Moved In, At Last

During the past six months we have been moving. It seems everyday was devoted to moving. First, preparing for and moving out of the old house consumed our days, and some nights. Then there was concurrently looking for, and buying a new place. Finally, there was preparing and moving into the new place.

The final result was downsizing from a big house to a smaller condo. Each step in the process seemed difficult. The sorting and disposing of excess things was tough both physically and emotionally, but it was finally finished, we thought.

Looking for and deciding on a new place was time consuming, both the actual going to and looking at process, but also the time it took to study the "full disclosure" forms required in today's real estate market. Due diligence is especially important when buying a condo since there may be problems that aren't easily seen during an inspection but show up during a careful reading of the required forms.

After we chose our new home, there was painting and cleaning to prepare for moving in. Then we had to buy furniture to fit the new place. Then came the moving van with more furniture and boxes than would fit in the new place. Again we had to sort, choose and dispose of the excess that just wouldn't fit.

Finally, two months after our furniture and packing boxes were delivered, we are getting settled in. We broke out some Christmas decorations and put ornaments on a a tree.

Christmas tree guarded by Kuro's overstuffed friend.

The second bedroom finally gave up the last of the boxes stored there and became functional and my tools were cleared out of the second bathroom which had served as a temporary mini-shop during the move-in period.

Looking back at how we finally got mostly settled, I think a large part of the process was developing new habits. Which drawer held silverware and which had pot holders. Where to find coffee cups and which way to turn when getting up in the night to visit the bathroom.

Old habits discarded and new ones formed make a person comfortable in new surroundings. We are now at the stage where most of the daily decisions are made by rote. Only occasionally do we ponder where to find something.

Sometimes the simple things make a big difference. Our old house had a dog door so Kuro could come and go at will. No such thing in the condo so he (and we) are learning the new routine of walks, at least three times a day. Of course, I and sometimes Ikuko benefit from the increased level of human exercise so that's a good thing.

Kuro relaxing in a snow free spot under a tree after a romp in the snow
Christmas morning

I've missed posting entries to my blog, and I've missed, even more, having the spare time to write those entries. There are still paintings to hang, minor repairs and improvements to make but now, finally, I feel free to take time to spend on this blog.

Happiness

After observing the human condition for seventy-some years I'm going to climb on the soapbox and proclaim my take on happiness. This post will depart from my usual update on travel or local (or far away) flowers, so if you're not in the mood to listen to my take on happiness, better click off now and save some heartburn.

"The search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness."
---Eric Hoffer

Over the course of my life I've been fortunate to have lived in several parts of our country and many other countries and observed people with different customs. I've also been privileged to have been born in the late 30's and experienced first hand the American cultural transition from small family farms and viable small towns to agribusiness and large urban areas.

"Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be." ---Abraham Lincoln

From the time when, as a child we lived on a farm until I was in high school, my family had little money and by today's standards would have been classified as living in poverty. Yet there were many times during those years when I enjoyed a kind of happiness denied to most of today's children. I didn't have money but didn't need it to play in nature and enjoy family and other non-electronic social interactions in lieu of watching TV or playing electronic games on a computer or other personal device.

"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."
---J. R R. Tokien

For many years I've watched people striving for and sometimes achieving happiness, short lived as it may have been. I've heard the common complaint, "If only I had (write in your own desired end here) I'd be happy." I've watched people gain that goal, be happy, but like a child with a new toy, soon throw that happiness away to pursue a new object of happiness.

"You can never get enough of what you don't need to make you happy." ---Eric Hoffer

People have been trying to define happiness since at least the days of the Greek philosophers.  I can't speak for others but for me happiness is often found, not by seeking it out but in unexpected places while doing other things.

"They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for." ---Tom Bodett

I have come to think there may be seven things that make a person happy:

• Living unselfishly
• Accepting life as it is
• Finding the good
• Seeing the hidden
• Knowing good people
• Having a compatible mate
• Acknowledging a higher power

There may be other things that contribute to happiness but note that "a hoard of gold" is not on my list.

"A fool dreams of wealth, a wise man of happiness." ---Turkish proverb

Never underestimate the power of a dog to bring a smile to your lips, a lilt to your step and peace to your mind. Many's the time I've been stressed or over busy when my little dog, Kuro, would come begging for a walk. Sometime during those walks, it would occur to me that the stress was gone, the brain fog lifted, and I was enjoying a pleasant interlude with a modicum of happiness.

"Happiness is a warm puppy." ---Charles M. Schultz

Kuro wearing his boots ready to search for happiness during a walk in rainy weather. He doesn't much like the boots but he'll do whatever it takes to go for a walk. There are lots of puddles near our temporary house so Ikuko
 suggested he be able to leave the mud at the door.

"Happiness makes up in height what it lacks in length." ---Robert Frost

Moving Redux---Recharging

Moving is wearisome business. Especially for an old man like me, toting those boxes and lifting those bales is tiring but the midnight worries are even worse.  In the condo, is the painter going to be done in time for the carpet man to do his thing before the movers arrive with our furniture and household goods? In the old house, Patching walls where pictures hung, getting the last of the furniture and such out and coordinating the cleaning team give plenty of grist for midnight thought.

In a protected corner we saw the last of this year's roses.

This morning was beautiful with the bright sun peeking through departing storm clouds so Kuro and I decided to take an early walk, commune with Mother Earth and recharge our (my) batteries.

Kuro doesn't need his batteries recharged. The  mere sight of his leash in my hand has him dancing a jig and waiting impatiently to get out the door.

The early morning rain was still on the grass. Kuro got soaked
from mid-belly down and my feet got wet.

Here in Seattle, it's just a little early for good fall colors but we found a few reds, yellows and golds.

We came across hydrangeas in shades from blue to bronzed purple. I've read about how soil acidity affects the colors of the hydrangea but I wonder if the sun exposure might also make a difference in blossom color.

It's almost Halloween. This little guy will make a perfect Jack O'Lantern

In a secluded area we came across a small tree in the cedar family that had an emerald jacket.

Watching moss grow is restful and brings peace to the soul.

The old timers say Mountain Ash and snow berries foretell the severity of the coming winter. We didn't happen upon any Mountain Ash but I wonder if these snow berries are harbingers of cold and misery in our part of the country?

In a nearby park there is a big old poplar that serves as a message board for local dogs.

Old man poplar attracts passing dogs. He seems to say, "Come smell the latest news."

We had a refreshing and invigorating walk but it was time to head back home. As I opened the garage door a single leaf blew in to rest on the concrete floor. It seemed to be soaking up a last measure of sunlight before it was placed in the compost bin to complete life's cycle and nourish life anew next spring.

Moving

My regular readers will have noticed that I've been incommunicado for the past few months. In fact, since May 31st, when I posted an update, I've been busy with moving. My apologies for the long dry spell but moving is serious work.

There comes a time in a family's journey through life when the kids have moved out, the old house becomes too big and difficult to keep up and it's time to downsize. What a job it turns out to be. For our family, at least, it was a job sorting, selling, donating, etc., seemingly, the accumulation of a lifetime.

My wife and I have been married for almost 53 years. The first few years we traveled light but after the boys arrived, things began to accumulate.

After several years of threatening to move from the big old house that we've owned for the past 42 years, we finally took the plunge and just did it. We decided to downsize and move to a condo. For those of you contemplating a similar decision, I thought I'd discuss some of the potholes in the road moving away from a large old house and squeezing your things into a condo.

Most sensible people would have found a new home before moving out of the old but we decided to do both at once so it was extra hectic.

Soon after the decision was made, we started the trips to Goodwill. All the obvious surplus and unwanted things were loaded into my pickup and transported out of our lives. After several trips, the people at Goodwill would come running when I pulled in, anxious to help unload the latest batch of goodies.

Next, we selected a realtor, decided where we wanted to find our condo and started looking in that direction. Meanwhile, we spent days sorting goods and packing moving boxes. As closets and cubbyholes were emptied we remarked on things that hadn’t seen daylight in years. It’s amazing how much stuff can accumulate because, “It’s still good,” or “We might need that.”

We hit some rough patches along the way when we found things that evoked strong memories of our younger married days and when our boys were living at home. I’m sure you all have such memories. We’ll always have the memories but moving to a smaller home requires hard decisions about shedding some of the things that trigger of those memories.   

In a way, we were fortunate that we wanted to get our place listed before the prime buying season ran out. Even though those memory triggers kept popping up we had to press on with little time for reveries of times past.

We were fortunate to find a good realtor, referred by a friend, who turned out to be a trusted advisor as we made decisions along the way. Our realtor, Charlie, quickly sensed what we were looking for in our new place and sifted through the listings, showing us only those that would satisfy our desires. Along the way he helped us decide what to leave in the old house for staging and made recommendations for minor repairs and touch up to improve eye appeal.

As boxes piled up we decided to put some of the less needed things into storage until we finished packing and sorting. We ordered a portable storage box from one of the several vendors who specialize in such things. The box was delivered to our driveway and I started loading boxes and a few small pieces of furniture into the 8’ long x 5’ wide x 7½’ high box. It doesn’t sound very big but 300 cubic feet of space holds a lot of boxes. 

I like the standard small boxes because they are easy to carry and don’t weigh too much. Those boxes measure 1.5 cubic feet so it would have taken 200 of them to fill the portable container. We packed it full and sent it off to storage and still had many things that we needed access to or wanted when we first moved into the condo.

About this time (end of July) we found a condo we liked in Edmonds, a small city a few miles north of Seattle with a population of a little over 40k people. I mention this condo because it turned out to be a good example of reviewing all the documents that Washington State law requires be furnished to prospective condo buyers. In our case, a close reading of the documents that came with the resale certificate revealed several problems with the structure off the building and the makeup and continuity of the HOA (home owners’ association) members. We cancelled that deal, got our earnest money back and continued our search. 

Along toward the middle of August we found another condo that we liked. It got a clean bill of health and our offer to purchase was accepted with a closing date around the first of October.

Meanwhile back at the old house, we had to decide if we would show the house while we still lived there or if we would move out and leave the house with just the staging furniture and goods. We were fortunate to have temporary living quarters available so we opted to move out. There are pros and cons for each choice and each family must make their own decision. While we were looking at condos we saw both options and the places where the owners had moved out seemed to show better than those that looked too lived in. 

Having made the decision to move out, we renewed our push to get things sorted, packed and moved to our temporary place.  

Finally, the day after Labor Day our listing went live. The moving out stress lessened but now we were nervously awaiting offers.

Toward the end of the week we received a full-price offer and accepted it. The inspection check list was manageable so we will be closing toward the end of October.

Now we deal with the final part of the move. Once it closes and we (Ikuko) is satisfied with the state of the condo I'll schedule a mover to pick up the goods and furniture left in the old place, pick up the many boxes and some furniture from our temporary quarters and deliver the works to the new condo. We'll wait until to get that part settled before we order the portable box delivered.

Lessons learned from our move that might apply to you or someone you know:

1. Pick a good realtor. We felt confident that Charlie was doing the right thing and didn't need to second guess him.

2. Read the fine print in the disclosure form (for houses) or resale certificate (for condos) to make sure you catch potential headaches before instead of after the sale.

3. Try to plan further ahead than we did. If possible, eliminate a lot of extra stress by handing things one at a time instead of buying and selling at the same time. 

4. We sorted and disposed of some of our goods a year or two in advance but we could have done a lot more a lot earlier than we did. That would have eliminated more stress.

5. Finally, if you can, procrastinate and let the kids handle it. NO, I'm joking! That was one of the reasons we finally made the big decision. We were afraid if we waited much longer that might have been the outcome and that wouldn't be fair to our sons. Better to do it while you can and not burden them. 

The post about our new VFW member, the 105 year-old veteran got me restarted posting updates. With this one I remember the satisfaction of posting entries. I promise to avoid another long dry spell. 

Now, after we get settled into our new place, if I can just find time to sort through seven boxes of pictures and four boxes of fishing gear. . .

An Old Vet

Last Saturday a friend and I went to see an old World War Two veteran and help celebrate his 105th birthday. I wrote a short recap of the event and sent it to the editor of our VFW newsletter for publication in the next issue. Our editor thought the piece should be on our Ballard Eagleson VFW Facebook page so she posted it along with a photo.

After it was posted, it received so much attention in such a short time that I thought I would post it here for my readers. If you like the post or the sentiments it expresses, and visit our FB page, please click the "like" button, or comment, so even more people might view it, thus honoring an old vet and his family.

Here is the article, as it was published:

From our Quartermaster, Harold Rodenberger:

"A few weeks ago, Julie Small called our office wondering if we could help celebrate her father’s 105th birthday. Since her father had served in the Army in World War II she thought it would be appropriate if some VFW members could attend the birthday celebration and render honors to her father.

On Sept. 16, Color Guard Captain, Joe Fitzgerald, and I arrived at the birthday celebration for Joseph Alex Small. Family and friends gathered around as we congratulated him on his birthday, presented two small American Flags, and his new VFW cap. Near the end of our visit, he whispered in my ear, “I feel overwhelmed.”

As Joe and I left the party and returned to our homes, I reflected on the feelings of love, friendship, and community I had felt there. In addition to Julie and Alex’s son Tom, who had flown up from his home in Texas, there were other family members, neighbors and friends from various backgrounds and circumstances, united in celebrating this momentous occasion.

Sometimes I feel near overwhelmed by all the news of rancor, hate, and divisiveness that bombards us daily. Then I see and feel the powerful feelings of good will at an occasion such as this and am reassured that there are millions of good people in every corner of our country. They gather at homes, schools, churches and other places simply to be together and celebrate some special event.

Good will and friendship usually don’t make the news but it’s good to remember that such feelings are alive and well despite news to the contrary."

Bearded Iris Time

Here in Seattle the beautiful weather of  last week has turned cool and rainy. Despite the weather this is the time of year we have many different colors of Bearded Iris blooming so I thought I'd add a little color to your day by showing some of the blooms that brighten our walk when Kuro and I go on our usual route.

This unusual iris is the first I've seen with variegated leaves.  

Aren't they beautiful? Guaranteed to brighten your day and bring a smile of appreciation to your lips.

Colors to savor when our weather turns dreary.

Durham (Bull City), North Carolina

I’m writing this from the east coast of our amazing country, where my wife, Iko, and I are visiting our younger son and his wife in North Carolina.

For those of you who travel, it’s no secret, but it always reassures me to travel to widely separated parts of our country and our world and observe yet again that people are pretty much the same wherever they live.

Here in Durham, there are friendly faces, distracted faces and faces racked by some private pain. There are young people, and those not so young, walking along oblivious to their surroundings while absorbed in private communication on their handheld device. As we approached a store yesterday, a gentleman smiled and held the door for my wife and me. He didn’t ask our political party, religion or economic status, he was simply one human, being courteous to others.

Sometimes in our world of instant news, alarmist headlines and finger pointing journalism where people are put into buckets labeled “Democrat, Republican; Jew, Gentile; rich, poor; Northerner, Southerner; good, bad,” I need to be reminded that people are people no matter external conditions.

Nice little brick homes a block down the street.

This part of Durham is a quiet neighborhood bordered on one side by a large county park and on the other by a long street of small businesses which reminds me of Aurora Avenue in Seattle.

On the west side of the street they get the morning sun.

  

Brick is a common construction material here in the low earthquake area.

Time out from the arduous but rewarding task of splitting wood for a winter fire.

Of course it's the same day and month as it is in Seattle but the flowers here are on a different schedule. I suppose it must have something to do with the southern latitude. It doesn't seems like it is so far south but here in Durham, if we were in California, we would be about halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

I went for a short walk after a morning rain shower and found these flowers posing after a morning drink for their picture to be taken.

Roses abound in yards around here.

I didn't recognize this  flower planted along a fence line. Maybe one of you can help me out?

Around the corner this Prickly Pear is growing in someone's front yard. The fruit will be
ripe and ready to eat in a month or two.  

There are many deciduous trees and the occasional pine in these residential neighborhoods. When there are power lines in the same area the trees are pruned and allowed to grow around and above.

 Here's a mysterious foreigner for you travelers to identify. You would normally not see this flower in this part of the world but sometimes if you look hard you can find strangers in our midst.

I don't know how this interloper snuck (or "sneaked" for you traditional English speakers) into this area.

We’ll be leaving North Carolina soon to head back to our home in Seattle. I will remember the storefront gentleman for his courtesy and thank the rest of the NC people we’ve met for their reminder that down deep we are all the same.

Smell the Roses

As I've traveled through life the older (and wiser) folks have sometimes said, "Stop and smell the roses." I thought it was good advice. Now that I'm getting older and observe younger people bustling around multi-tasking (they say) and burning the candle at both ends, I give them the same advice.

Kuro is due for a haircut but meanwhile he is watching the dog across the street from the wild roses.

Earlier this evening, Kuro and I went for our walk and happened by the south side of a small park not far away where there is a patch of wild roses.

Wild roses, being wild are quite hardy and have been growing on this little stretch of hilltop for many years. Every few years some Seattle City Parks Department bureaucrat decides the wild roses don't fit their picture of proper park foliage and has them cut right down to the ground. A year or so later they are back up and doing their thing.

Many of the homes in this neighborhood have domesticated roses but they aren't in bloom yet this year. Many years they might be blooming by now but this year has been especially wet and cold so the only roses to stop and smell are these wild roses.

Wild roses have a delicate but sweet and distinctive fragrance. Once you've smelled these flowers on a warm summer day you won't easily forget the aroma. Not overpowering but when their perfume drifts by on the breeze it brings back happy memories of carefree summers of long ago.

As I look at the flowers going through their cycle of life I'm reminded of when I was young, when old people usually died at home. In the same house you might find a baby and young people, young adults, older people and those in their last days.

This patch of roses has a few white flowers, something I haven't seen in other places. There aren't many white ones but they bring a colorful (or is it lack of color) contrast to the pink and red of the others.

A few feet away we found some Scotch Broom just coming into bloom. Now there's an intruder the Parks Manager would be wise to eradicate, or at least try to since it's a hardy plant too, and invasive to boot.

Leaving the park we made our way north and found the old wisteria shown in another blog entry. It is in full bloom now.

The wisteria has a sort of dusty smell so my good friend and I retraced our steps and refreshed our olfactory memory of the wild roses before we went back home. 

I'll remember to come by this place again as summer arrives with warmer weather to enhance the smell even more.