"I Could Always Take The Stairs"

Well gang, I'm moving. It's not because I don't like living in Brookfield- it's that the cost of housing here is just too high for my small budget.

Destination, New Milford. Close to loved ones, but out of Fairfield County.  It seems curious, having been raised in Greenwich, that I haven't prospered as I age. I sure am backsliding in a big way! Now that's a story...

I'm collecting boxes for packing and covering cardboard file containers with a pretty upholstery fabric. Storage is practically non-existent in my new rental. Then, there is the antiquated elevator that will lift me to the third floor. SCAREY!!!! Being stuck in one of those contraptions, (notice the word 'trap' within?) is one of a number of long standing fears that I wrestle with. Heights, airplanes, bugs, crowds, meteors...

Not to sound too whiny, I remind myself that I'll have a clean, if humble, abode. It is fun to redecorate and I am loving my new color pallet of navy blue, teal and creme. I'm treating myself to a new futon as my cat destroyed my couch. I've always cringed as I looked upon that piece of scratched furniture, but I need/want/adore my Phoebe Girl. And, I'm pretty sure that she likes elevators to boot.

Speaking of 'The Phoebs,' it is not easy finding a place that will allow pets. This makes me a little crazy as my cat is cleaner than some people I've known. Of course, Phoebe is not traumatized by this move in the fashion that I am. (She quite enjoys playing in the boxes.) And, doesn't she know that moving is right up there on the Most Stressful List along with spotting a bed bug on your pillow, being hit by a meteor, getting stuck in an elevator and being in Times Square on New Year's Eve?

Changing my address, phone number, bank, pharmacy, and mechanic is trying. Learning to navigate in an unfamiliar town, getting used to saying, "Hey Joe instead of, "Susy" to the mailman (oops, 'mail person') and riding in that elevator will be off- putting for a while. And, for some neurotic reason, I feel as if New Milford is next to Siberia...

"Home is where the heart is."
"There's no place like home."
And,  "Be grateful for the home you have, knowing that at this moment, all you have is all you need."
Sarah Ban Breathnach

...So all, wish me well. I'll see ya on the flip side. And the sounds of hysteria emanating from the north are just...