blue artichoke

Finally, the longest move in my history is complete! It began almost three months ago when I started getting rid of a bunch of our stuff and packing up what I could in anticipation of our move from MO to DC. I moved, with what fit in my car, into my brother's basement in MD while I started working. GC and Fat Larry stayed behind in MO. I found a place for us to live. GC found a new job. I went back to MO to pack up what we wanted to bring with us and sell the rest. Our yard sale went well. We put out over half of our belongings at closeout prices; 2/3 of what we put out sold. The rest we put on the curb and it was gone in a day or so. Even though we successfully found homes for everything, I was absolutely disgusted by how much crap we had. And most of it was mine! I'm really good about throwing things away and getting rid of things I don't want or use, and yet I still had a LOT that I could let go of.

The most difficult thing to sell was my hammock. I paid $200 for it several years ago, but it was worth so much more to me, as a symbol of lazy, carefree days spent outside napping, reading, and enjoying the sounds of my neighborhood. I really can't complain, however, because GC sold his car. That is an even greater symbol of the lifestyle we're leaving behind.

I like living in the city. I like our apartment. I like our neighborhood. I like living between a busy street and a park with a playground. I do miss having a front porch, and neighbors who stop by to chat and enjoy quiet evenings. But I also enjoy watching commuters dressed in a range of business attire on my way to work in the mornings. (I especially like men in business suits on bicycles). It's just different, living in the city.

We're in the midst of setting in, buying and arranging furniture, coming up with creative storage solutions and falling into new habits. My work hours are more regular and I hope to make time for more frequent blogging. My new kitchen is only slightly bigger than my tiny Missouri kitchen, and it will take a while for me to settle into it. My new lifestyle doesn't allow for as much experimentation and elaborate food preparation, but instead lends itself to a faster and simpler way of cooking. I feel good about this change.

Getting to Know All About You: What's up with you guys? It's been so long...