Kittie Howard


Monday, December 1, 2014

Welcome to North Carolina!

You have no idea how many times I've longed to resume blogging. But these past months have been such a whirlwind of activity there hasn't been time.

When last at the keyboard, around the end of March, the crud that had invaded my gorgeous body turned out to be a formidable foe that required kick-ass antibiotics and serious rest. (Your kind Get Well wishes also helped. Thank you!)

Back on my feet, Mr. H. and I listed what remained to be done prior to listing our Virginia condo for sale and got busy. Chipped fingernails and sore muscles later, the For Sale sign went up. (Gosh, but that sounds easy. It wasn't!)

By the 10th day on the market, we'd received four offers. We decided to go with the first offer because of the proposed lender's solid reputation. In a nutshell, we received our asking price, and the buyer paid all of the closing costs, a considerable savings to us.

Now that we had a closing date for the condo, the trips between Virginia and North Carolina began. Our house had been rented out. Floors needed to be replaced, walls painted, and so on.

These trips started out as fun, marking off Interstate exits, like Emporia and Pikeville, as Virginia's rolling terrain flattened into Eastern North Carolina's coastal landscape, but ended up being more like "Noooooooo, not another trip." If you've moved before, you know exactly what I mean!

Long story short: More chipped fingernails and sore muscles later, Mr. H. and I looked around our house, decided we were IN and relaxed with morning cup of coffee on the back porch. Have you ever heard pine trees "whispering" when a gentle wind blows? It's nice, very nice and, in that moment, when Nature and soul are one, going through all of That to get to This is worth it.

However, I don't know if we'll remain here. For tax purposes, we have to live in this house for two years. It's a lovely house that's turning into a loving home and is not a problem. The problems lie elsewhere. In the years since we last lived in North Carolina, the state and counties have charted paths that often conflict with the whispering pines. We don't want to move again, heavens, no! But I sometimes think North Carolina is a bit too high and tight for us.

Anyway, as life in North Carolina unfolds, I'm going to share my experiences with you, and we'll see where this takes us.

(It's nice, very nice to be back home in Blogville. Missed ya!)






11 comments:

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Kittie .. welcome back and am glad you're finally mostly settled for now - that must be a relief.

I guess your A-Z next here will North Carolina A-Z .. seems an easy one .. but it's great you're back in the blogosphere ...

Cheers Hilary

Marguerite said...

Welcome back, Kittie! Was so glad to see your post and relieved to know that you are still alive and kickin'! lol I took a rather extended break myself due to the loss of my dear Daddy in July. It's been quite a year, but hopefully things will settle down now. Cheers cher!

Julie Flanders said...

So nice to see you pop up in my Feedly, Kittie! I'm looking forward to reading about your adventures in NC. Take care!

Liza said...

So glad you are back. Looking forward to hearing your NC adventures!

Norma said...

I've missed you, Kittie--welcome back to the blogosphere!

Inger said...

Thank you, Kittie. I am so glad you are back!

Nicki Elson said...

Kittie!!! I was so excited to see your sweet face at my blog. :) Welcome back, congratulations on completing the grueling move, and enjoy those whispers!!

Mary Aalgaard said...

Kittie, I have missed you! Thanks for stopping by my blog yesterday and for your kind words and encouragement. So sorry for your illness. The move must have been exhausting. I hope you have time to catch your breath and do more writing now.
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Out on the prairie said...

I had wondered where you had been, nice to have you back. Thanks for such a lovely comment on my last two posts. Hope to hear from you more.

Suze said...

Hey, sweet Kittie.

I was so happy to read:
'
In a nutshell, we received our asking price, and the buyer paid all of the closing costs,'

That is just wonderful! Having sold our house for a huge cross-country move last year, I know what a blessing that can be and you certainly deserve it.

I find it interesting that North Carolina may not be jibing with you are today. It's intriguing how who we evolve to become shifts and our identities, needs and ambitions seem to better suit and are better suited by certain geographic locations. I wish you all the best!

Susan Flett Swiderski said...

And it is nice, very nice to HAVE you in the blogosphere again, too. Welcome back!

Sorry to hear you had to deal with such a nasty case of the creeping crud, (as if trying to move weren't enough to deal with in itself) but glad you finally kicked its derriere. Try to concentrate on the good things in your new place... like the whispering pines... or else it's gonna be a loooooong two years.

Happy weekend!