I’m meeting with the estate service a week from today. I am unsure about what they’ll do for me so I’m kind of on hold. I started making a list of stuff I want to keep. There’s more than I thought.

The one area that has me stumped is the china cabinet. I would like to keep some of the stuff from it, but if I do, I’ll need a cabinet in Florida which will match my condo’s furnishings. It might take a while. Eventually I can find something but it needs to be the right piece and until then, the stuff will be boxed up. (And that’s a dangerous practice to get started.)

First major Florida project is to get the “office” converted to storage. (John and I planned to have someone build-in closets and cabinets this past winter, but his health didn’t permit us to start anything.) Additional storage will allow me to have a place to put what I bring from Michigan.

I’d also like to fix or replace the kitchen cabinets. (Again, John and I planned to tackle them but we postponed it this year.) Maybe with a kitchen renovation, more cabinets can be added along the wall where the current “bar area” is located. I don’t want more stuff, but I’d like to be able to conveniently store what I have.

I have other renovations and purchases in mind but they will happen slowly.

I definitely need new bar stools asap and new love seats for the great room TV area. But I don’t want to settle for something that’s only sorta ok. (That’s what’s there now.) I want knock your socks off perfect!

There are also outdoor projects that John hadn’t felt needed to go on our priority list. I’d like to extend the roof over the back patio and brick the driveway and the sidewalk.

I can’t be too hasty. I see things we did wrong in our first round of condo renovations. (Example: I HATE our tile floors. I’d like to do wood in the great room — but that’s someday. Not right now.)

I will eventually purge a lot of stuff from the condo. I need to get stuff out of the attic and get rid of it. The garage needs to be cleaned out.

Believe me, I’m not up to any heavy work, but I can hire someone to do it.

When we first saw the condo, the lady who lived in it had used the dining room as a den/TV area. I now understand that with only one person, a dining room is kind of a waste of space. I won’t do anything right away, but maybe converting that area to a comfy spot to use during the evenings might suit me better than what’s there now. Or maybe I’ll move a TV into the guest room/music room and spend time there. I don’t want to live only in one room.

I don’t want to eliminate a place to dine, but will I ever use it? I guess time will tell. Maybe a folding table and chairs can serve as a dining area, if I need it.