Another season

Well, it’s that for me, both literally and figuratively…the golden leaves of fall have ushered out summer, and I’ve started a new season of my life.

Yes, we made it here to Arizona safe and sound after a zany few weeks of chaos.  At least that’s how it felt.  Our life in a zillion boxes, emotional good-byes, the unrelenting pace of selling, closing, cleaning, and leaving our home was an exhausting project.  The final week of driving our truckloads here was well covered with prayer and bottles of 5-Hour Energy!

My thanks to all of our wonderful friends who showed up with packing boxes and willing hands to work at whatever we needed.  You all were so awesome!  We absolutely couldn’t have done it without you, and your cheerful smiles and help were the lifeline we needed.  God bless you all!

Part of God’s purpose in having us here just now became apparent right away.  My dear mother-in-law was having some debilitating health issues when we arrived, so were able to lend a hand and help with some of the immediate needs.  Since we haven’t found a home yet, it’s worked out great to stay with them, helping each other through an unusual time.  I’m finding (again!) how wise God is—it’s been good to just stop and catch up with ourselves, both mentally and physically, before starting the new-home process and all it entails.

I’m loving the milder climate—now I remember why people move here!  We’re enjoying day after day of sparkling sunshine, spectacular sunsets, and breathtaking vistas of ranchlands and mountains—love it, love it, love it!

And of course, it’s wonderful to be near our families, the main reason we relocated.  We’re looking forward to building a rich relationship with each one, something that’s been hard to do with a once- or twice-a-year visit.  God is good!

So in spite of the unsettledness I feel right now, it’s good to have the move behind us.  We’re where God wanted us, when He wanted us, and I am trusting Him with all the unknowns on the road ahead.

Oh, how good it is to belong to Him!

[P.S. - We have limited internet access for the time being, so I can't keep up well with my blogging friends.  I read as I'm able to but will have to wait to catch up on my comments.]

Changes

Spring is here, though it’s a little hard to tell with snowstorms and freezing temperatures regularly making their appearance.  However, little green leaves dotting the landscape are a wonderful promise of the goodness to come, so we bide our time.  I know that all too soon we’ll be raking and planting and mowing, so I guess I’ll enjoy the dregs of winter while I have them.

With the seasonal changes a-comin’, our lives are changing too.  We’re busy getting our home ready to sell and planning to move to Arizona.  With both of our families there, it will be wonderful to be closer to them.

Wow, all the ‘stuff’ a major move requires!  Cleaning out, boxing up, trips to the thrift store to donate our surplus; trips to the hardware store for the myriad items we need for updating things in the house, and discussions about what and how much to do before we are ready to sell.   Then there’s the inner process it requires—letting go of friendships and comforts and dear familiar things.  We have the best of friends, the best homeschool group, the best church, the best doctor, dentist, chiropractor, shopping…a whole life-support system to disconnect and leave behind.   That’s the hard part.

Some days there are so many things to think of and do that I hardly know what to set my hand to next.  My lists fail me; often I just want to sit down with my tea and a good novel and escape.  My darling auntie counseled me just this afternoon to go ahead and do that once in a while—so since I can’t easily give myself permission, I’m glad she did!  I’ll try to work that in more.

We’re in the home stretch of SweetPea’s school year, trying to stay focused and on track with a million distractions.  She’s taken on a project that satisfies her artistic leanings—doing our support group’s yearbook.  Using a computer program designed especially for yearbooks is making it really fun, and we’re counting it toward a graphic design elective credit. 

And Honey is making great progress on the kitchen (I wonder if he wonders when the ‘retired’ part of retirement kicks in?).  I’m now enjoying my white cabinets and gray granite countertops (yes, gray, not black—an order mix-up that we liked better!)…next he’ll be doing white backsplash tiles and wrapping it all up with wood-look laminate flooring.  Whoever buys our house will LOVE this kitchen!

So we press on.  Change is hard, change is good. I know from experience that with God in the change, we walk a sure and blessed path.

Urban adventure

Cute, huh?  I mean, what an irresistible little face and appealing expression.

Yeah...except when you've got one down your chimney!

Hubby was up on the roof this morning after breakfast with a flashlight to see if he could determine what was trapped in our chimney.  We'd heard little squeaks and noises last night in the fireplace behind the insert, but couldn't do anything about it--and we thought it was a bird or a squirrel.  But a raccoon?!  Groan.  And it wasn't little.

He hung a rope down the length of the chimney (two stories high) and called animal control.  Believe it or not, they said these critters don't generally fall down chimneys, they hide out deliberately and can get out just fine.  But just in case they don't, drop an ammonia-soaked rag down there and they'll hustle up and out pretty quick.

Knowing they're nocturnal, we decided to wait until this evening.  SweetPea accompanied her dad up on the roof (homeschooler field trip, you know) to see if the cute little thing was still there.  Yup, it was.  So to force the issue, the dad poured some ammonia down one side, insuring a healthy dose of noxious fumes to get the job done.

That's when he saw...

...babies!

Double groan!  She sure enough had a Purpose for hiding out in our fireplace. (Photos not mine but you get the idea.) 

Hubby feels bad about the ammonia...but maybe it'll expedite matters.  Hopefully, Mama will find it too inhospitable and move her family quickly to better digs.  And I really hope it was intentional on her part to get down our chimney, because if not, then I'll be writing part two of this adventure. Enough is enough!