In Our Bruce Park Era

 

I'm generally not a nag.

You need to know if you don't, that I hate nagging. 

But the process of being able to move has been borderline ridiculous and I've had to remain aggressive on getting information.

At last check, word was that the current tenant (it's still their place until midnight) would be moving out and cleaning would take place.

As of this morning, I heard that we'd be allowed to start moving in tomorrow.

So I did a little detective work. Take it from me: the tenant(s) is/are gone and things look clean.

Admittedly, I passed that news along. You'd think -- at that point -- I'd get the "all clear" and I'm telling you I would have made several runs back and forth.

But, not so much. 

Instead, I went about shopping to get drinks for our movers (now, apparently, growing to be a few more people thanks to Sean's friends).

And I decided I'd come back home. You know, to our current home. 

I packed my car.

So it's ready and you better believe I'll start moving stuff first thing tomorrow morning. As tempting as it is to go over at midnight tonight, I won't go that far.

With that, I'm back in the Bruce Park place. 

I can never quite put into words what this apartment will mean to me and I'm sure I can speak for Sean here.

I've told the story before. We got the news that the buyers of my parents' house were ready to close and move in. Basically, we had about three weeks to move out and find a new place for me.

I had been looking for something with no success since just after Mom passed. 

Thankfully, I wrote a post here and my landlord -- a friend -- reached out to me. I drove by a few hours later and saw the outside. Then I came back a few days later and walked inside.

I wanted it. Immediately.

We began moving on May 23, 2022, and I started living here on May 25.

We were fortunate. So fortunate. It had room for me. It had a deck. A washer/dryer combo. It was small but just right. It had plenty of storage. It also had a room that Sean could use when he visited.

Yeah, about that. We've noted that, basically, he moved in. We've noted or at least hinted at the reasons. We're not here for that today. I'd never treat my son like that and he knows it.

So it became our sanctuary.

People didn't visit enough but that's our fault. I'm not one to set up a housewarming gathering and I always thought it would be a little tight to do that here.

But there were certain people in our world who never visited and that's a shame.

They can always visit our new place.

Mahopac is in our hearts but this became our home.

We also knew it was fleeting. We hoped to stay longer but it wasn't meant to be and we received that bad news back in April.

After assessing things, I began to turn the page. There's so much I'll miss. The deck. The washer/dryer in the apartment. The attic storage.

But there are also things I won't miss.

The parking and, most notably, Floyd. I'm sure Floyd is a nice, hard-working soul. But his van is on the street near where we wanted to park my car almost every day. And he has a nearby driveway that he could use but doesn't.

So many nights I'd come home -- especially after nearby Bruce Park Grill reopened -- that I'd scuffle to find parking.

Yes, I had a place in the driveway but Sean tended to get that. It was just easier to let him have it. A lot of times, I would just block him in if I couldn't find a place. It wasn't ideal but we made it work.

But, yeah, if you know Greenwich, you know parking is an issue.

I probably won't miss the roar of I-95 and the train tracks out back. I mean, this was hardly a dealbreaker and I often enjoyed watching traffic roll by. But that hum never stopped. Literally, it never stopped. 

I won't miss the horn honking. We live in such a horribly impatient world and whether it was delivery trucks of all sizes or people struggling at the four-way stop, the horns would sound out from roughly 7 a.m. to 12 midnight daily.

My bedroom tended to be the warmest room in the apartment. So many times I didn't need a blanket. I never complained since the apartment was always so comfortable and Sean said the temperature was fine.

Regardless of the season, my room was often very toasty. Bundling up to sleep -- which I like -- wasn't necessary.

Oh yeah, and I'm hoping the electric bill isn't as high as it was here. That wasn't fun as I paid double of what my parent's house was.

But I'll miss the vibe here. Despite the noise, I'll miss the convenience of being so close to 95 and the train station. 

While I didn't love patrons of the Grill making noise while I was trying to sleep, I'll miss looking out the window at it. People here in town have pined for it to reopen for four years and it was exciting to be one of their first customers a few months ago. That being said, we'll be a five-minute drive away.

I'll miss our landlord. Oh, we'll still be friends and colleagues but he was incredibly responsive to any concerns and we each knew we were here if the other needed. When there was water pouring through my ceiling one night, he had it quickly resolved. 

It was a joy to live here and I'll look back with great fondness for this time.

It was a time of transition, definitely for me. 

And this was the perfect place for us to be comfortable.

In all likelihood, I'll be writing from a new location tomorrow.

It's empty and it's waiting for us to occupy it.

Thank you forever, Bruce Park.

I'm hoping new opportunities will follow this move.

A new era dawns at midnight.

(I just nagged for more answers. This is insane.)