Settling In

Ben and Raymond arrived arrived safe and sound Tuesday afternoon, having driven the packing-box-loaded Honda across the plains through some vicious rainstorms.  Hooray for the driving heroes!

I had been an unpacking heroine myself while Ben was away, putting a serious dent in our three hundred boxes.  Ben pitched right in once he was home, and by early this evening we could actually walk around the house without running into boxes everywhere and we could see how the rooms were shaping up.  There's lots of things still strewn out and about waiting to be put somewhere, but at least most of the boxes are gone.

I spent hours unpacking boxes in my studio and then trying to arrange it so there was room for the daybed I ordered from Arhaus and also for Spikey and his habitat.  On the third try I finally got it.

Spikey will live in his habitat along the wall under the right window in this photo....

...and the daybed will go along the white wall where the remaining boxes are still stacked.  Spikey comes this weekend, but the daybed doesn't come until early July. 

As we work on getting the house organized and making it ours, and as we walk everyday in our new neighborhood, I think it's safe to say that Ben and I are both falling in love with our new home and are amazed that we actually pulled off this move.  The house is perfect for us, everywhere you look there's something beautiful or interesting to see, you can enjoy a great walk anywhere your feet lead you, and it's so easy to drive places.

I'm so glad that we are so happy because oh my gosh, I'm so tired after a week of moving out and in! Thank heavens tomorrow will be a more balanced day of work and fun, including an early morning walk, a design consultation about our new staircase, either lunch or dinner out (not sure which yet), and a concert up at the Chautauqua auditorium.

Paul has been attending a survival skills camp this week, conveniently held at Chautauqua Mountain Park, about six uphill blocks from our house.  The culminating event of the week is the Thursday night camp out where they sleep in a shelter they have built and cook over a fire they have made.  To say he is excited is an understatement.

The past few evenings we have visited Fetcher, who is still locked up at the vet's learning how to be a (mostly) indoor cat.  We plan to bring him home Friday and will keep him inside for a week or so before letting him out during the day.  We hope we can get him to come in at night because....

...there are foxes in the neighborhood, not to mention a raccoon we saw under a porch two blocks away, reports of bobcats and bears, and --this is absolutely true-- a family of skunks under our shed!  We don't need Fetcher tangling with all of that wildlife, no matter how much he might like to.