The Art of Couples' Dates

I call it 'guaranteed third-wheel syndrome'. This is a thing that happens to the single friends of newly married couples, particularly long-time friends of one of the partners. Prior to the marriage, these friends think of the newly acquired romantic interest as a neat, if likely short-lived, pet, and comfort themselves knowing that they've seen this before - they were here before, after all, and will likely be here long after. About the time that long-time friend is picking up a groomsman's tux or being fitted for a bridesmaid's dress, the syndrome begins to take effect. Yes, they heard you say how "this time it's different" but they'd heard that one before, only this time it would appear that things actually are different. By the time you've returned from your honeymoon and then proceeded to have as little contact with outside world as possible for the next 6 months, they've figured out that they will now be a permanent third-wheel whenever hanging out with you and have likely moved on to greener, more single-friendly pastures.

At that same 6 month time frame, you and your new spouse suddenly realize that you miss having contact with the outside world, that you miss having people around that you're not married to. Unfortunately, all your single friends have fled, but oddly enough, several other married couples have issued invitations to come over for dinner. Seeing no harm in meeting some new friends, particularly those who have experience with the greatest new thing in your live, and having no real alternative, you embark upon the perilous trail of.... The Couples' Date.

This isn't your double date from high school, Slappy. There will be no going to the movies our out to dinner - young married couples are poor. Pasta and conversation are on the menu for tonight, for one is cheap and the other is free, and if you're lucky, there will be a non-controversial board game. One game of the "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" board game will have you begging, with tears in your eyes, for Boggle, Bananagrams, or even Candyland.

Keep in mind, surviving these initial encounters is an art form. Eventually, these types of things can form profoundly strong bonds, strong enough that Steph and I routinely muse over the loss of our old couple friends back in Colorado. Initially though, survival is key. Do take note of the following:

1. If the couple you're visiting has a new baby, you will be expected to hold it. It's priceless, fragile, deeply loved, and it squirms, and they want you to hold it. God knows why. It's possible they believe you'll get the baby's scent in your nose and you too will come to the realization that your life will be forever incomplete without one. Perhaps it's just nice to have someone to pawn the kid off on while they try to remember what it felt like being free.

2. Regardless of the intent, there are some things to remember while holding that bundle of joy: If held long enough, it will either spew forth from one end or the other, or turn into a giant muscle and lunge for something that is not a toy, and typically dangerous. It's best to pass on that hot potato at the earliest possible opportunity, because yakked up formula stains and that sharp object sitting nearby is quite shiny and will attract the baby's attention sooner rather than later.

3. If your wife set this up, and it's quite likely she did (at least if you're me) it's likely that she'll have set it up with someone from work, and at some point she and the co-worker will begin talking shop and you'll be left with someone you've known for less than an hour to try to figure out something to talk about. Do your prep-work prior to this moment, find out something you can both comfortably discuss before your wife and his pair-off, and don't forget to thank me afterward.

4. It's perfectly fine to discuss the weather. It seems trite, but you're trying to survive, not solve the world's problems. Politics and religion can wait indefinitely. Work is always a solid topic, especially silly things about work.

Keep these in mind, and good luck.

My Day in a Nutshell

Wake up after ~6 hours of sleep with a bladder that feels the size of a fitness ball. Try to ignore it, fail utterly. Go to the bathroom, attempt to go back to sleep, fail utterly a second time. That's right kids, I fail more before 9am than most people do all day. Eat cereal while watching NFLAM on the NFL Network. Giggle each time they call Eric Davis "E.D." and hope they've nicknamed his wife, assuming he has one, "Blue Bomber". Get dressed, consider studying, reject it on the grounds of not yet being awake. Consider drinking coffee, reject it as well based on how it seldom actually wakes me up and that I don't feel like spending the next 6 hours running to the bathroom every 20 minutes. Play some Freecell and listen to music instead for the next 10 minutes. Set up study area. Stare at study area. Pace around the apartment mulling over a massive social issue. Solve social issue. Stare at study area again.

Concede defeat, begin studying. Get mad at author for spending multiple pages on a topic then mentioning, at the end of the section, that this technology is no longer used, nor is it on the test. Pace around the apartment again, resume studying. Become angry with the test wanting to me know things I simply won't do, like monitor repair, given that I don't feel like electrocuting myself. Pace more, consider having lunch. Look in the fridge, conclude that I'm not certain when any of the leftovers were put in there but decide that it wasn't this week. Consider having a sandwich, then notice we're out of bread. Weep quietly in a corner.

Repeat earlier studying practices of actually studying, becoming angry, pacing, and studying some more. Recall father-in-law's admonition that having this certification won't get me anywhere. Hope wife gets home soon before the allure of the train tracks becomes overwhelming. Steph gets home, greet her at the door like an over-enthusiastic puppy. Try not to read too much into it when she says, "Hi honey," with a look that all too clearly tells me she's wondering if my cheese has finally slipped off my cracker. Listen to stories about Steph's day, offer her the use of my weeping corner. Impatiently wait for her to finish using the weeping corner. Have dinner while watching a funny show. We recently finished with all 9 seasons of "Scrubs" and have moved on to "The Big Bang Theory". Feel better about our lives based on how tough television nerds have it too.

Steph goes off to grade papers, write lesson plans, and do whatever it is people do on Pinterest. I go back to studying, with frequent pacing breaks, only now I can rant to Steph about how angry the test/book/author make me and no longer need to use my weeping corner. See Steph off to bed, listening to her guilt inspiring laments as I remain awake. Answer Dad's nightly call. Discuss football, politics, football, current events, football, and sometimes relationships. I try to keep the relationship talk to a minimum, as getting relationship advice from my dad is bit like getting advice on produce from Gallagher. Sure, they have a wealth of experience, but I'm really not a fan of the approach. My parents' marriage is a bit like the sun, we all know it could explode any moment, but it seems like it will just continue giving us cancer for the time being.

Check the apartment for intruders as the house creaks in the night silence. Become increasingly paranoid. Head to bed. This is the cat's cue to hop off the bed and go grab some food. Start falling asleep. This is the cat's cue to hop in the litter box, which is lined with silicate litter instead of traditional sand stuff, and sounds like a foot-shuffler walking through loose gravel when she uses it. Try to ignore it. Fail. Listen as the cat spends the next few minutes attempting to remove the crystals from her paws by rubbing them on any available surface with preference given to those that are loud. Fall asleep, looking forward to doing it all again the next day.

Sorry for slacking

Phil and I were knocked out by our first round of Vermont cold/flu. I blame my students for being disgusting carriers of disease and angst. (Thankfully, the angst is not contagious.) We are feeling better now and settling back into routine.

Fall is beautiful here! There are trees everywhere, and they are in various autumnal stages. The color "peak'" was a couple weeks ago, but there are still vibrant colors around. Phil and I went for an exploratory drive through some of the back roads and were very impressed. We also noted that the surrounding towns are really nice and cute despite looking sketchy from the highway. Alas, when we explored Richford, it was sketchy throughout. We tried really hard not to live in this town, but small towns do not offer a wide selection of rental houses. Someday really soon, we're going to live in a wonderful small town with happy smiley people.

I went to the doctor this week to update a prescription, and during that appointment, he told me all about Mother Nature and his philosophy on the purpose of life (to procreate). This was in response to a note on my chart about taking ibuprofen for headaches. He then asked me about my job at the school. I had a really crappy week, but he was determined to fix it. I got a fifteen minute lecture on how to run my classroom. Awesome. (It gets better.) I had a question about my birth control, and in response, he told me I should just get pregnant so I wouldn't have to worry about it and followed up with a continuation of his life philosophy. He kept bringing up age and how people should have children young because that's what he and his wife did, and it's worked out well for them. Twenty-six is the new forty-five in regards to birthing children. Where was I when this announcement was made?

Mom and Dad are coming this weekend, so yay for family, leaf peeping, and fresh cider with doughnuts!

As I Avoid Studying...

Steph is on the phone with her sister right now reminiscing about playing "Boxcar Children". I laud them for the effort of at least going with the original book and roughing it as opposed to solving mysteries while living with Daddy Warbucks.

When did # become hashtag instead of pound sign? Not this £ sign (alt + 0163) but this one #. Really. Is this all Twitter's doing? In the future, when dealing with automated call centers, will he have to press hashtag on our phones instead of pound once we enter in our sensitive information? When stores have 3# of apples on sale, do our youth feel that the store owners are foolishly putting the hashtag in the wrong place if they want people to visit their twitter site? Will the @ sign be next??? Seriously though, it's a pound sign.

On the note of politics... nah, just kidding.

I felt stupid earlier. I was talking to my neighbors this morning, and they were telling me how they hoped some geese would get here soon because they like eating goose, I guess, or at least shooting them. I mentioned that I thought I'd heard one yesterday, at which point one of my neighbors pulled out a goose call and said he'd been practicing yesterday. Wheeee!

And seriously, what on earth is up with people typing 'would of' instead of 'would've'? Have we regressed so far in our own language that we no longer understand the difference between 'of' and a conjunction meaning 'have'? It's not even a space saver, like shortening 'you're' to 'your' (couldn't help it) or 'ur'.

Steph says I'm becoming a crotchety old man and says she looks forward to the day when we have a lawn so I can shake my fist as I tell people to stay off it.

I should probably get back to studying. I say 'probably' to make myself feel better about it, like it's optional. Remember kids, it's stands for it is, and its is possessive. On the note of studying, they've updated the test so I've had to speed up my studying, lest they change over and a great deal of my studying is for naught.

Pictures

Here is a sampling of pictures off my camera. Hopefully, next weekend we can go out with our nice camera and Phil can take some better pictures of our area. Our apartment is messy at the moment, so those pictures will be coming in the future.

Moving

Lucy was not very helpful during our packing endeavors. 

Our stuff. I intended to take a picture of just my school boxes and just our house stuff. I thought it would be interesting to see the comparison because I had a lot of boxes of books and materials. Enough to fill the back of Mom's Yukon. However, moving is crazy and these are the only pile pictures we took. 

 Lake Champlain

We took these crossing the bridge from New York into Vermont. This is Lake Champlain near Swanton, VT. I forget what the town in New York is called, but it is super cute. 

Phil

This was Phil's first shower experience in our apartment and it was too funny not to take a picture of. We have a huge clawfoot tub that we have to step up into. This extra height combined with a very low shower curtain made for an interesting experience for Phil. He practically had to bend in half to get under the shower head. (I'm just now realizing that this is a really long caption of Phil in the shower. Sorry. I do want to add that the ceiling has been redone. It looks pretty sketchy here. We also lost the dolphins and got a better shower head. Moving on now.)

Ben & Jerry's

 We were told by several people about the Ben & Jerry's Flavor Graveyard. Ta-da. It was pretty funny.

Ben & Jerry's- It's entertaining for families.

Today

     It was fall today. We had rain last night and a bit of drizzle today, so everything was extra green. I stopped on my way to the grocery store to take these pictures for you. Enjoy.

This last one is of our backyard. The previous two are across the street. That was all I got before Phil got to the door with arms full of groceries. 

Umm...

I sat down to write an inspired post, but I'm not sure how to follow Phil's.

I'll start with the fact that he is now 31. :) He still hasn't received his gift from me (I have a difficult time planning ahead in my personal life), but he did get several lovely cards and a pair of reading glasses from my mom. This just in- my mom's hilarious. We celebrated with birthday cake after Open House at school and had a birthday dinner of Chinese take-out this weekend. Happy birthday indeed!

School has started. Tomorrow will be the beginning of the first full week of school. Last week, we had a four day week and our first week was only three days. The school climate is very different than West Grand, and based on my students' behavior, listening in class has not been a huge priority. In an attempt to create a more positive school environment, we are implementing Responsive Classroom practices. The basic belief of this philosophy is having a positive classroom community will result in fewer misbehaviors. Which I agree with, but...there are two sides to every classroom management system: positive and negative reinforcement. Responsive Classroom doesn't really have either. So, I'm mixing in my own management style with elements of RC. I am stuck with giving time outs to my 5th and 6th grade students which makes me feel stupid and is a giant waste of time, but my kids are earning marbles for positive behavior. When they've earned enough marbles to fill an empty pasta sauce jar, we'll have a mini-celebration for the class. One RC practice that I do like is Morning Meeting. Every morning, we circle up as a class. There is a greeting for every student, an activity, and a message from me preping them for the day. On Thursday, we did an E.T. greeting. I showed the kids a movie clip showing E.T.'s glowing finger, and instead of a hand-shake or high-five, we touched "glowing" fingers. Confession: I've never actually seen E.T.

Because not all of you lovely readers are teachers, I will stop rambling and give some basic facts about school. Then I'll be done for a while.
1. My room is still a horrid shade of orange. I've covered as much as I could with bright orange, blue, and zebra print.
2. I have 17 kids in my homeroom class of 5th and 6th graders. In the afternoon, I have 20 6th graders for math. I like my mornings better.
3. There are 3 other 5/6 teachers and after a literacy meeting on Friday, they are starting to realize that I know quite a bit about teaching reading.
4. I don't yet know quite a bit about teaching 6th grade math. Can anyone please tell me a real life example of dividing a fraction by a fraction or a decimal by a decimal? Seriously, please help me out here.
5. One of the 6th grade boys got stuck in the baby swing on the playground while I was on duty. I didn't laugh until after I sent him to time out.
6. School starts at 8:00- sort of. Kids can eat breakfast until 8:15, so I really don't know when I'm supposed to start my day.
7. School ends at 2:45. Thankfully they've started ringing a bell at this time. My classroom clock is about 5 minutes fast and the first couple days were pretty confusing.
8. On the first day of school, our new art teacher played the bagpipes as kids were entering the building. It was pretty sweet.
9. Our school website is Richfordk6.net if you are interested in learning more about the Richford Rattlesnakes.
10. Open House was Thursday, and I had one of the few not awkward experiences of the evening. Apparently teaching a class full of odd ducks for the past four years has desensitized me to awkward situations. I feel that's an excellent life skill.

Another post that could be but really isn't about anything

Motivated self-starter. The iconic resume` cliche. I've never given much thought to the phrase beyond concluding that it doesn't apply to me. I seldom feel motivated beyond fulfilling certain biological imperatives, and for whatever reason, perhaps some integrity I stumbled upon, I don't feel that an urgent need to empty my bladder that will inevitably occur during my time in a company's employ warrants its use in my resume. Do motivated people feel the same way about their job that I feel about eating pizza? It could just be the work I've done, of course. Getting told that a kid has recently ejected his or her half digested lunch all over a bathroom doesn't fill one with the kind of verve that pizza does, even if that recently rejected lunch was in fact pizza. And what exactly is a self-starter? Does that mean you don't need to be told what to do until you do something? Would the opposite of a self starter be considered a disability that could be classified as 'work blindness'? Is simply being motivated but not a self-starter mean that you're like one of those automated vacuum cleaners wedged in a corner, desperate to do work but lacking the AI to prise yourself from that dark juxtaposition of two non-parallel surfaces? Oh dear, it appears I've made the descent into sarcasm-land yet again.

Really though, am I alone in my feeling that the phrase doesn't apply to me despite my motivation to continue breathing and my ability to not only spot work that needs to be done, but to then do it without being told? Sure I have my problems, my need to pause television programs during awkward moments is quite painful for my wife, and my propensity to seldom address topics in a serious fashion has been viewed with disdain often enough throughout my life that I'm tempted to view it as a character flaw rather than a quirk people simply need to accept. But it's okay, because over the last two paragraphs I've convinced myself that I really am a motivated self-starter.

In other notes, a big congratulations are in order for Alex and Jantrey who tied the knot this past Friday. Way to go guys, it's an epic adventure.

Alright, my fantasy football draft starts in 25 minutes and I'm officially motivated to show up and self start by drafting a player... when the program tells me I can, of course.

Do you guys have freeways out there?

Yes. At least one. And mailboxes. A veritable cornucopia of modern existence, and, you know, bears. I didn't get to see the bear, but Steph did get to see his back end (insert bear butt joke here).

Freeways, mailboxes, and bears. Oh my.

I like our apartment. It has character, like sloped ceilings that, by way of long lost craftsmanship, manage to escape notice. Until you smack your head on them, that is, then you notice them. See? Character. All the lights go dim in the kitchen when you run the microwave and stove simultaneously, and one of the most precious resources in the apartment is 3 prong converters, as nothing here is set up with a ground wire. Upon reflection, that seems like an oversight in an apartment with wood floors, but I digress. Character. And mice. Steph likes mice quite a lot. I can tell because she screams like those girls at the Beatles concerts they show on TV when they want you to buy a CD whenever she sees one, or thinks she might see one, or hears one, or thinks she hears one. As a point of irony, she just looked mildly annoyed when she discovered one of them had left a present in a measuring cup.

Really though, I like the apartment. I've just been having this mood where I complain about things I like. If you were to ask my mom, she would tell you this has been going on for 30 years, but I'm fairly certain I didn't start complaining until I was 7. 7 was a rough year.

Still studying for my CompTIA A+ certification. Turns out going through 1100+ pages for a 200 question exam takes a long time. Who knew? It's also, apparently, important that I understand stuff like what kind of file system goes on a CD, because you can change it and manipulate it if you know what it is. Only you can't. It's like knowing that a pregnant goldfish is called a dork, it's just going to lay there gathering brain dust. Brain Dust would be a good band name, feel free to use it and to give me lots of royalties if you manage to get signed to a major label.

That's all for now. Maybe next time I'll actually have something to write about. Don't count on it, though.

Oh yeah, we're going to Ben and Jerry's in a few minutes for the factory tour. Your jealousy is appreciated.

Phil

Settling In

Things We Have Accomplished

1. Unpacked all boxes: We unpacked most of our stuff within the first week with the exception of books and movies. We ordered new bookshelves that can be disassembled and packed (unlike our old bookshelves). Unfortunately, Phil clicked the wrong address on Amazon, and the bookshelves were shipped to Kremmling. 
2. Recycled most of the boxes: They take up just as much room sitting in the kitchen when they're empty. 
3. Bought our first couch: Our landlady sent us to a family friend who sells new and used furniture. We found a nice little burgundy couch and were gifted with an old set of drawers. Phil and I were very pleased because aside from our misshapen closet, we had no bedroom storage.
4. Pretended to be crafty/handy: The drawers were free for a reason. The veneer that covered the drawers was peeling off, two of the four casters were missing, the top board had warped and wasn't really attached to the back of the chest, and the insides were disgusting. Our landlady helped me with round one of cleaning the drawers and gave us some red paint. Phil hauled it upstairs. Then I stared at it for a long time. I have seen a ton of "up-cycled" dressers, and people rave about how easy this process is. I had no idea where to start. So I started peeling and cleaning again. After many hours of cleaning, sneezing, sanding, sneezing, and painting, we had a red dresser. The top is still warped and one of the pull nobs wiggles, but it holds clothes and looks pretty nice.  
5. Purchased area rugs (which cost more than the couch): We have lovely wood floors in most of the house, but we wanted something a bit more cozy for the living area. We went rug shopping two days after we moved in, so we were still shell-shocked when we entered the carpet showroom. It took us a long time to pick out two rugs. However, we were successful and have two lovely area rugs in our living room. 
6. Obtained Vermont licenses: We took a beautiful drive east to Newport to get our licenses and register our car. After living in Colorado which is brown in the summer and white in the winter, we were mesmerized by all the green along the road. We live right next to a very large hill (which is a mountain in Vermont) that connects Richford to Jay and Troy and Newport and other towns we have not discovered yet. When you start descending, there is a huge valley to the side of the road, and you can't see the bottom because of all the trees. It's beautiful. Anyway, Newport is a cute little lake town with a giant bronze fish in the town square. Phil and I grabbed all of our paperwork and entered the wonderful word called the DMV. Least painful DMV experience yet except the title for our car was still in my mother's bank box. (We're still not sure what papers we used to register Vera in Colorado.) We had huge piles of other papers but not the one we needed. They gave us our licenses and some temporary paperwork for registration. Those papers plus the title and a safety inspection would lead to registration. When Phil took the car to be inspected, we forgot that the paperwork was still in the living room. Good thing we live close to town.
7. Found some dittos: When Phil and I dropped off my school boxes in my classroom, the floor was already covered with boxes. I took several days going through what was left. Among the boxes, I found a dozen pepper shakers, several dittos (which predated my time as a student), Borax, forty drawing compasses, and a plastic volcano. I threw a bunch of stuff away. My rule was if it was older than me or smelled funky, it was gone. I put the science materials in my partner's storage closet and discovered I had a counter in my classroom.
8. Fought the orange...and lost: Some authority figure in the school decided teachers should pick the paint color for their room. And then everyone got a new room. The teacher who had my room last year selected a pale orange that I have dubbed rotten tangerine. What makes the color worse is the huge sections of wall covered floor to ceiling in teal cork. The room, while not large, was too big for me to cover up all traces of weird colors, so I tried to drown them out with bright colors and big patterns. It didn't work. I had been working in my room for several days and was about to light it on fire so I wouldn't have to deal with the color. Instead, I walked down to kindergarten where my room was saved. The teacher had a border set with orange, teal, blue, yellow, green, and red. Her room was decorated and perfect, so she let me take everything that was left. It made huge difference. My room is still very bright, but now it looks like the colors were chosen on purpose. I still have a couple sections to work on, but the temptation to burn down my classroom has passed.
9. Studied...a lot: Phil has been studying for his Comp TIA test which will give him paperwork that says he knows about computers. His study book is massive. His knowledge base was quite large to begin with, but everyday he learns at least one new nugget of information. Once he has passed his test, he can start scoping out job opportunities and start studying for his next test. I have been studying math. I am teaching a 5/6 grade class this year, but we split up for math. I will have 6th grade math in the afternoons. I've gone through all the standards and I can do the math, but I don't know why I can do the math or how to explain it...yet. I've been reading lessons and watching math video clips which has helped. I'm also going to be working on curriculum maps this week for math, and I'm hoping that will help as well.
10. Drank a whole pot of coffee and typed many words.

My first day with kids is August 29 and I have a wedding in Colorado on August 31. I'm sure we will have many more stories to share after that. As soon as one of us can remember where we put the camera, we'll post some pictures of our house, my classroom, and the green.

We live in Vermont now...finally

Moving mostly across the country has been an experience we hope to never endure again.

Our original move date was June 14. We were going to rent a moving pod, pack it ourselves, and meet the movers and our stuff in Vermont. When Phil went to reserve the pods, he discovered that particular company did not service the middle of nowhere Colorado. He tried several different companies that offered the pods, and the best option required us to haul our stuff from Kremmling to Estes Park (which is on the other side of Rocky Mountain National Park). We thought that was a horrible idea and began searching for alternatives. We found a company that would come to Kremmling, pack up our boxes, and meet us in Vermont seven days later. Yay, life was good, and we continued packing.

June 14-moving day arrived. We had not gotten a call from the movers like we were supposed to, but we were hopeful nevertheless (aka naive). We waited and waited and waited. Phil called his contact who apologized for the movers being late but they had not realized how far out we were. (Rant: Look at a map! That should have been the first step of the planning process, not something that happens the day your movers are supposed to pack the truck. People can find Denver pretty easily on the map. We're only two hours away. That should not have been a big deal. Ugh!) They had scheduled a back-up date for the next day. Phil and I had family plans in Michigan for Father's Day and needed to be home. We were told as long as someone was at the apartment to let the movers in, they would grab our stuff and life would be good. We nervously gave our keys to a neighbor who had adopted Phil and me, packed the car, grabbed the cat, and left Kremmling a little after midnight.

The drive out was fine. Lucy does not travel well in her kitty carrier, so we hooked her into a harness and leash for the trip. Before we passed through Denver, she had climbed on top of some boxes in the back and watched the world go by.

Plan A was to stay in Michigan for a couple days, spending time with our families.We were there for almost two weeks. Our movers never showed up. Every time Phil called, they apologized and set up another move date. Lies. We canceled our deposit and began our search again for other moving options. It turns out, we were the best option. My mom traded cars with us for a while, and she drove around in our cute little Vibe while we drove her Yukon back to Colorado, packed a U-Haul trailer, and drove across the country again. 


The trip with the trailer also went well. I felt pretty awesome driving this massive truck with a trailer behind it despite being passed by every other vehicle on the road. Our journey took longer than we had anticipated which resulted in apartment hunting on the Fourth of July (Happy 3rd Anniversary to us!) still with the trailer attached to Yuki. I had been in contact with two landlords and found one more possibility on the way out. They were all very gracious and met with us on the Fourth. Landlord A drove us to the property so we didn't have to worry about maneuvering the trailer, Landlady B offered to let us spend the night in the apartment even if we didn't rent it so we didn't have to pay for a hotel, and Landlord C was shifty. 


We moved into Apartment B that afternoon. We are living in the upstairs of an old house a couple miles outside of Richford (where I teach). We have a huge backyard right on the Missisquoi River, two bedrooms (one small, the other smaller), a large living room, a real kitchen and dinning area, and a small bathroom with a clawfoot tub. There are wood floors in the bedrooms and living rooms and slanted ceilings which I have run into more often than Phil (go figure). 


After we unpacked most of our boxes, we were supposed to drive back to Michigan to swap cars and get our cat back from Mom and Aunt Betty. That trip was postponed, but at this point in time, everything is as it should be. Our car is much better suited for the narrow and curvy roads in Vermont, Lucy is enjoying the deep window sills in our apartment, and Phil and I have unpacked all of our boxes and have no plans to drive anywhere outside Vermont for a very long time.