Dreams Underfoot: moving

Showing posts with label moving. Show all posts

November 11, 2013

joy in the uprooting

I've moved 5 times in 10 years - and 3 of those were in the last 4 years. That sounds like a lot to me. It feels like a lot.

I do love my apartment, though.

loving room. painting above mantel by mfamb

living room into office

office

kitchen

bird bath

I have big windows that let in lots of natural light, a transom over my kitchen door, beautifully inlaid hardwood floors, and 10' ceilings. I also have 2 fireplaces, both non-working but who cares? I just want to decorate the mantels and hearths anyway. My little ~~fire escape~~ deck is just the right size for my forest of houseplants (which are now inside for the winter) and a couple of chairs, and because I'm on the 2nd floor, I have some semblance of privacy, despite the fact that the houses on either side are so close I could practically touch them from here:

living room detail

I wonder how long I'll be here?

I give you this to take with you:

Nothing remains as it was.

If you know this, you can begin again,

with pure joy in the uprooting.

― Judith Minty

xo, Susan

June 4, 2012

uniquely your own

27 days to launch. I'm living in that soon-to-be-moving limbo, with lots of stuff boxed up, lots of stuff just lying about (said in my best Carl Pilkington voice, did you hear it?!). I'm truly almost finished packing, but anyone want to bet that I'll still be in a panic and rush the day before? I will, I just will.

I'm chomping at the bits to get there, and obsessing over my new little place. How will it look when I'm all settled? How will it feel? How do I want it to look and feel? That's the real question, and some of the answers are slow to come...

I know conventional wisdom says to settle in slowly, don't rush it, take your time. But I may only be there a year, so there's not a lot of time to take, and besides, I want to feel at home from the beginning, which means nest-building in high gear. Even if that means making some mistakes along the way...

Which is a metaphor for how I've lived my whole life, and it's worked pretty well for me all these years, despite all current appearances to the contrary.

So, I'll do what I always do: think it to death, plan what I can, then, in the end, fling it all together and see how I like it.

What will I keep, what will I let go? That's always the question, isn't it?

Absorb what is useful. Discard what is not. Add what is uniquely your own.

~ Bruce Lee

February 16, 2010

transpire to get you home

We're heeeeeere! Finally after months and months (seven of them!) and days and weeks and hours, we're here, and all our stuff is here, and the dogs and the cats are here, and we even have internet! Hurray!

Getting here was long and exhausting and worrisome. There was the Readying The House To Put On The Market Ordeal, followed by the House-hunting/finding/losing Starting Over Ordeal, in conjunction with the Keeping the House Ready to Show Even Though We Have 6 Dogs and 4 Cats Ordeal, and then the We Have An Offer Now We Have To Get Through the Inspections and Closing Ordeal, and finally concluding with the Let's Move in February with 6 inches of Snow on the Ground Ordeal - which is why we had the sideshow of Our Moving Truck Is In The Ditch At The Bottom Of The Drive And All Our Stuff Is Tipped Over Inside The Pods Ordeal*, and an encore of Holy Shit It's Snowing Again!

But hey - we're here!

While we unloaded the last bit of our worldly goods from the truck late on Friday evening, I happened to glance up at the dark night sky and - gasp - there was the Milky Way, gazing back at me. How long since I'd seen a skyful of stars? Until last Friday, it had been years.

Yesterday our old house got one final scouring, and then we turned it over to the new owners, who said in an email that they're "oh so sublimely excited." Today we found a note from the previous owners of this (our new) house, telling us about her 35 years here, and how she loved this place, and wishing us well and happy for many years to come.

Tonight it's still snowing. The dogs running in the yard look like they're churning through whipped cream. The roads - and our drive - are covered deep. My car is parked halfway down the hill because I was afraid to risk getting it to the top. There's a tower of boxes in the front hall, and a driveway full of storage pods to unpack. But we're happy...we're home!

top 2 images mine; mouse over others for source

"You never know what events are going to transpire to get you home."

- Og Mandino

*Disclaimer: We didn't drive the truck into the ditch, the driver did.

http://confessionsofasineater.blogspot.com/

February 7, 2010

paved with yellow

I'm supposed to be packing. Instead, in typical Cart-Before-The-Horse Susan style, I'm sitting in bed with a cup of coffee, looking at design blogs and mentally arranging the furniture in the new house.

As I mentioned before, the living room walls are yellow, and shall remain so. I love yellow rooms, specifically yellow living rooms and kitchens. According to some, Yellow captures the joy of sunshine and communicates happiness. [Who wouldn't love that?!] It’s perfect for kitchens, dining rooms, and bathrooms, where happy color is energizing and uplifting. In halls, entries, and small spaces, yellow can feel expansive and welcoming. [The front hall is yellow, too - Welcome, everyone!] Yellow, although is a cheery color, is not a good choice in main color schemes of a room. [Hmmm...] People are more likely to lose their tempers in a yellow room. [Uh-oh!] Babies also seem to cry more in a yellow room. [No babies, so we're okay there.] This color tends to create feeling of frustration and anger in people. [Yikes!] This color is the most fatiguing on the eyes. [Thank goodness I look cute in glasses...]

You could also call me, with absolute accuracy, Ignores-Facts-That-Don't-Suit-Her Susan.

Enough with the self-chastising and second guessing - What, you missed it? It was there, I promise! - Let's look at pretty pictures: