After two winters in ”el norte,” we’re moving 800 miles south. I believe we overshot our stay by about six months. It might have been better if we had left before the second winter, before we had another six months to accumulate more stuff and most importantly, before I had another six months to become more deeply attached to my next door neighbor, mentor, every-day walking buddy, co-conspirator, and friend, Sharon.
This will be our 12th move in the 15 years Bob and I have lived together. The litany goes like this: we moved down the street, outside of town, out of state (to Virginia), out of the country (to Belize), off the continent (to Tianjin, China), to Guam, to Oahu, to Maui, to another home on Maui, to Nicaragua, to here and now, to Denton, Texas.
We’ve got the process down to an art form and yet, we still hit snags on the way out. This week, for instance, we find ourselves unable to finish packing boxes. They sit all around us, nearly full, but for some reason, we can’t seem to decide which items to top them off with.
The biggest snag is the goodbyes. They just do not get easier with practice. So this time I’ll say,”Thank You” instead.
Thank you Sharyl, Misty, Cheryl, Jim, Liz, Barb and Chris for sharing your horses with me.
Thank you Margie, Tara, Marion, Anne, Amy and Sharon for walking with me.
Thank you Bob and Ruthann for teaching us how to play Hand and Foot over glasses of beer and sweet wine.
Thank you fellow Habitat Staff and Volunteers (Sharon, Robin, Chris, Carolee, Priscilla, Jo, Mel, Chop and Tim, to name a few) for happily working while I talked.
Thank you for our beautiful apartment and deck to our wonderful landlady, Joyce.
Thank you Mahlon and Shirley for the continuation of a friendship spanning more than three decades.
Thank you to all the local shop owners who knew us by name and always seemed pleased to see us.
Thank you to everyone in this sleepy little walking town who stopped to chat and wish us well.
