It’s always daunting to move to a new place. My husband has only done it a few times, five to be exact. I’ve been in 13 different locations in numerous housing (for example, dorm to apt. in the same town, which is not counted here).
While it’s good to see a place before one moves there, that has not been the case some of the time. In the ten years my husband and I have been together, sometimes we move and stay in a hotel while I find a neighborhood and home we can live with. We don’t know the neighborhoods, the neighbors or anything about the community at large except what I’ve researched.
It takes some time but every place we’ve been there are kind people that we socialize with, help out when they’re in need, whether they’re ill or need help carrying something heavy (Jim does that).
In return, I get matzoh ball soup when I’m sick, and invitations to special occasions and events. Yes, it’s frightening to move across the country with no friends and no idea where to live, but I know now that I can make friends anywhere. A few days after negotiating the streets of Glasgow, Scotland where we spent several months on assignment, I was the target for every Japanese tourist and expected to know the tourism office, train stations, post offices and places to buy international postcard stamps without going to the post office. It was a wonderful trip and thanks to a US girlfriend we got to do many day trips and see southern Scotland.
We’re thinking of having a get-together for our newfound friends from the neighborhood and a few others who’ve been so kind to take care of dog Zoe when we’ve been out of town. I’m thinking weekend late-afternoon drop-in for hors d’oeuvres et al. Any suggestions let me know. I’m thinking of the menu but need the oven fixed first. Also it would be nice to have a clean house. As Julia said, in this servant-less household my husband can be trusted to take out the dog and pick up ice. That’s a start. Cooking for 30 people is all me. Help! Dee
Cooking with Dee 