Probably the worst thing about moving is trying to be two places at once. Physically I’m still in Mississippi. Most of the packing is done, most of the painting is done. The last thirty+ years of our lives reside in boxes in storage, just waiting. If nothing odd happens, in less than two weeks I’ll be making the trip up to New York to close on the new house. Mentally, at least half the time I’m already there. There’s a lot to do before we can move in and part of the reason I’ll be there is so I can be be working on that, but that’s later. Mentally I go over and over it all, trying to plan the best strategies for getting it all done as quickly as possible.
And all that is just half the battle. The rest is realizing that neither of us has much clue as to how to survive a winter—a real winter, as opposed to the cooling-off period we’re more familiar with– and have we taken leave of our senses? Probably, but still going. Helpful people have been helpful—snow boots, yes, warm overcoats, yes. Gloves. Snow tires. What a concept. Oil furnaces. Pellet stoves. Clearing the ice berms. How to shovel snow. Where to shovel it to. What has to be shoveled. What doesn’t.
Factor in that Yamada Monogatari: The War God’s Son will be hitting the stores right around the time I’ll be hitting the road.
Zen says “Be Here Now,” and I ain’t. A good bit of the time I’m a thousand miles away. Which is unfortunate, since there’s still a good bit to do here before I’ll even get a chance to work on everything there. It’s disrupting and stressful and I’m not sure how much longer I can keep it up. If all goes well, the time will run out before I do. Here’s hoping.
Richard Parks 
As for snow here is the best advice about dealing with it, which comes from el V, who has lived up there and never forgotten it, and all the stories from his male friends who have lived in various places upstate. “For people our age the best way to handle snow is hire somebody young to shovel it. Do not do that yourself, particularly your first winter. You will save yourself a heart attack.”
Much love — C.
We’ll have rad heat. Everyone says the cats will love it. I guess we’ll find out!
As for the shoveling, yes, I’m leaning that way.
You two are in my warmest thoughts.
Methinks the ones who might be truly discombulated by upper NY state winter is the cats. But then they’ll find the warmest cranny, closet shelf, radiator space, and sleep through it.
Love, C.
Good luck – I hope moving there is all you think it will be. I like snow somewhat, but have never lived in it – doubt it is as bad as people say. Faith still wants t go to NYC sometime at Christmas – which is when is its most expensive. Glad you have everything packed and the house sold.
North Alabama was the closest I’ve been to living in snow, since it usually did snow there once or twice a year (not a fan), but people do it all the time, so I know we can. I plan to avoid NYC for the time being, but figure I’ll have to make a pilgrimage there sooner or later.
We haven’t sold this house yet, but I know we will. In the meantime we’ll be settling in to the new place.