moving...and other horriblenesses

The reason I haven't posted for so long is that my husband and I have spent the past 9 days moving out of our house--we put it on the market thinking it would take months before anything happened but we were wrong! although we were thrilled to have a buyer we have also been overcome with sadness at leaving a place that was a sanctuary--quiet and surrounded with cedars and firs. The ordeal of moving has left both of us exhausted both psychically and physically.

The movers came on thursday with what I thought was an extremely large truck--turns out it wasn't nearly large enough. When five o'clock rolled around we were all spent and decided to call it a day--but their contract with us said that they would get it all done in one day! Consequently we rented a U-haul for the next day with their promise that they would load and unload-- unfortunately we had to settle for a 17 footer which meant two trips that weren't completed until 11 that night. We managed to cram everything from our 3800 sq. ft. house into a 2500 sq. ft. space but boxes are precariously balanced on one another-and where is the cord for the telephone?

Our plan after schlepping heavy boxes up an down stairs for many days is to spend the winter going through things and getting RID of everything we don't need or love!!!! We have both learned a valuable lesson--just because you have the space doesn't mean you have to fill it up! (we've learned many other lessons as well, like bend your knees when lifting and plan where things go BEFORE the movers bring it through the door)

The movers were truly wonderful--cheerful despite fatigue and low blood sugar, patient to a fault. Today I managed to get into our new garden--putting up my bird feeders and trying to create the oasis I had at the other house--we only moved from Portland, Or. to Vancouver, Wa. but it feels like we are in another country. Instead of our quiet private house at the top of a hill, we are next to a main street with life all around us. We can walk to restaurants and shopping. I'm personally glad for the change--we were getting into a rut which we've been bounced out of...Life is good now that the move is OVER.