Corpus Christi -- Alese's selected highlights of our first week

Yes, we’re here.  And so is all our stuff.

You may recall reading that we donated, gave away, or sometimes even sold more than half our furniture, clothing, and possessions during four different stages between August and March, each time being stricter and more critical.  Even so, we’ve had to come up with innovative ideas to stow our possessions (from a four bedroom house with six walk-in closets and two pantries) into a small two bedroom house (with one 3’x6’ storage closet, two 1920s circa clothes closets, and no pantry). Bedroom #2 looks like a blue light special of Walmart plastic tubs stacked high.

We made a great deal of progress this past week putting things away and repairing/customizing this old house, built in 1926.  It fit right in with the months of remodeling practice we had this past fall.  As we put things away, we make decisions about which are priorities inside each box and what are their logical destinations, not necessarily working to empty a box just to empty it.  It’s a challenging memory game: where did I see the dustpan, scissors, hair brush, nightlights.

Meanwhile, we’ve been learning our way around town.  We’ve tried other than just the closest HEB and Walmart to see which are and aren’t the best and worth the drive, and how to get from here to there using main streets, highways, and back roads.  Adventurous exploration is such fun.

Wichu made it through the remodeling and house selling phases surprisingly well, and the 3-plus hour trip down here was a simple time of patient waiting.  His entry into his new reality was a little rough, spending his first night hidden behind the toilet, and would have been ready to come out, but had to take a break in Liz’s future apartment while the movers brought everything in.  He spent the next day in the closet and much of the week under the bed, but he’s past his worrisome bulimic stage now and is enjoying exploring every little thing and spending long periods in the windows watching the world outside.

I can retire my crown as Drought Queen because the drought here preceded me.  The difference in weather is a significant change from the previous week at our chilly, Live Oak-y Austin yard.  We’ve had extremely windy conditions (40mph) and quite warm temps (mid-80s today), and the slow-leafing deciduous trees in the yard allow the sun to fill the yard and house.  

I'm writing this on late Sunday afternoon. Ray went back to Austin mid-morning to his temporary quarters to resume his Austin job, and this routine will become familiar to all of us over time.  It's just me and Wichu in the house.  It's an interesting coincidence that I'm living within a mile or so of where I used to live back in the mid-70s, and yet it's difficult to find anything similar to that time.  

I start back to work tomorrow after two weeks away in mind and spirit, and I'd rather be emptying those last boxes, but after such a long, very hard effort to get to this spot, I'm pleased to feel complete relaxed contentment with exactly where I am this moment.