Change

 A lot has been happening around here. 

Dave had a birthday, his third covid birthday. We celebrated quietly. I gave him a new composter and a lot of chocolate and treats.

A few days before, Dave's sister was in town and she and Dave moved their mother into an assisted living facility. She's struggling a bit to settle in, but that's to be expected. Dave's sister stayed a few days after, but then returned home. Dave has been staying with his mother's dog, who is now our dog. He comes with the house that we're moving into next month.

Of course the house has to be cleared of Dave's mother's things first. A lot of it is personal belongings and stuff we just don't want or need. Dave's sister packed a handful of things she wanted to keep and Dave and I have been sorting through the rest. 

We've thrown away some, sorted out recycling, have filled four-plus big boxes of sell or donate things, and we haven't even gotten to the furniture, most of which will be going. Dave is going to keep the small piano, I think, and we'll keep the bookshelves (we're readers, there's always a need for bookshelves). We'll have to buy a couch because the old one is not great. Same story with the dining room table.

Once we clear out that house, then comes the awful task of moving out of our casita into the new house. I'm not looking forward to moving, for a host of reasons, not the least of which is that I love the casita and our living situation here. Too sad to leave it. Then there's the daunting prospect of getting our cat to somehow accept living with a dog. (The dog was raised with a cat, but Gray Kitty is not a fan of dogs.)

Maybe I'll just stay in the casita until Gray Kitty goes, which should only be another four or seven years or so.