Questions

We went to Cate's on Saturday afternoon and then drove over to a new restaurant in Chester to celebrate Don's 80th birthday. Happy 80, Grampa Don!

On the way down we played a family question game, one of those party game / conversation starters. "What subject that you are learning in school do you think you will never use?" "If you could be a successful artist/writer/dancer/musician, which would it be?" "What instrument would you like to play really well?"

Stuff like that. It was lots of fun and kept us going for an hour, kept Lily out of her book and actually talking to us. And one of the questions was, "If you could ask your parents any question and they had to tell the truth, what would it be?" And Lily, smart thing, says, "What are your secrets?" Dave and I couldn't stop laughing.

-----------------
By the way, if you like my blog, be sure to read Dave's blog, too. His second-latest entry is all about the glacier on top of the family room roof that was sliding off slowly, and finally crashed to the ground last week. Has pictures, too. I think his latest is about our local wildlife.

Another snowstorm here last night and I thought it was going to be much worse than it actually was. Took us an hour to clear the driveway, mostly Dave with his electric snowblower, and our really nice neighbor who cleared the end of our driveway (!) -- and clears several other driveways completely, besides. But the roads were plowed and it wasn't nearly such a big deal to get to work as I had feared. Not sure what I was so afraid of, but the first big storm of the year a few weeks ago made getting home a bit scary and I guess that spooked me.

It's funny being a New Englander again. I haven't lived here for nearly two decades, and I never lived in the country -- well, other than when I lived at Farm and Wilderness for six months when I was 19. I remember having to walk to work at John Hancock when I lived in Central Square because of the snow. But the city is always a bit different if you have subways. And New York, forget it! The rainstorms that flooded the subways were worse than the snow. I think we had one snow day in Lily's entire life before moving here.

Here I have to accept the fact that I am not a country girl, I don't really know how to ski or light a fire, although I'm learning --- in some cases relearning, as I used to know how to light a fire -- and I sure don't know how to drive in this stuff, or when not to. And Dave knows even less, never having lived here. He didn't realize that black-outs are common here--we've lost power twice since July. I'm learning, though, and he is, and it's all good.

Last week I was emailing someone from here who is going to Brooklyn about 5th Avenue in the Slope, and Warren Street, and telling her where to eat if she had time. And I got very sad all of a sudden, just missing the old 'hood, and realizing I will never live there again, not on Warren Street.

And that made me realize that maybe I've landed even more, now. It's been over 14 months and I am really settling in and accepting our new life here. I feel more secure here and less transitional, and having that allows me to relax and actually feel the sadness about leaving Brooklyn. It was a great great great place to live! I just needed to move on, is all. I'm glad I've been here long enough to feel that grief.

I think Lily is adjusting, too, for the most part. She misses Brooklyn, and Brooklyn will always be a part of her. But I think she likes it here, too, and the fact that she just adores her school helps make that easier. Dave seems more settled, and I know he's enjoying all the outdoors.

Makes me wonder what I'll focus on once I'm done transitioning to being here. What new adventures in psyche and spirituality? Or will it more like learning to waltz? Snowshoe? Stay tuned!