moved

We are in place at Barnhenge.


Wednesday we arrived at the new place for the final walk-through just as the skies split open and poured. Unusual for this area, it immediately cooled off at least 10 degrees. So despite the humidity it was much cooler -- so we decided to pack the truck overnight. I think we went to bed between 5 and 5:30 a.m.

(this is where I praise Raven for sticking around until 1:30 to help us after running around with me in the heat all day)

Thursday we got a call from the owner at 9:30 saytng that the closer called him and they wouldn't be able to go until 4:30 p.m. instead of the 11:30 it was originally slated for. He told us to go ahead and get started. That was so incredibly cool of him. So we headed to the house. Doug and I unloaded the damned thing ourselves -- fortunately, we could back the truck up almost to the door and it remained somewhat cool throughout the day.

At some point I freaked out and said I just couldn't do anymore because I was exhausted and kept bumping into things. Doug is so sweet, he just listens patiently for me to finish and talk myself out of it and hugs me if I need it. Realizing that we really did have to keep moving, I put on a Give 'Em the Boot CD compilation which kept me going -- and so I got my 5th wind.

It's so amazing walking into a house and realizing that it's yours -- in this case, ours -- which is an even bigger thing.

After we got the first truckload unloaded we kept shuffling things around, getting things upstairs that needed to go and so forth. Erica showed up with her little girl, so I *had* to take a break and give them a tour of the property. This involved me having to sling her daughter, Eve, over my shoulder for most of the trek, since we got briar-logged. My legs are still shredded.

Of course this was an excuse to play with the hose and chat with Erica on the back steps for a bit. Raven showed up with her husband and we started working after a chill out session on the front porch (! porch !). Erica, bless her, started putting my kitchen together -- the niftiest part of that is I picked up later where she left off and she did absolutely everything the way I would have. That's just so cool.

Doug went to closing and spent lots and lot and LOTS of money.

He came back. My brother Devin came over and he and Derek and Doug went for the last load (insert heartrending separation of Collette and Cheshire here. Okay, Collette more than Cheshire was upset).

We got the truck unloaded and back to the U-Haul place around 1:30 a.m.


Friday we get up and get moving to unpack more stuff. Collette is now living under the bed. It's safe there.

It started to warm up some -- did I mention this house has no AC? Uh huh. There is a window unit in the bedroom. But it's not too bad. I also get to feed the chicken and collect the first eggs! Yay eggs. We go to the apartment to set it up for Courtney who will be staying there during a tattoo convention -- air mattress and stuff.

Get back at 2:30 and leave for the airport. Somehow we get to the airport despite backups on the back roads. We get there at 4:01 and our flight is at 4:20 at the furthest section of the furthest terminal. Somehow, we made it in the door and on the plane in 19 minutes. Amazing.

Fly to NH where we are picked up by some lunatics who take us on a cross country joyride complete with strippers, booze and crazy misadventures. Okay well it was Jon and Turtle, wearing the latest in fashion, the Doug Shirt. I'll post a picture, after we go online at home but lets just say it's quite creative. Well, they thought they were being creative, but it might have been instigated by the fumes from the spray paint.

bonfire beer friends nice time fell asleep in the dirt around 11 p.m.


Went to Newicks for lunch on Saturday and had my first lobster roll! Then went to this wonderful witchy shop called Misty Meadows with Jen. I loved that place -- found some yummy herbs that I'd been looking for and got all kinds of ideas for the new place. This shop is a learning center, as well and the owner has a huge property used for herb growing and so forth. I was very impressed and really wanted to stick around and chat some more, alas, they had to close for the day.

Spent the night at Doug's parent's house. Well, one of them, anyway. They're such cool people. Doug and Jon and his Dad went and got the U Haul -- only to be told there were none. 2 hours later they had given up on U Haul (they did have a reservation, too) and had gone to Budget when the U Haul people called and said they might have found a truck. I think he told them where to stick it.

They loaded up furniture from his parents -- the furniture his grandparents bought when they first got married in 1938 not in perfect shape but very nice and well, we like it.

We drove from Maine to our our apt in Delaware, rounded up the last items, chatted with Court a bit and then headed to the house. Unloaded all the furniture and passed out.

Somehow we made it through the next few days of work. We've been going to bed late every night, and spending evenings moving and assembling furniture and so forth. Oh and did I mention it's been up near 100 degrees each day since we got back. Superspecial.

But there is so much good. Like watching the chickens run helter-skelter out of the coop in the mornings and being able to actually do laundry without going to the laundromat (i LOATHE the laundromat). I'll touch on those things later.

Eventually we'll have the internet set up and all that stuff. Collette has com eout from under the bed. Mainly because we got another kitty who decided that under the bed was the safe place. This kitty is a bit younger than Collette and hisses. Collette does not have a foul mouth like that and is quite put off by it. The new kitty is GiGi and she will probably end up being quite sweet. She is just scared-ish right now.

Anyway, that's all for now. Seems very just the facts-ish but I'll add more.

*note - I stumbled across a pile of moonflowers last night. they ringed around an ashy circle from the barn burning down. like white faced phoenixes, the silky petals were just starting to open as the sun set low and red through the haze of late summer. just beyond them was the biggest thistle I've ever seen, looming beyond the brush - a prickly guardian.

both of these plants are personal totem plants to me -- there was something so right about it. I was finally able to exhale all the stress of the past months.