July 2nd Our New Home

 After two full days of listening to The Golden Compass (our friends gave it to us in our “travel kit”) we’ve arrived at our new home just as our book was coming to an end. Before we went all the way to the house, we stopped and picked up some supplies from the market. You know, the essentials: Breakfast Blend ™coffee, a bottle of cabernet, paper towels, toilet paper, Becks™, Pringles™ and Diet Coke™.
    When we walked in there was a wonderful banner and a framed photograph of the geese and goslings in our pond from our realtor, Ken Harrison, www.bellinghamwow.com.

Although some workers came to “clean” the house for us, it seems they ran out of steam or didn’t exactly want to amaze us with their impression of Merry Maids™. Anyway, whatever the reason, I was dismayed at how filthy the place was.
    I didn’t want to cook so I went out for pizza to the North Fork Beer Shrine on Mt. Baker Highway while Henry, Tom and the dogs got comfortable. I guess I have to get used to rural living. I was more than a little nervous on the dark, winding and windy road. I kept worrying about deer jumping out in front of me. I didn’t see any deer, but I did see a big daddy of a raccoon. By the time I got home, the pizza was stone cold. Mental note: buy the take ‘n’ bake pizza from Costco™ in the future.

    When Tom packs for a trip you can see the designer in him come out. Everything in the car is ergonomically located. He thinks of everything. Pillows are placed for easy use. The coffee is right where you need it for easy pouring. Snacks are located for both the front and back seats. Mr. Wonderful has appetizers prepared, and several cheeses are often available. This being said, we had more than enough sleeping bags, but my hero didn’t think about an air mattress. Now, I’m not exactly the princess-and-the-pea-type but the prospect of the floor was not appealing. We prepared ourselves for the ordeal by toasting on into the evening with our bottle of wine.
    I barely slept flipping over and over trying to get comfortable while Henry slept like a ten-year-old boy. I woke up feeling like a pretzel, twisted and crunchy. Every part of my body ached. My only solace - Tom is even worse off than I am. Our first joint decision in our new home is to drive to town and locate an air mattress or three.
    I thought I’d have a nice hot shower before we head out for town. The bathroom is tiny and strange. There is no mirror over the sink where you’d expect it and the shower stall is a corner unit barely big enough to turn around in. This is when I realized we were really starting over. I had come from doing a renovation in my last house and as anyone knows who’s lived through it, it’s not easy. Most people move out during this time, but we just simply haven’t got that kind of money. The bathroom I’d created on Califa Street had a pedestal tub and a huge shower. I got the cabinet from a used furniture store, Wertz Bros. in Santa Monica. It had previously been a dining room buffet. In fact, the drawers were lined in green felt. I felt like I was at a spa in my bathroom.

And now we were back to square one. Knowing how much it all costs and how long it all takes, I stood there aching from my night on the floor hoping we’d done the right thing. I told myself to snap out of it. Ok so it’s not exactly luxurious but, luxury or not, a hot shower is a hot shower or so I thought. When we were looking at the place, the water wasn’t turned on so we had no idea of the sulfur content. I got out of the shower smelling like an egg salad sandwich. I didn’t think anything could ruin a hot shower, but I was wrong.
The rest of our stuff is coming in containers-you-pack-yourself. They’re cheaper and were more convenient because we could pack them at our own pace and they didn’t charge by the pound. Our stuff is supposed to arrive in a day or two IF all goes as planned. Then we’ll have real beds.