Hello everyone!

[dreamflower]

Things are finally settling down here, and I am taking the chance to post a nice long "catching up" post, for those who are interested.



We arrived here the Monday before Christmas. I had only seen the house twice before we decided to buy it, and was rather taken aback to realize that it was a good deal smaller than I remembered. I was even more taken aback to realize the lack of electrical outlets. They are rather scarce, to say the least!

On Wednesday the movers arrived, and began to unload boxes...and boxes...and boxes...and, well, more boxes. Not to mention our furniture, which suddenly began to seem like trying to fit "Big Folk" furniture into a hobbit-hole! Apparently we have *way* more stuff than house to put it in. The results are that a great many of our things are out in *boxes* in the garage, and awaiting eventual unpacking.

It took us *days* to find all my computer, but now the DH has it up and running, and I am so happy! I *was* able to keep in touch somewhat, through an internet cafe and at the library.

We had a quiet holiday, both Christmas and New Years. I was very pleased at the church we found--it's nice and friendly, and by coincidence, our new next door neighbors are members there.

We are very slowly getting things put together; financially, we are going to be a bit strapped until the closings at the end of the month, but after that is all said and done, we should be better off than ever before. This house will only have a fifteen year mortage, and the payments are going to be about a third less than what we were paying on the other. Insurance is going to be *waaaay* less!! We will also be able to have mortgage insurance once more, something we lost during our last refinance on the other house.

We've had to rearrange our priorities on renovations. Expanding the house and re-doing the kitchen will have to take a back seat for a year or so, we think, as the first thing we have to do is get the place completely re-wired. We also have a few plumbing issues. Nothing major on *that* score, anyway.

I've finally been able to get back to writing, and look forward to seeing my first Marigold's Challenge of the year posted this weekend. danachan has been a lifesaver, posting all my Yuletide fics for me at hobbit_holidays when I was unable to do so! And she's been calling me regularly as well. I hope she's having a lovely weekend and a nice visit with sophinisba right now!

This afternoon, we are going to take a long ride out of town to visit some SCA friends of mine, who relocated to Oklahoma after Katrina. It's about a two or three hour drive, I'm told. I look forward to seeing Lord L. and Lady Z. and their family very much!

Oh--and it's a heck of a lot colder here than it was in Mississippi! *surprise*surprise*

Anyway, thanks to all of you for your good thoughts and prayers!!

Comments

[shirebound]

Glad you're getting settled! What do you think of Oklahoma so far? Do folks have a 'middle of the country' accent?

[dreamflower]

Well, it's gradual, but yes, we are getting settled!

Oklahoma is very different in some ways, though I am not sure how much of it is a difference of now living in a very small town as opposed to a city, and how much of it is a regional difference. I know that we were quite surprised at some of the regulations--they seem very strict on things we'd hardly given a thought to, and very lax on some things we are used to having more rules about. They actually have a dog license fee! I've heard of that, but never lived anywhere that they actually *had* one.

There *is* an accent difference. It's not the same at all as a Mississippi accent, but it does remind me a little of a Texas accent.

[elwenlj.livejournal.com]

Yay! Glad you've got settled in and comfy. Shame about the rewiring but checking sockets is not something most of us consider when walking around a house. So I can understand you missing it. Hope it won't cost you too much.

Happy New Year in your new home.

[dreamflower]

Well, really, I didn't think to count them; one's just used to having at *least* one on every wall, right?

Ah well, live and learn!

[surgicalsteel.livejournal.com]

Good to see you back, sweetie!

[dreamflower]

Great to *be* back!!

[fafojoy.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you're settled in and are learning the ways and means of the new area. I bet it is colder there! I have to admit that I once visited central Texas in winter and was a little surprised at how cold it was... the whole great plains/middle-west gets the snow and the winds.

[dreamflower]

It's definitely colder here, but still not as cold as I have been expecting it to be. But I keep getting told "just wait"...

[lily-the-hobbit.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear you're getting settled. Surely it will soon feel completely like home.

[dreamflower]

I hope so!

[grey-wonderer.livejournal.com]

Sounds like things are really coming together now. It is good to hear that you have things well in hand and the financial situation sounds so very promising. Looks like you enjoy Oaklahoma.

[dreamflower]

Yes, as long as nothing goes wrong between now and the closings, things are going to be much better!

[grey-wonderer.livejournal.com]

Spoken like a true believer in Murphy's Law.

I'm the same way.

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear that you're getting settled!!

(I just got to hug a danachan today when she came to pick sophinisba up)

[dreamflower]

Oh, lucky you! I have yet to meet Dana in RL, though I feel as though I have!

[pippinfan1.livejournal.com]

Wohoo!! You're up and running on your own computer! Looks like things will be looking up for you and your DH(after the re-wiring & plumbing), and that *is* an answer to prayer. Glad to see you're settling in nicely. :-)

[dreamflower]

Yes, it's coming together gradually!

[topaztook.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear you're getting settled. Sounds like maybe it is an older house, before everybody had so many things that need to be plugged in? Glad that it sounds like, after the closings, things will be good for you financially.

As for the cold: part of the fun of winter is snuggling up in blankies and reading or watching DVDs.

[dreamflower]

It's definitely an older house. But we are hoping to do a lot of fun things to it over the next couple of years.

Snuggling's always nice!

[elasg.livejournal.com]

Today in PA it sure felt like a MS winter...

I am glad to see you back on line and settled. :D

[poppymuddyfoot.livejournal.com]

There's nothing like moving to find out just how much stuff you really own, is there? I think I said it before, welcome to Oklahoma. As a native of OKC, I'm enjoying hearing what you think about OK, how it seems to someone from somewhere else. I had to laugh a little at Shirebound's question about the Okie accents. I've lived all over the world (military brat and veteran that I am), and nowhere else have I heard anything quite like the way we talk here. I was a broadcaster in the Air Force and it took them 4 months of daily voice training to get past the way I talked. Then after I got out of the service, I moved back to Oklahoma and got it all back again. If you've ever seen the movie Twister, listen to the extras talking, many of them were local people hired for the movie. And the actor Cary Elwes did such a splendid job capturing the accent that I didn't recognize him until halfway through the movie.
I am surprised that you're finding the weather so cold, because it actually seems fairly balmy to me. One thing you will find about the weather here is that it changes frequently. It can get very cold (we had highs in the teens in early December this past year), and it can be very hot in the summer. (Weeks of high temps in the 100s are not uncommon during July and August.) But for the most part, it's the unpredictability of the weather that keeps you on your toes. Fortunately, the weathermen here do a pretty good job of keeping us informed so we know whether to grab your heavy coat on the way out the door, or if it's safe to wear your shorts to the grocery store. And yes, you may need to do both in the same week. Just another thing to make life interesting here.
I don't know if you get OKC or Tulsa tv stations where you live, but here in OKC both the PBS and CBS stations have some great programs on things to do around the state. I've known some people who thought Oklahoma was boring, but I think it has more to do with how you choose to see it. There's an awful lot going on if you're willing to look for it. It may not be the same kinds of things you were used to doing in the big city, but that can be part of the fun too. Who knows, you may get hooked on something new and totally unexpected. Since you're a writer, you might enjoy hearing some of the wild tales spun by the local storyteller groups. Some of these people can tell stories so well that you can see and feel them as well as if you're watching them in a movie. The idea is to pass on stories of the state's past, both factual and fiction, much like the oral histories used to be past down through the generations. One of the best of these gatherings happens every year at Halloween near the old Army fort outside El Reno. They meet in the old cemetery there and tell stories about the people buried there. And there's an annual meeting at the National Western Heritage Museum where they have chuck wagon cookouts and storytelling around the fire. It's very atmospheric and a great deal of fun. And the chili is fantastic!
Okay, I'll get down off my soapbox now. Can you tell I'm very proud of my home state? Anyway, I hope you enjoy living here, too.
BTW, feel free to block this post or whatever. I realize that it's very long and probably won't interest anyone else, so I won't get my feelings hurt if you do.

[dreamflower]

No need to block it--it's very informative! I know that there seems to be a lot going on right now. The DH and I thought we were very lucky in moving to a state just as its having its Centennial! Yesterday we drove to Enid, to see my friends who'd moved there after Katrina, and I'm still adjusting to the countryside.

On the drive up, I loved looking at all the vistas, occasionally dotted with oil wells, which are still a novelty to us. Driving home in the dark was different. We were coming along one stretch of road, and it suddenly hit me--we were *not* driving over a long bridge across a bay! Yet the scenery in the dark looked very eerily *like* that! And we noticed that the highways are not really lit--we are used to lights a lot more!

Perhaps we can get together some day, and have a mini-hobbit-moot!

[poppymuddyfoot.livejournal.com]

Only if you're prepared for me to act like a giggling fangirl around you. I have loved your work for years, you are one of absolute favorite authors in fanfiction, and I'd probably go a little mental at the thought of actually getting to meet you. But if you're willing to put up with that, I'm certainly willing!

[dreamflower]

*blushes*

Well, I'm really very ordinary. Just a hobbit-lover with way too much time on her hands, actually. But if you like, I'd love to get together. It's so fun to meet fellow hobbit-lovers in person! Send me a private email, and we will see about working out the details. (aelfwina at gmail dot com)

[melilot-hill.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you're getting settled. I would never have thought of counting sockets either. You just expect them to be there :-)

[elenar.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear everything is getting settled. Good luck with the rewiring.

[lilybaggins.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you're settling in nicely. And one great thing about a smaller house: it forces you to organize, and it's much less to clean, which is extremely nice.

You and the DH are going to be old pros soon at home renovating!

[galadriel90.livejournal.com]

Hi, Dreamflower! I'm so glad you guys are settling in so nicely! (Well, there are of course things to get used to, but pretty nicely?) Oh yes, nothing like unpacking and trying to find all your stuff after a move. The only move I remember well wasn't even very far (fifteen minutes down the road, I'm not kidding), but by the time we got done packing and then unpacking again I really wished I had less junk. :)

How nice that your next-door neighbours are members of your new church and that you got to see some old friends!

All the best,
God bless,
Galadriel

[ansostuff.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad to hear you¨re settiling in nicely. I hope the plumbing and outlets and all that other fixing stuff goes nicely and smoothlig. Nothing is as annoying as if those kinds of things doesn't work. I hope you'll be happy in your new hobbit hole! :D

(((((many hugs))))