It is something we think about occasionally. Wouldn’t it be nice to dump out the house, pull up roots, and start a new history? Usually the thought passes soon. The last time I thought of it, we did it. Or, honestly, my husband thought of it first. But in 10 short weeks we emptied the house of about 80% of what we owned, and moved from the North to the South.

The things we kept are not here yet, but we expect them to arrive on Tuesday. Since I sew art quilts, and need a palette of colors,  I went through my fabrics and only kept the ones I expect to need. At least I tried to do that. There will be things in the boxes that I will give away. But since we are reinventing ourselves, it is remotely possible I won’t have time to sew. I can’t quite imagine that. But I also never believed we would go so far, and so fast.

I also packed many canvases, because I like to paint. And since I already spent the money, I decided they were worth shipping. While we were driving down, I even ordered paint and gel media to use on them. The lanai may be big enough to squeeze in a worktable for paint. Lanai, a word meaning patio. Both are funny words. There is a new vocabulary in this community.

All my yarn and knitting needles went to new homes. The climate is too warm to handle wool, even though it is so beautiful. This was a difficult decision, because colors make my mouth water, and my heart beat faster. But the silk scarves I mean to dye came along. Dyeing cotton or silk is easier in a warm place. So all my dyes came too.

The whole suitcase of embroidery floss is on the truck. A little square of fabric, and thread and needle is both portable and cool to handle. And the woodburning tool, and rhinestone setter are coming. They are small enough to stash easily. This is a consideration, since our new home is about half the size of the old one. And there is no basement, and a very small garage.

Climate is one reason to drop some activities. Space is another. Although I enjoy making mosaics, this space is not friendly to the idea. Over time I had collected lots of stained glass, and I’m glad I have a friend who will use it. And she has friends who will help her. And she is such a close friend, she understands that was hard to give up. So she made me a care package of enough to satisfy my appetite, without filling up the whole garage. Can you tell I’m smiling? It makes me think of 100 calorie packs of cookies. Good, but not enough to gorge yourself.

I have a network of  friends I left behind, and I can’t replace them. I hope they will come visit, as I will go to see them. Here I have a sister and brother in law which is terrific. But I have to start weaving a group of like minded people together, so we have both a nest and a safety net. It’s time to pick up stitches.