Moving in and Having Company

Packing is an excellent time to get rid of things. When I look at a room and the stuff in it, I think, "Who would want to pack all that?" Then I don't pack it. However, unpacking is overlooked as another very nice sifting time, and I have been sifting.

I have sifted through the sand in one bay of the barn until my shoes are full. I have sifted a stranger's detritus and put most of it into a dumpster. I have sifted my boxes to figure what comes up to the house, goes to the garage, or stays in the barn. And, I have quietly sifted through some boxes while no one was looking.

Here's the thing- when I was packing, I had three little helpers anxious to get all the bits of string, bottle caps, strips of finger chaining, and pages of artwork into the boxes. They never ask again for any of this; it collects in the corners of their rooms, under tables, and behind shelves the same way spiders multiply at the top of the basement stairs. So, I sweetly packed most of it, and lastnight, we had a nice bonfire full of it.

Also, we moved more furniture into the house. I am actually sitting at a desk to type this. Our beautiful table and our comfy couch glow invitingly in their respective spaces. The beds are all resting on bedframes, and my paint can bookshelves have been disassembled. Very nice...

So, in the midst of all this, I decided to have a party. It was so much fun. One guest asked why we would do this at this point in all our work. The truth is we just love company. It was exciting to race around and see whether we would have a bathroom sink before the guests arrived. It inspired us to get some of the construction debris out of the yard and into the dumpster. Ezra and I mowed a baseball field down by the barn. We even made it so people could actually get in either door.

Then, we tried to play baseball. It did not go the way I thought it would, but the players all had a good time. We ate together sprawled across the grass. Then everyone played a rollicking game of freeze tag; Jason was the most determined, but we all had fun.

I'm glad we're here. I'm glad our friends came to our slightly disheveled house and enjoyed themselves around the mess.