We went out today in search of boxes. Many, many boxes. I started packing with the boxes we have on hand and I didn’t get through the first of five bookshelves. We are buying boxes because we have made the rounds of grocery stores for boxes too often in the past. You never get enough that way. I will have enough boxes. I will be wealthy in boxes. Wealth changes with circumstance. In the spring, in this place, my wealth has been daffodils and wildflowers. In a move I feel wealthy if I have enough boxes, all sizes of boxes.

But before you box you have to sort. I enjoy sorting and throwing things away or carting them off to Goodwill. My husband, not so much. He is more careful about such decisions and takes more time about it. I am ready to pack up what can be packed in advance but he still has a lot of sorting to do on his stuff in the basement, which could, in theory, be packed well in advance. Meanwhile, he finds other more pressing things to do than prepare for a move that is what; five weeks away? But we have already carved out days in the coming weeks to help with the grandkids, who live across the state. I see our time slipping away for preparing for this move.

Synchronizing our timing and priorities is always a challenge. We have been surprised by how much time we have actually spent on the same page with this transition, which is happening so fast. We just had one meltdown as we were putting in the offer. It was a matter of timing. He was coming up with some basic questions about 24 hours later than he should have, I thought. “Thought” is not the right word. “Screamed,” more like. But other than that we have mostly avoided our frequent balking/nagging pattern (he balks, I nag), and we have agreed on the big things like selling our house and which house to buy, and why.

Inspections happened yesterday. While one set of inspectors was going over our house with a fine-tooth comb (did you know they even pump out the septic tank and inspect that?), we accompanied an inspector through the Pink Lady, which Vic said he hoped wouldn’t turn into a White Elephant. It didn’t. Flaws exist but not deal breakers, though we are ordering a few more special inspections. During the 3 hours I measured windows, decided where we’ll put the piano, and rethought bedroom decisions. While he considers how to cope with a house without gutters, what goes where is entirely up to me. Moving into new space is like solving a giant puzzle. Sometimes it takes me years to get it right. I just came up with a living room arrangement that I like much better than any previous ones in our current house as I was staging it for showing. We’ve been here 22 years.

The room that really captured my imagination on this fourth look at the Pink Lady was the dining room. It is big. Before, I just thought, that is a really big dining room. Yesterday I began picturing our table in it with all the extra boards. People dining around it or learning English around it or writing letters to Congress around it. The dining room is big enough to be a neighborhood hub in itself.

Friends are already welcoming us to the neighborhood. I can’t wait.

I’m trying a new tack with my husband: I will box up everything I want to be sure to take. I will leave the rest out for him to mull over during the next few weeks.