Thursday, March 18, 2010

Signing out from this house


Tomorrow we take possession of this magical house that we've been dreaming about since I started writing to you here. March 19 is 9 months to the day from when we closed in Arlington and moved here to this little rental house to begin this adventure. (How's that for hitting you over the head with symbolism? But really, this moment has been much longer a-borning, as most of you know.)

We are packing in earnest, and as we make progress, it's dawning on both of us that we're only moving 25 miles this time, not 500. All weekend, we'll be able to take things to the house ahead of the movers, who will come Monday. I remember the day we moved here, trying to put things away in the kitchen during the chaos of having furniture moved in, balancing intricate placement decisions in the kitchen and big ones about furniture at the same time. This move should be much, much easier. We can hang towels, put rugs on the floor, and, best of all, I can get the kitchen mostly put away over the weekend and concentrate on other things on the "official" moving day. (Of course, another "moving day" is also on the near horizon: the week after next we head for Delaware to bring all the things we thought we would be using there. That's a pretty substantial load, since as we consolidated the rooms in Arlington and moved furniture out to show the house, we took all of those things to Delaware. There are two large china cabinets, to begin with. And there are things we bought in Delaware that we want here, a rowboat, picnic table......Oh, we won't be finished moving in by a long shot when we clear out this house.)

So busy days are ahead. We'll arrange the inside, then get to work on the outside, mostly finishing the deck and landscaping. Still, I intend to make every effort to inject some discipline into my life once I'm under my own roof again. I can't wait to start my daily walks. And I do mean to write more regularly here. Connection speeds will probably be a bit better, making music less frustrating to upload. We all know what they say about good intentions, but I promise to do my best. I really do miss this wonderful part of my life.

There will probably be another long silence after this as we get through the nitty-gritty of moving in. But I hope I can start plumbing my brain once again for things other than the minutiae of changing residence. See you soon!

27 comments:

Helen said...

How incredibly wonderful ~ and how exciting ~ and what a transition! Congratulations!!!

Anonymous said...

Good photo of you and Steve. So the big moving day is upon all of us who follow DoT. Good for you guys! I look forward to reading about your settling in experiences as I'm sure the wild life who hasn't introduced itself to you yet will do so at the first scent of kitchen cooking or something on the grill. They'll be screaming "Food Friday!" Yay!

Ralph said...

Thank you, Helen. So nice to have you along!

Ralph said...

Thank you, Helen. So nice to have you along!

Ralph said...

HAHAHAHA!!! Z&M, I've give a lot of thought to the wildlife, but never in context of cooking outside! I wonder of the deer are interested in barbecue??? If not them, surely the raccoons! I'll let you know.

Paula said...

It's been quite a journey. I'll be thinking of you as you make your long-awaiting next transition.

Peewit said...

I would have thought the deer would be more interested on NOT being THE barbecue! Good luck with the move, I'm looking forward to more regular food fridays

The cottage by the Cranelake said...

Congratulations!
Nothing beats the feeling of moving in to ones new home :-)
Christer.

nan said...

Welcome HOME! Wishing you and Steve happiness as you warm your new house!

Anonymous said...

Let me know when Food Friday is in gear and I'll direct the deer all over us here (I typically have 6-15 in my yard each evening) to NC! I'm sure they would rather be an invitee FOR dinner rather than AS dinner which happens way too often up here. Not a taste I've acquired in 14 years so I think it won't be. GOOD LUCK and GOOD TIMES! Bev

Ralph said...

Thanks, Bev! Our landscaper suggested we get deer corn to direct their attention elsewhere, away from flowers (or whatever!). I've seen bags of it in the stores but thought it would create a nuisance, but I suppose simply living there is nuisance enough, potentially....never thought about the diversion angle...ever tried it?

Cuidado said...

I'm so happy for you. It's been a long haul (which most births are) and won't it be nice in a month or so to put your feet up and say, "Finished!"

Lonely Rivers said...

Last Sunday I had dinner with friends who asked me..."have your guys moved into their new house yet?" -They know you and care about you Ralph, even though they would never ever consider reading a blog. Honestly I do have real live inthesamecity friends - who include you in their good wishes and thoughts. The circle exands every day. Maybe this internet thing is not so bad, right? We all send blessings for a long healthy life in your new house It's a small world after all.

Ralph said...

LR, you give me a huge smile. How sweet, thanks to you and please pass my thanks to your friends. Yes, I came to the realization a while back that, far from isolating people from each other, computers have provided a whole new way for people to connect, and created a new kind of friendship. I have a group of friends whom I don't know in the flesh, but who, since they read what I write, and since I express things in writing which I either can't or for which I haven't the time in everyday life, know more about me than flesh-and-blood, "inthesamecity" friends. Most of my family don't even read my blog. You know more about me than my sister! I think this form of outreach is winderful.

Jeff said...

Hey Ralph:

Wishing you all the best in the continuing adventures of... :)

Now - I hope we'll be "hearing" more from you in the upcoming weeks...

- Jeff

Ralph said...

Thanks, Jeff. All over but the movers as I write. In three days we've installed the various window treatments, put down the scatter rugs, and moved the entire kitchen and put it away in the new one. Tomorrow should be a piece of cake! That's about as far into the future as I'm looking at the moment, but I do promise to make every effort to contribute here. I miss it.

Eclecticity said...

You go boys! E.

jaz@octoberfarm said...

hi...i just found you and signed on to follow. how exciting to move into your dream home. it will be fun to watch the progress! have fun this weekend moving the small stuff! stop by my blog when you have time and enter my giveaway. i post one each week!

One Woman's Journey - a journal being written from Woodhaven - her cottage in the woods. said...

Sending you both "Blessings for your New Home"
Life is Good!!

Anonymous said...

What has happened to Kat at keep the Coffee Coming?

Ralph said...

Anon, Blogger removed Coffee because of a copyright infringement regarding a song. She's now here: http://keepthecoffeecoming.wordpress.com/

Anonymous said...

Ralph, thanks. Began following your blog when you were a guest host at Coffee. Enjoy your new home...although why you want to live in the country is beyond understanding!

Ralph said...

Heh, well, anon, there's "in the country" and in the country. We're only an hour away from our favorite beach in the world, and the people we've met here are uniformly wonderful. A friend in DC said he went to see the cherry blossoms today and then to special exhibits in the DC museums. I do miss those opportunities. But they only happened once or twice a year. On balance this is paradise. I hope to post this week.

Lonely Rivers said...

Enough long silence. Where are you?

Ralph said...

Sorry for the long silence, LR, although I did put this up: http://daysoftransition.blogspot.com/2010/04/random-notes.html a week or so ago. We've been going pretty much non-stop, and I've had little time to string words together. One addendum to the linked post: the lien problem is in the process of being solved, thank God. We're expecting paperwork this week.

I'll try hard, I promise! Thanks for asking.

Unknown said...

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Ralph said...

Davidson, I'm glad you happened on this post I wrote several months ago. We are in North Carolina and I have no knowledge of anything at all about Dallas Texas. Check with a local consumer group. Doing the necessary homework yourself is not difficult.