ohhh.....moving

Last entry recounted all the things I love about living in Boulder... There are so many things that I forgot to mention... I kept thinking of them all day today and really meant to recount them all... But tonight I sit here going thru my inventory from the moving company, trying to account for all the items that were lost. How depressing... I've discovered that they lost my desk chair... it just occured to me as I was sitting at the dining room table looking at this list that - 1 - is a carbon copy, 2- is written in chicken scratch and 3- really has no description of the item...
I loved my desk chair... it was given to me in 1991 by my friend George during my chemo treatments... He wanted me to have a comfortable chair to sit in while at my desk....It was a Herman Miller chair... I have no idea what model but it was comfortable and sturdy and it was something I wanted to keep... now... gone...
Pictures that were displayed on the entertainment unit... gone... Nick at 3 with a branch over his head pretending to have antlers... gone... My brother's wedding... gone...picture of my dad and Nick... gone... Ali at the beach... gone... How do you put a price on those things...? There is a line that is marked "large tote"... missing... hmmmm.... I wonder what I packed in that?.... Maybe it was linens... maybe it was shoes... maybe it was kitchen items... there is another line item marked dishpack... hmmmmm .... I have lived without those items for several months... and it's not the fact that I need those items or I have to have them... it's that they just slipped out of my life... I didnt discard them... they are just... gone....
I'm over whelmed at the prospect of filling out this claim form!! That really is the bottom line... I just don't know how to itemize the contents of the missing pieces....hmmmm....

At Home... Finally

The question is ... "What makes a home?" Is it the place that you sleep? Not really, I slept in a couple of places here and it didn't feel like home. Is it the things you accumulate in life? Could be.. but the things I accumulated before all my stuff from storage came didn't really make me feel any more at home. Is it your family? That could be a big part of it....But for me, moving into my permanent place, and having my stuff arrive from storage, I can now say that Boulder feels like home to me... and I think the reason is that I finally have a place to set up as mine... with my belongings, my pictures, my bed. A place of my choosing, that suites me, with my familiar things. I have family here... (Nick arrived last week), my uncle is here now, my brother and his family are here; my parents have been here for an extended stay; I am making friends here, and can find my way around. But mostly the reason I feel at home is... I have a love of where I am....
In these 4 months, I have found so many things about Boulder that I love... 1 thing is ... that I love the mountains! I never tire of looking at them... they amaze me, comfort me, thrill me, startle me... I always find them interesting to look at... I gaze at them constantly... when I'm driving or I'm in an area where I don't see them (and that is only for an instant because they are so imposing, they certainly don't hide!) and then they reappear, I'm startled by their beauty and grandeur. I love hiking in them... I can make the same hike every week... but yet the path will look different to me... the color of the grass will change, new flowers will be in bloom... the cactus may appear more abundant... the sky may look different... always blue... but more clouds... less clouds... angry clouds...no clouds... the air is hot and dry down here at the base... but at some point on the way up... the air turns noticeably cooler and there is always a breeze...it seems to happen at just the moment when you think it's just too hot to make it up to the top... and then ... the cool breeze comes and you feel rejuvenated... the sun is brilliantly hot... I love how from the path you can see all of Boulder spread out before you... you can see Denver of to the east...and on a clear day you can see the airport... I love that on a hike, people may stop to chat with you... that they maybe hiking with their dogs, or young children, or even babies! I love being outdoors... I have been here 4 months and have only been to the mall 1 time to shop... that just amazes me... I love malls and believe me, this is a nice mall! But I just haven't found the time to go there...

I love the people here... I love that there are all types of people and they mingle, mix, live, work , play, shop, all in the same place... with a seeming generosity of spirit... with a tolerance toward diversity... maybe that's idealistic...but everyone seems pretty accepting of people... the rasta guy is in line next to the preppy guy, who is next to the skater guy, next to the woman in her sari...I love that the pirate guy will be walking next to the business guy and no one blinks... Shoot, I love that there is a pirate guy! In Boulder no less! Or maybe I should say... in Boulder... of course! Nick said it best as we were walking down Pearl Street (and saw the pirate guy)"I have really missed all the weird people in Boulder!" I love how conscious people seem to be of the environment, recycling; that there are bike lanes all over town and there is a difference between the pedestrian lane and the bike lane... I love that there are special prime parking spots for electric or hybrid cars... and that the dress is always casual... flip flops are always ok... or not... whatever your preference may be...I love that most people here have come here from other places because they wanted a change in their life and found it here... I love the expression that everyone utters here... "no worries"... I love that drivers know what to do at a 4 way stop... Of course I still drive like an "east coaster"... lol... I was talking about driving here with a guy that has lived here for 5 years now, and his comment was yes... people are low key on the road and he "still drives like an asshole"... ok so my aggressive driving habits may take some time to change...

So... what makes a home? Yes, it seems to partly be the things that I have accumulated throughout life that mean something to me... and yes it's partly that I have family here... and yes a big part is that I'm in a place that suites me... but I think the main reason that makes this place has become "home" to me... is that I have slowly discovered all the things I love about being here...I have opened my heart to this place and allowed myself to love it...so now...
Yep... Boulder has become home...