Senior. Where have you been???
 

Senior! Glad to see you again. If you are not careful, something here is bound to convince you to come and see TV for yourself, and than you are a goner!

I have a friend who moved here at the same time as we did, a year ago. She was a widow and thought she would enjoy the lifestyle. I believe she is sporting a left hand ring at this time, although it wasn't in her plans.

Anything can happen in TV. But you don't have to have a significant other to enjoy this place. People are people here and I know a lot of singles who are having the time of their lives and don't plan to marry at all.

You may well be right as far as us, considering all the rain the northeast has had; it is 63 degrees out on the second day of summer!

But, nope, her query was not about finding romance although that might be a nice surprise. It was more about wanting a total change of scenary, and wanting to hear from widows or widowers who have done it alone; meaning moving down totally alone, and whether or not they sold all their northern furniture , what type of home they selected for "one person" with anticipated visitors......did they buy a furnished home to save the hassles or new one and decorate it themselves. She noticed on some of the resales that the homes came furnished.

Also, she was wondering about the "adjustment period" from living close to the children and grandchildren to living totally alone in a new environment. They were a very close couple. She knows not to jump into anything new nor to sell the family home too soon, but is just weighing her options.

I know for a fact that meeting a replacement hubby is NOT on the agenda.

Now, we are awaiting the arrival of our son from Colorado and sure hope he brings the sunshine, plus our daughter's family and the 3 grandkids this coming weekend. On my friend's behalf, now that I'm thinking of it..........what does one do with all the toys and toyboxes that they've (and we've) accumulated for when the grandkids visit? When ours left the nest, we decluttered and simplified.............now it's all back again for the pleasure of the grandchildren. So, any widows out there who moved down to TV alone and how did you handle it all???

senior citizen, there is a section in this forum titled, Singles. Take a look at the posts that are there. Maybe some will provide insight into TV residents that are/were in the same situation as your friend.

I must confess that I haven't read any messages there because I'm not in a situation like that. I hope it helps!

I do believe this is the beginning of another novel.

Thank you Champion.........I'll do just that. Appreciate the suggestion.

Guess I mistakenly thought the "singles" section was a type of matchmaking section for singles looking for a "connection".

She was just interested in how widowed or widowered people coped & managed making their individual choices alone.......after the spouse passed on..........and whether to begin totally fresh without the old "stuff" or bring along the memories.

Don't want to get too long winded here as it seems to bother some people.

But, thank you again. I will search for whatever is appropriate for her circumstances & print them out. She had thought I could do a "survey" of sorts to get various opinions from the widowed people who did move to TV.

Senior,

Single or double, all of us go through the same decision making about our furniture and possessions. All of them contain memories and good or bad these memories are part of the substance of our lives. Although our grandmother's Meissen Coach has always been in the family, is it beachy? Those are the kinds of things we go through, all of us.

I remember when my folks sold almost everything they owned and moved to Venice, Florida. I thought they were crazy or at least insensitive. Now I look at things differently.

I am astonished by the lovely and in good condition furniture available at consignment stores. Heretofore I was a thrift store snob, but now I know that buying things that are different and new (to you) is kind of signal of a new way of life which is probably healthy and good, and buying them at a reduced cost is just good common sense in this economy. Someone told me that it costs about fifty cents a pound to move stuff here. That would give you pause in itself.

I wish I knew the answer to help your friend but I don't know the answer for myself. I know that the smaller Camellia we own in Florida is so much easier to take care of. I used to love having all of this space, but although I hope I will always remember all the great parties, they are a LOT of work, just as keeping clean five bathrooms.

My formica countertop in Florida doesn't show water spots like the granite I so wanted here in Cincinnati. Easy, breezy, out the door to friends or the college or just for a little ride in the golf cart to see what new flowers are planted with maybe a stop at the grocery for some nice cookies.....

It is hard to sort out. But the joy of life in The Villages is unlike any I have ever experienced. It is so nice to be with grown ups in the same place on our journey of life.

Gracie,

I agree, and can relate to everything you've just mentioned. Thanks for taking the time to write. You always paint a picture that is pleasing to the imagination. Good common sense advice as well. Letting go of the "old" would be a major step for her.......leading into a new life.

Personally, I like a good novel.........

Ouch!