Sunday, April 27, 2008

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh, My Aching Back!!!!









My moving "labor pains" are almost over. I am down to the den and storage shed......maybe 4 or 5 more trips. The ol' back is just about shot. When I get the final items moved over here and the house cleaned, the first objective will be to find a good chiropractor. As I say at this point of every move "THIS IS THE LAST TIME I AM MOVING THIS STUFF!!!!

Although I feel like I am one hurting walking dead right now, there have been a few bright moments. I am enjoying taking a break when Mom comes over for morning coffee and we relax on the back patio and enjoy the fresh morning breeze and sunshine. And my neighbors from across the street stopped over to introduce themselves and welcome me to the neighborhood...and when Ken noticed my coat/hat rack propped in the corner, offered to hang it for me. Then returned with drill, leveler and toggle bolts to do the job right. They will be leaving this week for their summer home and the other neighbor across the street left this morning. My only other neighbor on this street left two weeks ago, so Wylee and I will have this corner of our world to ourselves for awhile.

Another real day brightener was when the doorbell rang yesterday afternoon, and there stood my friend, Cindy (who also has a palomino gelding, and has been one of my riding buddies). She stood in the doorway with a big bouquet of flowers, a bottle of wine, and a bag of munchies and called out "CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEW HOME!. After the wine and conversation, she helped me transport all the stuff from my closet. That was an immense blessing. I would have taken all day going in and out and up and down the steps to accomplish what we did in an hour. I am so fortunate to have such great friends.

So I am almost in, and it is starting to feel like home. More kitchen space, but less closet space. Nice big laundry room, but smaller storage shed. SO....have boxes sitting around waiting to figure out where to put what, and am already planning a big load to Goodwill. All those clothes and shoes that I lug from place to place just in case.....I have a wedding/funeral/cruise....I might lose 10# (or gain them!).....I haven't worn this yet.....this was expensive....... Need Clinton to come and throw most of it a garbage can for me!

My break is over and ice tea gone, so will go back to work. A nice bath would feel good tonight, but can't figure out how to get my electric water heater turned on, so no hot water until the office opens tomorrow. Guess will be another evening at the pool and jacuzzi.....thank goodness for them!

And to make it all look a little more positive.....my friends and family up in the north country received yet more snow, gray and cold. They are spending this day shoveling and wondering if spring will ever arrive! I don't seem to get much sympathy from them when I ask if they know how I should turn on my air conditioning.....



Tuesday, April 22, 2008

MOVING




I have decided that moving is like having a baby. It sounds like a good idea at the time, but when in labor, one thinks "NEVER AGAIN!". And I am now in labor.


I had an opportunity to buy a new home in my 55+ park at a great price and with tempting terms. It has the advantages of no stairs, low maintenance landscaping, a walled back yard for Wylee, a 5 year warranty, and all new appliances and electrical things which shouldn't need replacing for the rest of my life! It is more energy-efficient than my current home, and would have better resale. BUT....it is a block further from the pool and my Mom's home (walking is good for me....right? ) But Mom will have further to come for our morning coffee sessions., and I will lose my wonderful neighbors. I will relinquish my handy den off my bedroom and will have a smaller storage shed. BUT...I will have a handy big utility room as I come in from the carport, a much bigger kitchen with pantry and pull-out shelves, and it is bright and cozy with skylights, vaults and tile and laminate floors. BUT....I need to take down all my pictures and THINGS and find places for them. And then there is the packing, lifting, hauling and disorganization until everything finds a place again...or gets a free ride to Goodwill.


Moving provides a good opportunity to go through things, discard the "what have I kept this for?" items, and discover the " so that's where that was" goodies. It is a time of letting go, of re-evaluating priorities and importance, and also a time of finding things that bring back a poignant memory. Friends offer their assistance, but there are just some things that have to be gone through alone. I think of how my treasures which bring me happy memories will be my children's junk to discard someday. One day I think I will write a little note to put behind my artwork and trinkets, and tell the story of why I have kept them all these years. Someday.


In the meantime, I vacillate between the excitement of the new home, and the sadness of leaving this older double-wide that needs some repairs, but has such happy memories of my sister and I painting, my brother-in- laws sharing their carpentry skills in hanging shelves and doing the kitchen floor, my sister putting in plantings around the fountain and pond, and my good friend putting in the tile and new sinks in the bathrooms. It makes it difficult to leave.


So I am in labor....feeling the pains of packing, memories and separation from a place that I have fond memories and great neighbors. I will only be moving a short distance away, yet I won't be able to wave to my neighbors who walk their dog by or come home from their night shift. But you can't go back....always forward to new possibilities. New neighbors, new views, and soon my labor will be over and I will enjoy the birth of a new tomorrow. As I eventually sit out on my new patio with the mountain views and sounds of the nearby fountain, I will enjoy my morning coffee and evening glass of wine with friends and family, and my new house will become home.