Home with Perks

We arrived back in Newark today, our flight was delayed about 40 minutes and we circled the 'berg, each minute just slightly lower in the sky, the air pressure pounding my eardrums. Ouch.

I've always been sensitive to air pressure, especially on a plane. About 30 years ago I flew into Dublin and after the 8 hour flight my ear popped so hard that it bled. Fun. Ever since then when a descent on an airplane is long I tend to get POUNDING headaches, very sinus-like, all along my jawbone and up into my ear. Did I say, "Ouch?"

So when we arrived, aside from being partly, temporarily deaf, I had a terrible ache on the right side of my head. We scooted down to the baggage claim, waited long, long minutes for our luggage, and piled into the car we'd ordered to take us home. The short drive seemed long, but thank god I had advil.

As we pulled up our NJ real estate agent was waiting for us, and after dropping the bags at the house Gerry and the kids drove off to claim Atticus from the kennel. Nancy, our agent, and I sat and had a long chat about the house - the list of things we need to take care of before next Tuesday (TUESDAY?) when our house is open for a brace of agents to wander through. I need to make myself scarce that day (with Atticus, the friendly-but-scary-big-barking-black poodle) so the agents can speak freely with no annoying home owners listening.

I'm getting "clutter hampers" for all of the rooms - lidded baskets for the bedrooms and living room that we can use to stow the clutter causing bits and pieces that make a house look a little "too" lived in - and we'll be painting the basement Monday, planting fall flowers out front and putting curtains up in Gerry's office. We also have a dumpster coming this week (toss away those piles in the basement!), we'll be removing the permanently fogged doors on the back porch, hanging pictures (I'm going to try the 3M Command products) and getting a dehumidifier for the basement. Life is busy and good.

Happy B-Day to ME!
Lost in all of the hubub today was almost the fact that it was my birthday, but never fear!

When Gerry came home with Atticus, he stopped and picked up a surprise ice cream cake at 31 Flavors (my favorite!) Alison from down the street came up with Jaiden (Hannah's bud) and we opened a bottle of champagne we've been keeping in the refrigerator - lots of stuff to celebrate this week!

Alison and Jaiden are two of the main reasons it's hard to think about moving - look at these beautiful punim!