The first sign that we really had to leave the last house was that our beloved bagel shop around the corner abruptly closed. We started filling boxes.
The impact was considerably softened by a closing date on the horizon. Under the care and guidance of St. Sue the Lawyer, closing was less than painless. St. Frank of the Mortgage Miracle even estimated high on the closing costs giving us a little breathing room on the other side.
It was a crazy week at work, but I had scheduled relief and elation for the 15 minutes immediately following closing. Charlie and I were about two minutes into the glow when we looked at each other and began to quiver.
It was time - again- to move.
Coming back to Buffalo has been a series of very temporary to temporary to rent-for-a-year-once-Charlie-and-the-furniture-got-here, to rent-this-one-until-we-find-THE-house moves.
This is THE house. It WILL be the last one.
Yet, I was startled when cousin Bernie's phone actually rang. After he and his son Ed helped on the last three in-town moves, I would have thought he'd have changed his number. I would have.
Brother Jim did the last two, as did Cheryl and gang - but Bernie didn't get to them in time to warn them and they signed on. New recruits were Craig, Kim, Garrett, Little Lee, Jim-and-Lisa and Janie's Bill. Cousin Jason, who teaches in Korea, was lucky enough to be in town for the big day.
By the end of the weekend I was overwhelmed with gratitude and back pain. That night I dreamt of myself in hoop skirts on a windswept front porch vowing "As God is my witness, I will never call on the people I love to move again."
Two days, two big truck loads and dozens of van, pick-up and car loads produced an empty house on Auburn. Barbie's dream house on Rabin Terrace was suddenly jammed to the rafters with Hulk-sized furniture and boxes that bred faster than fruit-flies.
Over the last few weeks we've worked out from having one accesible bathroom and bed to a fully functioning kitchen, laundry room and craft room. The bedrooms and family room are close. The dining room still has to happen before Thanksgiving and the living room before we cut the Christmas tree.
I've gotten several emails about blog neglect. It's hard to allow yourself word play when boxes beckon.
But sometime this weekend it started to make the transition from our stuff to our place.
At the store this morning we picked up a new toaster with separate settings for bagels and frozen bagels. We stopped at a new bagel shop on the way home and bought a baker's dozen. Two for breakfast tomorrow, 11 for the freezer.
It's going to be OK now.
Back to the boxes.


Copyright 2007 Judi Griggs