Settling In

Well, I think I am finally starting to settle in for the long cold winter.  It has been snowing for the past few days, and it's here to stay.  It's only 10 right now and not going above freezing anytime soon, probably not until spring.  The wood stove is working 24/7 keeping us cozy.  In the evenings we go down and haul up wood every hour so we have enough to last through the night and next morning.  We just made our last trip and it was bitter outside even though the woodpile is right outside the downstairs door under the deck.  Tonight I saw fairly big  footprints in the snow (not big enough for a bear, thank goodness).  I'm going to do some research to find out what animal they are.  We've seen deer, turkeys, foxes, rabbits, the usual.  Nothing exotic.  Neighbors tell us there are a few bear around.

Yesterday and today I spent organizing and filing mountains of paper in my office.  It's a New Year's Day tradition.  If I'm slightly hungover, it's something quiet I can do to keep busy and start the New Year off organized.  I'm always so proud when I'm finished.  Soon I will get down to the onerous task of working on my business spreadsheets.  Every year I swear I'm going to keep up with it on a weekly basis, but I never do.  Maybe this year will be different.  Maybe someone will do it for me. 

Luckily, we don't need to go anywhere until grocery shopping next week

Bought a car, Wolf Trap, Campfires and other stuff

It's been a busy couple weeks. Things are finally back to normal and I'm back to my retirement mode, still unpacking for good measure.

So I finally bought a new car last week. I had rented a car for a month when I moved, and it cost me a small fortune since I didn't drop it back off in Manhattan. When it was getting close to returning it, I dragged my butt out to shop for a car and bought a 2009 Kia Sportage. I originally went shopping for a Suburu because they have such a good reputation and gets around in the snow, which I will definitely need here in upstate NY! I ended up with the Kia because it's been redesigned and is better quality than when they first came out, and it was about $5000 less than the Suburu. In addition, I got a 10 year 100,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty for about $1300 extra which gives me peace of mind since I plan to keep it forever. Anyways, it's a sturdy little SUV and I think I'm going to like it a lot.
So I took my new Kia to Vienna WV to pick up my daughter Carla, who was an opera intern at Wolf Trap this summer. She reserved a ticket for me to see La Boheme Friday night and it was absolutely lovely.

I have to rave about Diego Torre, a Filene artist who played the part of Rodolfo; shades of Pavarotti. I was absolutely mezmerized by his talent. I met him at one of the after-parties, and he is the most humble and nicest guy you could hope to meet. He is going to be such an influence in the opera world. He is making his Met debut later this year, and I plan to be there. I enjoyed myself immensely. Sorry the picture isn't the best, but it's the only one I have.
The next day, we packed up the car and headed back home. Carla stayed a few days with me to regroup before heading back to NYC. Nina and her boyfriend Marcus also came up that weekend from Philadelpia and we all had a grand time, barbecuing, and had a couple campfires in the fire pit in my yard.

I loved having my 2 kids here for a few days, and I'm loving this small-town life where I can get to the post office or grocery store in less than 5 minutes. Last Monday, I had my things which had been in storage for the past 7 years delivered from PA. So the unpacking continues. I still have time to relax and take time to get acquainted with my new home.

We bought a landmark

This adorable little village I moved to boasts less than 1000 residents. So it stands to reason that everyone knows everything about everyone. I'm finding this out first hand. It started with the realtor, then the inspector, and now the neightbors we have met.

I went to the Post Office for the first time a few weeks before we moved so I could have any mail held until I got my mailbox up on the route. The clerk asked me if I bought the big blue house and I said, oh, you know it? She proceeded to tell me she lived 2 doors down and she was my neighbor!

The other night I was out getting my mail, and the kid who mowed my yard before I moved in stopped by on his 4-wheeler and introduced himself. He told me all about the family and said they had 2 daughters about his age and that he had spent a lot of time at the house. He also lives 2 doors down in the other direction. Yesterday, while eating lunch and watching the news, I heard a knock on the door, and it was our neighbors next door. We can't see them because of the woods, but they are very nice! They live here 6 months and in Florida the other 6 months in their camper.

The other day, someone pulled into the drive and asked if I wanted to keep the hot tub on the deck. Of course, he knew the previous owners who had told him the tub was being sold with the house, so he thought he would check. Obviously I want to keep it - my kids would skin me alive if I sold it! And besides, I'm envisioning a holiday party with all my family enjoying it this winter in the snow.

Anyways, the previous owners apparently were very wealthy by local standards and had big lavish parties. It's definitely a house for entertaining. Not only is there a huge deck with lights and hot tub, there is also a large picnic pavillion with 10 tables, chairs and umbrellas which were left with the house. It even has a commercial heater. There is so much electrical lights, speakers and sound system, it will take months to figure it all out.

In any case, the couple have divorced and I hear he is now very sick. Their business in town is for sale, and he's disappeared. They were apparently very well known in the area. I think we have a reputation to uphold. The wife lives nearby, and I'm sure she has driven by more than once to see if her old home is being tended to. I hope she's not upset that we cleaned up all the vines (very gothic looking) from the deck. Now that it's cleared, we plan to have it sanded and painted in a natural brown instead of the light grey. And we're keeping the grass mowed. Ah yes, we bought the Bianco house.

This is the before:

This is the deck now:


Obviously it needs some work, but we're making progress!

It's Happening

So it looks like I'm leaving NYC after all. After months of anguish, the house I bid on is finally coming to a close on Tuesday June 30. It's been one hassle after another, with the poorest communication I've ever had with the bank. Every time I called for status, I was told they needed something else. They never called me to keep me updated on what evidence was required - it was always a result of me calling them. I'm not going into detail, but we had to put the mortgage in my name only, needed a water test 1 day after the last one expired, more bank statements, no commitment letter... You get the picture. Although the market is at its lowest in years, financing is extremely tight. But above all, we prevailed, and the house of our dreams will be ours in 3 days.

I'm looking forward to waking up and deciding my plan for the day. One day, I might wake up and say I want to sew, another work in the garden or yard, or make candles for a wedding order. And if I get snowed in during winter, I won't care. As long as the propane tank is full, I can wait out any storm. I can hunker down and peruse seed catalogs for the spring, read mysteries, crochet, or just take the day off and putter around in the kitchen. Although my main business is soy candles and home fragrance, I'd like to set up a new torch and re-acquaint myself with lampwork beadmaking too.

I have a feeling I'm going to be busier than I've ever been. I want to wake up early each day and on warm days take my first cup of coffee out on the balcony off my bedroom and breath in the fresh country air as I plan my day. I want to smell the scent of fresh cut grass, something I haven't smelled in the years I've live in Manhattan. I want to listen to the silence. No noisy cars and car alarms, loud music, fire sirens, parties in the building......just silence of the country. Birds, breezes..

Will I still have enough time to fulfill all my dreams? Probably not. But I'm going to try.