This past week was preparation for a seismic shift at 11 Jenny Lane. Jack was moving out. He had long said he wanted to go west and decided that Denver was west enough. His best friend from college was going to be there getting a masters degree and their plan was to share an apartment. September first was the day they started their lease so he had a date in mind. It was a monumental job for him to gather all his belongings together. What stays, what goes, what gets donated or thrown out. Furniture was not an option this time as it is too expensive to ship or even to rent a U-Haul to take it out there. He worked so hard every day to get organized all the while trying to get in some hours working at the fire station and trying to set up interviews in Denver. Yes, monumental project.

Tackling the Car Challenges

Jack’s car is an almost 15 year old Volvo that was previously his mother’s car which she bought used a number of years ago. It has been held together by a lick and prayer for ever. Each time we encountered an issue we weren’t sure if it was the one that broke the bank but we endured. It made it to Tennessee for four years of college and up to Lake Temagami and back a couple of times. It started having a hesitation problem just before the summer and then again when he returned. We took it in to have the mechanic take a look at it but they couldn’t find anything wrong until Tuesday. Then they were able to duplicate the problem but by now we are down to three days til departure. Backup plan was Libby’s car, which is a whole lot newer by ONE year, but in very good shape. It looks practically brand new but it needed tires before it could make the trek west. So back-up plan was arranged and tires were put on the car on Thursday. By Friday we all knew that Jack’s car wouldn’t make it so we shifted gears and Jack decided to take Libby’s car. This accomplishes two things. It gets Jack to Denver and his sister will get her car as she is at college about an hour and half from Denver. In the meantime, maybe we can get Jack’s car fixed and he can take it out another time. And then on Friday, as I was driving home from walking the dogs, my check engine light came on. It never rains but it pours.

Saturday morning Jack and Katie left for Denver with a car packed so full there was barely room for them. First stop was in Dayton, Ohio. They are currently half-way through Missouri with a plan to stay in Kansas Sunday night and then arrive in Denver on Monday. I think Jack is beginning to realize how far Denver is from New Hampshire. He was sad to say good-bye to the wonderful brotherhood of firefighters at the New London Fire Department. They have been so supportive of his pursuing his firefighter career and EMT certification. We all know he will do well out there but leaving that safety net is a bit scary in real time.

Tackling Jenny Lane

Now the house is very quiet despite the dogs and cats but just being John and me is quite peaceful. My way to cope with change is to try and get a handle on something I can control and for me, it seems, cleaning is where my energy is going. I am deep cleaning the whole house, in spurts. I have done two bathrooms and Jack’s bedroom. This includes windows which certainly makes a difference. Most people spring clean but it seems I am an autumn cleaner. John and I went out to dinner and to see a play after Jack and Katie left which was a good way to have something to look forward to. I was a little jealous about their road trip as I love them but this time staying at home is working for us.

Dog Walking

After a great summer walking in North Hatley with my brother almost every day, I have kept up the momentum I started there. At the beginning of the summer I wasn’t as strong as I wanted to be. I’m not sure but I think having Covid last August really took something out of me. So, we added lots of hills and I got slowly stronger again. Now I am home I have found a couple of new routes that include some good climbs out on the trail and I can feel myself getting better at those too. One other thing my brother and I always did was to stop by the stream and sit on a log to drink our lovely cold water while giving thanks for being able to walk where we do in such a beautiful place. I have now found a spot near the river here where there is a fallen log that I can stop and rest, drink some cool water and take a deep breath. By the time I get home my head is clear and I feel pretty darn good about doing something special for me and for the dogs.

Family in the Neighborhood

Something wonderful happened this summer. My nephew and his family have bought a house not two miles from our house here in New London. They moved in after we had left for Canada so we didn’t get to see them until we got back. My sister and her daughter and family came for a visit on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Oh what a joy it is to have family living so close by. They are only part-time for now but it is still special. I have never had family live close to me in the states in the 55 years I have been here. Certainly in Canada we have my brother and all his family there next door to us so I get spoiled in the summer but this is special. They have little ones and another on the way so crazy fun. Plus I will get to see more of my sister as she will come to see them here rather than in Boston. We had a lovely gathering on Thursday. Cousin Jack was a hit with all the littles, he even gave then a tour at the fire station.

Boat Ride

It seems this was a very busy week as we were out on Tuesday with the cousin of good friends from North Hatley and had a beautiful boat ride around Pleasant Lake in a wonderful electric boat. We had never been on the lake before so this was a real treat. Especially nice was to see the houses that we knew from the road side from the water. They look quite different and in many cases much larger than they do from the road. It’s a small lake but it is a very pretty one.