Chronicles of Chaos

August 13, 2007 | Print

Moved

We moved to a new house in a new town in a new state. Before we lived at the base of a mountain covered by forest, now we live on the side of a hill near the ocean.

After the first 48 hours I felt like I had survived something big, heavy and troubling. Like those first two days were the real deal in the trenches nightmare, and from there it would only get better.

Yet I’m still eating my meals with a plastic fork from last week’s take out.

For the first time in four years, Whole Foods is my market instead of a vacation destination. I don’t care about the prices, the whole wallet tag. I go every other day and grapple with its enormity. The rows of paraben-free body lotions.

The kids run in the aisles picking out snacks. We’ve collectively, without discussion, agreed to eat through our transition.

For the kids it’s Annie’s Bunny Grahams, for me Haagen Dazs dark chocolate vanilla bars.

I have a strong survival instinct. It could be my Norwegian heritage, or maybe the Germanic strain. Michael’s been traveling for work, instead of resenting his absence I’m excited to show him all that we’ve done while he’s away.

Overachievers never die, they just change venues.

I squeezed a Samina mattress in the back of my rental SUV to drive it, part by part with three kids observing and complaining, from the delivery truck parked a block away up the steep hill, then down the steep driveway to our house.

I slid the three heavy boxes down a flight of stairs to the house, then dragged them up another two flights to my bedroom.

I assembled the bed without instructions (because there weren’t any, not even in Austrian), or using any of the mysteriously included adhesive or screws.

The bed sits in the frame, literally. It’s a bit lower than the bed frame sides. Sometimes when I’m asleep I dream I’m in a boat.

We do love it here. Eventually, the kids and I may need to seek treatment for our Rescue Remedy addiction (the pastilles!)–so far we’re ok.

Today we found a big brown furry caterpillar in the garden. We built him a cardboard house with grape vine leaves.

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