A whole new year

“Nature has placed mankind under the government of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure-they govern us in all we do, in all we say, in all we think: every effort we can make to throw off our subjection, will serve but to demonstrate and confirm.” ~ Jeremy Bentham

The old year ended and the new year started with that same ying-yang. My mother had a short stay in the hospital but the doctor promised to have her out before the ball dropped. Of course he kept his word but didn't factor in the snow storm in which I had to drive through to get to the hospital so I could bring her home. I hate to drive in the snow so was almost ready to be admitted to the bed next to her by the time I got there.... more likely my mother would have left me there and drove herself home.

From right before Christmas we had been basically living in two places but have now made the final move into the house. There is still lots to do but will have to be done working around me as I had had it with the old living conditions.

While unpacking totes that have been packed for 2+ years I have come upon things I forgot I even had! It has been like an extended Christmas. However, muscle atrophy seems to have set in since I packed these things. The only thing that has kept me on the damn New Year's diet is that I am so tired I couldn't lift the spoon to feed myself. I am exhausted.

The day the man hooked up the hot water was the day I fully moved in. I was ecstatic to be able to take a hot bath after years of nothing but showers. So after a long day of lifting, shoving, washing, pushing, pulling and bending I went in and turned on the tub to let the tub fill. I thought the water would warm up as it came down the pipe....it didn't. I froze but was determined to get in my first bath. I felt bad when I came out and the man asked how it was. I had to tell him it was awful, that the water never got above lukewarm. We turned up the hot water heater...still lukewarm. We turned off the cold and the tub quit. The one knob faucet set we bought is anti-scald and after a long call with the company we found we would have to unsolder everything to reset it...we went and bought a three knob faucet where I get to pick how hot I want it. The next bath was heaven. If I had remembered my book it would have continued longer than it did!

I went through everything when I was packing up and tossed a ton....now I open totes and wonder what the hell ever possessed me to keep some of it....so we are tossing tons more. Add to this, I have also accumulated during that time period. When I was helping my friend on her house I was cringing when she wanted to toss things so I took them. Then there was my aunts house. She was a gardener, crocheter and seamstress, do I have to say more?.....smack...what the hell was I thinking? We already had a tractor trailer to unload! So what we are doing is things we don't want are being shoved to one side and when we are done the rest will go on Freecycle. I will never ever move again unless it is done for me while I am on vacation. Of course when I asked the man on our first anniversary if he would do it over again he said yes. When I asked if he would ever build me another house he quickly said no so I guess I don't have to worry about moving again!

I must say I have settled into the house quickly! In the mornings I take my coffee with a book or knitting and sit by the woodstove for a bit before the day takes off. There are floor to ceiling windows on each side of the woodstove so I have an awesome view of the woods. Each morning the turkeys flock down out of the woods and into the yard. It is so peaceful watching them scratch thru the leaves for food....until one of the dogs spot them. The bellows of the coonhound and the yipping of the keeshound quickly ruin that peacefulness. The turkeys go about their business undisturbed by the clamour while I am yelling at them to get away from the window. They go into the kitchen and start barking by the full glass kitchen door that faces that same direction....I should have planned better as later in the afternoon the squirrels are usually out and about and we go thru this again....and then at dusk the deer come down. Last night the dogs heard something and went running to the kitchen door to bark at some unknown force lurking in the dark night while my son came up the basement steps unnoticed. I guess they are just better at protecting me from turkeys, squirrels and deer that mean to do me bodily harm than intruders.

I have also learned to use the woodstove as my dryer and a crockpot of sorts. The only downside to the woodstove would have to be the dust. I am told new houses have to "let the dust settle" and it may not be just the woodstove. I don't know about that because it has been swept and vacumned and the dust is still ever present. Maybe it reproduces like rabbits overnight?! What I do know is that all this dusting is cutting into my knitting/spinning time.

I have been able to finish the mittens for #1 daughter and knit two sets of baby booties. I just found the needle this morning so no ends have been woven in but here they will be today...

The mittens are made from Shadeyside Farm wool/bamboo that my mom bought me at Endless Mt. Fiber Festival. The booties are some angora I had spun along time ago and just found....it is a very thick/thin yarn. Thank God my spinning has improved.

Now I am going to go finish working in the ends and then get to work on more totes. Tonight I will be so tired I will sit in a daze, too tired to move but happy with the days accomplishments. And tomorrow it will start again...the same pain/pleasure. Life is definitely good.