The girls had an interesting camp adventure this week, called Adventures in Cardboard. It was a mythical live action game played at French Regional Park in Plymouth, I would describe it as a kid scaled Renaissance Fair. My job was after-camp pickup and they were exhausted by the time I picked them up. They also had soccer on Monday and Wednesday. I went to the game on Wednesday and got to see Camille get a goal, Charlotte came close, and Norah did a great job playing Defense. Come Friday (their movie night), I’m sure that is all they had the energy to do.
I can’t help but think how fortunate those kids are to have so many fun learning experiences. They will be well balanced, hopefully.
This is the camp castle - embellished more each day,
Charlotte & Riley, heading to after camp meeting. This is first day, after making swords and shields. Sorry, it’s not the best photo but you get the gist.
This is the end-of-day meetup where a recap of wins and losses was discussed (Charlotte is between the two counselors.
Thursday, after a morning walk with Mavis and Frisco, sadly our last in this neighborhood,l I loaded my car with plants and food, using the fold-up wagon than Mary loaned to me. I then headed to Penelope 35 apartments where I met with the assistant manager and signed the lease, paid the rent for July, and paid the deposits. It turned out that I did not have to pay a deposit for Frisco ($300) because he can be considered an assistance animal. What a deal - of course, he assists with my mental health and keeps me getting my daily 10,000 steps in.
Edie and Steve suggested that we go to Mancini’s Chop house for a going away dinner and Mavis volunteered to be the designated driver. What a treat! The restaurant has been family owned and operated for 40 years and the decor is probably much like it was when they first opened - a Las Vegas themed supper club. The meal was delicious (Mavis and I ordered the Parmesan Crusted Walleye and Steve and Edie had the Petite Sirloin), complemented with a Cosmopolitan to soften the edges. It was a very nice dinner experience with lots of good conversation.
Friday was moving day and it didn’t start out too smoothly. I got to the place to pickup the U-haul truck and it was secured by a fence - not to be opened until 10:00 am. I had the movers lined up for 9:00 am. A call to U-haul and their excellent customer service, led me to another nearby location where a truck was available. I was able to pick it up and get back to my apartment where the movers would meet me at the new time of 10:00.
Alex and Shawn were efficient but not quite as efficient as previous moves with the company owner, Dustin. They didn’t have all of the cool, efficient carts and wheeled boxes, so it was mostly muscle. Regardless, they worked hard and had the truck loaded in about 1.5 hours. I headed to Bloomington with the truck and they stopped for lunch (my treat) and met me there, then they loaded it all into my new apartment. All in all, it was a 4-hour job. I later learned that they broke a wall sconce that I will be charged for, and then will try to collect the money from Dustin.
I got a decent night of sleep and proceeded to empty boxes again today, making pretty good progress.
I LOVE the view from my windows that overlook Old Shakopee Road (mostly auto traffic) but with a beautiful tree filled garden between me and the road. I even saw squirrels playing and Cardinals flitting around. I think I’m going to like it here. People have greeted me in a friendly way and welcomed me to the community. My apartment is a little dated (the building is 20 years old) but has plenty of cabinet and closet space, new flooring and paint. I don’t miss the roar of the refrigeration condensers or the semi-trailer trucks across the street from my apartment at The Winslow at all.
This is the view from my place on the sofa. I love it!
