October 2022 Update

I’m doing a quick check-in so you all know I’m alive and well, but incredibly busy.

The house was listed 10 days ago, and in that time, the boom real estate market disappeared and slowed to a crawl. So we lowered the price, and that seems to have generated more interest and some more scheduled showings.

I am still culling and organizing at top speed—and making real progress too.  Days are super busy, so I’ve had little time for the blog.  The rainy day coming tomorrow will be good for sorting out my clothes and culling—one of the last tasks of the moment.  I can’t do much more until I have a signed contract, then I can start to take apart the house. I can let Recover take most of the extra furniture that is not going. Maybe I can hang on to the tv for a bit longer, though I do have audio books. The timing of the settlement will dictate what I do in terms of a final clearing out and the scheduling of the actual move. With a firm contract, I can take down quilt wall hangings and start packing the quilts for the move.  Ditto for the whole rest of the quilting/sewing endeavor.  I need to go through everything “sewing” to see if I still need or use all of it.

At this point, though, all of the storage spaces except for the one in my bedroom that holds my out-of-season clothes have been sorted and drastically culled. You can’t imagine how much “stuff” has been sent out into the community. And I’ve had such good help from two friends in particular, Margaret Rauenhorst and Linda McKinney, both of whom have worked tirelessly to help me get ready for a move which includes downsizing. Both have made so many trips to Good Will, the dump, and other places in the last 10 days and have worked to rehome so many items.

I want to note that so many of my friends have offered help, and they have made me feel loved and appreciated—and that they will miss me. I know I will miss each and every one of them.

Perhaps the biggest news is that along the way I realized that I can do this move or I can do Jackpot.  I cannot do both—especially with an injured ankle that is better but still healing.  Glenna at Sweet Pups found me two AWESOME foster women within 15 minutes of me to take Jackpot until she comes on a transport Nov. 8th—unless either of them adopts him, which she would approve as she has had a long relationship with both women.  Or, unless they find a new situation for Jackpot, which Glenna would also trust. Each of these foster women has one of her pups.  Together they run a dog-training school, and they both have the biggest “dog” hearts. It was a joy to meet them.

I turned Jackpot over to them Sunday afternoon.  And can I say that the one who is housing Jackpot had him so enthralled that I don’t think he even knew when I left, though there were good-bye kisses and hugs from me.  He is now living with this big-hearted woman and her 4-year old Sweet Pups male dog, and last night these two fellas played and played until they both fell asleep. The report today was that Jackpot was a perfect gentleman last night, is eating well, and loves playing with his new friend. There is a fenced yard, so he has a lot more freedom to go outside on his own and to run and play while out there.

Ron from Olde City Quilts (New Jersey), my Innova dealer along with his wife Judy, is coming Thursday to take down the longarm. They will store it until I have moved into a home in South Carolina and then Ron will bring it to me there. The Smith Tractor crew (Duane and Leslie Smith) will also be here Thursday morning and will do all the tasks that need to be done this time of year to prep for winter, for snow, and for the snow plow. We still have not had a hard freeze, so it is too early to cut back many of the perennials. That task may have to go by the wayside for this year. Time will tell.

So…

I’ve been thinking that I’ll have to change the descriptive name of my blog from “My Life in Maine” to…what??? The main address is louisaenright.com, so that part can remain.

Moving again is a life adventure, for sure. And I’m so looking forward to spending lots of time with my family in the months and years to come. And to continue with my quilting passion. I have so many quilts I still want to make.

I’ll post again when I have news.