New Year's Eve - Looking Back

 On the last day of the year, I like to take time to look back over the months of the previous year. 

This year I am also taking time to step back and notice that this is the 10th anniversary of another rather spectacular NYE.  That evening found us in BB King’s Blues Club on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee, enjoying catfish & ribs and some great music.

On that NYE in 2014 we were just striking out on our second winter in the RV - this time in the southern states - where we would live on for one month each on three different islands.

That first year of RV life had been an amazing adventure.  We lived in that second-hand fifth-wheel for more than 7 months that year -  working in Southern California from January through May and traveling to Alaska in June and July before landing back in Michigan until selling the Christmas tree farm later in the year.  What a phenomenal year it had been.  So that NYE dinner on Beale Street and camping on the other side of the Mississippi River became a significant transition moment in our lives.

And now here we are this NYE - living a smaller and less dramatic adventure - on one side of the street watching the snowflakes fluttering down and waiting for the moment when we will be able to move to the newly rescued and refurbished house across the street.

Home for Christmas?

"Do you think you’ll be in the new place by Christmas?"

...

People had been asking us that for awhile.

During September & October it seemed possible.

Probable even.

Bob finished up the last items necessary for final inspections and called it in.

Normal protocol is for the city inspectors to make an appointment within a couple days. Instead it turned into 3 weeks and then 6 weeks and now 3 months - which will be the end of January.

Christmas music “promises” I’ll be home for Christmas.

Where the love light gleams...

Because there’s no place like home for the holidays.

Each delay was disappointing - but we worked hard at packing our stuff and getting it ready to haul across the street as soon as we got the word.  Since we really had no idea what day or week that might be, the packing strategy was more than a little stressful.  

And now we know.

We won’t be moved in by Christmas.

Fortunately, we do still have a home.

We can still be at home for Christmas.

Admittedly with many of our possessions packed and stacked, we did not pull out most of the usual holiday decorations.  

But we have a place to sleep with a roof over our heads - unlike many people - and we are grateful.

And we do have experience at transitional holiday lodging...  

Like those couple years when we were able to live in the historical log cabin at our beloved Christmas tree farm!  

That was bonus.  

What a fun place to live!

After selling the tree farm and before hitting the road again, a room in our daughter’s basement became home for us for a few weeks.  

And this place has been a wonderful home for us through seven Christmases.  

Wait; make that eight now…

So... even though we couldn’t move into the new place quite yet, we realized we could celebrate by enjoying a family dinner there together. 

It had to be simple... so we just did Chinese take-out.  

And yes, it was fun.  

It was a chance to start to feel more at home there.

To experiment a bit and figure out what works where.

To discover that indeed the love light gleams in that place.

Sure enough, we are able to be home for the holidays.  

Even though it isn't quite the way we had hoped.

Hidden Hollows Tree Farm

Ten years ago today, we sold the tree farm. Such a significant time on our calendar and in our hearts. Most definitely a pivot point as we turned the corner that would shift the trajectory of our lives.

We had built that house when we were just kids.  It was home for our girls as well as a whole bunch of foster kids, some international students, and a few oldsters as well. It provided safe haven for many, prompting someone to christen the place as Rivendell.  

"That house was a perfect house

whether you like food or sleep

or storytelling or singing

or just sitting and talking

or a pleasant mixture of them all.

Merely to be there was a cure

for weariness, fear, and sadness."

- JRR Tolkien

***

Then came the Christmas trees - and the log house for selling them. In later years the farm was used as a retreat center.  And for the last few years, we moved into the Christmas cabin and rented out the big house.

On that date 10 years ago, I gathered a few thoughts to commemorate the occasion.

"And here we are.  The RV is stocked and almost ready to go. A few select pieces of furniture are nestled into the little "apartment" in our daughter's basement which serves as a landing spot between our travels. Many cherished items have been sold and hauled away. The rest of our possessions are being carefully packed and stacked in a 10' x 20' storage unit for the next few months or years - while we do a bit more wandering and exploring."

Selling that amazing farm was hard but turned out to be such a good thing for us.  We cherish the memories and are grateful for the years we had there.

 

Octobers I have known

 

“I'm so glad I live in a world 

where there are Octobers”

- Anne of Green Gables 

The current place...

from the new place...

Feeling grateful for the seasons

'Tis the season for seasonal change.

The autumnal equinox... 

And today is World Gratitude Day! So it seems like a good time to express my gratitude that I get to live where we have four seasons.  

Yes, there are things to dread when the days get shorter, but there are also things to enjoy.  

Eventually spring brings flowers...

And then summer brings berries...

And porch sittin'...

And ridin' the rails...

And walks in the woods...

And visiting animals

And maybe even superhero rescues

There is so much to love about the seasons.

All kinds of beauty

Family times

Fun adventures

Even peace & serenity...

I love this life!

These seasons.