Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans...
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| our beautiful red house |
....Boston!
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| Um, did you hear that they are supposed to get 3 feet of snow this weekend? |
So, for the last few months, since we got wind of a possible move, garden expansion has come to a halt. My garden as well as the blogosphere has been somewhat neglected as we have been researching the Boston area and taking a couple trips up to visit. My in-laws made sure we saw the beauty of the Northeast and talked up the area quite a bit (as they could barely contain their excitement at the thought of grandchildren living nearby!)
Beautiful fall color!
Pick your own apple orchards!
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Dirt so amazing, the plants evidently grow so well that they swallow large buildings whole!
Of course, I had a couple reservations. I might have been born in the Northeast and even lived in Alaska when I was young (as Mr. Red House pointed out), but I haven't lived up north since college days, and I have never actually (successfully) driven in snow before.
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| Um, what are these for again? |
And I would certainly miss our friends and our close-knit neighborhood. But neither I nor Mr. Red House ever got to live near our grandparents, and the thought of my kids growing up so close to theirs just warms my heart. (Now I just have to get my parents to move close by!)
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| on a walk with her Grandpa |
So I might not be blogging quite so much for the next couple months as we prepare to get our house on the market and move, but I will be back in full force eventually! I will miss my Red House garden here in North Carolina, as well as my little backyard wildlife community.
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| Noooooo!! You can't take the bird feeders away from us!!! |
But planning my next Red House Garden will be sure to be fun as well, with a whole new set of challenges and lessons in store, and a whole new family of squirrels to thwart!
Which leads me to wonder......what color will our next house be?!
First of all, congratulations on Mr. RH's new job! Yes, it will take you away from an area you had hoped to stay in but perhaps you can find a new Red House in the Boston area? (then you wouldn't have to change the name of your blog - ha ha!)
ReplyDeleteI have been in Raleigh recently. It's beautiful there but very very hot in summer.
We have also vacationed in Boston and just loved it! So close to Portland Maine and to Cape Cod.
I love change and would like the chance to create a brand new garden! Best of luck to you, Indie!
Thank you! Mr. Red House is actually the one who really wanted a red house, so you never know, we might end up with a red house again! Raleigh is way too hot in the summer - you can't really go outdoors during summer, so that is a plus for moving north! I will definitely be reading all of you northern gardener blogs for gardening advice!
DeleteCongratulations on your next adventure. Can't wait to hear all about it :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'll be sure to keep everyone updated, especially as we find a new house and start on our new, more northern, garden!
DeleteCongratulations on this special opportunity! We lived in Boston for a few years. I loved the area but not the weather. When the winter gets too long check out the Lyman Greenhouse where they grow Camellias and lots of other wonderful plants indoors. There are also several garden centers with acres under cover so you can pretend to be in a warmer place.
ReplyDeleteYou can learn to drive in bad weather, being relaxed about it is the most important part.
Thanks for the tips! I'll be sure to check out the Lyman Greenhouse when I start going stir-crazy from gardening withdrawal!
DeleteThat's big news in your family's life! I hope that your move goes well. I am in the process of moving right now but we're staying in the same city so I don't have to learn about gardening in a new climate like you will.
ReplyDeleteI spent some time in Boston this summer and I was charmed by all the gardens I saw in the city while we walked around. I think you'll like it there.
Go Red Sox!
I hope everything goes well with you with moving as well! Boston seems like they have some great gardening communities, and there are so many conservation areas around. I'm sure I'll enjoy it!
Deletehow wonderful to be near famiy and get a new garden..and of course we all go with you I can wait to see what new name you give your blog!
ReplyDeleteIt will definitely be great to be near family. We'll have to see what happens with my blog name!
DeleteCongratulations, I am certain you will have a lot of fun in Boston, but I would not like to be in all that snow.. nooo thank you! We are lucky enough to have our children's grandparents in the area, and it is wonderful. I'm so sad to lose a gardening neighbor that I *just* found, though!
ReplyDeleteI know, it's been so long since I've had to deal with a long winter that I'm a little nervous. If next winter I start babbling about gardening withdrawal like a mad woman, you'll know it's gotten to me!
DeleteThat is too bad to lose a gardening neighbor! At least I feel like we garden bloggers are a great community, no matter where we live!
Awww, I loved the sweet photo of grandpa with your daughter. That will be priceless and definitely worth the move. I know it's hard, but you'll find some benefits in your new garden (sounds like you already have). And we'll look forward to hearing about it!
ReplyDeleteThank you! It will be so great to live near family. And of course, it will be fun to plant a new garden!
DeleteThey have red houses in New England too! Lots of them, and you will find just the right one for your family -- even in another color maybe.
ReplyDeleteHow fun to be starting a new garden in a new zone. Right now, in the middle of a blizzard it's hard to imagine your move from down south, but you will love it up here. After the snow.
I hope so! Actually, I don't think I've seen anywhere more beautiful than New England in the fall. And the summers will be much nicer than the hot North Carolina summers (where it's too hot to go outdoors)!
DeleteCongratulations for the new job, and the big move to come. As someone who has lived in 23 houses in 2 countries I know what an upheavel it is to move house, and garden! I think I miss my gardens more than the houses I have left. But planning is key, you can bring a lot from your old garden if you have time enough. Good luck with everything!
ReplyDeleteI don't know how much I'll be able to bring up, especially since we'll be living with my in-laws for awhile while the house sells before getting another one, but I should be able to get a few up there at least. Wow, 23 houses! That's a lot of gardens to leave.
DeleteHi Indie, I can't imagine moving, but you know me; I'm nailed to this patch of dirt I was born on and I only want to leave here horizontally.
ReplyDeleteI think it will be wonderful to have family nearby, though. That will make the move worth it.
Don't worry about winter driving, you'll get the hang of it. It's the winter ice walking you have to worry about; I still have a bruise from my latest ice folly escapade but I'm sure you are WAY more coordinated than I am!
Good luck to you on your move; thank goodness we bloggers can still stay in touch no matter where we roam.
And I'm hoping that THIS will be the final move! (Though I said that the last time..)
DeleteAnd you are assuming a lot by thinking that I am more coordinated than you :) In fact, I am actually known by all my friends and family as being the uncoordinated one! Uh-oh!
Hi Indie! Many congratulations to Mr Red House - you have a busy time ahead of you! With a change such as this, comes opportunity and new things to learn (such as driving in snow). I like the Boston area - isn't the climate conducive to growing a great range of plants? Your kids will love seeing their family and imagine the fun they will have in all that snow... And just think... If you don't want to drive in it, you can always stay home and blog.
ReplyDeleteYes, I am excited to grow some of the plants that don't really thrive down here due to the heat. It will be a great learning experience, if nothing else!
DeleteWelcome to India
ReplyDeleteMoving to Boston?
There is your home where you are ...
I know that you love the Red House, a new love.
A snow? Well get used to it.
In my country, they are cold and lots of snow. Every day it rains.
I long for spring, c ieplem, flowers.
I cordially greet the snowy Polish.
Lucia
I have some Polish friends that tell me how long and cold the winters are there. Even Boston won't be quite as cold as there, I don't think. You must really long for spring after such a long winter!
DeleteGood luck on the move Indie. I suggest you build a small red house in your garden! Then it won't matter what color is the main house. You will get to find the snow drivable too. We had a foot yesterday and I drove to my doctor's appointment in the mini blizzard without a care. You just get used to it.
ReplyDeleteThat is a fabulous idea! I can just see a cute red bird house or some such decorating the garden! My husband actually adores having a red house (he did pick the color, after all), so if the house we buy needs repainting at all, we could very well end up with a red house. We'll see what happens..
DeleteCongratulations and good luck! New England is a beautiful, I am sure you will love it. And just think of all the new plants you will buy. Taking any with you?
ReplyDeleteI'll probably take a couple, but not too many. The logistics of getting plants up there would be rather difficult. I'm not sure if our stuff will end up in storage for a long time or not, so we'll see!
DeleteIndie I never thought I would move either until a job brought us to this blank slate garden. I am so glad we did move even though we get more snow here. I love the wildness of my suburban garden and it has been delightful making a new garden....I have a sister-in-law about 45 minutes west of Boston and where she lives is just gorgeous...near Concord actually. You will find such a wonderful house and garden...what a treat to be near the grandparents...good luck and I wish you well on your new adventure!! Oh and I wouldn't be surprised if you had another Red House :)
ReplyDeleteWest of Boston is where my in-laws live and where we will be looking for a house. It is a very beautiful area! And it will be lots of fun planning and creating a new Red House garden!
DeleteWe live near my wife's parents, so I can tell you that it is very fun for the kids. I think grandparents (don't tell anyone I said this) feel a little bad about all the times they would lets their kids have fun, so they try to be twice as much fun with the grand kids to make up for it. I hope you can relax a little during the move. Things get so stressful and it is hard to remember that this is only a phase. That little trinket that seems so important to bring may only make it into the attic. If all else fails, try a nice glass of wine, it works even if there is snow on the ground (maybe a white wine ;)
ReplyDeleteThe kids are definitely going to love being near the grandparents, and the grandparents already try to spoil them rotten! I will certainly try to relax - we're at the getting the house decluttered and ready to put on the market phase. Then we'll be at the keep the house clean while kids are living in it phase. I might need some wine! ;)
DeleteHow exciting to be moving near family - and a great opportunity to boot! I hope the sale of your home, as well as finding a new one, goes smoothly. I love your red house, and I hope you find another one with as much personality.
ReplyDeleteThank you! For our next house we will probably end up getting an older house, and personality and character is one of the things we are definitely looking for!
DeleteCongratulations! I think it is good to go with an open mind and heart. Embrace the changes! I think you will find the soil much more gardener friendly. I hope you find a wonderful home with lots of character and I am sure that the wildlife will find your garden in Boston too! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThe soil can't be much worse than our terrible red clay, can it? I don't think I'll even know what to do with soil that you can just dig in without a pickaxe! What a wonderful place that would be! :)
DeleteOh what a grand adventure you are beginning! It has been ten years since we made such a move from our beautiful gardens... it is so much fun to begin anew. Enjoy every minute of your journey!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm sure I will enjoy finding our next garden and place to live!
DeleteExciting news. I agree with Karin/Southern Meadows - Boston may be colder, but it has to be easier to garden there than here!
ReplyDeleteI sure hope so! I'm not even sure I'd know what to do with dirt that wasn't solid clay! ;)
DeleteHAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO YOU!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd to you too! I hope you have a good one!
DeleteBoston is a great city and driving in snow is easy once you get the hang of it. This move is bound to be the start of a whole new gardening adventure.
ReplyDeleteyou too! Congratulations on the new job, and how wonderful as things come together.
ReplyDeleteWhile we wait to sell our house, I've started a new blog to plan the new garden. Playing with paint colours for the next house by trying them out on the blog, to see how I live with them. A warm sea-glass green, some red seaweed accents, dark grey granity tiles on the floor, and a warm ivory sand on the walls.
This news must be thrilling and devastating in equal measures. But if I had to move anywhere it would be New England, and Boston is such a fabulous city. My oldest son graduated from college in 2011 and moved there, and my best friend lives there as do many college friends. And just think, vacations in Maine.
ReplyDeleteGood luck in your adventure. Looking at the map I can see that in Winter it would be colder. Never mind at least Boston gets warm Summers unlike the dreich stuff we get in Aberdeen.
ReplyDeleteThat's exciting and heart-wrenching all at the same time, I'll bet. We would love to live closer to grandparents, too. Seeing them twice a year just isn't enough!
ReplyDeleteBest of luck on your new adventure!
Oh I envy you the opportunity to start afresh somewhere new. Of course you'll need a red house again, xx
ReplyDeleteDear INDIE!
ReplyDeleteI send you greetings on the occasion of Women's Day.
I greet the Polish far!
Lucia