To Infinity and Beyond (or, there is life after moving day)

Reading in the great room

The nights here are quiet, with a velvet black sky littered with sparkling stars.  Fresh, crisp air enters your lungs with each deep breath you unconsciously draw, the body's natural reaction to the serenity and awe of standing underneath the mighty constellations.  An occasional sighing sound reaches your ears as the breeze rustles the pine boughs.  Another deep breath brings the scent of earth and living things.  No longer just the figment of my dreams, this is my new reality - as of April 14, our new log house is HOME!

Josie helps with packing

MOVING DAY: If you've ever moved yourself, you know the drill.  You pack.  You stage.  You pick up the U-Haul truck.  You ask strong friends to help.  You load the truck.  You drive the truck.  You unload the truck.  You return the U-Haul.  You return home.  You assemble your bed.  You collapse into it with exhaustion.

Well, our story had a couple of wrinkles along the way.  First, we could not fit everything in the truck(in fact, we still have a few items to pick up from the Whitefish townhouse).  So we nixed our plan to pick up our (new to us) antique desk along the way.  Second, the truck could not make it through the snow on the driveway at the new house.  Yes, folks, this was April 14 and the truck was stuck.  We tried traction sand and boards under the tires, and succeeded only in digging bigger holes.

But this is Montana, and frontier spirit and neighborliness are alive and well here in the Treasure State.  Our borrowed brawn for the day, a neighbor's teenage son, wasted no time in calling his dad, who soon arrived in his Tundra with four of his other kids in the truck bed.  Lickety split, that Tundra pulled the U-Haul back down the driveway, so it could get a running start.  And this time, it cooperated and pulled right up to the house.  (In the meantime, the house enjoyed the pitter-patter of children's feet as the explored the nooks and crannies with me.  The upstairs loft bedroom, with its low roof and 'hidey holes', was an instant hit.)

Of course, this is a couple days later, when the bed is assembled.

"Hidey hole" is behind the bed, below the log beam.

We were ecstatic to find a desk with

accents that match the terracotta

wall color

And this week, another neighbor graciously answered the call to assist Spousal Unit with the desk.  A 50-year-old roll top owned by a doctor until his retirement, the desk could be separated into two pieces, which enabled the boys to manhandle it into our neighbor's Silverado, and later, into our loft.  Although we had measured carefully prior to purchasing the antique, I still heaved a sigh of relief when it slotted perfectly into place!

And the household goods in Whitefish?  Fortunately, volunteer activities require our presence there at least twice a week, and our visits have made a serious dent in what remains.  So, bottom line: we made it through relatively unscathed.  Of course, on moving day, cooking is out of the question; the Kila Pub whips up tasty pizza pies, and we enjoyed a refreshing beverage while waiting for take-out.

It may be a bit unconventional, but we chomped our way through a 16-inch sausage, green pepper and olive pizza while swilling champagne.  It was a heavenly reward after a long, tiring, emotional day.

Upper right: Josie enjoys champagne for her work on the move

Bottom: view from the great room

SINCE MOVING DAY (COULD THIS BE OUR "NEW NORMAL"?):  Of course, moving does not end when the champagne bottle is empty.  In fact, maybe that's just the beginning.  So let me tell you about our adventures in the last (has it only been) six days.  Hanging mirrors in the master bathroom.

Viewing wildlife. Whether on our own property, or on our way to and from town, wildlife abounds.  Eagles (often several together), mountain bluebirds, ground squirrels, the ubiquitous deer, turkeys.  But the best so far are the sandhill cranes on the small lake at the foot of our property.  The picture quality is not the best in this video, but it shows a flying pair of cranes joining another pair already at the lake.  You can hear them calling each other and see the head and neck movement.  Regularly throughout the day, the calls echo around our valley.  Eerie and magical.

Inaugural dinner party. Six neighbors celebrated our new home with margaritas, fajitas and chocolate cake.  Housewarming gifts included a hand-made bird box (house), which was erected yesterday with another bird box and bat box given to Spousal Unit by the kids at Christmas.  We hope all three will soon be occupied.

This lovely basket, a neighbor's gift chock full of wine and party napkins, became a centerpiece on our dining room table yesterday when I added a vase arranged with natural materials from our acreage.

Breakfast on the deck.  It may be April and the U-Haul may get stuck, but the sun on this south-facing aspect puts Grand Cayman to shame.  Need I say more?

Sunsets.  And another dreamy day draws down, pulling the curtain of night into place.  Soon these same trees will silhouette against the sky like so many bristly pipe cleaners, directing my eyes once again to the heavens as the wind sighs in the trees, telling me I am HOME.

P.S. Due to the move, I have not been able to visit many blogs and make comments.  My apologies to you all.  The next week looks to be the same due to our upcoming trip to Ohio for our daughter's college graduation.  Thanks for your understanding, and I look forward to catching up on my return!

Linking to

All Seasons

I Like Thursdays

Mosaic Monday

Nature Notes

Saturday's Critters

Skywatch Friday