No pressure, oh no. Just packing for the movers to come to the condo on Friday, and packing for the trip to Paris on Saturday! The packing to move is definitely more difficult. I have sent so much to Goodwill and the Mennonite used furniture store in the past weeks, an ever-increasing stream of things leaving the condo. More waits for my daughters and their trucks. I've rented a storage unit for boxes I can't deal with right now, and have made space for my big desk in my writing studio at the GoggleWorks. Giving away/farming out family treasures is hard. There's a rocker in my studio that belonged to a wonderful teacher in a school where I was the principal. Many good memories are attached to that chair. Hard to part with it. But it is time.
And then there is Paris! She awaits with her dazzling Eiffel Tower and art museums. I expect to learn a great deal this visit, though it is my ninth. We have more structure and an expert guide this time.
Stay tuned...
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
More moving
Things are starting to fall into place around the big move to empty my condo and get it on the market. I have an experienced agent who is familiar with my development and the surrounding area. I have reliable movers ready to come on April 8th, putting the last things into a storage unit. My daughters have been helpful in finding homes for art work and furniture. I have window cleaners scheduled, as well as a janitorial service that will come and do a final cleaning/polishing after everything is empty.
Packing is slow work. I have archives of letters and family history to put into a safe place till I have time to explore them. Yesterday I found a photo of my father, young and handsome with that cleft in his chin. No wonder my mother fell in love with him!
The movers come on the 8th. We leave for Paris on the 9th. Oh happy day!
Packing is slow work. I have archives of letters and family history to put into a safe place till I have time to explore them. Yesterday I found a photo of my father, young and handsome with that cleft in his chin. No wonder my mother fell in love with him!
The movers come on the 8th. We leave for Paris on the 9th. Oh happy day!
The Write Stuff Conference
Mickey Getty, my studio partner at the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, and I spent three days last week at the Write Stuff writers conference in Allentown. We had a ball! Our class with Donald Maass on writing the breakout novel informed us that we need to create microtension on every page. Lisa Rector Maass helped us with sagging middles as well as the first fifty pages.
Other writers shared their expertise in sessions throughout Saturday. Most valuable of all were the connections with other writers. This is my second year at the conference, and again I'm fired up, fed by all the ideas. I come home and rest for a day or two — and then start to apply the new insights.
Other writers shared their expertise in sessions throughout Saturday. Most valuable of all were the connections with other writers. This is my second year at the conference, and again I'm fired up, fed by all the ideas. I come home and rest for a day or two — and then start to apply the new insights.
Monday, March 21, 2011
HD World
In early March Tom's son David flew in from Colorado to facilitate our move into the world of HDTV. Tom's three sons had promised a flat screen TV as a wedding gift, and David and Jodie made it happen. I pictured Robert, still in Texas, cheering from afar. Three fine men.
Now we have a gigantic TV occupying one end of the living room. It sits atop a cabinet containing all the smaller devices that make the system work seamlessly. I am stunned by the clarity of the picture, which details every pore and hair follicle of individuals. But nature programs are wonderful. The screen size allows one to feel almost in the picture. Oh, the wonders of modern technology!
This does not mean we have more time for watching TV, though. We are still engaged in merging and purging. Patty took home a carload of things yesterday, and Laura will come tomorrow to help clear the decks. My handyman neighbor has done a marvelous job of touching up paint and patching holes where art hung on walls. I think we are rounding the last turn and entering the home stretch.
Now to redecorate the studio!
Now we have a gigantic TV occupying one end of the living room. It sits atop a cabinet containing all the smaller devices that make the system work seamlessly. I am stunned by the clarity of the picture, which details every pore and hair follicle of individuals. But nature programs are wonderful. The screen size allows one to feel almost in the picture. Oh, the wonders of modern technology!
This does not mean we have more time for watching TV, though. We are still engaged in merging and purging. Patty took home a carload of things yesterday, and Laura will come tomorrow to help clear the decks. My handyman neighbor has done a marvelous job of touching up paint and patching holes where art hung on walls. I think we are rounding the last turn and entering the home stretch.
Now to redecorate the studio!
Friday, February 25, 2011
Letting Go
It is nearly a month since I posted to my blog. I know this isn't the way to build a big following, but right now I am not interested in building a following. I'm still in the "purge and merge" stage of melding our two households into one. It is trickier than it seemed last July, when Tom proposed, or even last month, when I finally got my dresser here. As a matter of fact, it is more of a challenge as time goes on.
Like so many tasks, the hardest part of the job can be finishing it. So I have done the easy parts, the things that don't require much consideration. No pot for making soup? Simple — bring my own. No room in the files? That's easy — two sets of files are here now, one in a cabinet and one rolling and portable. Books? Keep the ones I love, which turned out to be most of them. The rest went to the library sale.
Now I am faced with the hard choices. My grandmother's Limoges? Hand wash. No microwave. Who would bother to use it? The 1930's-era cedar chest that belonged to my parents. Beautiful wood, beautiful carved scene on the front. No room here. My large mahogany desk? Definitely no room here.
I have the sense that I will feel a burden lifted once these things are successfully moved out. I know for sure I'll feel lighter, free to step into the next thing with nothing dragging me down. And best of all will be to have the condominium sold and happily occupied by others. It is a great place, with wonderful neighbors, but it is not my place any more.
If my life up to this point has been like that of a decorator crab, adding on everything that looks attractive, then I must un-decorate, one thing at a time, so I can dance into the next chapter unencumbered. I am grateful that I have a wonderful partner for the dance.
Like so many tasks, the hardest part of the job can be finishing it. So I have done the easy parts, the things that don't require much consideration. No pot for making soup? Simple — bring my own. No room in the files? That's easy — two sets of files are here now, one in a cabinet and one rolling and portable. Books? Keep the ones I love, which turned out to be most of them. The rest went to the library sale.
Now I am faced with the hard choices. My grandmother's Limoges? Hand wash. No microwave. Who would bother to use it? The 1930's-era cedar chest that belonged to my parents. Beautiful wood, beautiful carved scene on the front. No room here. My large mahogany desk? Definitely no room here.
I have the sense that I will feel a burden lifted once these things are successfully moved out. I know for sure I'll feel lighter, free to step into the next thing with nothing dragging me down. And best of all will be to have the condominium sold and happily occupied by others. It is a great place, with wonderful neighbors, but it is not my place any more.
If my life up to this point has been like that of a decorator crab, adding on everything that looks attractive, then I must un-decorate, one thing at a time, so I can dance into the next chapter unencumbered. I am grateful that I have a wonderful partner for the dance.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Life in Community
Arriving at Tel Hai Retirement Community has been a homecoming of sorts. After teaching four seasons of memoir writing workshops, I have many friends here. Familiar faces are everywhere. It's made the transition easy.
I must admit that having dinner prepared and available every night is a treat. The food is good, too. I find that the absence of junk food in the house has even helped me lose a few pounds! I'd been warned about the "Tel Hai Ten" (cousin to the "Freshman Fifteen"), so this is a good thing.
Snowstorms have disrupted routines, but people adjust. We had a phone call from one of the staff asking if we'd eaten yesterday afternoon. Turned out that they were getting the staff home early, so they served dinner from 2 - 4 instead of the usual times. We had fifteen minutes to get down there, but we made it and were happy with the fare. They do fish really well here -- crusted tilapia was on the menu, and supremely delicious.
The big challenge we face this week is trying to fit everything I brought from the condo into the apartment. So many books!! But there is a place for redundant items: a flea market which runs several times a year. We have many items designated for donation, and are happy to know that the proceeds go to a fund that cares for folks whose resources are depleted.
I'm still getting used to being married. It's wonderful!
I must admit that having dinner prepared and available every night is a treat. The food is good, too. I find that the absence of junk food in the house has even helped me lose a few pounds! I'd been warned about the "Tel Hai Ten" (cousin to the "Freshman Fifteen"), so this is a good thing.
Snowstorms have disrupted routines, but people adjust. We had a phone call from one of the staff asking if we'd eaten yesterday afternoon. Turned out that they were getting the staff home early, so they served dinner from 2 - 4 instead of the usual times. We had fifteen minutes to get down there, but we made it and were happy with the fare. They do fish really well here -- crusted tilapia was on the menu, and supremely delicious.
The big challenge we face this week is trying to fit everything I brought from the condo into the apartment. So many books!! But there is a place for redundant items: a flea market which runs several times a year. We have many items designated for donation, and are happy to know that the proceeds go to a fund that cares for folks whose resources are depleted.
I'm still getting used to being married. It's wonderful!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Wedding day Photos
It has taken a while for me to recover from the festivities! Here are a few of the wedding day photos, these courtesy of Donn Shires, who did a fantastic job of capturing the many moments that made up that never-to-be-forgotten day.
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| Patty and Laura with Mom |
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| Sarah, Emily, and Katie Beautiful granddaughters! |
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| Tom — before the wedding |
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| Father John Francis, Tom and Jodie, the best man |
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| Olivia |
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| My sister Dorothy |
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| Jim walks me down the aisle |
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| Who gives this woman? |
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| Patty reads |
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| Exchanging vows |
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| Vows and rings |
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| Dan Varner plays and sings |
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| Singing "Forever Young" |
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| Flautist |
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| Donna listens |
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| Mr. and Mrs. McLay bring the elements for the Eucharist |
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| Jim, olivia, Alyssa, Tess and Haley |
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| At the Eucharist |
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| Leaving the church |
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