In which we resume life

Moving is not good for blogs.  

We moved into our new home in the military housing community that is not far from the Navy base after only 12 days in the hotel. I feel a little guilty for how smoothly this overseas thing has gone. I keep hearing stories about months in hotels and lost shipments and trials aplenty, but so far we’ve sailed through this transition.  The housing office brought our loaner furniture, “boonie” furniture, the day we moved in and the next day our advance shipment goods were delivered.  We have beds, two tables and 8 chairs in the kitchen, two small, sturdy couches, two small, sturdy armchairs, two small, sturdy end tables, and an indestructible coffee table. The closets have shelving to organize all the clothes we brought.  The linen closet is serving as a bookshelf for all the books I sent in the advance shipment.  Everyone has one cup to use, a bowl, two plates, and a set of silverware. Housing also loaned a microwave, basic cookware and a few kitchen utensils. I could complain about the small coffeepot, but it prevents  me from overdoing the caffeine.

We’re all set for life to resume.

And slowly, a daily routine has started to take shape.

This housing community is a little like something out of Edward Scissorhands: cookie-cutter homes in two color schemes and about 4 floor plans.  We lucked into one of the larger models that has never been lived in. The walls were immaculate for about 4 hours. The flooring is all tile, which makes for deafening acoustics. And the color scheme is peaches and cream, which gives it a tropical feel, but I’m not sure how our reds and greens will coordinate. Since the paint is all mold resistant, we are not allowed to repaint, so we’ll make do.  Judging by the few houses I’ve seen inside, no one is competing for coverage in Better Homes and Gardens around here, so our hodgepodge won’t be an impediment to entertaining.

For a week we were without internet, phone or television service.  The kids played cards and rode their bikes up and down the street trolling for friends.  And they were successful. Kids are lurking everywhere. Surprisingly few play in the streets like mine; they must be entertained by their toys inside or their electronic devices.  I could hope they are reading. They show up at the playground in small bunches after school, and they sometimes scooter around the cul-de-sacs.  They show up in droves when the ice cream truck, something I thought we might escape, slugs through the neighborhood.

I spent most of the first week rearranging the garden. Since these houses are all new, the landscaping is pretty fresh also. My neighbor told me that the contractors were required to plant 35 foundation plants. Each house is a variation on the same theme. I’m not sure of the names of the tropical plants, but they are mostly vivid foliage plants.  The concept of setting out the landscaping is attractive, but what the grounds crew did was plant everything in straight lines with little regard to height or color. So I had bright green low growing flame plants behind tall reddish croton like plants.  One of our first purchases was a shovel, so I could move stuff around. The impetus behind the do it now, besides the fact that I had nothing better to do, was that the neighbor across the street is getting ready to move in a couple weeks, so she was giving away all her potted plants.  Not only was I blessed by her generosity, but I also found out that the housing authority also gives out $10 vouchers for new plants once a month. So we have planted a lemon tree and a Barbados cherry, some herbs in pots, and some colorful flowering plants in the front of the walkway.  Then my middle son brought home from some vacant lot a small banana tree and a young papaya tree. They are looking a little wilty right now, but I’m hoping they are just suffering transplant shock and will revive soon. After a hiatus from gardening at our rental home in Mississippi, I’m looking forward to seeing what we can nurse along here.

We ourselves are recovering from transplant shock, also. We’ve met the neighbors, started school, added some event s to the calendar drawn on sketch paper until our real calendar arrives with the rest of our household goods.  I am both dreading and desiring this event.  I will be happy to see our blender to make smoothies out of the bruised jungle fruit the kids bring home.  I will be happy to see our computer and printer, so I don’t have to hunch over the tiny netbook anymore. I will be happy to see our 12 cup coffee pot.  But the toys, the clutter, the random bins of stuff to keep in closets for holidays, the books with no place to sit, … they can all stay on the ship a few more weeks.

And I admit I will be happy to see our big car. I have complained about driving that hulking vehicle since we bought it 7 or 8 years ago, but I miss having seatbelts for everyone in the family when we go out.

While we’ve suffered some minor inconveniences, it’s been a pleasure to live a life with minimal belongings and responsibilities for the past couple of weeks.  The kids seem to have been more sociable with each other.  I don’t feel rushed to cook fast meals because of sports or meetings after dinner, nor obligated to make anything fancy that requires more than a stockpot or a skillet.  We’ve read more together in the evenings and haven’t had too many fights over who is cheating in Life or Clue.  I admit I have been making lists of things I want to buy for the house, mostly storage items, area rugs, and my own indestructible coffee table, but there aren’t a lot of shopping options, other than buying things like utility shelves off my neighbor as she figures out what she doesn’t want to move. I feel a little sorry I myself gave away a similar item, along with a couple cute kids’ carpets, in some move or another, but I’ll either find something to make do or make do without eventually. I’m giving myself pep talks to be ruthless in giving away more when our stuff arrives, so we can make do with less, even though my natural – or inherited – instincts are to hold onto things to prevent just such a scenario from happening again. 

I don’t want to give up the freedom of having little to dust or clean, or give in to the tyranny of a schedule full of practices and meetings.  On the other hand, I found out this week that preparation for Confirmation and First Communion start this weekend.  My two older sons will both be in Confirmation class, and the youngest son will be a First Communicant in the spring.  I had thought we might go to church out in town, but the acoustics at the nearest church and a language barrier at another parish nearby are conspiring to make the chapel on base an attractive alternative.  Add to the list of things to do, daily requests from 2/3rds of the kids to play soccer.  The oldest made the travel football squad and came home from his first away game covered in claylike mud that does not want to be removed from the synthetic fibers of the jersey even though I’ve washed it 3 times with 3 different soaps, despite the wonderful new washing machine.. (Oxyclean has been defied!)  And I admit that I am a joiner. I want to get involved in the action somehow too.

Ironically, being busy might be better for my blog, since I won’t be as tempted to while away time outside looking at the garden, walking to the park, watching the sunset.