Well, we've been in Oregon since April 23rd, and in our new home a week and I just got Internet yesterday! We've been surrounded by hundreds of moving boxes and our life for the past week has been a tiring, but focused journey of activity.
Let me first, just say, that I NEVER want to move again! The dog and cat are still showing signs of being traumatized - first from their first plane flight, then by living in our son and daughter in laws home for a week, then into their new home filled with moving boxes and dealing with a never ending stream of strangers coming in and out. Poor Bonnie kitty is finally coming out of hiding a couple of times a day, and Bodhi has finally decided it's okay to go in our back yard with that dangerous looking pool. Hearing a dog next door probably helped him overcome his fear of the "pool monster".
Our daughter Erin arrives from Munich late tomorrow night and she's here for about two weeks to help us while we try to get all our household stuff put away. Going from five thousand square feet of home and studio two thousand four hundred presents some challenges. We gave away so much before we left, replaced some things like our living room TV, with a new plasma one which sits proudly on our living room mantle after having a electrician squirm through out very narrow attic crawl space to wire it through the walls. Between unpacking we've been shopping for new outdoor furniture, washer and dryer (they normally don't come with the house purchase here in Southern Oregon), new fans, chandelier (which won't be here for another couple of weeks),pots for the new container gardening I'll be doing since our back yard is 99.9% concrete, pool and a Jacuzzi, and food shopping to restock the larder.
I can't even begin to think about organizing the studio. The movers took all my shelving apart and didn't put it back together (United Van lines policy), so yesterday we hired a handyman to put those things together, as well as the new outdoor furniture together, fix the leaks in the sprinklers, install the new laundry tub sink in garage (half of which will be my new studio), and a long list of other things that he will be doing next week.
We should have purchased stock in Lowes hardware and Home Depot and Best Buy before this move! Most of our non unpacking time seems to be spent at those places as well as a couple of local nurseries. Two days ago I finally gave myself some planting time and got a couple of veggies planted in some new plastic, nursery growing bags which I had ordered on the Internet. We have a wood fence closing in the back yard, so I'm hoping to do a lot of vertical planting in the future and getting the existing drip system that the previous owners had for their potter plants back work and add to it.
One of the great perks of living close to a small city (Medford) is all the nearby shopping and dining choices. Within 5 minutes of our house we have good local Mexican, Italian and Chinese restaurants, as well as a new found, very good breakfast place, a super Walmart and large hardware store. Within 15 minutes there's Costo, Lowe's, Best Buy, Michael's, Pet Smart, large supermarkets (Safeway, Fred Meyers), etc. etc., and about 400 other restaurants and other great shopping choices.
It feels good to be able to touch base on the blog again; but now it's time for me to have my first cup of tea. I've been up since 3 am, got one big box unpacked, put away some other things, read some of the approximately 1700 emails that need attention, sent out some change of address emails and made my day's "to do" list. The day's plan is to head back to Home Depot for extra studio shelving, after the Direct TV man leaves, and make a couple of nursery stops for some more big pots, some perennials for the pots I've already placed and filled with potting soil, and maybe an outdoor bench for our atrium. There's an Olive Garden in town, so we might try it out for lunch (haven't been to one in years).
Let me first, just say, that I NEVER want to move again! The dog and cat are still showing signs of being traumatized - first from their first plane flight, then by living in our son and daughter in laws home for a week, then into their new home filled with moving boxes and dealing with a never ending stream of strangers coming in and out. Poor Bonnie kitty is finally coming out of hiding a couple of times a day, and Bodhi has finally decided it's okay to go in our back yard with that dangerous looking pool. Hearing a dog next door probably helped him overcome his fear of the "pool monster".
Our daughter Erin arrives from Munich late tomorrow night and she's here for about two weeks to help us while we try to get all our household stuff put away. Going from five thousand square feet of home and studio two thousand four hundred presents some challenges. We gave away so much before we left, replaced some things like our living room TV, with a new plasma one which sits proudly on our living room mantle after having a electrician squirm through out very narrow attic crawl space to wire it through the walls. Between unpacking we've been shopping for new outdoor furniture, washer and dryer (they normally don't come with the house purchase here in Southern Oregon), new fans, chandelier (which won't be here for another couple of weeks),pots for the new container gardening I'll be doing since our back yard is 99.9% concrete, pool and a Jacuzzi, and food shopping to restock the larder.
I can't even begin to think about organizing the studio. The movers took all my shelving apart and didn't put it back together (United Van lines policy), so yesterday we hired a handyman to put those things together, as well as the new outdoor furniture together, fix the leaks in the sprinklers, install the new laundry tub sink in garage (half of which will be my new studio), and a long list of other things that he will be doing next week.
We should have purchased stock in Lowes hardware and Home Depot and Best Buy before this move! Most of our non unpacking time seems to be spent at those places as well as a couple of local nurseries. Two days ago I finally gave myself some planting time and got a couple of veggies planted in some new plastic, nursery growing bags which I had ordered on the Internet. We have a wood fence closing in the back yard, so I'm hoping to do a lot of vertical planting in the future and getting the existing drip system that the previous owners had for their potter plants back work and add to it.
One of the great perks of living close to a small city (Medford) is all the nearby shopping and dining choices. Within 5 minutes of our house we have good local Mexican, Italian and Chinese restaurants, as well as a new found, very good breakfast place, a super Walmart and large hardware store. Within 15 minutes there's Costo, Lowe's, Best Buy, Michael's, Pet Smart, large supermarkets (Safeway, Fred Meyers), etc. etc., and about 400 other restaurants and other great shopping choices.
It feels good to be able to touch base on the blog again; but now it's time for me to have my first cup of tea. I've been up since 3 am, got one big box unpacked, put away some other things, read some of the approximately 1700 emails that need attention, sent out some change of address emails and made my day's "to do" list. The day's plan is to head back to Home Depot for extra studio shelving, after the Direct TV man leaves, and make a couple of nursery stops for some more big pots, some perennials for the pots I've already placed and filled with potting soil, and maybe an outdoor bench for our atrium. There's an Olive Garden in town, so we might try it out for lunch (haven't been to one in years).
We have stayed put for seven years now but before that we moved several times in a short span of time and with each move I said, I never want to move again! It is so hard and the older I get the more I dread it. My husband has the itch again, so I see a move in my future looming over me. I'll just come back and read your blog and remind myself if you can do it, I can do it!! So glad you are still blogging and look forward to reading about you in your new studio and garden!!
ReplyDeleteSo glad to see you up and reporting. Sounds exhausting, but exciting at the same time. It will be so worth it when everything is done. Just take care or yourselves.
ReplyDeleteWarmly,
Nelle