The Rambling Writer’s Quest for Home, part 20: Settling In

Thor, Bear dog, Turtle cat, and I have survived the chaotic second phase of moving into our new home, and are settling into Being Here Now!

NOTE: People have been asking to follow our progress as Thor and I pursue our quest for our dream home with sunsets over the Salish Sea. So starting with my post of 5/21/22, we set out.

After over a year in a small rental with minimal furniture and possessions, it was a shock when the big moving trucks arrived with everything we’d had in storage all that time. How could two humans, a dog, and a cat have SO MUCH STUFF?? A month later, we’re still asking that question as we gradually unpack boxes, get rid of things (we thought we’d done a culling when moving out of our former house of 22 years), find new places for things, and start to establish routines. It is lovely to reacquaint ourselves with special artwork and mementos of our travels.

One of two trucks arrived:

Bear dog quickly made friends with the four moving guys, who were funny and efficient.

The great room quickly started filling up with boxes.

As did our master bedroom. Glances at the view helped ease the hectic process of telling four guys rushing boxes into the house where to put them.

The guest room became the major box dumping ground. (I won’t show the crammed spaces of Thor’s den and my upstairs writing “aerie,” but I’m working around the boxes, as the important thing is that my desk is now set up.)

The second truck with the hot tub and my baby grand piano arrived.

Hurrah, moved it into place without dropping it!

I was especially nervous about my piano, which my mother bought for me when I was a young girl who had decided I wanted to play like Beethoven.

Which pedal connection goes where…?

Over a year without playing, but my piano finally has a new home. In my Book View Cafe novel THE ARIADNE CONNECTION, my reluctant healer Ariadne finds escape from converging crises by playing Debussy on her beloved deceased mother’s piano while looking out at gulls sweeping over the blue Mediterranean. When I sat down to play “Claire de Lune” while looking out at the Salish Sea (way out of practice, but the acoustics are great), my fantasy was fulfilled.

Thor tried to stay ahead of the dirt tracking in.

Rugs, and a weaving I bought at a village cooperativa in Ecuador, came to light:

Ironically, we realized that we didn’t have enough furniture to fill such a big space, so I ordered a couple of inexpensive love seats from Overstock. I didn’t realize they would arrive in dozens of pieces crammed into big boxes (more boxes!). We had a workout assembling them.

Settling in with dinner on the deck:

I love our vintage bedroom furniture that Thor refinished — happy to see it again!

Chef Thor is thrilled with his new kitchen, and once we had assembled chairs and bar stools (yep, more Overstock), he invited two dear friends for our first entertaining with dinner on the deck.

A lot of blank space on walls, and a lot of pondering about how many book shelves and/or art will fill them.

Another deep breath to enjoy the view:

Heading upstairs…

…to our bedroom and its even better view.

I knew we were finally settled in when very shy Turtle cat stopped hiding under the bed or in the closet and curled up on the love seat to purr.

Most of my plants survived and are finding new places.

And the evening ritual, heading out to the bluff in the native-plant protection zone to watch the sunset over the sea. The glow burnishes our new house.

Someone snidely remarked when we were enthusing about finally moving in after so many permitting/construction hoops and delays, “Now your work begins.” Of course he was right, especially as we moved in before construction was complete. There is mostly outside work to finish, as well as a LOT of landscaping of a LOT of dirt (from previous lot-owner’s unpermitted clear-cutting). But that’s a story for another day. For now, good night!

*****

You will find The Rambling Writer’s blog posts here every Saturday. Sara’s latest novel from Book View Café is Pause, a First Place winner of the Chanticleer Somerset Award and an International Pulpwood Queens Book Club selection. “A must-read novel about friendship, love, and killer hot flashes.” (Mindy Klasky).  Sign up for her quarterly email newsletter at www.sarastamey.com