Revelations From My New Living Quarters.
This is just me musing. In my new apartment. Where I live now...
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When my son called the other day to see how I was doing I told him I haven’t hung a single picture on the walls yet. It hit me that I’ve been in my apartment for almost a month and there isn’t a nail or a stick-on thingy anywhere. (They frown on the sticky picture holders, I’m told. They apparently aren’t as easy to remove as one might think. One of those rules I wouldn’t have to worry about if I were a homeowner again. So I keep telling myself, “Remember, if anything breaks you can call maintenance.”)
“What’s that all about?”, I asked my son, as if I thought he could tell me what’s stopping me from hanging things on the walls, and he said, “Well, considering that you haven’t lived in a rental for more than 60 years, it could be you’re still feeling more like a visitor there. Or a squatter.”
And he was right. I’ve had two years of total upheaval—after Ed died I climbed onto a roller-coaster that took me where I never wanted to go. I’ve acknowledged the fear and the sadness, the intermittent loneliness—combined with that odd sense of freedom, the heady reality that every decision from now on would be mine alone—and I’ve mentioned more than once how excited I was to begin this new life in a new home in a new location.
I hadn’t thought at all about how I would feel about moving into a place that isn’t really mine. From the moment I turned the key in the lock and walked into this empty space, I had visions of what I wanted it to look like. I wanted it to look like me, but different. Because I am different now. I wanted to keep the charm of my island cottage without the rusticity. I wanted some good bits of whimsy, but not so much that it looked…goofy.
I bought a few new pieces of furniture, and, for the most part, I like them. I’m not particularly smitten with the brown suede-like furniture but the sofa and loveseat are the same pieces my family loved at the rental we stayed at in the Keweenaw last September. I decided I would love them, too. And maybe I will. They’re practical, I’ll say that. So far they’re none the worse for wear when my granddog Sammy leaps on them and cozies in.
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There’s a Home Goods store less than a mile from my apartment. I had only been in one once and I couldn’t wait to get in there and find those gems that would transform everything. Strangest thing, though. I found bedding and I found shower curtains, but I haven’t found the magic there. It’s not that there aren’t wonderful things at HG. They’re just not me.
So where have I been finding the things that might fit in those spaces that aren’t already filled with the familiars? You’ve already guessed, haven’t you? At the thrift stores. Of course.
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Well, I had to have the typewriter for my office ($25), and I had to have the book to go along with the monster from 'Where the Wild Things Are'—a long-ago thrift store find and so adorable. ($3 for the book) The signed and numbered print has a personal note on the back from the artist Jon Crane, well known South Dakota watercolorist. And I'm a sucker for anything with rust and peeling paint. ($17)
So you see—I’m finding the necessities.
Tomorrow is Memorial Day. If I were on the island I’d be planning to attend the ceremony for the fallen at the Veteran’s Park. There is a brick there with Ed’s name on it. I wanted to leave a memory of him on our beloved island and this was the perfect spot.
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Until next time. I’ll be thinking of you all. Please give tomorrow a moment and remember…
Thank you all for being here. It wouldn’t be the same without you. If you can see your way to a paid subscription, it helps to keep this place going.
If you want to support my work in other ways, you can donate any amount at any time at Ko-Fi or at Paypal.
But it’s enough that you’re here.
💚💚💚
Lovely to see you are settling in, our moving style could not be more different, I hung pictures as I unpacked them and unboxed as soon as I brought one in. Someone recently mentioned the sewing machine needles make great picture hangers and leave very little evidence behind. Great finds and love your end table! Thinking of the sacrifices made this Memorial Day. 💙