On the Move

            Fall sometimes comes suddenly in Northern Michigan. Two days ago, temperatures were in the low 80s. Tonight there are frost warnings. Gusty winds accompany the transition, adding to the drama. Change is refreshing.

            At the same time, we are beginning the process of moving. (I just deleted a paragraph of bellyaching about delays and mistakes in our construction – who wants to hear about it?) We should be living in our house on Torch Lake by the end of next week. In the coming week (I’m writing this on Saturday the 22^nd) the builder will finish a long list of tasks, the plumbers and electricians will finish their work, masons will finish stoning our fireplace, the house will get cleaned (3 times – by the builder, a cleaning service, and us), movers will haul our stuff out of storage, appliances will be delivered and installed, inspections will take place, and we will be awarded a Certificate of Occupancy.

            We are not sure that Occupancy will actually begin next week.

            Our condo in the Asylum was for sale. A couple said they were looking for a place for their 87-year-old mother and her housekeeper, and they wanted to rent, not buy. We said, No, we are not interested in renting. They said they could make it worth our while. They did so. We have until November 1 to be out of here. Our builder believes the date is October 1, which was originally the case. So we will have a month to make the transition, dividing our time between condo and house as our builder works on a long post-occupancy punch list and another builder constructs our garage.

            I’ve written about moving before. Kim and I have moved nine times, and this will be our fourth in the last three years. Think boxes and learning new domestic patterns. (I’ve written about this before. This happens when you get old: you repeat stories.) An added bonus: We have had most of our stuff in storage for more than two years, so it will be like Christmas Morning when we finally open some of those boxes and see what we have. This may be another benefit of getting old – the thrill of finding stuff you forgot you had. And we have a lot of stuff – two housefuls merging into one. We anticipate a massive garage sale (once we get a garage) plus a brisk eBay business if I can remember anything I learned from the class I took on eBay. Change can be refreshing and exhausting at the same time.

            So we are looking forward to another energizing transition. We are also looking forward to the end of the transition. Kim has had this image in her mind from the start: We are sitting on our three-season porch in the winter, wine or coffee in hand, our Jotul stove providing the heat, and it starts to snow. Deer step out of the woods, or perhaps a fox. Kim reaches for her camera . . ..