Tuesday, October 17, 2017

INDIANA !!

Zak and his little friends in MN
With great sadness and yet great excitement,  we drove across the Minnesota state line, late at night on September 26, heading for our new home in Goshen, Indiana.   Although I lived in four different cities in Minnesota over my 48 year residency there, it was the state that I truly embraced as 'home'.  And 'home' it will always be.    The past 29 of those years were in Moorhead, and the goodbyes there were difficult - for many reasons.  What comforts me is that so many of my Moorhead friends are planning to come and visit me in Goshen.   Two already have!   And I am just one long day's drive away from the Twin Cities, where so many of my friends make their home.   I will definitely be going back to visit.

At home in Goshen, Indiana
It WAS a big rig!! 
I still can't quite get my head wrapped around the reality that I pulled this huge, long distance move off - pretty much by myself.   Moving is not for the faint of heart, and the financial hemorrhage, though slowing down, hasn't stopped yet.   There is always 'one more thing' that I need for our new house or one more unexpected expense.   Still, all things considered, it went well.    Material Damage was limited to one broken piece of glass, a chipped piece of Delft and a crushed lamp shade.   Personal damage included two broken toes (it would really help if I would just wear shoes!) and a flare up of carpal tunnel syndrome which is already signficantly improved.   Three months of lifting heavy boxes, painting walls and long, long hours of packing takes a toll.   After two and a half weeks, I have the two main levels of the house unpacked and settled.    The basement needs to be painted before I can unpack down there, and right now the weather is too nice to spend time in a basement!   So that will wait.   I am enjoying time working in the yard, organizing the garage and shed and raking leaves out to the curb where the city picks them up!   (In MN we had to bag them; blahhhh!!)    I've met our neighbors, we're getting to know the town and we love it here.   As much as I miss Minnesota, I have never, in my life, had such a strong sense that I am 'where I need to be'.   I was led here; of that, I have no doubt.

But wait!   This is CORGI TALES!   What about Scarlett and Zak?   How are they doing? 

Welcome!
It's been an adjustment for all of us, and Scarlett has had the hardest time with it.   Her kennel was the very first thing I unpacked and I put 'their room' (which is one side of the walk-in pantry) together right away.   She has found refuge there, amidst the chaos of boxes and nails being pounded into the walls and things banging around.    Now that two floors are settled, she is doing much better.   She kept her distance as I was unpacking.

Feeling at Home
Zak, by contrast, was my constant shadow.   He has dealt with his little corgi anxiety by being a friend that 'sticketh closer than a brother'.   If I go upstairs, he is bounding up right behind me.   He snuggles up beside me whenever possible and is never far away.   He is learning to love our new, large yard.   I am hating the fact that his lead gets tangled in the shrubs almost every time he goes out, and am trying to find a way around that.   Overall, Zak is doing very well.    Both dogs have their favorite places in the house to rest.   Zak has taken a liking to one of the guest rooms (the one with the new, plush carpet, of course) and I can usually find him there, if he's not right next to me.

Tim with Scarlett and Zak at Au Train Beach
The week after we moved, we went to the cabin for a long weekend with Tim.    That was a ton of fun for all of us.    And during the month of October, we're doing something really special.   "31 parks in 31 days" I've been calling it.    I will write more about that in my next post. 
Upper Peninsula - October Color


Kayaking our favorite place  - the Au Train River


It was nice to go from THIS ....

To THIS ... finally