Saturday, April 21, 2018

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!
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43 comments:

  1. Hello, I love your home, it is beautiful. Cute kitty and a great video on the Sandhill Cranes. Sounds like you have wonderful neighbors! Now the move day is done you can relax and enjoy your new place. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Thanks also for the comment on my post. Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend!

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  2. I love your new home too. Moving is exhausting and champagne at the end of a long day is wonderful. My adult beverage of choice.

    Have a fabulous day. ♥

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  3. You moved into a nice house with some great features. I rather take a beating than move again. Glad you had friends and neighbors to help out. My mother is from southeast Idaho and although not quite as cold as Montana, the local saying was they had only two seasons. Winter and the 4th of July.

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  4. The view from your chair is amazing. Wishing you the best life has to offer in your new home. And congratulations on your daughter's graduation.

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  5. Yay! I am glad you are getting moved in. Looks great! And have a wonderful time at the graduation. I cried thru both of my girls. :) Kit

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  6. How wonderful! Your mountain retreat is beautiful, yet it reminds me of the year my dad moved us out of the (then small) city of Kelowna, BC, and up to the back of the local mountain. First, however, he taught us how to clear the land (tall but spindly jack pines) and cut them into logs to fit our pot-bellied stove. It was a while before we had running water, so if we three wanted water, we had to hike down the zig-zag path Dad had made, to the well, where we primed the pump and filled an A&W rootbeer jug with water. We lived there for more than a year, and it was an amazing adventure, though rustic in the extreme. (For instance, I whitewashed the outhouse!)
    Your mountain retreat is a castle in comparison, but many of the pleasures are the same: the clean air, the wildlife, the family life, and the help of neighbours and friends!
    Kay
    An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

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  7. Wishing you many wonderful years in your new home and hoping for more amazing landscape shots.

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  8. Congratulations on moving into your dream home! Sweet dreams!

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  9. Wow! Did I say, wow!? My goodness I am so impressed with your wonderful new home! That view from the great room window is to die for! Loved the crane video. It's all just so amazing! So happy for you! (I've been on a break for two weeks, myself)

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  10. Wow - that reading room! I could stay there forever. Glad you are now moved in!

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  11. yepp, I know the drill. And what a place you have now. So beautiful I envy you. You came a long way. It looks beautiful in every shot you posted :)

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  12. Now you have a wonderful new home and it's very clear you have some wonderful new neighbours and friends. That view from your Great Room is just beautiful and I'm sure takes away any thoughts of how cold it is outside.

    I'm so jealous of that desk. It would make a great place from which to do my blogging.

    Save me a chair in that Big room - I'm on my way.

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  13. Oh, moving is always a challenge but I'm glad you figured out how to do it. Plan B...of C...as we always call it! You do have a fabulous view. And I'm glad you'll be able to blog about everything you see. Take your time getting settled and visit when you can. Sweet hugs, Diane

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  14. Josie is so adorable and making a great supervisor ~ What a house! What a time ~ all lovely and hope you recovering now and enjoying your home and such helpful neighbors ~ You are blessed!

    Happy Week ahead to you,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  15. Such a beautiful place to live ... and wonderful neighbors already friends .... just perfect. That was quite an adventure with the UHaul, wow!

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  16. Angie, Thanks for sharing some of your new home. I was looking forward to it. The desk looks great. The centerpiece is lovely. You will have all the fodder you need for window sill art once the color and flowers return. Thanks for sharing. Sylvia D.

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  17. Congrats on surviving moving day! Your new home looks great!
    Mary (cactus catz)

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  18. Moving is a two-edged sword with the work and packing and, on the flip side, excitement about the new place. I'm glad you are getting settled in and are on your new adventure!

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  19. Congratulations! I know you must be so happy to finally be in. So nice to be getting all that help from the neighbors. And congrats to your daughter. We will be heading to Colorado in a couple of weeks for our son's college graduation. :)

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  20. Congratulations on your move-in! I know it was not snag free but it looks like you are pretty well settled and the hardest part is over. When we moved west from NYC to our Denver suburb we had not sold our Brooklyn home as yet. Hurricane sandy had slowed down all real estate sales. Our RE brokers were flooded out of their homes. Fortunately a couple that were flooded out of their rental bought our home--we were fortunate to not have had any problems from the storm, so a bad thing turned into a good one for us.
    I loved hearing the Sandhill Cranes in your video! I want to watch their migration someday, either here in southern Colorado orin Kearney, Nebraska.

    Enjoy your new home and may it be filled with many future blessings!

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  21. Love the mirrors of the bath room! That may see the least of your worries, but I remember with the move before last, it was a hassle for hubby not having an mirror at his height, so we bought a full scale one, lol! It looks like your move went great - the hiccups just belong to it! Aren't the nights on the country side special? In the city we never had those quite moments with all the stars of the universe twinkling above us! You can pat yourself on the back, you have the big move behind you! Thanks for sharing it with All Seasons, and I hope next or the week after you have some college grad. photos for us:):) Have a smooth week!

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  22. Lovely logcabin, surrounding by nature, beautiful.

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  23. Absolutely wonderful . . .
    The views, sounds, critter visitors . . .
    Friends . . . Champagne . . . Pizza . . .
    And more . . . living the best . . .
    Loved my visit . . .

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  24. Wow, that is an awesome log cabin! Better still, you’ve got kind and helpful neighbors … as well as those lovely critters living outside. :)

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  25. I hope things are more settled since this post. Getting everything in its new place is a lot of work. You'll have it done in no time.

    Have a fabulous day. ♥

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  26. You made it! What a beautiful home you have created and what lovely neighbours you have. Wishing you all the very best for this new chapter of your life together in Montana.

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  27. Your neighbours sound an awesome bunch, love the bird-box welcome gift! Your log house is beautiful, how is the cat settling in?
    Wren x

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  28. Congratulations - what a beautiful house and location. Snow in April isn't unusual to us Coloradans - in fact it's snowing at my house right now :)

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  29. Dearest Angie; Wow; What a Gorgeous and Fabulous house, you made me envious ,haha(^_^)v I was SO impressed your WONDERFUL phrases in the first paragraph☆☆☆ What a beautiful description for you feeling; Love the this part "awe of standing underneath the mighty constellations" :-)
    While I was writing my comment for you, my husband was wondered about what kind of trees were used p:-) I enlarged the first picture and stunned how relaxing and wide the room is♡♡♡
    Please take a rest from the hard work seeing the gorgeous view.
    Sending Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan to my Dear friend, xoxo Miyako*

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    1. PS; In Japan, log-house is really rare (as you might guess). My husband thought the material can be pine-trees.

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  30. I can so relate to all your moving antics and more. I understand completely about not being able to visit blogs and leave comments. I'm so glad you are mostly all moved in and that meal in the sunshine on your deck looked heavenly. Congrats on being able to pop the cork on that champagne! We have a bottle chilling in the fridge for when we accept an offer on this old house. No offers yet, but that's okay since we haven't found anything on the other side to move into either. Blessings on you in your new home and congrats to your daughter on her graduation from college!

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  31. Congratulations on moving into your wonderful new home. It's gorgeous, with a view that would make it hard to do anything but sit and stare. Pizza and champagne sounds like a perfect way to celebrate. Enjoy all the festivities to come, as well.

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  32. Cheers, Angie! You definitely are home. No, you're in Heaven on Earth! Nature abounds. Wonderful neighbors. Beautiful, cozy home shared with your guy. Brava!

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  33. I’m envious of your lovely log cabin and your life in tune with nature from now on. Nice and kind neighbors,wildlife, fresh air…, all is blessing to you.

    Yoko

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  34. What a wonderful place to live. You must be pinching yourself by the minute. The cabin looks so warm and cozy and rustic--beautiful. And cranes. Eagles! I am sure that you will have moose and elk visit too. We want photos! Thanks for visiting the Gardening Spot.

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  35. Congrats! we will happy when we move to our own house. Beautiful house!

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  36. lol moving doesn't end when the champagne runs out... so funny. The house is situated so well!
    L

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  37. ahhhhh moving, it is a chore but one with such reward, especially for you!! the place looks great, your new home is beautiful!!

    LOVED the video, loved the view!!

    and you have made friends, that's wonderful!! wishing you much happiness!!!

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  38. Oh how lovely to be moved in and what a view you have of mother nature. Congrats to your daughter!! ..Michelle

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  39. Moving is usually stressful, even with such a lovely cat to help! Glad it all went well and hope you enjoy your new home and that birds and bats soon move into the homes you've supplied for them

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  40. Hi Angie! Thanks again for commenting on my blog. I followed (not in a stalker sense) and checked out your blog. Lots of interesting stuff, good photos, and humor. I like it! I am now officially signed up here.

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  41. Your new home is beautiful! Congrats.

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