as we mean to go on

When she chooses a time to move her life from one place to another—

—a gal can’t possibly know—

—that it will turn out to be—

—the coldest and snowiest week of the year.¹

When trying (not long after), to figure out how to fit all the (now very cold) things she decided to keep—

—into a space that is half the size of the one she’s just left—

—a person can absolutely know—

—that the way to move forward—

—in the midst of the chaos—²

—is to strap herself in place³

Then—go exploring.

When a chunk of time is full of lasts—

—and a sixty-four year old widow is doing her best to appreciate every person she’s ever met⁴ —

—and every object she’s ever owned⁵—

—(even as the river of things to be handled, packed or passed along never seems to end)—

—it’s kinda helpful —

—to relish a few firsts.

For what could be better than to notice—

—if only in comic form—

—how extraordinarily good—

—a few ordinary things—

—can feel?

1. The movers left the doors wide open so they could go in and out and in and out—and while that was totally necessary, it was hard to watch with the outside temperatures barely above 0 degrees F (with a breeze, of course). I kept the fire blazing to help to mitigate it a bit—and also so the movers could periodically warm their hands.

And speaking of the movers, the team was really great: calm, careful and kind—both to me and to my myriad possessions (some of both more than a little awkward to deal with). Despite several unavoidable setbacks (not least the weather), they were efficient, easy-going and ahead of schedule on both ends. I even managed to close up the old house and get out of town ahead of a big snowstorm without completely freaking out. Indeed to all those friends who said “do not do this yourself,” and to the gang at True North Moving Company who made this possible, I can only thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Also—next time? Probably not going to move in February…

2. Once she unearths her yarn and some bare bones tools at any rate.

3. Beryl has been incredible these last weeks. Absolutely the best and wisest side-kick and companion a person could wish for.

4. The Hog Heaven Handspinners have been meeting steadily for over thirty-five years and suddenly I’m shifting from being the only person who has been part of it from the very beginning, to one of the many who have come and gone over the decades.

A and I have been up before dawn trotting side by side along the same route, three days a week, since 1994: chatting, learning, being silent, getting injured, recovering, falling, picking ourselves up and generally being all the ways we are before our daytime selves take over. And now—well it’s just a little too far for us to meet on that canonical street corner so we’ll each be running on our own.

And Monday drawing? Nn and I have been bopping back and forth between our two houses with pencils, pens, paper, ink and ideas for nearly two decades. We’ll figure something out. But what?

And music! While the delightful crew I’ve been playing with recently have only connected in the last few years, it’s weird to know I’ll not make it to our Sunday house sessions any more.

5. As well as all the objects husband owned or made, or tucked away in the basement just in case…