Paradise Found!

6:15 Sunday Morning: About Saturday.

I’m at my new desk. The move was huge.

I woke up at 3:30 am Saturday morning and I was fully engaged packing up my car with final stuff including, at the very end, Leon’s litter box and Leon. We roared out of the garage at 5:15 with Leon loose in the car. There was no room in the car for his carrying case.

We got to the ferry and discovered I’d reserved for Friday morning instead of Saturday so you can imagine how my gut churned, but I got onto the 6:20 am sailing anyway. Leon, was super stressed at first, howling and pacing, but I held him and stayed with him the whole time. Soon he was perched on the dashboard in the sun, calm and curios.

I got the keys from the realtor in Nanaimo; my brain was working at about 30% so I had trouble and had to cell her for help. And then we got in line for Gabriola. Et voila, we were here.

By the time I’d emptied my car and got Leon established, I swept the walk and just as I was finishing the movers arrived — and so did Todd.

Now Todd. He’s a man’s man and the dearest of friends; we’re perfectly compatible. He arrived at around eleven and went immediately to work to check the chimney and get the hot tub going. He’s a mechanical genius. Fuses were blowing, no switched were working and he just kept at it and got everything going — my water, my hot water, the hot tub and the fireplace.

I would have been helpless without him — truly helpless.

While we were working, Patsy, a long-time friend and resident of the island arrived with ratatouille and man were we glad of that a few hours later.

We worked hard all day, got pizza for dinner at nearby pizzeria and went to bed around nine.

6:40 am Monday Morning: About Sunday.

Monday I was up at 5:30 and I went straight to work. I emptied boxes and put things away — anywhere for now — while Todd got all the exterior lights working, put all the chemicals into the hot tub and he assembled all the beds, the patio heater and the bar-b-q.

We went for a break at lunch to get some great meat to bar-b-q for dinner and we went to the local pie lady’s place on Sea View Lane where you take pies and leave money in a jar. I loved that.

Then it was back to work as the place started to take shape. Rooms have definition and there are things on the walls and we both took great pleasure in it. Todd, a builder, is very impressed by the craftsmanship in the home and how everything has been constructed.

He found a burst pipe in the basement that the inspector missed and he went to the hardware store, got replacement parts and soldered in a new pipe. Can you feel my love for him? This move would have traumatized me without his skills and warmth. I absolutely love him and always have.

We found a passive (fake) Persian rug in the crawl space and its is fabulous in the space. It now looks great in my living room.

At 5:00-ish we stopped. And I wish I’d taken a photo but I didn’t. We had a hot tub and drank champagne and oh my God do I love the hot tub. Oh my God! I was so opposed to human soup makers, but tomorrow Todd is going to teach me all I need to know about maintaining it as I will never be without it.

I’ve always loved baths; I should have known I’d love the hot tub. It’s brand new. All the tags were still on it.

And then we cooked our dinner on my very fancy and spectacular bar-b-q. I’ve never had one before. And then we had pie for dessert, then some lovely downtime just chatting while Todd had some tea and then, just like last night, we went to bed early.

It’s truly my home now that my furniture, art and sounds fill it.

And Leon! What a cat. He has adapted spectacularly. His appetite is ravenous, he’s interested in the outdoors for sure but patient to experience it. He’s found his places he likes to sleep and my impression is that he’s as happy as I am.

I love my new rich rosewood desk. I’ve got to reorganize myself though and it’s going to take a while; I had a spectacularly efficient office in my condo.

3:15 pm Monday afternoon: About Monday with Todd.

The sun is shining and it’s beautiful outside; my cabin gets wonderfully bright exposure. And Todd’s just left. Now I’m on my own. As I sit at my desk to type all I see is forest out of every window.

There’re so many things to do that I can barely stand to stop working to type. But what a place I have. It’s looking absolutely spectacular with my stuff and all my new furniture. I’m going to keep at it tonight and tomorrow before Shaw arrives to install my Internet so that I can take photos to attach to this post.

I wish I’d done this ten years ago.

Anyway … I made Todd breakfast and that felt great. Then we set to work: He fixed a clogged drain in my guest bathroom and assembled my deck table. I continued to empty boxes. Then, just before his departure, we had a hot tub together. I’m a convert; I will use it every day.

I’d be in a very sorry state were it not for Todd. He got the water and hot water going, the hot tub, the patio heater and the bar-b-q. Plus he fixed a whack of things the building inspector missed. What a guy!

8:00 pm Monday Night: About Monday with just Leon.

I continued sorting and putting things away all afternoon and until now. My place looks like I’ve lived here forever but my storage area is chaos (and I could care less).

Part of one bed didn’t arrive but that’s been the only real problem I’ve had (thanks largely to Todd). And tonight I did a laundry. That felt good.

I’ve done an incredibly wonderful thing for myself, moving here. The quiet is something of which I am constantly aware.

My first experience with Ravens was astounding. There were six of them and you can hear their wings as the wind passes through them. They are huge birds and their call is haunting. Mostly I hear Jays.

And dark! Holy cow is it dark at night. There are no streetlights so it's really black.

I cannot believe my good fortune. Gabriola is all I hoped it would be. It’s even better. I particularly love the roadside vendors. I want to never leave.

I have a short list of missing things and a long list of things I need to get at the fabulous hardware store here. God I love this place.

At 10:30 I went to bed. When I get up tomorrow I will have things I can do but nothing that must be done. Everything is in order. Yowza!

5:30 Tuesday Morning: Internet Day

Today really feels like day one on Gabriola. The past two days have been only work but today is going to be my first “normal” day. A day not defined by unpacking and getting things working; a day to enjoy.

And I’m terribly excited about getting Internet and cable services today. I haven’t missed being connected but it will make Gabriola seem even more like home and I’ll be able to connect again with friends, know the weather predictions and to buy a new fridge. My fridge is shot. I use the outdoors.

And of course: Email! Yessss!