Moved In!

After resolving a problem with Italy customs, our household shipment arrived on July 20, three weeks after moving into our house. I think I wrote in an earlier blog that I didn't mind living without our stuff because our lives were simple and we were content. But after about 10 days, that feeling wore off and we were anxious to get our things. It was the little stuff that I wanted and needed: a garlic press, the dog nail trimmers, a change of sheets, my Italian cookbook. We also needed our bikes so that if Jim drove to work, I had a way to get off the hill, and if I needed the car, he could ride into work.

The unpacking went well after the movers found our house. This is becoming a common problem, and I'm having to learn phrases such as "the very end of the road," "the last house on the paved road," and "follow the signs for Via Prulla 72-76." You see, our address according to the owner is Via Prulla 1/A. It makes sense because our neighbor, who built this house, has a number 1 on her gate, but apparently the city has recently renumbered all of the houses, and we are no longer 1/A, although that is what's on every contract and document we've signed. Our neighbor's new number is 76, so we are either 77 or 76/A, but no one seems to know or care. I talked to the postman, and he says he will deliver the mail to us for 1/A, so now I just need to learn how to tell people to get here.

It took most of a week to get unpacked and set up. We're mostly satisfied with the 8,000+ pounds of gear that we chose to bring with us (fortunately we didn't bring the 12,000 pounds we originally planned); however, given this particular house, we should have left behind more of our photos and brought a chainsaw and our gas-powered weed trimmer instead. It's strange to see our furniture in this Italian farmhouse, but we are very comfortable, as this picture of Jim shows, and we are now accepting reservations for our spare bedroom!