This week will usher in a flurry of activity around the old homestead as we prepare for our first, and probably only, experience having strangers living in our house. We had pretty much given up on that idea of how to make a little extra sweet mullah. We had a number of inquiries over the last few months, but at the end of the day, no one had come through with an actual deposit of money to hold the place. C’est la vie. No harm, no foul, and not much lost in the preparation in terms of money. After all, we’re content to live in our house and have no one to care for Skippy yet.

Skippy with one of his many hedgehogs.

Now we have a fish on the line and so this week will see us scurrying doing a final empty of drawers and closets, getting rid of more stuff because that just makes good sense, and cleaning the bejesus out of everything. I actually have a list and a schedule in order to make this deadline. Who knew I was so capable of being organized?

The long term plan still remains for our son Andrew and his girlfriend Jill to find jobs here in the Tacoma area and join another young couple (best friends forever) in renting this house.  Andrew just finished that GIS certification to add to his Bachelor’s Degree in Archeology/Geology. He’s looking for his first GIS gig. He’s a hard worker and plays well with others. Keep your eyes open, okay?

Five years of full time school. He is so ready to be done. With dualing computer screens, he is seriously a chip off the old block.

Jill graduates from Western Washington University today. Go Jill! We are so proud of her. She’s a fine artist and her degree is in alternative Arts Education from Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies. She went to high school at the Tacoma School of the Arts. I think she must have known her general destiny for years. We are looking forward to seeing how her career evolves.

How can this have been an entire year ago? Dan and Claire are back in Guatemala, Jill is wearing the mortarboard this year.

It’s kind of amusing to me that this idea of the younger generation living in the family home is turning out to be the actual plan because years ago, before any of them had finished school, much less had jobs, they all fantasized about living here together when we went gallivanting over the sea. We scoffed. We couldn’t see how they would pull that off.  Now, that’s actually the plan. Why would we scoff at the machinations of youth? Stupid middle aged people. Have we forgotten youth’s magic? Sheesh, I hope not.

So we will get a week of living aboard at the end of the month while our house makes us a little money to earmark for something required on the boat.  We are allowed to spend up to 8 nights/month on board without being considered ‘live aboards’, so that’s perfect. We are looking forward to it.