Spring is finally here. I drove down to Roseburg last weekend, and enjoyed seeing lots of flocks of baby lambs in the green fields, hawks in the air instead of huddled in the trees, and the myriad clumps of daffodils that spring up by themselves in the margins of the road. The passes were lovely with the new leaves in many shades of green against the dark greens of the firs. Not to mention all the flowering fruit trees—my old apple tree is full of blossoms once again.
This was a trip in and out of sun and shadows, just like life. The sunny spots were seeing many old friends—but realizing that seeing them now depends on schedules instead of serendipity was sad. Leaving a home of 32 years was very sad, but meeting the new young owners was a blaze of sun and hope, knowing that once again the house will become a home for a loving family. They will have a lovely time discovering the individual delights of living there: the deer who spend the hot days sleeping under the deck, the dogwood that never bloomed until a neighbor’s tree died and had to be cut down. I hope the spotted owl uses the house in the tree outside the window again—for some reason seeing it peer out at me was always a morning high spot.
And now that the hip is healed and I am mobile once again, I can begin to enjoy my new home with a view. An osprey is building a nest along the river path, and the dogs are romping in the dog park. Dragon boats and shells scoot up and down the Willamette, along with tugs and sailboats and fishing boats. Always something to see and watch.
So many people have asked me why and how I chose this retirement place to live, I think I’ll devote the next few blogs to why and what I learned and what I wish I’d thought about ahead of time. I was lucky to have made a good decision: one that is right for me. I probably will miss some things you might want to know so feel free to ask.
I know I’m lucky to have found a new place in the sun.
