Well, I added another hour to my sleep, so I'm just a few short of normal. This is good. I really need to rest more. And to take stock of the past ten days. When you gallop toward change, at some point you have to pause and breathe. At some level I adjust to new things very quickly. It's my superpower. But at another, it will take a while to sort things out in my hand. Especially since Ed is away and there's a lot of uncertainty about what's next.
I see this day as having five stages: the morning farmette chores, fortified by breakfast. That's stage one. Next -- a handful of hours at the new apartment (rather than using all those letters each time, let me give it a name, which actually is part of its real name -- the Edge). But I want to do stop-offs along the way: to deposit the two rugs that my rug cleaners would not touch, at a place that actually does like to wash wool rugs. And also to lug the broken TV to a UPS store so that I can send it back and get my refund. Meaning, there will be a little time to unpack boxes, but not much. Goal for those hours: to fix the kids play area because both are coming there after school. I had hoped for a more finished apartment for them by now, but it is what it is. I expect to hear some grumbles, which I take as a reflection of their investment in life with me at the farmette. Kids can pivot, but not without a small rebellion first. Sort of like grownups, no?
After their visit (which would have been stage four), I'll put in another couple of hours at the Edge. Each small increment helps! Then it's stage five -- back to the animals at the farmette. On the one hand, my time at the farmette is a drain. So much driving! So much time taken away from unpacking! But on the other hand, it's a godsend. I need my alone downtime. An evening of watching repeats of Frazier and sorting through emails and tidying up an Ocean post. Since I am so very sleep deprived, that tidying job is not great. (If I have time, I fix egregious errors in the morning.) A lot of word choices should have been fixed, a lot of wordiness edited out, but I do not worry too much about it. Daily blogging has its good days and its tough days. That is always the case, even without the upheavals.
Okay, good morning farmette world! You (nearly) always look pretty early in the day!
I go to the orchard to see if there are any remaining peaches. I find three last ones! They're tiny!
In retirement, I wanted to move away from always rushing. And this morning, despite the packed agenda for the day, I feel I don't have to rush. Walk without running. Take things slowly. That'll be my style!
It doesn't work out that way. A text comes in from a delivery service telling me that the delivery will require a signature and by the way, expect the item to come in (at the Edge) between 9:30 and 11:30. No! As I read this, the animals are fed, the basic morning routine is behind me, but, too, it is already five minutes before nine. So I rush. If I am lucky, I can load up the car and take the rugs to the new cleaners and make it to the Edge just a few minutes after the window for delivery opens.
Breakfast? Well, in the car, eating at red lights. (Guessing game: how long before the milky coffee, even if wedged snugly, spills all over the car's emergency brake? Spoiler alert: two minutes.)
I drop off the rugs and hurry, yes hurry to the Edge, coming in at 9:40. In the package comes at 10:50. I was there for it!
And maybe it's good that I rushed. I have more time now to unpack. Forget the furniture building -- that takes too long. Let me get the guest room/kids room ready.
And I do finish unpacking for that space. All but the hanging of art on the walls. Looking at it, I know that it is more pleasing to me than it will be to them. It looks like a guest room, not a play room!
But, there is a walk-in closet and most of their toys are in that closet, neatly spread out, easy to pick up. They'll have to take them out when they want to play with them. And I'm sure I'll be left with tidying them afterwards. I put the play foods in the chest of drawers, blessedly (for me) out of sight. Sandpiper still goes for those. The others have long moved on. Duplos, magnatiles, dolls, even the Lego table -- they're within reach but they require initiative. Honestly, I think it'll be good for them. And certainly it's very good for me!
Lunch is again in the car -- a Starbucks coffee and a granola bar, as I drive to deposit the dysfunctional TV at UPS. Why Starbucks, when I make such delicious (in my opinion) milky coffee at home? Well, I'm living between two households right now and the Edge is close to coffee shops for lunch. So for now, the coffee maker stays at the farmhouse, to be used in the mornings I'm there. I've been quite good in leaving things I need for the night and the morning at the farmette, though this morning I noticed that I have run out of clean clothes. They've all been moved! Hmmmm will anyone remember that I wore the butterfly t-shirt a day ago?
I pick up Sparrow who has been very agreeable and very chatty! To hear him talk about the social dynamics in the classroom, I sometimes think he is way ahead of the game on that one -- smarter than Ed, for instance!
Our new routine is that I take him to his house, where I give him his snack. From there, we go to pick up Snowdrop. Today we stop for ice cream because Sparrow has been complaining that we haven't had any such treat the entire new school year!
And then it's the Edge. As I open the door to my place, I note that their enthusiasm today is extra high. Is it that their mom told them something to the effect --"gaga is having a tough week, so be sure to be nice and supportive." They were indeed extra nice and supportive. Snowdrop went immediately to the new graphic novels I'd picked up for her,...
Sparrow was on his way to the legos, but got distracted by the mice!
The boy did ask -- where can I have a calming space? I gave that some thought: I dont recall creating a calming space for you at the farmhouse, but hey, maybe it's a good idea. What would you like in it? A beanbag!
So we looked for a beanbag on line and Sparrow finally liked one that wasn't costly or ugly (bean bags are going for upwards of $1000? Wow. This grandparent will look for something less pricey.)
And again, it's quite dark when I come home. Yes, home is where I sleep, and I'm still sleeping at the farmhouse, possibly for just this one last time. I find out late tonight that Ed comes home tomorrow.
with so much love...
