Peonies in Illinois. I LOVE peonies.
As I mentioned in a couple of posts back, dear husband and I decided in January to move when our lease ended the first of June. Being frugal, we also wanted to move as much as the two of us possibly could before enlisting the aid of friends with muscles and youth. Not that these friends would charge us, but they have families and jobs. We didn't want to take advantage of their time and generosity (and muscles). So, hubs and I over days and weeks slowly boxed up and moved ourselves as much as we could. It was only seven miles away. No big deal. Hold on. I dislike moving. Any move for us is a big deal.
We learned some lessons we didn't want to learn, but denial only goes so far before a person looks downright stupid.
The two of us are getting older. We also have some health issues that don't lend themselves to physical labor. Sheer will and determination only gets a person so far before one collapses in exhaustion; hence, the weeks and months needed to accomplish the move -- one to two days of actual moving, then several days' recuperation.
Since we downsized by half, we also had to scrutinize exactly what we needed to take. Two paper shredders destroyed contents of two filing cabinets and numerous boxes that should have been destroyed ages ago. One shredder burned up. Week after week, the large recycle bin overflowed. The energy used to move negated organizing garage sales, yard sales, etc., and resulted in happy neighbors being the recipients of the oft-repeated, "Hey, could you use this?" What they couldn't use, Salvation Army accepted readily. One of our volunteer movers culled from the large pile Salvation Army was to pick up the next day, which included a nice elliptical exercise machine and two box fans. Happiness filled my heart to see our things find good homes.
There's a freedom in letting loose of "things," in crossing that bridge to the unknown: a new neighborhood, new lifestyle, much smaller home. In a way, we didn't want to move, but knew it was the best decision at the time for a number of reasons.
Once the helpers with muscles came and moved the large furniture, that was it. We were in our new home for good. That gave us plenty of time to continue to move the small stuff, place other things in storage (for our daughter, when she buys her own place next year), and clean the rental house to get our full deposit back. We've settled in well but still have more boxes to unpack and things to organize. That's okay. We're taking our time and becoming even more discretionary in what to keep, throw away, or donate.
Our new neighbors have been welcoming and kind. I'm looking forward to landscaping our little place, planting pots of herbs, and establishing a routine.
If anything has upset me about the move, it's the disruption of my writing and painting routine. Like not writing a blog entry since March. Now you know why. But this was a necessary disruption and I must be kind with myself that all will settle where it's supposed to.
In the meantime, I have a daily goal to do one thing to organize my space to make that happen. One thing usually turns into two or more, which is good, but this darn Florida heat mixed with heavy storms have also disrupted my progress. It's funny how one project hinges on another project which hinges on another, etc., which is why I still have three boxes sitting by my desk.
I love our new place and look forward to the opportunities it affords. But doggone it, we still can't grow peonies in Florida.
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