Je Suis Arrivee

After a fair hiatus from blogging, I write this post on a Memorial Day Monday from the sitting room of the beach house on Gaspee Road. Relocating was quite a feat, but it's pretty much done now. I'll need to get my furniture and other belongings once the condo is sold, but until then, the Illinois abode is closed up and ready to seduce its next owner.

The craziness started about ten days ago, on the 18th, when Pats and I flew from Chicago with the two cats. Our getting out here was a frustrating comedy of errors that resulted in our arrival in Boston at 1 am Saturday. Final grades for CTU were late (oops) and had to be posted, so it was after 5 am before I slept. Saturday we rested, but that night was the fabulous 70's party and another near-5 am bedtime. Sunday we were comatose, Monday we returned to Chicago. My dad flew in on Tuesday and we began cleaning, packing, touching up paint, and finally got on the road around 10:30 am on Wednesday. We drove to Western Pennsylvania that day, then finished the trip on Thursday, arriving in RI around 5 pm. And it's been on ever since: visiting, running errands, hosting, unpacking, etc.

Erin and Nick and Bridget visited yesterday from New Bedford, and I'm heading to my mother's this afternoon for a cook-out with her sister's family from DC. I've had some lovely walks on the beach, ate delicious seafood, played wiffle ball. My brother and his friends were around most of the weekend, crashing here and taking the boat out to try to earn some money from fishing. Yesterday was the best day, but it only brought in $42.

So the place just opens up and there you are, right back in it. I feel blessed to have this house: I've always walked by charming little beachside cottages in New England and wished that I got to live in one. Now I do. The idea that this house might be torn down kills me, so I've begun investigating what it would cost to move it. I found a couple lots, reasonably priced and within reasonable distance to move the house. My aunt offered the use of a lot she owns, but it's in Chepachet, a good 40 miles from here down windy country roads. Too far. If I can get South Kingstown or Narragansett, it just might work.

Not only is it charming to look at, but this little house has the best energy to it. And I want to share it as much as I can. People enjoy themselves here, are happy, sleep well. My cats are like new people, so to speak. Having ruled the roost in Palatine, Coco is now very insecure and skittish. But Mojo's eyes are bright and alert. She sits by the screen door begging to be let outside. She loves the birds and the fresh air and all the people around all the time. They both love the narrow little staircase to the upstairs bedroom where they hide under the beds.

There is still much settling in to do, and I am well aware that the first halcyon days over a holiday weekend are the honeymoon period. And that it will end. I miss Chicago, but right now it's only abstractly. I'm looking forward to tomorrow and the start of a new work week, CTU and the law practice, dinner with Kristen some time this week. My mother just called to ask me to bring some mustard and the wiffle ball and bat, and to let me know that I can come over at any time. Gotta hit the shower and tidy up a bit more around here first. So as you can see, I'm stitching back into life in Rhode Island and it's relatively sans effort.