The Arrival

While my husband came down to Sarasota ahead of the van and was here to supervise the unloading and tentative placement of its contents I was lolling about in Manhattan getting "culture," seeing friends, and as my inner voice proclaimed firmly "not pulling your oar."  But my spouse was adamant that I had done my bit in packing all the paintings, sort of crating them actually, and more to the point,  as he did indeed insist, I was "frail," and would be in the way.  Okay.  So I had fun in New York and even took a side trip to Washington to see the galleries and dine with old friends.  As one of those fun ironic tricks that fate employs to liven up things I hurt my knee while demonstrating to a very elderly neighbor in our building in New York that I could rise from a chair without needing the support of arm rests and on one occasion of this supreme braggadocio pulled something or other, so that throughout my stay I tended to totter, very much the "frail" person I had been designated.  I arrived in Sarasota yesterday morning early, and when the friend who had picked me up brought me to the apartment he joined my husband and me in immediately setting to and hanging paintings.  Hitting the ground running is my and my husband's managerial style so it was only after a few hours of this nailing and positioning and using the level that I noticed my surroundings.  My, my we brought a lot of stuff down from up North.  Yes, yes, it's all going to fit just fine, we knew what we were doing, but my, my there is a lot to set away, sorted out, thought through, and very quietly I understood that it would take a week or so.  I am not at my best in disorganization, neither is he, so we are drawing deep breaths and keeping a "this too shall pass" mood of utter disengagement from the proceedings.  It is the morning of day two and I had a very good sleep after having treated that darling spouse to a giant steak dinner at a way way high end upscale steak joint which brought the end of the day into a delightful focus as we yet again realized how much we loved being able to walk across the street well, maybe two and one part is walking through a mall parking lot--not quite the bliss I paint!--and of course the temperature was ninety something and the humidity maybe sixty five so it was not sylvan bliss or balmy moments, but, hey, to walk to walk to urban destinations, and find a huge steak at the end of the journey.  We smiled and laughed and joked throughout the dinner.  I have to say that both of us have been so happy and pleased from the moment we conceived this mad cap scheme of moving permanently to Sarasota and our good mood prevails through all the boxes, and litter that is everywhere.