A whole new world

We've anchored for the moment in St. Anthony Park, MN. A self-proclaimed small village in a big city, it is a far cry from the suburbs that we came from. There are wonderful old homes with character and too many steps. There are detached garages and steep driveways, and back alleys. There are SIDEWALKS! There are even places to walk to! From my inlaw's home we can walk to a corner grocery, hardware store, post office, two churches, several cafes and the library. And that's just the beginning. It's hard to see in the photo, but you can see downtown Minneapolis from our front porch!

It's been wonderful to put the kids in the stroller and go check the mail. This usually isn't an easy task in January, but it's been really warm, 45 degrees one day last week! I am stiffer than I have been in a long time, some combination of the weather and the walking.

Another difference between MN and NY are the shoes. I fell in love with clogs and slip-ons when I came to visit a few years ago, but then never could find much in the way of selection "back home". Now I come here, and every other woman is wearing clogs. The selections in the stores seem bigger too!

Maybe it's for real. Maybe it's just the stores my Mother in Law takes me to!! But either way, it's a whole new world here, and I'm getting used to it, even as I miss the people back east!



thebigboat

We're Here!

After 1200 plus miles and 28 hours we have arrived in St. Paul Minnesota! It is good to be in our new "home". Right now we are living with Peter's parents until our house sells and we find a new one here.

The Dads drove the big 26' truck, and Peter and I drove Miriam in the minivan. It was a rather uneventful trip, especially for mid-January. We hit the road about 6:30 AM after saying goodbye to Noah, and just kept driving.

We had lunch south of Buffalo, and finally stopped for dinner in Sturgis. ( I'm not sure how we got to South Dakota without going through Chicago!)

Tuesday we got rained on as we drove around Chicago, but no ice. It dried up during our long stretch through Wisconsin, and we arrived in St. Paul by supper time.

All is cold here, not much snow. Jonah got new hair!

More later!

thebigboat

On the Road Again

Jonah went on a cross country trip with Grandma and Grandpa Morlock. They drove from Clifton Park, NY to St. Paul, NM in two days. Our Cat, Misty, got to ride along as well. Apparently Jonah was a wonderful passenger, and the cat was silent the whole trip. Jonah got to see a truck stop and a rock shaped like a duck. He's home with his Daddy now!

Grandma and Grandpa Hackbart are finally off the road! They are home from California and their Petal Pusher trip to the Rose Parade. It rained on their parade, but they had fun gluing stuff on floats.

Miriam and I will be all alone tonight, as Noah gets to go see his Father who just returned from a trip to Columbia. How quiet it will be!

thebigboat

Happy New Year!

It's the third day of 2006, and my house looks empty. We've taken down all the pictures, the shelves, and emptied most of the shelves. It's full of boxes. Boxes of books and pictures and pots and pans. There are bits and pieces left floating around, and we need to get into the bedrooms and pack them, but we're still wearing our clothes! My Mother-in-law has spent two days packing the kitchen and dining room. My Father-in-law keeps plugging away at the big stuff and the downstairs. We have taken one load to recycling and the dump and there is a big pile to take tomorro.

How much of this do we really use? We've left the plates and bowls and a few pots and pans, as well as the silverware. There are clothes in our closet, and a few toys and books for the boys. The beds won't go until the 14th. I've tossed lots of things that have not seen the light of day in 4 years. I hope I'll use the rest next time around. The computer will be the last box packed as we load the van!

Our lives are not as simple as we'd like, unless they have to be. What would happen if the truck got stolen from the driveway after it was packed? Not much, really. I'd really miss the photos in the photo albums, but the important things would be in the house with me, Peter, Noah, Jonah and Miriam. ( and Fritz and my dad) Maybe the next time around we'd just get what we really used, and really keep it simple.

It's a new year! Clean out, clear out, and don't buy so much stuff!



thebigboat