What a year it has been, 2023. Perhaps one of the hardest years of my life. Sold our parents' house and farm, sold my own house, bought a new, smaller house, and moved in about six weeks ago. That summation sounds so simple. But the year was filled with complications and conflicts I'd rather not get into. I'm in a good place at the end of the year, in spite of it all. I am finally where I need to be for living out my later years. My duties related to the estate will, thankfully, be winding down in the coming months.
One thing I don't plan on this new year's eve, is looking back with nostalgia. Everyone around me wants to reminisce. They drive by the old house. They talk about growing up. They want to keep in touch with high school acquaintances. Etc. Etc. But I'm just not into all of that right now. I only want to look forward. I want to live in the moment. I want to continue to make a better life for myself and Frankie.
Another thing I don't plan on is specific resolutions. It's enough just to appreciate where I am now and to start each day with a simple idea of what to do in that day. I'm not making lists these days. That could return, I don't know.
I don't set the alarm to wake up at 5 a.m. anymore. I don't have to drive any kids anywhere in the morning. I don't have any more set obligations. I wake up one or two times every night and sometimes can't get back to sleep easily. So, now I sleep until I wake up naturally in the morning. And I have naps when I'm tired in the afternoon.
I want to find a new routine in my house for caring for the house and yard, cooking, and hobbies. I've been focusing this week on making sure I'm setting up each room the way I can use it best. I had originally planned on putting the TV in one of the extra bedrooms and the piano in the living room, as I've always done. But this house is different. I finally decided the TV belonged in the living room as it's the darkest room in the house. I am making one of the bedrooms into a music room where my piano and guitars and my vinyl record collection will all reside. Already people walk into the music room and feel an instant positive vibe. It has a large window and lots of light and a comfy sofa and lamps, so just a nice hangout room for many uses. My piano is still at my son's house, and I'm waiting for him to have time to move it. I'm hoping this weekend.
I ended up putting my office in the other spare bedroom which has the only window that faces the street. I had thought I wanted the music room there. But as it's the smaller of those two rooms, my plan wouldn't have worked. The office, too, has a big window allowing lots of light. The window has a lower sill, and Frankie can sit on a chair and look out as he could at the old house. I have the yellow fold out bed/chair that I used as a bed for the last few weeks at my son's house, and I'll put that in the office along with a cute red cabinet for games and puzzles. There will be room to put up a card table and do puzzles and hobbies. I'll find some sort of ottoman that is just the right height and size for Frankie to watch and doze at his leisure at the window.
I'm starting to really like and appreciate the kitchen. The sink is in the corner facing two large windows. When I open the blinds, I have a view of my neighbor's bird feeders. How delightful is that! Between the sink and the windows is a large space and even a raised shelf where I can put plants -- maybe herbs. The cupboards are way too high for me to reach the top shelf of four, so I have put the things I use the most on the bottom two shelves with a little overflow onto the third shelf. Then the fourth shelf is for things I use maybe once a year or so, and I can get to those with my step stool. With everything put away now, I still have empty shelves to grow into. Although, I like this lighter feeling of owning less stuff, and I don't plan to fill those up any time soon.
The kitchen is a square with an entrance about the size of a doorway with a peninsula and no wall separating it from the dining room. It has a lot of counters. I have found the large peninsula counter serves as well as my island at the old house. There is a bit of counter in the corner between the fridge and stove that's separated from the other U-shaped counters. I use that corner for the coffee maker and toaster. I will be adding a bread box and a cute mug rack/coffee station to make it a practical little breakfast station. Everything about the kitchen is very convenient.
I will be buying a new table for my dining room. The old table belonged to the parents of my late husband and dates back to the 1970s. My daughter is going to take that table that belonged to her dad and grandparents. That seems fitting. I am getting a large expandable table. Surprisingly, I have a bigger dining room at this house and can extend the table further when needed. The layout of living and dining room has made for a good gathering place when a lot of people come over. Some like sitting in the comfortable living room, some like taking snacks and drinks to the table. But we are close and all together in the same room, and no one is left out of the conversations.
My bedroom was the first room I got set up. I've now got the adjoining bathroom set up and decorated and have arranged things to my satisfaction in the large walk-in closet. I am ordering some light-filtering, full-length (96") curtains for my window that now has just slatted blinds. I have adequate privacy with the blinds, but the curtains will give a softer feel. Not much else to do there.
And the laundry room -- nothing to say. It's wonderful and convenient. It also has an upper and lower cabinet where I can now store all my surplus cleaning supplies in one place. Next to the laundry, the storage room now hold the boxes of holiday decorations and boxes of my memorabilia scanning project as well as a hanging organizer for brooms, mops etc. My carpet cleaner has a handy spot there as well as my card table and chairs. There is still a bit of space available, but I like it as it is. Especially since I can now easily access holiday decorations when I want them.
The garage is yet to do. I have a huge shed at one side of the house and I will be able to store lawnmower and many yard tools there instead of the garage. I will also store some fertilizers, etc. there. The former owner left quite a lot of those things, duplicating what I brought with me. This spring and summer, I'll work at using up those supplies, and sharing some with my kids in their yards. I'll also throw out the old patio cabinet she left, as it's pretty beat up, and I'll replace it with one like I had at the old house where I can store hand tools and bird feeders supplies. It's a perfect yard setup. The side of the house opposite the shed is narrow and paved with concrete. It's a perfect place to keep the garbage and recycling bins out of sight. With good weather in the week ahead, I hope to start moving things into the shed now and then install some limited shelving in the garage for things that need to remain there.
I'll spend the rest of the winter months thinking about what I want to do with the backyard. There are a couple of raised beds big enough to have a good-sized garden. But I think I'll put in a lot of flowers and just a few edibles. I'm not much of a farmer. I won't change the front yard at all -- just trim, mow, and maintain. It's fun to think about this small yard and how I will be able to manage it myself.
I guess what all of this is saying, is that I'm finding where things should go; I'm getting things arranged in a way that feels like home to me; and I discovering the joy of less work, less responsibility, no stairs, and new-found freedom. It's a fresh start for a new year for me. I am truly looking forward to 2024 with hope and a desire to enjoy the changes my new life offers.
