There are still lots of odds and ends to cart over, but for all practical intents and purposes we moved into the new house last weekend.

At the moment, I am sitting in my comfy chair in my new living room, surrounded by waist-high stacks of boxes in various stages of unpacking. Len is napping in the bedroom and my little sister, who is visiting for the weekend to help out with the new place, is napping on the pull-out sofa in my office. It’s just me and the cats and the gentle rhythmic sounds of the ceiling fan in the new kitchen. I can see the new kitchen from my chair, and it’s just beautiful - I love the colors, the textures, every last bit of it.

I just came inside; earlier, I was out tending to the rose bushes I planted six weeks or so ago, which suddenly all burst into bloom at once a few days ago as if welcoming us home.

There are a lot of things in my life that are stressing me out right now, but in this particular moment I am peaceful, and happy to be in a place I love surrounded by the people, cats, and things I love.

It seemed like a good moment to scribble a brief note to remind myself of this later on, when I will no doubt be stressed-out and crazed again, at least until we are completely moved and grant-renewal season is over at work.