Two weeks into readying my home for sale — that I once thought of as well-kept — is like working on a never-ending list.
One task leads to another and before I know it, I’ve begun seven and finished none. No matter how much I do, the end — forgive the pun — is a moving target.
And the middle, where I currently sit, stand and kneel, surrounded by paint cans and half-packed boxes and Clorox wipes — is no-two-ways about it, ugly.
Doesn’t a project like this, always get worse before getting better?
an everyday life 
Always.
But there comes a point in the middle of the chaos where you can see the end of it, however distantly.
I feel for you; I’ve done too many moves myself to be blase about it.
bless you.
xx
Viv,
Last night as I sat in my favorite living room chair, with the goal of watching an hour of T.V., I surveyed my surroundings to find parts of the house are, in fact, getting better — that is, that they are already better than when I began two weeks ago. So who knows what miracles another two weeks will bring?
Thanks for your encouraging word. I know you know better than I what I’m facing — and sometimes, it’s good not to know everything all at once.
Janell
Sometimes I just can’t help myself. You’re in Oklahoma and you’ve been in Texas, so you already know the phrase I celebrate in my current post applies even to preparing a house for sale!
Cowgirl Up!
It sure does, Linda. It works mighty fine and reminds me of my Texas born-n-bred girlfriend, Rhonda — which reminds me of another one of her favorite sayings which works well with my current landscape: “Don’t get your panties in a wad.”
I do miss rodeo time in Houston. Yet, in all those year of living nearby, I only went twice; I saw Gladys Knight once and Tanya Tucker another. We tried several other times to go but couldn’t get tickets — surely it’s an annual rite of spring in Houston.
Thanks for stopping by.
Janell
I have been there. 3 times in the last 10 years. You will know when you have finally landed home. Tiring but when it is all over – wonderful.
Ernestine,
I’m looking forward to wonderful rest. I’m tired, which is not a good way to begin the day, is it? But each day marks a few more tasks well-done, and this keeps me going.
I’m so glad you are enjoying your new home — that you can now look back on the ugliness of uprooting yourself and your belongings to say it was worth it. I don’t know what the new neighborhood holds for me — it’s scary-sad leaving this place I’ve loved since a child and called home for five years — but I pray that I too will look back on it next year at this time and say “wonderful”. Like you.
Thanks for stopping by.
Janell
Dear Janell – Do you remember me from the Iowa Summer Writing Festival last year? I sent you an email today at the address I had from that class, and it was sent back. Do you have a new address that you would be willing to email me?
Hi, Janell,
Just poking my head in to see how things are going and be sure you don’t have anyone caught up in the fires. I’ve been tracking them for the past day – a friend has a daughter who lives around Goldsby, and she herself is near Marlowe. I hope the wind’s down and you get some rain. It’s been bad.
And I hope you’re good-tired from getting so much done!
Linda,
We’re fine — family included. It is calm, by comparison to Friday, but still very dry. We need rain something horrible. I keep on praying for spring rains, but so far, so little.
And yes I’m good and tired; and though I keep ticking away at the list, it continues to spread out in an endless stream. I’m hoping two weeks will see us on the market; meanwhile, we close on the ‘new’ place later this week.
Thanks for popping in. These days I do well to pop in here myself.
Janell
Lillian,
So glad you dropped a note. By now, you should have my new email address — I’ve looked for a place to add it here — but other than spelling it out in text, I don’t see an easy way to offer the link.
We changed internet providers a couple of months ago, so I imagine I’ve lost contact with others as well. But I’m glad you found me — that you had this blog site.
Are you going to Iowa this summer? I’m not sure if I am or not — I think I’m still absorbing what I carried away with me last summer. But, I haven’t recycled the catalog yet — which is telling, isn’t it?
Janell
I know you must be super busy with your moving but just thought I’d drop by to say hi. I always admire the courage of others who move … the energy that involves. I opted for renovations instead two years ago, just because it felt too overwhelming to uproot. Hope you’re more settled by now.
Arti,
Thanks for stopping by and checking up on me. Your words — in particular “super busy”, “courage”, “energy”, “overwhelming” and “uproot” — hit home with precision. Yes, Yes. Five times yes.
Most mornings I still collect first thoughts in my paper journal — and the practice helps keep me centered — but there have been a few days, especially last week when we closed on the new house, that I never sat down with pencil and paper.
Though we’re still a few months from being settled, I do hope to pick up the threads of everyday life — including my writing about it here — the first week of April. By then, the blitz of work relating to getting our house ready for market will be over — and we will be officially “For Sale.”
Until then, it’s a steady diet of cleaning and de-cluttering and painting for me. The latter is always holy time — and in these days of Lent, I find myself thinking much about the early carpentry life of Jesus — it’s easy to imagine how he too, found working with his hands to bring about beauty with God, a holy occupation.
All in all, even tired to the bone, I’m in a good place. And I hope this is true with you as well.
Janell
Oh, I’m so behind I didn’t realize you were moving. Yes, readying a house is so very hard. I hope it gets easier the coming days.~~Dee
Dee,
Thanks for the good thoughts — I’m finding this week much easier than last. It helps that the house is beginning to garner some “wows” from repeat guests — like the kitchen designer helping us at the new house — amazed at all our progress — in the kitchen designer’s case, after seeing it for the first time five weeks ago.
I imagine these days I’d find you up to your glove-lined elbows deep in the good earth. I do miss my regular visits to your blog home — you’ve helped me much with my own gardening and now Sis is one of your new regular followers.
I tell myself that life will soon resume to more of an everyday beat — as the house is still scheduled to be listed early next week — though in it’s place will be work on the new house and my new “9-5” job of taking care of my newest granddaughter so my daughter can return to her kindergarten classroom to finish out the remaining six weeks of the year. Caring for Reese will keep me hopping, so maybe all this readying the house for market has also served to ready me for daily care of a three-month old.
But with my overdose of work here, I confess that not a day goes by that I don’t recall words attributed to Sister Elizabeth Molina, which a former pastor was fond of repeating:
“Life is relationships. Everything else is moving furniture.”
I’m thinking we can both appreciate the truth of her words, given all our spring-time chores — whether in home or garden. Thanks for stopping by Dee — I know how precious time is for you right now.
Janell
Janell,
Good to see your update – and a current one at that! I can’t believe how time is flying. 23 days since this post!
I hope all continues to go well. May the house sell quickly and the baby sleep a lot!
Linda,
Thanks for the well wishes.
It WILL be a relief to release my house to the market — hopefully Monday, with luck. And though it would be good to have a quick sale, our new house is undergoing a makeover — so ideally, the sale will come just-in-time — quick but not too quick.
I begin watching Reese Wednesday — and yes, these days little Reese is cooing and sleeping just like a three-month old should — it’s good to see her no longer hurting.
Yesterday I babysat while my daughter had her hair done. It was good to focus on the needs of one rather than many — as I have in attending the needs of this house — I’d guess Reese probably slept a third of the time we were together — but even when she was asleep, I just enjoyed sitting and watching her. Babies are such miracles.
It’s sort of nice how this post has evolved into a series of mini-posts — all in response to comments left by you and others. How nice each comment has made me feel — even though I’ve checked out for a while, others check in on me and their checking has invited response.
Well ENOUGH — I’m off to bed. Hopefully tonight will be a good sleeping night — of late, it seems I either sleep like the proverbial rock or toss and turn for half the night, like a boat rocking on stormy seas.
Sweet dreams from me to you.
Janell