Changing Spaces

After two years of renovations that have transformed this old house into something I'd really like stay in, we are getting ready to say good-bye and move to new digs. We were fortunate to find a house we like on our second outing, literally the second place we looked at. If you're a friend on Facebook, you've seen the pics, but some of you aren't there, so I'll post a few here, too, so you can see where we are going.

Changing houses is changing spaces and things that fit in one space, don't work the same way in the new space, if at all. My mind has been spinning trying to decide what will earn space in the new place, and what will go into storage or go away altogether.

Things I'm going to miss in this old place:

• the beautiful new windows and French doors
• the terrace we had put in last year
• the balcony we had rebuilt, both sitting out on it upstairs and under it on the terrace
• the rocks in my garden that have been gathered over many years and used for edging and steps
• the plants, bushes and trees I planted on the slope next to the terrace
• watching the neighbors stop to pet Gidget and slip her little doggie treats
• the built-in kitchen
• the pantry at the foot of the stairs (now that we have it painted and organized!)

What I'm NOT going to miss:

• carrying dirty clothes two flights downstairs to the basement to do laundry
• the bathrooms - decent, but need to be updated, and that purple tile!
• sweeping up the cedar cones that drop all over the sidewalk a couple of times a year
• shoveling snow off the long sidewalks on two sides
• the traffic noise and occasional artillery booms from the training range

What I'm going to LOVE about the new house:

• the den with its flagstone floor, corner fireplace and lights that look like old-time hanging lanterns
• the laundry room next to the kitchen
• the little pantry next to the kitchen
• the big yellow tub in the bathroom
• having phone jacks and satellite feeds in multiple rooms of the house
• the peace and quiet
• the occasional fresh veggies from the landlord's garden

What I'm NOT going to love about the new house:

• the kitchen - very basic, cheap cabinets and NO dishwasher
• the steep hillside yard
• inadequate parking on the street for guests
• the old metal or wood windows that only open one way.
• no overhang over the balcony for sitting outside without getting rained on

Well, no place is perfect, and I've certainly done a lot of complaining about this one over the years. Perhaps it's just the moving I object to. It's a heck of a lot of work, and I don't really feel like doing it. Still, a couple of months from now, it will be done and I'll be sitting on the couch in front a cozy fire with sleeping doggies at my feet typing on my laptop, telling you how glad I am I made the move.