One last personal S&L post before my packing, traveling, and temporary re-settling begins.
SWEETNESS
Nothing I could come across on the Web could possibly beat this week’s enormous dose of sweetness packaged in 6 pounds, 8 ounces of sugar…Shanti’s baby arrived! And to top it off, the very next day, she called and asked me to come spend some one-on-one time with them. I was so honored to get such a special invitation. JumbleSon stayed with his Dad while I went over alone. I think this is only the 2nd time we’ve ever had a chance to talk without interruption. It was heavenly.
LIGHT
On the very same day that Shanti’s wee one arrived, our tunnel was completely blown open to light as JumbleSpouse finished up his Master’s defense – successfully! I’m so very proud of him. So much relief. At last, we can all rest a bit easier…
I’ve been busy, busy trying to finish up all my crafting so I can get on with packing.
This includes more cutting off clothing that’s just too long (pants this time) and passing them on to Angeliki who is hemming them (ok, so it doesn’t really count as my Work in Progress). Bless her!
The gnomes finally got their Spring play mat…
And two dear family friends in Ireland and England will be getting packages of crafty goodness in the coming weeks (sorry, no peeking)…
I’ve set aside my stash of felt & embroidery supplies with the intention of creating a bit during our 2 week journey to Seattle (we’re taking the long, scenic route). But other than that, the crafting supplies will be packed up in the coming days.
So, farewell W.I.P. I know not when we will meet again…
Even though we are renters, I want to leave our place in as beautiful condition as possible – at least on the outside – as a gift to our neighbors. They all take such loving care of their homes and tiny garden/deck space.
Each year, I had such good intentions for our sweet little garden and each fall I have left it looking like this:
Following several weeks of work, it now looks like this:
I potted up about 8 small containers of plants to move that were gifted to us by special friends and family, transplanted some to community beds and gave others away. It feels so wonderful to take some of our garden with us, as well as leave bits of it behind.
PACKING MATERIALS
About two months ago, I put the word out to friends requesting that they begin collecting boxes and packing materials for me. I’ve also begun to watch Freecycle & Craigslist closely. On Friday when I was at the liquor store behind our house, I scored a few sexy boxes – because interesting boxes are SO important when moving . And then got a HUGE box of ink-free packing paper off of Freecycle. (I detest newsprint and won’t wrap a thing in it, so this was a particularly happy find).
Molly also took me on my maiden Costco voyage. That place is full on! There I acquired these groovy Space Bags. We usually stuff all our clothes, bedding and towels into garbage bags when we move. But, since our move involves storage and could potentially be overseas, I thought these were a good investment.
We’ll probably also follow Maria’s excellent tip and use towels, sheets, etc. to wrap breakables in rather than buying more paper.
CHEERING SECTION
Prior to really digging in and packing, it is a family ritual to select the Moving Mascot. The Moving Mascot presides over the entire process and at the end is left behind to greet the next resident.
The selection criteria for a Moving Mascot is three-fold. It must be
1. something that is in our possession, but we have no idea why
2. something that slightly horrifies us
3. something that slightly humours us
We want the newcomers to our home to feel both welcomed by and slightly curious about us previous renters.
Past Moving Mascots include such things as
1. a plastic viking helmet
2. a rubber chicken
3. an inflatable alien
If anyone out there has found one of these in your new rental, please let me know. I’d love to hear from you!
So, without further ado, I am pleased to present to you the 2009 JumbleFamily Moving Mascot:
JumbleSon often serves us Elmo Cocktails in this gem. The veggies will not be left in Elmo’s mug, and hopefully JS won’t miss him too much. Instead, I suspect a nice bouquet of dried flowers will be served up for the next renters.
So, tell me about your Moving rituals, traditions, and pre-packing strategies. I’m always looking for ways to make the process more efficient and more entertaining .
Well, I didn’t cook a bit last week. So, this week will mostly be a repeat of this one.
Once Friday hits, I’m officially putting JumbleSpouse in to kitchen clean out mode. This is something only he can do…putting together amazing meals with what I have on hand in the kitchen. I’ll still go to the market once a week for essentials, but for the most part, he’s on his own with what’s already in the freezer, pantry and frig.
So, this will be my last meal plan post for a while because I have no idea what he’ll come up with each day, and then I have no idea when we’ll have a fully functioning kitchen again.
But, I can tell you after this past week full of his spontaneous creations, I’m looking soooo forward to it.
We’ll post any note-worthy recipes over at Vegan Pantry if you’d like to check that out over the upcoming weeks.
Another personal post this Saturday as my week has been full of tremendous, and totally unexpected, sweetness and light. I’ll do my best to keep it as brief as possible without denying you the fullness of my shock and gratitude…
Molly showed up on our doorstep this week with a full bag of organic produce and a gift certificate to Whole Foods from her dear Mother. She said that her Mama was grateful for how we’d looked after Molly, and that she was worried about all the stress we were living with. This coming from a woman who’s only been out of the hospital for a few weeks after a long stay. Amazing.
The University offered me a teaching assistantship with full funding for grad school plus benefits and stipend! I had completely given up on grad school. Once I realized how much out of state tuition would be (for the first year), I started letting go of it entirely. (And, with a bit of relief – after all, our life has been a living hell during JumbleSpouse’s Master’s experience – what makes me think it will be better during mine??). So, I’m giving it one quarter. If our life starts feeling ugly, I will – without hesitation – drop it for good.
Rose has invited us to stay in her guest house on the Olympic Peninsula for FREE 1 July – 1 September!! In exchange we will tend her enormous yard & gorgeous gardens while her family is out of town.
Rose and I have a long and happy history that started with work, and quickly spread to our personal lives, and her home on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We often spent long weekends there together before she moved from Seattle to her dream home by the sea. We envisioned the gardens and worked together to get it started. But, I’ve never seen the final results of all our lazy afternoons daydreaming of what it could be.
When she wrote suggesting that we stay, I nearly fell over. “Are you kidding me??? Are you sure???” I kept asking her. But, yes. She was. Here’s what she said:
Why don’t you just come out here, stay in our guest house while you guys look for a job? … We just painted it and put in a new rug.
I am so excited that you guys WANT to stay here. Stay as long as you want! … you guys just might like it out here, taking hikes, seeing the sights, smelling the lavender! …And you are coming just when all the fruit trees will be filled with fruit and the garden will be in full bloom. There already is lettuce, carrots and potatoes planted, strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries (all without ever leaving the driveway.)
She didn’t mention their adorable quail family or the resident pheasant or the beach! Yes, JumbleSon will be spending his summer on the beach! It is going to blow his mind!!!
I still can’t believe it. I’ve been walking in a cloud of profound gratitude because the 2 months that we spend not paying rent at Rose’s means that we’ll have enough – even without work for JumbleSpouse – to make it in the U.S. through the end of the year and my first quarter of grad school!
After that, I can apply for a one-year leave of absence from school if there’s still no work for Mr. Jumble and we have to head abroad for a bit.
Floored. That’s what I am. So much so that I’m a little afraid to ask the Universe for that last piece of this complex puzzle…gratifying, low-stress, paid work for JumbleSpouse. And yet, I can’t help myself…
Filed under: Book Review — jumbleberryjam @ 9:08 pm
My first major packing task is to tackle our library. We sold nearly US$200 worth of books prior to our 2006 Oz Odyssey, so we’re down to 6 shelving units. Still, too much to pack (short or long term). So, I suspect I’ll be purging again soon. But not before I stop and take a moment to appreciate each and every one. I love our library. I love books!
That being said, I must admit that I have only actually read a tiny fraction of the books in our library. I fear I’m more of a collector than true consumer (that’s JumbleSpouse’s job).
I tend to dwell in the Non-Fiction section. It is not uncommon for me to start a book, run across a question, issue or more interesting topic that leads me off to find another, more suitable book to satisfy my curiosity.
I guess I’m a book slut.
So, if you can get past my little idiosyncrasy, here’s a meme from Holistic Mama. I’d love to see your answers!!
Did it bother you that those questions ended with prepositions?
Only if I had originally penned them.
Which fictional character are you secretly in love with?
Hmmm, tough one. I’ve never been good at secret love. Really must work on that.
Which books have you read the most times in your life?
I have attempted to read Anne Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek about 4 times. I read the same staggeringly beautiful passages over and again, totally slayed each time. I can not absorb the beauty. It’s just too much for me – like trying to visit Michelangelo’s David in the afternoon following a long morning at the Uffizi. I shall try again year after year until I get past the first 7 pages, at which point I fully suspect to wake in Nirvana.
What was your favourite book when you were ten years old?
What is the worst book you’ve read in the past year?
I don’t think I’d ever felt the urge to throw a book across the room until A Reasonable Life by Ferenc Mate. Lest I sound like the author, I will refrain from angrily spewing my judgment. But I will say that when I live off the grid to save the environment & restore community, I want his life – the restored friary in Italy, the years living on sailboats, the winery, the works!
What is the best book you’ve read in the past year?
What is the most obscure Shakespeare play you’ve seen?
No crazy Shakespeare comes to mind, but I once attended an indie production of Aeschylus’ Agamemnon in which the dialogue was mostly replaced by figures in black bellowing “Ag-aah-memmmm-non!” over and again in foreboding tones.
Do you prefer the French or the Russians?
What? No Germans? I demand a new category.
Shakespeare, Milton or Chaucer?
Shakespeare, baby.
What is the biggest or most embarassing gap in your reading?
I live in a pop-culture bubble. When we go to play at the train table in our local chain bookstore, I’m always a little freaked out by all the flashy books by authors totally unknown to me. But, who are obviously wildly popular given all the attention lavished on them by the people hovering about their displays. I only learned about Twilight this year when HalfPintPixie fell into it.
So, at the risk of offending the authors and followers, I will say most writers on Oprah’s reading list (or whatever it’s called) – not because they are bad (I don’t even know who they are), but because they are associated with her.**
Which less widely read novel would you recommend?
Because I live in a bubble, I have no idea how popular Thomas Pynchon’s Mason and Dixon was back in 1997, but I think it’s brilliant.
What are you reading right now?
Thoroughly enjoying Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (for the first time ever…shocking! positively shameful that I’m just now doing this at 38)
So there you have it. Please let me know if you join in the fun
**one day I’ll reveal the dark secrets behind Oprah and her true personality, but for now I’ll leave you wondering why in a throw down match between her and Martha, I back Ms. Stewart.
I found the skirt at a thrift store for US$1.50. I’d be hard-pressed to make it for that. So much for a Work In Progress.
To make up for it, I butchered this old skirt last night…
I’d had enough tripping over it (it went to my feet!). So, I cut it to the length of one of my favorite (skinny) skirts using my handy-dandy pinking sheers . It’s totally uneven, but since the skirt hangs all wonky anyway, it doesn’t really matter. Except, today I notice a little fraying (what’s up with THAT pinkies??). Maybe Angeliki will come to my rescue and help me sew a hem – evenly – with her machine.
Other than that, I’ve been putting together some packages kissed with craftiness for friends. I shall post pix when they are received.
I also want to felt a Hand of Fatima for Rose, whom I promise to tell you much more about very soon.
I’ve got travel treats for JumbleSon, and special parting gifts for our dearest friends buzzing around my head. But I’m running out of time. Might have to buy now (Etsy here I come) and send our homecrafted sweetness later.
So, what are you up to? Wanna see what others are doing? Head on over to Wipster Central and check it out!
Welcome to my new weekly post – Move It Monday! Here I hope to share strategies for making a complex move organized, cheap and efficient. I’m also looking forward to hearing tips and suggestions from you, my fellow nomads.
I say “complex move” because this one is, undoubtedly, the greatest challenge we’ve faced in our moving careers. For the most part, moving has been straightforward up until now…pick a destination, pack the stuff in to boxes, take it to the new location, unpack, repeat.
Not so this time. And, the fact that we don’t have a home yet isn’t even half of the mind-bending challenges we face. (More will be revealed about that as we go.)
So, I think that’s where I’ll start today – with approaching your move.
Approaching the Sydney Harbour Bridge January 2006
As a general rule, I use moving as an opportunity to purge my home of unwanted items pre-packing. You may recall that earlier in the year I did a mighty decluttering. Although there are a wide variety of de-thinging strategies out there, my approach was to ask one question:
Do I want to pack, drive over 16 hours with, and unpack it on the other end (undoubtedly with JumbleSon’s “help” at each step)?
Yes? Leave it. No? Find a new home for it.
But that was months ago, and it seems that now I must ask an entirely new set of questions for every item in my home:
How long do you want to keep this item? And what category does it fit in to? When will you need it/use it next? Where should it be stored for easy access?
Here are some of our answers:
Over 10 years – family heirlooms, memories, photos and our library
2-5 years – older homeschooling supplies, age-appropriate books for JumbleSon, tax records & other important documents
1 year – maternity clothes & special gender-neutral baby clothes (just in case ), chapter books for JumbleSon, homeschooling supplies
3 months – everything else that will fit in to one small storage pod (with all of thee above), plus 5 suitcases full of clothes, household items, books, electronics, toys and important paperwork that we’d take overseas with us should that move be in the cards
1-3 months – 1 Toyota Celica full of camping gear, clothes, toiletries, JumbleSon entertainment, electronica, food and the like for our cross-country trip & temporary stay in Seattle
We must be willing to part with anything in the “everything else” category (except the 5 overseas suitcases) should it not fit into our storage container, and/or we end up leaving the country, as these items will be sold, donated or given away.
Under normal circumstances (traditional moves in which you’ve seen your future home and know when you’ll be arriving there), I would also ask these questions of each item before packing it:
Where will it go in your new home? Will it fit? Does it match? If not, are you willing to re-decorate the new place to match what you’re bringing in? Will it make you happier to have it with you in your new space?
So, tell me, how do you approach your moves? What criteria do you use for determining what stays and what goes?
. And then got a HUGE box of ink-free packing paper off of Freecycle. (I detest newsprint and won’t wrap a thing in it, so this was a particularly happy find).
