Christmas is just days away and the kids have been counting it down. We’ve squeezed in some fun holiday time over the last few weeks – from sledding to making rock candy, baking and decorating gingerbread houses.
On my list of things not quite up to holiday worthiness – moving a week before Christmas. Yep, we moved out of our Orchard Park townhouse this last Thursday and out to a duplex in Elma. We’ve got acres upon acres behind house out here and are enjoying the country setting.
And in truth, I must admit that the move wasn’t unanticipated. I mean, we had to give 30 days notice to the OP property management group. We knew we were moving this month. We just didn’t expect it all to come together right before Christmas.
We were reminded this week though, after about day 3 of the move… just how much a move costs. Not only is it the monetary cost of a new deposit (while the old one is still being held by the other landlark), but another month’s rent, the Uhaul truck, miscellaneous little things to purchase (some curtain rods and blinds, etc.) –but there’s also the physical and mental cost. Whew, were we spent! I mean, our feet ached. Our bodies hurt. Once again we were reminded of muscles we didn’t know existed… and of course we had nice 23- and 19-degree days to load and unload in.
But then again, if we didn’t do this, what stories would we have. Everyone uses that ol’ uphill both ways in the snow line… but c’mon… get original. Hey honey, lets see if we can move a week before Christmas and still put up a tree, and have Santa find the new place. If the kids were older, they’d have been sweating it. But at 4 and 3 (the 16-month old doesn’t yet have opinions on this topic, or so I’m told), our kids blindly believe, quite simply, that Santa will find them.
Now isn’t that an amazing thing? Yep, the little buggers teach me about faith all the time. We’re moving, and packing, and stressed and tired, and are my kids saying, “oh woe is us, will Santa find us?” Heck no. They’re saying, “5 more days til Christmas” and holding up as many fingers to prove it. Exhausted or not, you’re darn right I’ll be wrapping presents and Santa will be finding this place. Disappoint you guys? No way. At least, not yet (as I’m sure the older they get until about 22, the more I’ll disappoint, but then, I know from 23 on, they’ll cycle back down, until by about 35, they’ll begin to see me as wise as I always knew I was! That’s how it happened for me. My dad and mom are wise – I couldn’t see it then, but I know it now!).
So we’re in… mostly. We still have to clean the old place and pack the odds and ends… or throw them in the dumpster… because, I know, I know, but… it’s just too much work to donate it. I mean, gone are the days when the dudes come to your house and pick up the stuff you want to give them. Seriously, I miss those days. Because I’d be calling them now to say, take it all. If it’s still there, we don’t need it.
Christmas – my brother-in-law just surprised us by sending us to Best Buy to pick up a Christmas gift he’d bought us. Turns out it’s a 42 inch plasma. My eyes got big like softballs, then filled with tears… while Melodia was like, “Oh, it’s a tv.”
“Oh, it’s a tv?” I love my wife. And she will enjoy all her Wii games on her new tv, despite the nuances that “oh, it’s a tv” seems to miss. Of course, she knows, I’ve been wanting one for 2 years but just couldn’t justify it. Oh, and to be fair, she really was excited. I shouldn’t throw her under the bus like that.
What we had was a 37″ box. Yep, I must be among the last 20% of all Americans with the “old” style box tv that hadn’t yet converted to the “flat” world. But my 37″ worked. If it’s not broken…
But here’s the rub, we’ve moved about 4 times in the last couple of years… and my 37-incher? She must weigh in at 75lbs. The thing is huge and tough to lift, but I count it as one of my last remaining manly tests. I mean, as long as I can still lift this lug and carry it out to the truck myself, whatever belly I’ve grown and weight I’ve gained, I’m still ok. Nevertheless, oh how I’ve longed a flat, lighter, much easier to fit through doorways tv.
Tonight, I practically carried the 42-incher into the house with one hand. Then promptly dragged the 37-incher across the floor toward the door, rugs curling up underneath its weight.
Anyone need a free tv? I’d keep it, but why? We only want one in the house, and we’re less tv addicts than the greater population. Our movie collection, though, is ridiculously huge, and our netflix subscription eternal. So we’ll make good use out of this plasma. But we’ve no need to keep lugging the elephant around.
I suggested to Melodia, let’s give it to the church for the kids programs…. she said, “Honey, the church bought all new flatscreens for all the kids rooms (there’s like 9 rooms!) last year.” Yes, even the church was ahead of me on this one! I mean, if you can’t give your junk to the church, who can you give it to?
And Christmas… and Christmas is around the corner. Tonight, we drove home with the kids singing carols in the car. What great fun! Our new place is just 5 minutes from a store we’ve been wanting to stroll through for months now… The Marilla Country Store. This is an old-time country store with all the wonders of such a place. In fact, M and I were bummed we hadn’t been in sooner.
They have a spice pantry that’s awesome and cheaper than the grocery store. We picked up some premaid bags of dip spice, and chowder powder to give a try. We cooked up shrimp chowder tonight with one of their spice arrangements… yummo.
If you’re out this way, and haven’t been, it’s worth the visit. This summer, in Floyd, VA, we popped into an old-time country store just like The Marilla Country Store. It was wonderful; and here we’ve got a great one in our backyard. It’s funny how little we know what’s around us. I was amazed at two (somewhat competing concepts): 1) that The Marilla Country Store is still in business in the era of mega-marts and 2) that anyone would even choose to pad the mega-marts bottom line when little off-the-grid places like this exist.
Now I know, it’s usually a money thing. The hole-in-the-walls are expensive so why not cheapo-mega-mart-x? But in this case, The Marilla Country Store was better on many of the things we wanted to buy (spices, candy, etc.) than the chain store. Cheaper and better? Got to love that.
I think that about catches everyone up on our musings of late. Next up? Probably a trip to the Pittsburgh IKEA for a little shopping fun… you know, the stuff Santa didn’t bring.
At any rate, Christmas is just about 2 days away as I type this. Wonderful. Merry Christmas to you all!
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