It is lovely to have nothing going on, and having one load of laundry a week.

My wonderful handy and clever brother in law will be my fix it man for the new house, and I will have him move and install that new fridge this week, and maybe start painting out the beige rooms into white.

I am still figuring out where to put the litter box. There is no utility room. In fact, the washer and dryer have to go in the garage, which is not my fave, but plans are afoot to make that nicer than it currently is.

Yesterday I broke down and bought a trio of bins to move and store the many artworks that currently fill the ledges in my living rooms.

There are no built in ledges in the new house, which is OK, as I am thinking about hanging quilts and larger paintings in the future. In fact I am daydreaming quite a bit about being creative again. Guilt-free creative time in the studio. O my.

The master bedroom faces east with a view of the backyard and all the trees that surround it.

These are listing photos.

I will have birdsong to wake me, as if Pineapple didn't already demand breakfast at 4am. It'll be grand.

Friday, December 19, 2025

It Worked!

My gas stove was disgusting, with baked on grease from all the times I baked bacon in it. Let that be a lesson.

And now that I am preparing to move, I knew I had to address the mess.

First I ran the self cleaning cycle and that worked OK. I still had to chisel off the window grease, which took major effort, but that is why I saved a small metal pancake turner to use as a scraper. I knew I had one of those razor blades in a holder...somewhere...and I found it AFTER the window was cleaned. arrghh.

The oven had a sensor that would prevent self cleaning if I left the oven racks in place, so I dutifly removed them. That's when I saw the undersides which is where the baked on grease really lived. O dear.

I googled for help. Someone suggested soaking the racks in hot water with Dawn. Obviously. I do have a deep laundry sink, and the racks fit in half way, so at the least one half would be soaking. Then I happened upon a Pinterest site which said to use the bathtub (Duh!) and hot water again but this time with dishwasher pods, and leave them overnight. OK! It also suggested putting down a towel to prevent scratching the tub, which I thought couldn't hurt.

O I should mention that I did all this at 1:30 am, when I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep.

This morning the water in the tub had 'self drained' and I refilled it for another 3 hours of soaking, this time adding Dawn, which I thought couldn't hurt.

When I finally I got my loins girded to attack the racks, I was surprised how I could just wipe off 80% of the grease with just a dishcloth! The rest required a Brillo pad, but even that was minor. What a relief!

Tuesday, December 16, 2025

Dots and Dashes Cowl #37

The Last Cowl of 2025! It is made from KnitPicks Chroma, a blend of wool and nylon and Noro Taiyo, which is cotton, silk, wool, and nylon, and is squishy, cozy and warm. Both of these yarns are spun graduated color, which is super fun to knit, as you find yourself surprised by the color combinations as you knit.

I was recently at the post office and the sign on the door said December 17 (tomorrow) is officially the last day to mail a Christmas item and expect it to arrive by Christmas Day. So it is not too late. I will gladly mail this to your favorite person (even if that person is YOU) by tomorrow. PayPal, Venmo or Zelle accepted. Available for $50 with free shipping! Email me. SOLD

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