Category: everyday life

Things Are Crazy

I’ve been doing a lot, but I do not feel that anything worth describing. It’s just unbelievable how much time all these routine things take.

I was supposed to do most of the packing over the weekend, but I barely did any.

I messaged back and forth with appliance servicing companies, with painters and handymen. I purchased a washing/drying unit and a new microwave. The most difficult was to purchase all the furniture I wanted from IKEA. Nothing was available when Vlad and I tried to do it for the first time. By Sunday, quite desperate, I called their customer service and asked what I am doing wrong. It turned out that a single sofa of a model which I wanted was available in the IKEA closest to me, but since it was just one, the website won’t allow me to purchase it online:). I ended up driving to IKEA with the SKU printed and ordering it for delivery.

Unfortunately, while I was trying to resolve this sofa dilemma, other items went out of stock…
Another saga is switching the utilities. I need to do it for both my mom and myself, and even just for myself, it takes twenty minutes both to start and to stop. With mom, we are still in process. I will tell you about it later :).

I packed donation boxes for the third time; this time, there were nine boxes. Igor and Vlad both came to my place three times to sort their things and help me remove the trash.

I am closing tomorrow, and then for a week, I will need both to finish packing and make the new place in order.

Deer Grove – For The Last Time

I still hope to make one last work day with Friends of Deer Grove, but one thing for sure – today was the last time I scouted my spring area as a Weed Scout.

I took mom with me, so that she could also see the part of the forest preserve she usually does not see. I l spotted beautiful spring flowers.

And I performed my last act of service to the Forest Preseervee – pulled out a dozen of garlic mustard plants!

Also, I educated several passerbys about invasives and why we are fighting Garlic mustard, which I guess was also an act of service.

I will miss Deer Drove, and all the people with whom I volunteered there for seven years…

Our Book Is Finally A Real Thing!

Hettie D.'s avatarThe World of Data

Almost a year-long journey is over – our book is a real thing now!

I do not know what else to say, except for thanking wholeheartedly everybody who helped to make it happen. My very special thanks go to Anna who single-handedly did a proof-reading of the final version of the book.

This post won’t be shared on LinkedIn, because I already posted the book updated on Friday. I and want to write a separate thank-you post. But I also wanted to have it here, on WP.

We did it. It’s done. The book is off for it’s own journey now, and I hope that it will be eventful 🙂

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This Made My Day

I had an email exchange with the folks from my new condominium. A board member asked me whether I have children and/or pets. I replied explaining my situation, and told her that everybody will be helping me to move in. Then, she said in a supsequent email to the group: Hettie has no tiny childrem bu she has adult kids, grandkids and grand-dog.

All my today worries disappeared!

Attic!

When I was done with packing and donating the books, thought that the worst part of packing is over. How wrong I was!

Today, Vlad and Dylon came and took down everything from the attic! This feels like bringing down another house! I can’t imagine how ai will be able to sort it all! And when I will be able to pack the rest of the stuff… I just have no idea!

My City

The city is alive. Not exactly as pre-pandemic, but so much more than a year ago! My city is alive, and it will live, and it will rebound because this city is meant to live. 

Two pieces of news today almost made me cry. The first one was the Navy Pier reopening with the fireworks each Saturday till Memorial Day – and now I will be able to see them! The first firework will happen on May 1, and it will be dedicated to the health care workers. 

The second one is about the Arts 77 grant – $60 mln to support the local artists. That is unprecedented, and it is such a right thing to do and at the right time.

And one more thing. Do you know what I hate? I hate when people who do not live in the city, do not go to the city, and do not know what’s going on there are trying to give me pieces of advice. Out of the blue, when I mentioned that I am going to meet somebody in the city before heading home, a very well-intended co-worker said: you’d better hurry up and leave the city before it starts. I was: what starts? They are going to announce a verdict for Derek Chauvin, and if he will not be convicted… I was like: firstly, he will be most likely convicted. Second, it’s not like “something” will happen instantaneously. And this “something” is not necessarily going to be violent. 

There was a helicopter in the sky when I was walking towards the train station, that’s true. But boy, I can’t even describe how I feel about people who are still entering the city as if it is a war zone … 

News, Updates, And Random Thoughts

My mortgage is approved, but unfortunately, the closing date was not moved forward. That means that I have only twelve days between closing and moving in, and all of the painting, appliance installation, repairs have to be done within this timeframe.

It’s a challenge, but it also means that I have some certainty. I finalized my decision on the moving company and put in the deposit. Also, my co-worker recommended the painter, and today, he came to my new place to estimate the painting quote. I hope it will be something reasonable!

The sellers’ agent shared some contractors’ contacts with me, and I am going to start calling to have all appliances serviced.

Now I feel less nervous and agitated than I was for the past two weeks because I am done with all mortgage paperwork, and I decided on the major vendors.

On another note, the situation with vaccines looks better and better. Not to mention that now all my close family members are fully vaccinated, I also received two calls about vaccination options. I do not need them anymore, but the fact that they are coming my way tells me that there is more availability now.
I won’t be able to do any volunteering until after my move, but I was delighted to receive two calls to volunteer at the vaccination sites. That also says that more and more options are open.

Now, I started to pay closer attention to the fact that some people do not want to be vaccinated, and these numbers worry me. I thought that this population is smaller and that it mostly consists of uneducated people. But in the last several days, I ran into several internet discussions, which left me horrified. I can’t comprehend how well-educated people can preach such stupid things! How they can seriously think that the vaccination is a plot of (all??) governments against (humanity??)

I am not sure what to do with the potential mom’s trip to Russia. The last time she was in Russia was in September 2019. Then she was planning to go in April 202, but then COVID happened. She wanted to go that September, but I urged her to go earlier because nobody knows whether the current shot’s protection will last longer than six months. If it weren’t for her credit card expiration, I would tell her not to go at all, but they do not reissue credit cards without an in-person visit in Russia. Her Visa expires in September, and without it, she won’t be able to use the money she receives as a pension.

When I told her about six months, she got scared, and now I am unsure whether she wants to go at all. I am fine with her not going, but she might lose access to her money entirely. In any case, nothing is going to happen until the end of June, and after that, we will see how the situation will change.

Deer Grove

There are many things which I will miss in Palatine, and one of them is Deer Grove Forest Preserve and my volunteering there. I am sure that I will be able to find some other nature restoration projects, but I will miss that particular one, both the place and the people.

Last weekend, I went to scout my area. It was it a very decent shape, I found not more than a dozen of garlic mustard plants overall:

and I also enjoyed all the spring ephemerals.

Continue reading “Deer Grove” →

Talking To My Neighbor

The other day, I talked to my neighbor about my move. She is European, but she immigrated when she was seven years old, and she didn’t go back there until about three years ago. She does not remember how things are done in the old world (and not only in the old world) so this conversation would turn funny sometimes. 

She asked me about my walk-up, and she said: so you will live there for ten years or so, and then you will have to move? And I was: why? – Because then you won’t be able to climb three flights of stairs. And I was: why not? Boris does not use an elevator in his house. And she was: but he is not on the third floor? And I: yes, he is on the fourth! 

We laughed. She asked me whether I would move to Milwaukee later, and I told her that Anna gave me till I am seventy-five. She was: oh, I just turned seventy-five! And I told her that Boris is turning seventy-one soon, which surprised her. 

Then we talked about my mom’s new place, and I told her that it is very close to the grocery store and close to the L station. And she was: but where would your mom go? I said: to visit me! And she would: but she won’t ride CTA without you! I am: why? she used the subway and buses all her life, t will be easier for her! 

My neighbor is having a hard time imagining how life can look without a car :). 

My mom wants to pack. I asked her several times not to, but then I gave up because she would be way more nervous if she won’t. I recalled how my granddaughter Nadia was packing her things before they moved and realized that this is one more occasion when mom acts like a child. 

She seemed OK when I visited her today, but later, she again seemed nervous when we talked over the phone. I am talking myself into being as patient as possible 🙂

Packing Books

Where did all these books come from?! I didn’t buy any paper books for years!!! Most of the bookshelves were half-empty. Why are there so many boxes?!

Vlad and Dylon took two large boxes of books to the library. It was a blessing that the library started to accept donations again.

Igor spent more than four hours in my house today sorting books. He took two suitcases and one backpack of books with him. He also threw away tons of stuff. After he was done, I filled another four boxes with donation books and three more boxes to take to Fargo. And I am not done yet! There are several boxes worth of books in the library; I only packed a small fraction so far – one bookcase out of four.
I have every hour of my Saturday scheduled (and I know that I won’t have enough time to do all I need:))