the wizard house
the purple house with the sun
—
so many stories here
—
“every spirit makes its house,
and we can give a shrewd guess from the house to the inhabitant.”
-ralph waldo emerson
—
images: Ann Arbor, Michigan – Traverse City, Michigan
olive the cat not the oil
startled for no reason
(as often happens with both of us)
jumped off the ledge
right onto my favorite lamp
startling both of us
(now for a reason)
I see it as her way
of not so subtly suggesting
a redecorating idea.
—
“my personal decorating style is cozy,
romantic and a little rustic, with a sense of whimsy.”
– k. schlapman
high window at home, in the storm.
—
“early impressions are like glimpses
seen through the window by night
when lightning is about.”
– e.f. benson
when giving a friend my new address
she was surprised
to discover
that she already was familiar with that address
and she could let herself in
as she already possessed a key.
she used to care for a little black cat who lived there,
bonnie.
her client happened to be
the woman who sold me my condo
and now
there is a new little black cat living there,
my olive.
there must be something about the house
that needs a little black cat living there
to feel like home
I think they would have liked each other.
—
“I believe that life is chaotic, a jumble of accidents, ambitions, misconceptions, bold intentions, lazy happenstances, and unintended consequences, yet I also believe that there are connections that illuminate our world, revealing its endless mystery and wonder.”
-david maraniss
—
image credit: getdrawings.com
now that I’ve moved from the west side to the north side
do I have to learn new signs?
—
“search for beauty without features, something deeper than any signs.”
-francesca da rimini
—
image credit: babycommunity.com
some of us adapted to the move more easily than others.
—
“don’t let the good days get to your head, and don’t let the bad days get to your heart.”
-caroline ghosn
at last
I’ve moved into my new home
I’m going to call it
la casita pacifica
(the tiny peaceful house)
near the river, the flowers, the woods, the town, the family
“i’m really quite simple. i plant flowers and watch them grow…
I stay at home and watch the river flow.”
-george harrison
grandie f and his friends take a short walk
through their neighborhood
(and now mine)
to help bring a few first things over to my new digs.
the friendliest movers ever.
—
“i get by with a little help from my friends.”
-John lennon
what a year it’s been
on July 15th of last year
I put my 100+ year old cottage up for sale
through 2 sales – (the first a near miss, the second a hit)
showings, open houses, fixing, cleaning, clearing, minimizing, negotiating
a roller coaster ride
filled with lots of ups and downs
lessons learned
money spent
tears and laughs
fingers crossed
then moving and storing and staying with family
while waiting for the place I wanted to be next
hoping someone would be wiling to sell it
at just the right time
at just the right price
and with all this
somehow
it has fallen into place
here I am
exactly 1 year later
on july 15th once again
and today
I’ll be taking ownership
of the place that is exactly where I want to be
a simplified life begins
in the perfect home for me
happy to make it my own
in the ‘july’ of my life
near family, near the trees, near the water, near the town
what a wonderful difference 1 year can make.
—
“my life, i realize suddenly, is july.
childhood is june, and old age is august,
but here it is, july, and my life, this year, is july inside of july.”
-rick bass
—
photo credit: mark bugnaski – MLive.com
with
one sister visiting
one sister gone too soon
only brother on his way
grandchildren in tow
we visited the place
where we had grown up.
it looked much the same
yet felt somehow not.
much like us.
—
“there is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged
to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.”
-nelson mandela
