Pre-work nesting frenzy....

.....except Judd is already at work daily.  And I start on Monday, Aug 21, the most auspicious day of the total eclipse...... Hope I'm on a potty break to go out and see it.

Our U-haul box, packed in Maine, is no where on site.  The tracking website lists it simply as      "SHIPPED."       All I have from the car camping, now in the spacious closet, is summer/camping clothes. I could pull off about 2 days of work with my existing wardrobe. So in addition to getting my Oregon driver's license, shopping estate sales so we have a desk/dining room table, doing laundry at the laundromat, I'm hitting all 6 thrift stores for furniture, kitchenware and interim wardrobe.  And when I get really sad at the selection, I go to TJ MAX or Macy's bargain basement.

I found a Garden Shoppe and the owner let me know it was near the "end of the season" for most flowers and they'd be starting their pansies soon.  I said, "HUH?  In Maine, we start pansies in April."  Here they plant them in the fall when the zinnias and marigolds go by, and they almost winter over. We're in a Mediterranean climate and we haven't figured it out yet. It's been about 50 degrees each morning, chilly! but by noon is 80 to 95+degrees.  Getting in and out of cars is painfully hot, but every building I've been in is over- air-conditioned (i.e. so cold I want my sweater back-- so I carry it everywhere with me.) The only way the grass is green is that it's on an automatic timer to water it 2-3 times/week.  

The 1890 house must have been renovated in the 70s.  It rocks the shag carpet in the living room and bedrooms and is "modernized" with a garbage disposal and trash compacter--all those things I gave up when I left my San Diegan childhood.  The crick out in the back yard is called Daisy Creek which is also the name of a local winery.  The former renter left her dog pen so I've planted some basil, kale and zinnias, safely away from the every-evening deer. We have some tub tomatoes and nasturtium on the deck for fresh additions to our salads.
There's an organic farm on the way home from our work towns so we can get 

Still dining on camp furniture

fresh peaches, melons, veggies, eggs. We don't even know all the seasons in order yet. It appears to be cherry/ peach season.

The other night we walked down to main street to check out the J'ville Tavern  (where the husband day care can be located.)  We accidentally bumped into live music.  The sign also says free billiards on Sunday afternoon.  I heard from a local (so it must be true) that one of our Jacksonville neighbors is Johnny Depp. We'll be looking for him to be cruising the Main St. taverns too. I'll try to be calm and collected.