......I just was hoping not to have to do so quite so soon. But it seems I will be looking for a new place to live; Jenn is moving out May 1st, moving in with her girlfriend. That part is good, they are good for each other and it will put Jenn closer to her work and I think they will be happy together for quite a while. (I could stay here and get some roommates but seriously? That's a subject for another night.)
But moving? Again? This will be the 7th place I have lived in since October 2010. That's less than 5 years; 7 places in less than 5 years is a lot of moving. Well, it means going through my closet again and my dresser drawers and paring down, tossing out, giving away. Again.
And the rental market is crappy right now for renters. Good for landlords, bad for renters. $900 for a 250 square foot studio, no kidding. Of course, I could go up to Lake County which I think is the poorest county in California right now. Lots of rentals up there. Landlords with no teeth, living in trailers with strange smells leaking out. So much meth, so little time. I will avoid Lake County.
I have come to really like Santa Rosa. After living for more than 20 years in Inverness, where there are no real neighborhoods, just lots of random homes, lots of acreage, beautiful hiking trails, one lane roads that are safe to walk on, I have come to like the conformity of this little burg. My neighborhood right now was built in the 1950's and all the houses, about 150 of them, all look similar. There is something comforting about walking the dogs through these streets, seeing some of the same people on a regular basis, having people smile and me and the dogs and wave. The 'hood I lived in two years ago was older, small bungalow homes and sort-of-Craftsman style homes but the same feel. There are well-established rose bushes, beautiful trees and lots of squirrels in Santa Rosa. Lots of homeless people as well, some we see on a regular basis, who say hello to the dogs and say good morning to me.
I like my Santa Rosa streets. I know where it's easy to steal a Meyer lemon or two, where I can let the dogs off their leashes early in the morning to run free, where people put out boxes with free fruit in the summer because they have too many apples, plums, pears, zucchini. (It's odd.... no one ever puts out boxes of home-grown tomatoes.) There are restaurants I love, Spinster Sisters, Willi's Wine Bar, Ike's Sandwiches, even Canaveri's funky family Italian deli where most of the pasta is over-cooked but where you can get the perfect canoli, every time. I love the library, the rec hall where I can take Tai Chi classes, the SR Junior College Culinary cafe where you can get a great lunch for 8 bucks. I have my favorite Chinese, Puerto Rican, French, Italian, Vietnamese, Mexican, American and Indian restaurants. There are farmers markets, a great Thai market, a really funky Asian food store which scares me a little every time I go in to get random Asian spicy sauces. My favorite pedicure place is here, where the owner is planning on Jenn and I coming to Vietnam with her to cater her nephew's wedding. (And honestly, if it happens, we will go.)
In short, Santa Rosa works for me and it is sad to think that I might not find another place to live here. Yes, it's too early to entertain that sort of negative thought but that thought creeps along the edges of my consciousness too often.
Ah well, life is just a big friggin journey, isn't it? We sometimes get to pick what happens but mostly it happens while we are still trying to pick the right thing. It just happens. We are just along for the cosmic ride.
So now I am collecting packing boxes and eyeing things on my shelves to see if I really want to haul them to yet one other place. I am envisioning a huge yard sale in mid April, selling china, platters, glasses, clothes, books, and who knows what else. Heck, it's better than moving it all one more time. And maybe that 250 sq foot studio isn't a bad idea; at least it would limit what I owned and it would make the move pretty simple. Right now, with the exception of two pieces of furniture, everything I own I can carry out on my own. I consider that an accomplishment. But still, the 7th place in less than 5 years is exhausting in so many ways.
and so it goes....
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