Who is a hermit? Me?

Many years ago when I was buying this condo, I brought my friends, Christine and Brenda, to see it. They had spent much time with me enjoying my home in The Preserve as well as the lake house in the past years, where I liked to entertain. Having them share this home with me was simply the natural transition, or so I hoped. Once they walked through the doors of the then empty home which seemed at once more spacious and bright, they were smitten! Not that they would like condo life themselves since they live on the same road in Middleburg with wide open spaces around them, but they realized that this was going to be right for me! At least Brenda did. Christine was walking around the place going, "hmmm, hmmm" and looking out the sliding doors at the river, listening to my plans for Jimmie building a desk at my window for me. Quite wisely she turned to me and wagged her finger in my face, cautioningly, "You are going to become a hermit up here! We will never see Miss Kim again, you won't want to leave here!"

Christine, the seer!

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Well, what do you know about that? At the time this was the most ridiculous statement I ever heard, and when I shared it with others they too scoffed at the notion. Kim---a hermit?? When Joanne, Twila and I were out looking at houses together a month or so ago, the one place would have been ideal for me, except for the fact that it was "small". I told the ladies I needed more square footage to which Joanne immediately retorted, "Kim! You do not! You stay in your room all day and only come out for soda!" As harsh as that may sound, she is not wrong, and neither was Christine too far off the mark. After just more than three years of living here, both ladies are correct, it seems. At least to a point.

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We did not have Bible study this a.m. due to a Pastor's Conference taking place which I would not have even known about but for Pastor sending me a late night e-mail to inform me. Because I was not in worship, I missed the announcement. Really, only moments before I was to head out for Bible study did I read the e-mail!!! Now what? My whole day is thrown off---talk about a woman of routine! As I took care of some laundry, I had chuckled to myself about what Joanne said about my living in a only one room, having all this lovely space outside my bedroom waiting for people to come over and enjoy it with me! Tonight it will be used as Twila and Judy are coming over to watch movies, our "free" night!

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When I went downstairs this late morning on my way to meet Twila for lunch, I met Connie, the maintenance lady, working on some pipes. She asked me where I had been, and when I looked surprised, she said, "Well, I haven't seen you around in a couple days..." Hastily I rushed to my own defense, mentally retracing my steps, or lack thereof. Of course, the weekend does not count since she is not here. Much of last week was consumed by the newsletter and my church outings also take place after she has left for the day. Thursday I was gone to Victory for Bible study, plus Wal*Mart was marked by me one of those days.....I guess I had better make sure I let Connie know when I am moving about or she will think I died up here!

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The picture one gets of a hermit are hairy men sitting in dark, dungeon-like rooms, piled high with boxes and refuse, and empty pizza boxes. My home is hardly like that, except for the desk, that is, and the passenger side of my bed, busy with papers and books. Light is abundant and I do not allow for clutter, somehow not being able to control the amount of dust which finds its way to my surfaces. Will someone please explain this to me, since I am not buying Lori's theory of my dead skin flying madly about the house!