It’s been weeks since last I posted here. Life is full, so there has not been a dull moment.
David and I just signed an offer on our house… hurray! When I let my long-time friend in Vermont know that we were signing this offer, she wrote, “Wow! Your life must be spinning right now and gypsy that you are, your heart too is aflutter with joy and anticipation.”
Does she ever know me well! I hardly know which way to turn with so many things to do.
Now comes crunch time for packing and making our move. Between David and me, the hardest decisions have to do with what to take and what to leave behind. David’s the keeper, and I’m the one wanting to shed all but the essentials. He thinks I win most of the time, and I think he does. (And I have photos of the basement to prove it.)
You might want to know where we are moving to. Over the last months, we considered Ohio, Maine, Vermont, and Virginia. We’re moving to Virginia for the winter. During this time, we’ll consider places in the Champlain Islands in Vermont and in Harrisonburg, Virginia. We have several dear friends there. Eventually we’d like to have a winter place in Virginia and a summer place in Vermont.
Now that we know we’re leaving, we’re realizing how much we’ve enjoyed our home the last eight years. Below is a photo that shows one small sample of what we’ve put into it.
Photo by Saloma Furlong
This summer, David stripped the lead paint off this side of the garage. I painted it and planted the dahlias. Then David had the idea of using the bricks we had stored under our front porch to make the border, both behind and in front of the flowers. I had painted the door on the far end of the garage several summers ago. This is how David’s skills and my own complement one another. Now if only we can agree on how much to load onto that moving van!
Hi Saloma, good to hear about the offer on your house. Is it a solid offer? Many times offers fall through, so I don’t consider it a done deal until done. It seems like in a recent post you were headed to OH. I like the idea of Virginia and def a summer home in VT. Best of both worlds. Congratulations on all your hard work in selling your home.
Denise, I believe this is a solid offer. This family has been serenading our home for a while. We haggled over price, but came to an agreement. They really like the house.
Yes, we had planned to land in Ohio, and over time we thought better of it. We are looking for a sense of community, and we have that in both Harrisonburg and in Vermont.
Thank you for your good thoughts.
Congratulations are in order! Hope you’ll let us go along for the rest of the ride! Makes me wish I was there to help! We haven’t moved in close to 30 years. It’s mind boggling to think of doing it again at my age. I don’t plan on going anywhere soon LOL!
P.S. Funny . . . I was just thinking about your home being for sale and was wondering if anything was happening yet!
Kris, how nice that you were thinking of our home. I was wondering if anything was happening too, there for a while. Then we had two offers come in… go figure.
Oh, how I wish for help with packing… just for the camaraderie. That is what I’ve been missing here in the Valley for eight years. I’ve not had very good luck with making deep friendships here. Except for Marie. I miss her so!
Yes, it is harder to move as we get older. Yet we’ll be doing it more if we end up with two homes. We’ve been purging our belongings for some time. (At least I have. The basement still has a long way to go… that’s David’s domain.)
Thank you for thinking of me as I embark on this new adventure.
Have a wonderful week!
That beautiful Shenandoah Valley is a piece of Paradise.
Katie, it is beautiful there. I love the two mountain ranges we’ll be living between. And we’ll be closer to Florida :=)
And I will be closer to you and David.
Hi Saloma Hope everything goes smoothly with the move and that you find wonderful new places to call home. What an exciting adventure you are embarking on! The new owners of your home are lucky people. So much care,craftsmanship and love is evident. Good luck! and I hope you keep us posted! Christine
Christine, I will definitely keep you posted. Perhaps not as often as I’d like, but I’ll stay in touch.
Yes, we realize it will be hard to leave this home after all we’ve put into it. But other aspects of our lives are more important to us. David needs a break from working so hard, and we seek meaningful community life. We look forward to more of that.
And yes, we feel good about passing this home on to a young family who will enjoy it.
Congratulations on the contract for the sale of your house. It seems that you have come up with a good compromise by spending time in Virginia and Vermont. Not a bad idea. Best to you as you transition.
Thank you, Sadie. It will be so nice to get together more often. Afternoon tea to talk over our plans this afternoon would be so nice right now. Kind people like you have made the decision for us!
It’s been 8 years already?! It seems that not only does time rush by for me but it is fleet footed for others!
When I was a teen we lived between Staunton and Waynesboro Virginia and we often went to the all-night sings in Harrisonburg. One of my fondest memories. Wonder if they’re still there? That was some few years ago.
Elva, it’s great to hear from you! Yes, time does go marching on. These last eight years have been long in some ways, short in other ways. This is where I’ve established myself as a writer, where David established himself as an energy auditor, and where we came to realize how much we can transform a house. However, I’ve spent too many hours in solitude, and I’m ready for more of a sense of community.
I don’t know if they still have all-night hymn sings in Harrisonburg. I know one thing… the Mennonites sure do know how to sing! It’s intimidating, because the world is better off if I don’t.
I am so happy for you both!! Now you can move ahead!! I have to say I am sad you are not moving to Ohio, but I can honestly understand why you chose Vermont. Paul and I have visited this beautiful state several times and I fell hopelessly in love with it. If I could choose another state with which to live it would be Vermont. Your flowers are beautiful. I had to laugh about the brick border my husband did the same thing here with some red bricks that he had left over from a brick walk way he created. I guess great minds think a like. Looking forward to hearing about your move in progress. Oh, and by the way I’m afraid I’m with David when it comes to keeping stuff. I have a hard time getting rid of what I really don’t need or use. Though it has gotten easier with age and five daughter-in-laws who happily take items off my hands.
Pamela, thank you for your kind thoughts. We’ll still be visiting Ohio from time to time. You and I will meet someday… I just feel we are destined to.
I’ve heard it said that usually one person is the keeper, the other the purger. One person sneaks stuff into the house, the other sneaks it out. Except I’m no good at sneaking.
That is so funny that your husband bordered a bed like David did. It must be the great minds.
Wish I had daughters-in-law who will take things off my hands. Maybe someday.
Have a lovely weekend.
Wow. That is great news. Congratulations! Those new area are not at all familiar to me, but o believe you that it is nice and beautiful.
Packing is a thing. We have experience with that. Its to far otherwise i would gladly help.
Hope to read soon again!
Wilma
Thank you, Wilma, for your good thoughts. I will get through the packing, I’m sure of it. But it’s a nice thought to do it with you…
I’ll write as soon as I can. And thank you for being such a loyal reader.
So Happy to hear that your house will be sold and you will be moving to Virginia. I spent 3 happy yrs at EMU. 1 in high school and 2 in college. It is really a great place and I hope you and David will find your place soon when you get there. I have so many fond memories of the Harrisonburg area and I have several good friends who live there. God bless you as you go about moving.
greetings from Marye
Marye, thank you for your kind thoughts. I’m so glad you had good years at EMU. I’m really looking forward to living there. We’ll see how it all shakes out.
Thank you for your blessings. God bless you as well.
So happy for you! Maybe David hasn’t moved often enough to realize the work involved in moving STUFF…haha
We hope we won’t need to move again for a very l-o-n-g time. Hubby n I were both kinda hoarders. Until we moved too many times…Best of wishes!
Great news! I think of you often. Can’t wait to read about the next chapter in your exciting life.
Good luck with your move Saloma and David. I just moved across the country to Washington State, so I can certainly understand all that is involved with moving. Your home is beautiful. I have enjoyed reading both of your books so much. I also have met you at a book signing that was held in a New Jersey library. I was so touched by your lecture.
My daughter used to live on Isle La Motte, one of the Lake Champlain islands. I highly recommend it!
My best regards, have a great move.
Maureen Gillet