Our new house

The old house, empty.

Maybelle and I have moved.  Moving is a huge transition, but it's actually been fairly easy because we've had such a fantastic group of friends helping us through the process.  Here's some of the process:

• Adam packed almost all the books.
• Adam and Trey moved all of the handmade furniture and things that belonged to Walter out to the wood studio.
• Larry spend six hours packing up the kitchen and lining all the boxes up neatly so that the moving crew would get the (mistaken) idea that I'm neat and careful about my stuff.
• Claire hired the moving crew and was in charge of the whole set-up of the new place.  She had a vision, and it turned out beautifully.
• Larry and Claire both were the "throw it away" voices of wisdom.  "Claire, do I need these files?"  "No, throw them away." "Larry, do I need these pictures of Maybelle's?" "Just save one a year.  Throw the rest away."  I got in the spirit and made an "all done" box of books as we were unpacking those:  books I've never read and never plan to.  Bye bye.

  

  Five of the eight kids who helped us.

• Cindi, Steve, Sarah, and Tom spent a few hours in the attic at the old house. Let me repeat that:  in the attic.  They pulled out 85% of the stuff up there so that I can go through it in the house without having to be in the attic.  They followed Claire's advice, and if there was stuff they felt certain should be thrown away, they said, "It just fell in the dumpster!  We don't know what happened!"
• Lily, Sam, and Brian McCann were in charge of Maybelle's room, which is beautiful.
• Lily and Frances unloaded the books (well, the 25% of them that would fit) and put them on the shelves in the living room.
• Cindi and Claire set up my bedroom.  Twice.  (They changed their minds about how it should be laid out.)
• Larry tuned up my bike.
• Claire and Cindi did the kitchen.

Maybelle in her new home

This is only telling you a bit of what happened.  I followed orders as best I could, which was wonderful:  I didn't have to make decisions.  I just did what I was told.  The house now feels like a house.  Maybelle has a new big girl bed, which she's thrilled with, but much of the rest of the place looks quite a bit like it did before.  So she and I are both settling in, feeling comfortable.

On the way home from church this morning, Maybelle said, "Go home!"  

I said, "We're going to our new house."  

"No!  Home!" she said, a reaction I've been warned will happen for a few weeks. But then she paused and said, "New home!"

Now she's watching The Wizard of Oz, eating her weight in fig bars, and apparently feeling comfortable and happy.  In our new home.