Found a couple of e-mails from my neighbor after breakfast. She wanted to show me the room that night. That was fine. It would have to be late, after 7, but at this point, all I wanted was a room.
Headed out to run errands next. It was warm and very windy - so warm, I went back in to get my purse and ended up exchanging my heavy winter coat for a lighter raincoat. The laundromat was busy with people trying to get their clothes done and avoid the weather. I threw my clothes in the smaller washer that took less time, then dashed to Family Dollar. Wanted to get my friend Kristie in North Cape May who offered me that room a get well soon card. Poor girl broke her leg shoveling snow on New Year's Eve. I don't intend to live with her, but I do appreciate the thought and would still like to visit.
Next stop after the laundromat was the Oaklyn Library. Bad news there. The borough is shutting them down as of April 1st. It's supposedly temporary, but the librarian didn't sound to sure about it. The building is so small, and with the virus, there's fewer people using it. I hope someone can convince them to change their minds. The library is a lot more important to the community than they want to believe. I did end up with two more of the Laura Childs books they were getting rid of for free.
Headed home just as a light shower began. Put on Match Game '74 as I defrosted black bean dip for lunch over lettuce. The first episode opens with Brett showing off a doll that holds liquor someone in the audience gave her. Elaine Joyce just wishes she'd hush and let her talk for once. In the next episode, Gene is delighted when one of the contestants speaks Serbo-Croatian like he does.
Spent the next hour and a half on the computer to find apartments...but frankly, I'm done. I'm worn out and frazzled and have had enough. The condo was $1,000, cheap for here, but still a lot. If the rooms and their owner were even half-way decent and didn't mind Lauren's week and a half visit in June, I'd take them.
Called Uber for a ride to work. Even if I wasn't going to see the two rooms afterwards, the rain came down harder by 2:30. It was no day for a bike ride, no matter what I was doing afterwards. The driver took a little longer than they have; I just got to work on time.
Between the weather and us being between holidays again, the Acme was quiet for most of the night other than at the height of rush hour. It never got more than a little steady. More help, too. I got to meet a very pleasant new cashier who just transferred from the store in Mt. Laurel. Today was also "Supermarket Employee Appreciation Day," so there were lots of goodies in the back like mini-muffins, candy, cookies, bags of chips, fruit salad, and a hoagie tray.
Another one of my neighbors picked me up at 7. The one who was supposed to pick me up had some trouble and asked her to do it. We headed across the White Horse Pike to the second block of East Clinton Avenue. I cut through there to Collingswood all the time, plus they usually have a neighborhood yard sale in the spring. We had to park some ways away, but we did find the small 20's-era house.
An older lady met us at the door with a cat on her heels. The house, while larger than Rose's similar layout, still isn't huge. There's a laundry room, too...and unlike Jodie, she doesn't mind sharing that as well. She mostly lives downstairs.
The room turned out to be two rooms, one large, one smaller. It was mostly used for storage. She intended to clear out the junk and repaint it. She doesn't eat carbs, but I can eat in my room, and she has streaming. She has no trouble with my two best friends visiting, either, especially since we really don't spend that much time at home when they're here.
Frankly...I'll take it. Between the two rooms and two closets (one large, one small), I should be able to get all of my things in. The walk-in closet is big enough for my linens, holiday decorations, and the dolls' boxes. I wanted to get rid of the kitchen table and the two black shelves, anyway. I've had the kitchen table since I moved here, and it's a cheap piece Rose and Craig bought from Walmart. Bought the shelves for DVDs, and now that they're in slimmer cases or boxes, I don't need them anymore.
My only concern, besides my kitchen things, is my bike. I could keep it on the porch, or even bring it in the living room during inclement weather.
And in all honesty, I'm not planning on staying for that long. I intend to give it at least a year, then see how I'm doing, how the housing market is doing, and how the world is doing. It'll be no more than two to four years tops, and certainly nothing like my 15-year stay at the apartment on Manor. I only intended to stay three to five years at Dad and Jodie's. This was intended to be a stopgap measure to get me out of Manor and a chance to figure out my next move.
Finished the night online with the Match Game PM episode I missed tonight. Dallas alumni Steve Kanaly and comedian Richard Paul joined in for a racy joke about what a modern snake offered Eve in a revised version of the Bible and a less obvious one about what Lawrence Welk counts to get him to bed. Charles tries to convince the world to go Kosher while helping the contestant with the Audience Match "__ On White."
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