Unexpected Housewarming Gifts

So, I realized earlier today that we will be celebrating three weeks in our new house this Thursday (July 10th) and I have yet to post anything about the house or the move. Guess I haven't thought to post about the move because it was a bit on the traumatic side. For example, they got to our house in PA at 8:45 AM on June 17th to load our possessions into the moving truck and; because of bad directions (not our fault), miscommunication between dispatch and driver; they did not leave until 10:49 PM. Yeah. Pretty late. Long day.

However, we are settling in well (Ginger included). We have just one or two boxes left to unpack (waiting on our new office furniture to be delivered) and have taken time to explore the area.

Before I share details from recent exploration trips, I thought I'd share some of our housewarming gifts. Since our closing occurred on a Thursday, we drove down the day before. When we got to New Bern, we dropped off the cat at the B&B and drove over to the house to deposit the plants. While there, we walked down to the water and saw a turtle laying her eggs a few feet from our dock! Check back with me around mid-August and I'll tell you if we have babies (incubation period for turtle eggs is about 60 days).

So, on move-in Thursday, the husband started cleaning the master bathroom. He was still at it Friday morning. Now, this is good because #1 it shows he is thorough and #2 the cabinets were filthy; they needed a good strong cleaning. I honestly don't think the previous owners (although they weren't here long) ever cleaned any of the cabinets (bathroom, kitchen, anywhere). Imagine my surprise when my husband came into the kitchen (where I was continuing my cleaning of the kitchen cabinets) and asked, "Guess what I found in our bathroom cabinets?"

I thought, 'Wow. He still has a sense of humor after cleaning all morning.'

So, I played along. "Ummm. Rat shit?"

"No."

"Hmmmm. A turtle."

"No. A gun."

Yes folks. You read me correctly . . . . A gun. A loaded government-issued, Colt 45, to be exact. Turns out the previous owners (who now live four houses down on the opposite side of the street) are quite lackadaisical about keeping track of lethal weapons. I have to admit, "lackadaisical" is the New Bern cop's description of the gun owner. I voiced that I thought the guy must have been an irresponsible idiot. Yeah. I didn't have to be politically correct on this one.

Then, on Saturday (our third day in the house), we got another unexpected housewarming gift . . . . A beautiful floral arrangement. Totally unexpected and its delivery brought me to tears. Beautiful and colorful, it brought a warm, homey touch to our new residence. I left it on the mantle the first day and then moved it to the kitchen island where it could be enjoyed from every room. Two days after its delivery, one of the two Stargazer lilies in the arrangement bloomed (the second one bloomed about two days later), filling the kitchen and den with a wonderful perfumed scent. I have a confession to make . . . I couldn't help but smile every time I looked at it. Even while cleaning the kitchen, mopping the floors or cleaning the multitude of windows on the first floor, I would catch of glimpse of the flowers, smile and go back to my 'new home chores' with enhanced vigor.

Thank you for the flowers, BR. I can't tell you how much those flowers meant to me.