Living in Liminal Spaces

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Changing the bedding, I stripped the blankets and tossed them on the floor. The blankets ended up staying there for a couple days because the twins decided this was their new favorite place to sleep.

Eventually, laundry had to happen, along with a bunch of other cleaning.  In addition to packing for an overseas trip, we needed to make sure our rental was presentable for showing.  Let’s just pile on the tasks, shall we?

We moved the tech and other valuables out, but still have moving boxes stacked in some spaces. Upon our return, we will have guests visit us for a couple days, then pack more, sign papers, and (hopefully, if all goes well) move to a new home.  That’s right: we gave notice, but nothing is 100% set for the next steps.  We’re just living in liminal spaces these days!

In a few weeks, I hope to have more solid updates – hopefully happy updates – and lots of pretty pictures to share.

Two small ferrets in bedding laundry

Updates May 4, 2025

As I write the date, the words “May the 4th be with you!” enter my mind, immediately followed by: wait, did I miss free comic book day?

Things have been excitingly busy.

After much debate, we have decided to not renew the lease on our current rental and instead look for housing up north. The one hesitation is that we like being near Kevin’s parents. However, over the past year, we realized that living about an hour away might actually result in us intentionally seeing them more.

We put in an offer on a place.  It is in a nice neighborhood full of walking trails and parks. It has a large deck out back, a greenhouse, and several raised garden beds.  It also has a house (important, that).  The house is smaller than what we are used to, but it is cute, and it’s the only one within our budget that wouldn’t require a lot of work. At least, we hope that’s the case. Inspection on Tuesday.

If all works out, on our way to the airport for our Scotland trip, we will drop by the title company in a couple weeks to sign papers to close on the house.  The current residents will stay in the house until closer to when we return.  Since it’s only 10 minutes from where Cass and Dan live, they can make sure the place is secured.

Lots of creative-type things to do in the area! Kevin has learned that there is a new makerspace being set up not far from the new home. Proximity to makerspaces has become part of our criteria of where to live.  I haven’t signed up for the gardening classes yet (don’t want to jinx anything). There are also book clubs, museums, nature-related activities, and other things one or both of us enjoy.

We’re still planning on a trip to the PNW at some point, but timing is TBD.

Next month sometime, I will share more details about the new home (and address), the Scotland adventure, and PNW visiting via email. If I don’t have your contact information, feel free to message me via LinkedIn to share your email. I’m amused that the “rolodex of social media” is the one I ended up keeping.

By the way, leaving Facebook was a very good idea. Life on the other side is more peaceful, and  I highly recommend it.

Ferret Fix, Update, and Connections

K, Tam, with ferret Patrick

July 1, 2021 in NH, taking Patrick to the park

K and I have been trying to navigate away from most social media for a couple of years now, and we’re taking more steps that direction. Let’s see how well this approach works:

1) Regular “ferret fix” posts here for those who tell me they go directly to my social media pages for that reason alone.

2) Some public posts/updates here as time and energy allow

3) Efforts to connect directly with people

 

 

Ferret Fix!

Notice there are already a few ferret posts up to get us started. I’ll continue to add new ones, plus pull from my albums of the past. You can click on Journal and go directly to the Ferret Fix category.

A Quick Update

Almost a year later, we still have a lot of stuff in storage, but we’re no longer completely surrounded by moving boxes. Our rental is just minutes from K’s parents, and a reasonable drive to see kids and grandbaby.

It has been too long since I have seen my youngest though, so we’re looking at timing a visit to the PNW in the near future. There’s a wedding and a funeral to plan around.

We have also planned and booked a long-talked about trip to Scotland! It was a challenge to research the lines of grandmothers, and now I will get to visit the places where they were born and lived. We will also visit locations for K’s ancestry. Expect future updates for this!

K is on the board of directors for a MakerSpace, and has been busy helping them with updates to their systems as well as working in the space itself. He’s also updating his gear with the intent to capture people’s stories – the things they would like future generations to know.  He did this with his grandma before she passed away, and also with a dear friend before his passing. It would be meaningful work.

My work in education – in various forms – continues to keep me busy. It’s how I can best contribute positively in this world. Time and energy are finite, so I’m learning to choose wisely how I spend mine.

Connect Directly?

I have made some effort to provide my direct contact information, and have requested it of others. For personal connections where we didn’t manage to exchange this information, LinkedIn is an option to remedy this. Although I don’t use it much, I will probably maintain LinkedIn for the foreseeable future, and I check messages there several times per year.

 

Good Morning Robin

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The robin continues to visit each morning, waking me up by tapping on the sliding glass door.

On New Year’s Eve, Kevin and I were reminiscing about a robin who was our “alarm clock” when we lived in the cabin. It would tap on the bedroom window each morning until it was greeted. If we were not in there, it would go to other windows of the cabin and try those.

The morning of January 1st, I woke to the sound of persistent tapping… and as I gained consciousness, I wondered if I had actually dreamt the sound. Then the tapping continued! I hopped up to pull back the curtain to find a robin looking at me.

red breasted robin bird standing on a stucco wall, looking back at the camera
As I open the curtains, the robin flies to the patio wall and looks back, sometimes returning to the window while we stare at each other, me with a big smile on my face.

Not sure how common it is to have a robin alarm clock. I know it isn’t unheard of because I know of others who have “made friends” with their robins and other birds. In reflection, robins have shown up in different “chapters of life” over the years. The cabin was one of them. Now perhaps here.

Happy New Year! <3

 

Brigid looking out at the robin.

Lady Patrick

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