Birthday Posts and Other Such News

View from my window this Spring.

What a year 2017 has been for me!

I sold a house.  I bought a house.

I renovated a house.

If you have been visiting regularly the past few months,

you’ve watched the renovations I have been making on

my new/old Cape Cod.

We are almost there.

In fact the newest improvement 

to report to you is that the wood floors 

are finished!

I visited the house on Wednesday,

and although I could not walk through

and see everything,

I did snap a couple

of pictures to share.

I think they look great!

This is the last report I will post 

from my bungalow home.

Next time, you’ll hear from me

from the Cape Cod.

I am going away tomorrow for an 

overnight birthday respite.

When I return Sunday afternoon,

I will begin to ferry things

which I don’t trust to leave to the movers

to the new house.

They will be here on Tuesday.

With my brother Rick in Paris last year.

That brings me to "other such news."

Tomorrow I am meeting

 a dear friend, M 

in a nearby city to celebrate our "days."

M’s birthday is Saturday.  Mine is Sunday.

I have known M since 7th grade,

so yes, long time friends,

but with a long gap during that time.

We lost touch after HS graduation 

and reconnected just after  

I purchased the Cape Cod.

That’s almost 50 years!

M is the kind of friend with whom

our conversations immediately resumed

as though we had never been apart.

(I hope you have a friend like that too.)

M has also been watching my progress,

boosting me up, when I was down,

listening to my endless house details,

and always interested in the process.

Which brings me to the point of this

birthday post.

Much as I cringe to admit it

I am not young anymore.

Celebrating my Dad's 91st this year.

Yet, this year has taught me that

it does not matter the number of your years.

The trick is to stay open to new adventures,

new challenges, and to embrace them.

This year I have learned

some new lessons about

stepping outside my comfort zone.

My daughter and sister in France last year.

And as a result,

 I have had a magical year thus far.

The year is only half over

and I have just begun my new adventures.

Hope you’ll continue to follow along

as I settle in, 

and continue to transform and create my new

Buttermilk Cottage!

The former Buttermilk Cottage

Ever Changing Life

I am sorry to say I have been very lax with my blogging lately.

My life has been in a state of flux 

and it is taking me a bit of time 

to wrap my head around the changes taking place here.

My sister, Nancy and I have shared this house

for the past twelve years.

We have had a wonderful co existence since the beginning.

She created a lovely apartment upstairs for herself

and I had the space downstairs.

It was like having your best friend

as your closest neighbor.

We shared many meals, coffee in the morning 

and often a glass of wine before dinner.

We were in and out of each other's space constantly.

Whenever I had an idea and needed feedback,

up the stairs I would head to get her opinions.

We always had a ready companion in each other

for day trips, vacations, and treasure hunts.

(We both share a love of antique, consignment and thrift shops.) 

Another thing we shared was our mutual concern for our parents,

who live six hours away from us.

My Dad will be turning 90 next month.

Although he is sharp as a tack

and in reasonably good health,

he has been our Mother's caregiver for several years now.

Sadly, she suffers from dementia.

Nancy and I have been making 

regular trips to their home

to help in any way we could.

Within the past few months it has become

increasingly clear some changes needed to be made.

After a trip to them in early December,

Nancy announced she would be taking

early retirement from her job

and going to live with them.

So, we have been putting some things in motion

to facilitate that happening since Christmas.

Nancy moved this past Monday.

This is very bittersweet for me.

On the one hand,

I am SO relived my parents will now

have, not just anyone, but someone with them on a

regular and constant basis who really loves them.

On the other hand, 

 my best friend,

nearest neighbor

and sister have moved away.

Her apartment upstairs remains intact,

since she did not take furniture

and she plans to return as often as possible.

And, I plan to go to my parents and her

at least once a month.

Nancy has started a new blog to 

journal her experiences.

She has begun it not with the intention

of  amassing lots of new followers,

but rather for herself,

to keep record of her new journey.

If this experience resonates with you,

you can find her here.

I am sure she will welcome any insights

you may have gathered in a similar situation.

In the meantime, I am getting used to being alone in our house.

Perhaps this is the initiative I need

to start blogging on a regular basis again.

I'll be needing someone to talk to now and then.