Do you ever have those moments when you wake up and realize that 10 months of your life have sped away in the blink of an eye? That was me today.
Since I last wrote on the blog, I’ve lost my father and embarked on the somewhat overwhelming task of emptying my childhood home. With both of my parents gone, I became the sole holder of our memories — and all of the stuff that had accumulated in the house in the decades that they lived there.
Then Andy and I bought a small cottage in California. Our move was chaotic – wedged in between a trip back to Ohio for my father’s memorial and shipping the Ohio “must keep” items to California. There were so many boxes. So, so, so many boxes.
And life changed. We went from being in the middle of a place with a meager walk score to being in an area that makes it considerably easier to get around without a car (we still haven’t replaced the Jeep after selling it in 2019). It’s incredible how much our lives changed when we were no longer tied to driving schedules. It’s not perfect – but, wow, so much more livable.
The cottage was built in 1911, and many original elements remain in place. We have many plans for new gardens and our “social” front porch. I’m hoping to share them all with you here. First up, a consult with a horticulturist to learn more about how we can incorporate the fruit and veggie plants from our old place into our little lot without destroying the gorgeous rose bushes we inherited from the previous owners.
Health issues continue to plague me. And that stress has made it very difficult to be creative. However, I’m hopeful that better days are ahead of us on both fronts.
I think this site will take on more of a blog tone. We are working on so many things – I hope to share them with you. And that you’ll have some fun in the process.
For now, I leave you with this orange dragonfly. It landed in our front yard, and I was utterly smitten. Some websites claim it can represent reinvention and stability in turbulent times. Let’s hope both are true!