Moving back....

[osodecanela]

Turning a house into a home takes work.

We both drove down to the River house today. I’ve got an appointment to see my PCP tomorrow any way. I packed the car with furniture, boots and clothes, settled the dog into the back seat and made the drive. It’s been a busy day today.

This was my fourth journey here in the last week, I had plenty to get put away.

Bookshelves back up in the kitchen & cookbooks put away. Check.
Broken bathroom doorknob replaced. Check.
Cedar chest moved into sitting room, polished, and hinges tightened. Check.
Shoe storage case bolted to closet wall and shoes unboxed and put away. Check.
Chest of drawers polished. Check.
Clothing put away. Check.

I was working on the credenza when I decided enough for one day. I muscled the credenza into the dining room Saturday, but there was no time to get the shelves back into it. The shelf supports for the most part needed replacement. I figured out which shelves went into which section of the cabinet today & got the glassware and a bunch of my serving pieces put away. I need to pick up for the remaining 2/3 of the cabinet and finish putting the frágiles away. Tomorrow will be busy

Comments

[mrdreamjeans]

I'm confused. Are you moving away from your beautiful home with the views?

[osodecanela]

Please forgive my silence, life has been quite busy for the last few weeks.

The bottom line is yes, we’re moving.

After months of dragging their feet in giving me a start date, mid-month my job offer evaporated. They are not expanding their clinic and my skill set is not required. I suspect my age and time away from work for the last several years has much to do with it. The bottom line is there is now much less to hold me there, up at the lake. Add to it, my husband is not really happy there.

I’m torn. I’ve liked being there in some ways, and I will miss the sheer physical beauty of the place. I’ll miss gardening (and I’ll admit that still sounds bizarre coming out of my mouth!). I will miss my kitchen. I like to cook and entertain and I designed kitchen to foster that. I will not miss the arid environment nor the excessive heat, nor the fire danger. To be honest about it, to my surprise I have had less problem with the heat, than my husband. We have had triple digit heat for multiple days at a time since June, even as recently as this past week.

The lake is remote, and unfortunately, we have not found much of a social circle there. While I’m outgoing and gregarious, LJ is an introvert. Getting close to new folk is not his strong suit. We know next to no other LGBT folk up there, and the handful I have met, seem to be more interested in getting into my pants, than being social while fully clothed. We don’t hide that we’re a gay couple, not that there’s a rainbow flag flying. Further, our politics stand out here. While Lake county did go for Clinton in ‘16, Trump signs and bumperstickers are common here, as is rural poverty. Our lawn sign for Elizabeth Warren is the only one I’ve seen in the county.

Meanwhile, our old property in Sonoma County did not sell. The county has still not done a permanent repair to the county road that lead to our place; while the road is open, nobody past the landslide has been able to sell their property. In early August, we took the place off the market and in short order, both of our rental units in the property had tenants. My husband decided if you weren’t going to be able to sell the place now, he would prefer to be living in it, at least part time, & now that my job prospect has evaporated, he waits move back. He was happier here. We will either sell the lake house or turn it into a rental.

So several times a week, I make the drive to and fro, each time returning to the river house with a fully packed car, transitioning back into our old home. I’m anticipating by thanksgiving the move will be complete. Till then, there will be much sorting.

[mrdreamjeans]

I can't imagine juggling two properties ... or the disappointment/frustration with the job situation. In my 50's, I interviewed and landed three jobs completely new to me with no previous experience. I made a success with one of them, but the other two were problematic. Imagine being 55 and interviewing against 20 somethings. The issue as I age is I am less willing to suffer fools, bad policies or ethically-challenged situations. Perhaps, you've dodged a bullet in these folks letting you down ...

It appears you will definitely have a reason to give thanks by November 28! I wish you all the best with the task of moving, settling and commuting between properties.

[osodecanela]

I suspect that in many ways you’re right. While my feelings are mixed, I’m actually OK with this turn of events. Know that I truly appreciate your kind words.

Now, as the book goes, I kind of need to figure out the color of my parachute. I’m debating starting a podcast aimed at type two diabetics.