We’re nearing the tail end of what I’ve taken to calling “The Big Movement” from our townhouse in St. Paul to the Parsonage at Spring Lake (kind of makes me think of those houses in Door County we saw with signs in front of them). Going from about 1200 sq. ft. to probably near 3000 is a big relief for us, and the congregation has been incredibly supportive with the financial resources and labor to complete a major remodeling project to the house by this time. Of course for me, the garage is the vital area, and with my tools scattered all over the place in bins, the benches and workspaces all torn down and stacked hinder and yon, I’m a wreck. There are boxes upon boxes of our stuff in the house awaiting unpacking, and carefully rendered placements (we’ve got a great plan for the main floor). But we’ve got our bedroom and Saoirse’s room pretty much put together, and the three of us enjoyed a good sleep last night on our first stay.
Saoirse loves to play out in the yard, she’s already got a stack of balls and some toys spread out here and there. The first time in my life I’d ever seen her plum tuckered out was a little over a month ago when Krista brought her up to join in on some of the work on the house with the crew that was here. It was pretty funny… she looked like I do most days lately, especially this week.
The basement of this place is gonna be awesome! We’ve taken to calling it “the man lair” (me with affection, and Krista with ambivalence at best) and it’s getting carpet today. A walk out with a wet bar and space for a ‘fridge, plenty of windows for natural lighting, and a great new suspended ceiling. One end of the room will serve as our library/reading area, and the other will start to take on what I hope will be a theme somewhat like a blending of “Hemingway meets 21st Century audio-visual tech”. I’ve got a decent vision taking up residence in my dreams that present snapshots of family coming in and out to relax during a big reunion, my good pals from County Cycles hanging out to drink expensive beer and tell cheap tales of adventure after riding up from the Cities, and the generic cacophony of movie nights and video game marathons with the folks (of all ages) from SLLC.
The basement also includes a substantial guest bedroom that will suit long stays from both sets of grandparents and accommodate a desk and chair for me to do a lot of work from home (I can cyber-commute from across the creek!). And there’s a decent-sized bathroom with a good shower down there for those “de-grubbing” washes after a long bike ride or a day of piling through the woods. The utility room is big enough to house the winter bike training equipment and exercise space (though I think we’re getting a Wii-fit outfit before too long).
Of course, I’m happy writing about the basement right now because none of it needs to be moved in! Sometimes dreams are much lighter: a comfy space to read, exercise, hang out with friends, put up welcome visits from relatives, and watch NASCAR on a big screen in surround sound while sipping a cold beer in an obnoxiously large piece of leather furniture… that’s the kind of thing I have to keep thinking about these days when my gumption starts to poop out with the next piece of this-or-that needs to be moved, put back together, or opened up, sorted out, and given a proper home.
When you’re living with it at arms length, just sitting there for the taking, it’s “my stuff.” When it comes time to move it all, find new places for it, and pick it up and put it down again and again and again, it definitely takes on a different identity in the mind as one faces yet another day of “moving in.”
