It had been an idea for a while now. Even before the surgeries, we knew we were going to need a single story home. And after the surgeries, particularly the femur tumor, the advantages of single-level life were apparent. Then, housing prices in Denver skyrocketed and we knew it was time.
We learned about Swedish Death Cleaning where you get rid of things you don't use and that you can pretty much guarantee the next generation doesn't want. We filled a pickup truck to the brim and that was just the kitchen. I boxed up clothes until my clothes were way less than half the clothes in the closet. I discarded the research for my Master's thesis, and copies of all the courses I developed. I thought I had eliminated my share of the clutter. I was ready!
Friends moved to an active 55+ community in Albuquerque that we had liked five years before. The prices were still relatively low there and we started following the sales in the neighborhood. We toured a house on Facetime and fell in like with it. A neighbor had friends looking for a house like ours. We sold that house and bought this one in a single day. That's not to say it was easy to make the move. There sere repairs to make on the old house and repairs to request on the new house. The negotiating drove me to distraction.
Our living room the first day.
Sunsets, hot air balloons and sunrises are regular reminders that, despite the craziness and continuing unpacking, the move is worth it. In addition to the beauty, living in an active 55+ community means an immediate group for activities, wine tasting, ladies who lunch and men's lunches. Our common thread is our age, but we're finding a lot of folks who love to travel as much as we do, maybe even more. We're already thinking about a cruise on the Douro River in Portugal when we feel more comfortable with the direction of the pandemic.
So, don't be surprised if I add a new obsession to the old ones...
