Fall is imminent

Rearranged the house again today. Well, just the living room. When we moved into Warren Street all those years ago, Dave's mom said it could take a year or two to know how to arrange everything. I had no idea what she was talking about, but now I do. Boy, was she right! And how great to kinda know that, to say, okay, it'll take time, don't worry, it will fall into place.

Last weekend we moved that lovely but massive cabinet/shelf/piece that the kind owners left for us out of the living room where it blocked the stairs and the light from the front door and into the family room. Our friend Mike did it with Dave. It's great, looks like it was made for that spot. Today we moved the sofa away from the wall and into that spot, and also relocated the stereo cabinet they also left us. The living room looks more open and welcoming now, to my eye.

Dave straightened the garage this week, among other things, and today he and I discussed our plans for the laundry room/storage area and Lily's playroom. Where to put his tools. The basement in general. We will have the laundry, a freezer, and storage shelves in there, as well as a double sink so we can continuously run the dehumidifier. The plumber is coming after we get back to install it all. We're still hoping we can have a laundry chute!

I hoping hard that Dave will also get a door between the laundry room and Lily's playroom, or a wall, or something. And he has been thinking about building a coat closet, too. He put up a shoe rack at the bottom of the stairs already.

We're just going to need this stuff, boot racks and coat closets, once the cold weather comes. Even with global warming we still had cold and snow last year, just a bit later than usual. Still, the seventies in January was pretty disheartening... I've realized many people really look forward to the winter, and I am just one of them. The conservation land in our back yard makes for great cross country skiing, we're told, that's obvious, just looking at it.

Another reason for the cleared garage is to make room for the three tons of pellets that Dave's ordered us, along with a half a cord of firewood. I will enjoy every minute of watching and feeling all that fire heat, 75 percent, go up the chimney. We do expect to be heating a lot by the two pellet stoves this winter. I gather it's a lot easier than firewood. I do love a fire, though, and have not had lived with a fireplace since I was four. So I can't wait.

Won't be long, either. More often than not there's a chill in the air now, apples are coming in, and peaches, and tomatoes like there's no tomorrow. Leaves are starting to turn. Fall is coming.

Today we also packed for family camp and again, I think it's going to be cold. It's colder up there anyway, it's in Vermont and it's in the mountains, near Killington. I am packing lots of long-sleeved shirts and sweaters and things. Wool caps. For all of us. Warm sleeping bags. Polartec blankets. Also flutes, so we can do a duet for the talent show.

Tomorrow we go see dear Blair, and I am bringing her some favorite music. I made a mom songs mix, and a house mix, the one I gave to our realtors. And we are bringing piles of fresh veggies from our farm share. If I get inspired I may bake something tonight but it's getting late.

Another clothes item: Lily has to wear a collared shirt every day at school this fall, and no blue denim, not in pants, not in skirts, not in jackets. No sweatpants or sweatshirts. Nothing like that. I realize now I must have broken the rule when I wore a sweatshirt to the Spring Fling -- if the kids can't wear it, the parents must not be able to, either. No one was, no adults. Oh well.

Anyway, we've been searching out collared shirts. We got her school sweater, which she wears every Monday. It's enormous on her. We also need to arrange her desk a bit better so she has a place to do what I anticipate will be pretty serious homework this year. She's up for it but I know it's going to be a big adjustment for us all.

PS -- two notes from last weekends visitors: One was that Lily took Nicky and Sabrina to the door of her playroom and made them close their eyes. When she opened the door and told them they could look, they were in awe! Wow! they said. Awesome!

And the other was that Nicky couldn't sleep that night because it was too noisy, with crickets and frogs and such. Funny.

I feel like I've lived here forever.