Movin' on up

"Movin' on up, to the east side, to that deluxe apartment in the sky." Too bad we didn't choose the upstairs apartment instead of the garden apartment; that song would've fit perfectly. But we both love the new apartment. I've got it pretty much all feng shui'ed out and we're working on getting everything picked up and put away. "A place for everything and everything in its place." I've always loved that saying but I can be a bit anal when it comes to organization.


I'm starting to feel relieved now that the hardest part is over. It took us four U-Haul truck loads to move everything. Two of them were basically loose and extra stuff, a lot of plants to move too. But I couldn't believe how much stuff I'd acquired in the last year. Luckily, the new apartment has an open floor plan and a back porch where I can keep some large storage trunks. The backyard is fantastic too! It's nice from the porch but the best view is from the kitchen with its wide sweep of windows over the sink. The spectacular view made itself known to me the very first morning as I trekked into the kitchen across our living room cluttered with boxes and various pieces of furniture. I had three cups of coffee that morning and each time I noticed how the sun's rays highlighted each of the three main portions of our halfway completed retreat. The furthest, the concrete benches and table, was the first to be graced followed by the fire pit. The entire garden revolves visually around this area with its contrast of colors and shapes. The circular pit is lined with red brick and is surrounded by a square of pea gravel and then a square of crushed asphalt. All of this is softened with a nice border of bugleweed which will hopefully spread out nicely to effectively close off the area without making it feel cramped. And my last cup of joe brought with it a view of the newly finished flower beds. It was a very nice way to start out in my new home. Upon showing my friend and neighbor the view, she decided that Saturday morning coffee time would be at our place. I couldn't be more pleased with the idea.

I suppose I should try to remember that morning whenever I feel stressed, as I do now. We're not completely done finessing the apartment and we will be having a party in two days. And the morning of the party we will be getting a visit from the pest control guy. Apparently, the previous tenant had fleas. I won't go into it. Just suffice it to say that I am ready to relax in my new home without any of the worries that come with a new transition such as this. But I do earnestly look forward to whatever Life has in store for me now. The tension is palpable. I can feel it brewing.