Happy New Year

In the eleven days since I last posted, an amazing amount of energy has been expended by me and my family. I almost feel as though the universe is determined to make us use up all our old energy before midnight tonight and start fresh in 2014 with a new supply.

Since the solstice, we have finished packing up the house. Daughter Jo came on the 26th and helped clean while the movers loaded the truck. What a great team of movers they were! We've always loaded the rental truck ourselves when we've moved (about 10 or 12 times I think, over the years) but this time we hired a  company and I'm so glad we did! Thye got all our crap on the truck in 4 hours where it used to take us at least a day or more to load up.

So, on the morning of the 27th, we signed all the papers, turned over the keys, and were oficially homeless for the weekend. Don and I spent a well earned 2 days at the (relative) luxury of the Super 8 in town.We got all rested up for Monday, the 30th.

We signed the papers to buy the new house at 8:30, the moving truck arrived at 10:30 and 4 hours later, all our crap was deposited in the house and garage where most of it still waits to be put away. 

Don and I have spent this New Year's Eve unpacking and trying to make some sense out of all the chaos. I think the worst thing about moving to a new house is deciding where to put everything especially in the kitchen, and then remembering where I put them.  It gets harder as my brain "matures!"

The hardest thing about the whole move--not the fact that our belongings were frozen on the moving truck all weekend, not spending the weekend in a cheap hotel,  not the having to sort out the freezable foods and liquids so they could be stored indoors for the weekend--was having to put our two old cats in the kennel all weekend and not knowing if they were miserable or delighted.  When I brought them to the new  house yesterday, they spent several hours exploring and the rest of the evening and all day today they have been close at hand wanting to be petted at every opportunity. I think they're happy to be back with their humans. :-)

I retrieved my sewing machines from daughter Tessa's house today and they are in the sewing room, patiently waiting to be used again, but they'll have to wait until we come back from Hawaii in the middle of January.  Then the fun will begin again! I'll have 10 days to finish sorting  out  the house and getting ready for our month in Alabama. At least I'll be taking my machines and several projects along with and will finally be able to work on my quilts again.

So, happy New Year--may it be filled with serenity and contentment and a boundless supply of 2014 energy.

The Winter Solstice

Today's the winter solstice, the time when the earth begins turning to light and warmth after six months of increasing darkness and cold.  I celebrate this day as the beginning of a new season in my life.

This past month has held many changes for me and truly, a new season is beginning. Just before Thanksgiving, I retired from my job and on that day as well, Don and I accepted an offer to buy our house.  This was followed by a frantic search to find a house in Menomonie that suits our needs. We lucked out and found a very beautiful house that will serve our purposes for the rest of our lives.  We are moving out of this house on the 27th and will be "homeless" until the 30th when we can move into the new house.  Every day since then has been spent sorting, cleaning, throwing and packing and we are nearing the end of it.  I managed to finish a crib quilt for my friend's new grandson and got that off in the mail the other day. In the midst of all this chaos, our son graduated with his Masters degree so we spent last weekend in Milwaukee for the ceremony and to have an early Christmas with Dan and Erin and the family. I'm so proud of my son--it's taken him a long time to get this degree but he managed to do it--and he landed a choice job as well!  

Enjoy this shortest day and fill it with things that bring joy to your heart and to your family.