Blogging on my back porch, with new doll, Minnie.
I'm wearing a sweater because it's wonderfully cool. Perfect, really.
I did decide not to push for a September 1 move-in to my new place. I told Patti (new home-owner) and J. (old one) that I'll stay where I am till Patti's place is well and truly ready--probably a couple weeks, or even three.
Still, this is one of my last mornings on this porch.
Mz is moving Sept. 1, and afterward I'll be better able to sit with my memories here. (The house restoration next door is quieter now, since it has a new roof.)
With all the relief of finding somewhere I'm thrilled about, I've only recently started to feel sadness about leaving. I want to pay attention to that.
I was forty-one when I moved here seventeen years ago.
If I stay in my new place seventeen years, I'll be seventy-five!
I wonder, what will I do in the coming years?
What would I like to do?
I want to sit with that question, too.
Work on my new room progresses slowly:
using a handheld scraper, like a putty knife, to remove old carpet in my room, HM was measuring her progress in inches.
Penny Cooper said, "The right tool for the job is usually best". (She has a head for knowing.)
So I stopped at the Ace Hardware, and of course a tool specific to the task exists––it's called a Floor Scraper––like an ice chopper, with an angled blade. (For those who don't live in icy regions, that's like a hoe with a heavier blade, for removing ice from sidewalks.)
Thirty-three dollars!
But my options weren't only,
1. spend the money, or,
2. do the work by inches.
My options included Red Hair Girl's suggestion:
3. Set the carpet on fire.
I bought the tool. And dust masks.
I put on Bruce Springsteen and scraped up half the remaining sub-carpet in an hour. So, maybe the place will be ready sooner than mid-September, but I don't want or need to rush. I woke up in the middle of the night wondering why my ribs were sore, then remembered the work I'd done that day.
I want to wash down the place too. I keep marveling that Patti does home repairs, since I don't know how. (Though I do know where Ace Hardware is.) But she's not a cleaner, and lots of kids and dogs and guests tromp through the house.
(Guests! I'm looking forward to having a place to be hospitable.)
I kind of like doing a Big Clean, when something needs it––it's so satisfying to see the change.
I'm wearing a sweater because it's wonderfully cool. Perfect, really.
I did decide not to push for a September 1 move-in to my new place. I told Patti (new home-owner) and J. (old one) that I'll stay where I am till Patti's place is well and truly ready--probably a couple weeks, or even three.
Still, this is one of my last mornings on this porch.
Mz is moving Sept. 1, and afterward I'll be better able to sit with my memories here. (The house restoration next door is quieter now, since it has a new roof.)
With all the relief of finding somewhere I'm thrilled about, I've only recently started to feel sadness about leaving. I want to pay attention to that.
I was forty-one when I moved here seventeen years ago.
If I stay in my new place seventeen years, I'll be seventy-five!
I wonder, what will I do in the coming years?
What would I like to do?
I want to sit with that question, too.
Work on my new room progresses slowly:
using a handheld scraper, like a putty knife, to remove old carpet in my room, HM was measuring her progress in inches.
Penny Cooper said, "The right tool for the job is usually best". (She has a head for knowing.)
So I stopped at the Ace Hardware, and of course a tool specific to the task exists––it's called a Floor Scraper––like an ice chopper, with an angled blade. (For those who don't live in icy regions, that's like a hoe with a heavier blade, for removing ice from sidewalks.)
Thirty-three dollars!
But my options weren't only,
1. spend the money, or,
2. do the work by inches.
My options included Red Hair Girl's suggestion:
3. Set the carpet on fire.
I bought the tool. And dust masks.
I put on Bruce Springsteen and scraped up half the remaining sub-carpet in an hour. So, maybe the place will be ready sooner than mid-September, but I don't want or need to rush. I woke up in the middle of the night wondering why my ribs were sore, then remembered the work I'd done that day.
I want to wash down the place too. I keep marveling that Patti does home repairs, since I don't know how. (Though I do know where Ace Hardware is.) But she's not a cleaner, and lots of kids and dogs and guests tromp through the house.
(Guests! I'm looking forward to having a place to be hospitable.)
I kind of like doing a Big Clean, when something needs it––it's so satisfying to see the change.
I sometimes think the people in Ace Hardware know almost everything. Maybe not state capitals or chief exports, but for household stuff or tool stuff, they’re incredibly helpful.
ReplyDeleteHopefully you'll be in the new home before your postcard arrives....or maybe not
ReplyDeleteBravo for the decision to move a little later and to picking up the right tool. Although a little pricey, the job is done with less breathing of the icky stuff!
ReplyDeleteAce Hardware stores are often a wealth of information. There is one about a block from me and I always find that they have exactly what I need. And people who know how to help you. My only problem is that I always find stuff I didn't know that I needed until I saw it!
Kirsten
ps Minnie looks like she's enjoying the time outside.
Yes, a big clean IS satisfying! Bravo for buying the right tool for the job. You saved yourself more than $33 worth of heartache!
ReplyDelete