Literary Love

It’s Done Last month, my husband and I successfully sold our home of 37-plus years. I’d heard hair-raising stories of closings that went wrong, but thankfully, our closing went smoothly. The weeks leading up to the closing, however, were anything but. We secured our house’s elusive Certificate of Occupancy, but the buyer’s title company disputed the property lines, putting us under a tight deadline to talk to and secure notarized affidavits from neighbors bordering our property. Though we moved into our new apartment, we had to return to the house to shower and cook for two weeks while we chased after the gas utility company to turn on our service. Emptying the rooms, deciding what to part with, what to save, and  getting rid of stuff  was both physically and emotionally taxing. And we’d forgotten about a small attic! Our adult son and his large, older dog, Winston, were still living in the house, sleeping on a blowup mattress, basically squatting amongst the unwanted remains,...

Letting Go Things surrounding the sale of my home are building … in a  BIG  way. After listing our home of 37-plus years for sale this past June, my husband and I threw ourselves into decluttering and sprucing it up for the open house, held mid-June. By the end of the month, we had secured buyers. Despite our diligent effort to attain our home’s Certificate of Occupancy as promised in our contract, it appeared our town’s building department seemed to have it in for us. Just when we’d been told things were looking good, that inspection conditions had been met, they imposed a new requirement. A phone call with a Disney-like villain town clerk, who seemed personally invested in thwarting us, brought me to tears of frustration. Two steps forward, one step back.  Another delay. Another expense. Today we have what we hope is our  last  inspection. Headaches aside, I knew there’d be an emotional toll of selling our home. It’s easy to keep those heavy thoughts at bay wh...

  The Move Part 1:  This is  hard!! According to Google AI, on average, Americans move 11.7 times during their lifetime. Me, I’ve moved once—from my childhood home to the one I’ve shared with my husband since we married. As a result, I had no idea how difficult the process could be — physically as well as emotionally. My husband and I (empty nesters) have been talking about moving since we were blessed with a grandchild two years ago—and a second this past February. We love the renewed energy in our lives, but being in New York with our grandchildren in Massachusetts, visits are sporadic and have to be planned. Of the two families, my husband and I are the most easily replanted.  We decided on a two-step move. First, downsizing to an apartment 30 minutes from our current home, renting for a year to give my husband and I time to figure out whether we want to either retire or work in Massachusetts. In April, we took the plunge and signed with a real...