CAVEAT- I wrote this a few months ago and didn't post it. Here it is. Update to follow.
It's been a busy two months around my house.
Hubby and I went to visit offspring out-west for a week. A whirlwind week. We connected with a wonderful real estate agent who ferried us around Burnaby, Port Moody, Vancouver and North Vancouver to see townhouses. A lot of townhouses.
Yes, she was very patient with us!
We put in an offer on one, but the buyer wanted more than the asking price and we didn't want to play that game. So we kept hunting.
On a Saturday morning, we took a break from all the pre-arranged viewings to wander down from offspring's abode to a new condo complex that was nearly complete. All but two units had been pre-sold. As we wandered through the neatly-finished interiors, hubby and I oohed and ahhed, while asking ourselves "could we (by 'we' I mean our relationship together) survive in a 2-bedroom+den place?"
I could work in the den. He could make noise, er, music, in the second bedroom on the lower floor. We could get along in the open-concept living room-dining room-kitchen. It could take some patience and tolerance from both of us. But we should be able to survive this transition. Besides, the area is close to wooded areas and walking trails, which offer me changes of scenery and a place to unwind. This could work.
First, some context.
We have been living in a 4-bedroom house with our other offspring. Yes, the house is more than we needed, but the basement family room became a band-room for hubby's musical endeavors, including monthly jam parties with friends. And he and i could each have our own office upstairs.. As luck would have it, when the pandemic hit, hubby and I both had a place in which to retreat. It saved our sanity and probably our marriage!
Over the years we've been rattling around in this place, the plain, sloped, grassed-over backyard was transformed into two tiers and bordered by gardens with 2 apple trees, lilacs, and rose-of-sharon bushes from my mother-in-law's house in Toronto. We had removed a third of the aging deck to create a veggie garden plot, which each year gave us raspberries, tomatoes, peppers and more . I'm not a great gardener, so our dandelion crop was usually the most prolific.
Although we love the yard, the area around our neighbourhood, and the neighbourhood itself, warmer climes beckoned. Besudes, the house just too big for us.
Our offspring-living-with-us has commitments here and in New York, so he isn't inclined to move with us. Besides, it's time for him to soar under his own power, so to speak.
We have spent the last few weeks donating, selling, giving away furniture, equipment, toys, and loads of stuff. We gave scrubbed and polished floors, walls, furniture and gear. We finally repaired things we swore we'd do as soon as we moved in. Hubby even tidied his basement workbench, a surface I haven't seen in years. <kidding! (I've been a major contributor to the mess too!) >
Then our real estate agent brought over the sign, we signed papers and the house went on the market. It looks great without all our junk cluttering it up!
Our two pups are a little concerned. The older one, who move to Ontario with us from Alberta, must be thinking: Oh no, here we go again. The younger one is sleeping in different places around the house as if testing out the changed areas. She'll be surprised when we load ourselves into a car and drive for days.
We'll miss our friends here, with all our music, food, card games and chatter. But we have that extra bedroom for visitors! And luckily it's easy to stay in touch because we can be connected virtually.
Stay tuned for updates. And I'll try to get back into a posting-routine.
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