Watching the Macy's Parade in Style

I returned to the Community Thrift Store today to pick up my dresser, and got it back to the apartment safely, but the bigger news is that I found and bought a La-Z-Boy recliner through an ad on Craigslist. The sellers were a retired couple in Cape Coral who are refurnishing their home, and they simply need to get rid of the existing furniture. The chair is a rocker/recliner combination and, get this, it has a back massage feature built in. The chair plugs in, and then you have this remote control to activate an inflatable air pillow that rolls up and down your lumbar area. I wasn't really looking for a recliner with any "extras," but it is a very comfortable recliner if you just sit it in unplugged, and besides the guy only asked $100 for it. So I didn't even haggle with the price. The chair is in such nice condition ... even has the original arm and head covers came with it, and it looks like they took really good care of it. So here are photos of my new dresser and recliner, and also the TV/entertainment stand I bought yesterday:

 

 

 

So the apartment is just about completely furnished and outfitted now with everything I need, and I will be able to watch the Macy's parade tomorrow in comfort, and even have my back massaged if I want! All I really need now is a coffee table, a night stand, and a small table with two chairs for the lanai.

 

I've come quite a way since the day I arrived and all I had was an air mattress and folding canvas chair. I thought I would have the place furnished in two weeks, but it took a little longer, probably because November is perhaps not the best time to be used furniture shopping here with all the "snowbirds" (like me!) arriving and wanting to set up house.

 

I was hoping to keep expenses at around $1,000 for everything, so let's see how I am doing:

 

Microwave oven: $70

Coffee maker, toaster: $40

Dust Buster: $15

Shark floor sweeper: $30

Swifter mop and wet mopping cloths: $15

Pots and pans set: $15

Misc. kitchen hardware: $20

Bed/sheets/pillow: $370

Comforter: $70

Folding table/chair for work area: $45

Sofa sleeper: $100

Kitchen table/chairs: $90

Delivery of sofa/table: $30

Floor lamp: $10

Table lamp: $5

TV stand: $20

Recliner: $100

Dresser: $40

 

Total: $1,145

 

So I am already over my target, with a few items to go. But all in all, I am happy with my purchases. I could have scrimped on the bed and bought a used one, but I really wanted a nice bed and bedding because I love my sleep and didn't want to get something with bedbugs and/or funky odor to it!

 

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I hope everyone has a good one, in whatever way you choose to spend it. Dawn and I were having a discussion on the phone this evening about how this holiday tends to bring longings for the Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving, with the large family gathered around the table, loaded down with the traditional feast. For many, this is still possible. But with today's split-up families, mixed families from multiple marriages, alternate lifestyles, and on and on, Thanksgiving now takes on many faces. There was a woman ahead of me in in the checkout today at the Walmart Neighborhood Market, and all she was buying was four Marie Callender frozen turkey dinners. And it made me kind of sad for a moment, but then I thought, maybe her family believes this is wonderful, and that is fine. Is it any less "weird" than me driving over to Fort Myers Beach tomorrow and having stone crab at the Pincher's Crab House Tiki Hut inside the Wyndham resort? The important thing is that we have a good time and, yes, corny as it sounds, take a moment to count our blessings. Which, in my case anyway, have been many. May you all find a day filled with happiness wherever you are, and in whatever manner you choose to celebrate.

 

Bruce