Please enjoy this guest post from my sister, Jeanne.

How’s that going?

Well, interestingly. Besides the practical issues we have encountered – which furniture, dishes, electronics and home decor we should keep and use and which will become the subjects of our yard sale, the daily chores we have each practiced differently over decades can sometimes be an issue.

The UG (me) has always washed my dishes by hand in a dishpan with a drainer nearby. The DG (stormy) as a modern woman, prefers utilizing the efficient dishwasher. When other chores need to be done, admittedly as an old fart, I procrastinate while DG with her schedule of tasks, is not only on it, but seems to fairly faithfully follow it. With two women who have each done things ‘their own way’, there must be some adjustments or one of us will be committed and I strongly suspect it might be me.

When I (UG) decided to buy basement shelving for all our assorted gee gaws, DG said to wait until we know how much we needed to store and then decide on the shelves. The UG’s position was buy the shelves, there will always be stuff to fill them. Two different approaches. UG chooses a solution first then deals with all the piles on the floor. Two approaches, both solve the problem. It’s just deciding who wins out, age or youth…an ancient dilemma.

We have to learn to read signals. I have learned when DG is very quiet with a furrowed brow that there is something out of balance in her world. Perhaps the furniture arrangement needs tweaking, or a different picture would better suit a wall or UG has been too slow accomplishing a necessary task. The DG has run a pretty tight ship for a number of decades and has the successes to show for it including amazing progeny, marvelous grandkiddos a nd an exemplary collection of glassware. UG on the other hand has been a bit of a gypsy occasionally making seat of the pants decisions and living a less structured life. We each have something to offer to our new household. I look forward to our future of both comforting routine with occasional surprises through patience, consideration, love and wine.

jgk