Coming Home to a New Place

Okay, you followed the travail of the move. Now we are here and I want to share what makes all the struggle worthwhile.

Charlie was born in Arizona and we both grew up here. Due to circumstances beyond our control the kind of home we hoped for as kids never quite came to be. We both took off on our own eventually and built lives, got jobs, worked, had a part in raising some kids not ours by birth but that we cared for deeply, and finally reached the age to retire. At that point we were both again single, me as a widow and Charlie ending a two decade plus marriage with a legal separation. At that point we decided to combine forces and share whatever the future might hold. Yes, new SOs could come into both our lives but that was not guaranteed and we'd work that out if and when it happened.

So first we moved from Colorado (where he'd worked for long years) to New Mexico, and for awhile hoped we had come to a good place. Time began to reveal that we had not. I've already talked of our decision to return to Arizona. We finally settled on the southeast corner, Cochise County. I had lived here the longest of any place in my life and left in 2008 in an attempt to reinvent my life after my husband's death. Charlie had been through starting with a drive-through in 1969 with our parents from their temporary residence in Grant County, NM. He'd been back to visit me several times but still just going through or by. He came over last May to get a better look once we decided this area was probably our best choice. He came home a little dismayed at not finding close to what we wanted. But then the very next day a new listing popped up. We both saw it and thought, "Yes" even before we compared notes. He came back as soon as he could and sent glowing reports to me. We felt sure we were not likely to find more things we wanted in one place. By the first of July, it was ours.

Ours--a five acre long narrow strip just south of I-10 between Benson and Tucson, fenced for livestock, its own well and septic, mostly in natural high desert vegetation with rabbits, birds and a neighborhood mule deer herd!  Although the north fence is on the freeway right of way line, we're a bit higher and the noise is not overwhelming, just a muted hum most of the time. We can even hear trains although the UP main line is about two miles farther north, across the highway and past the little village of Mescal.  We are down about 100 yards from our street, a paved road with minimal flash flood danger and our ranchette is sitting between four "horsey" places.

The house--nearly 2000 square feet under one roof, a split floor plan giving us each privacy and room for projects, big porches for the outdoor living we enjoy and some outbuildings for storage and future workshops. I liked the pictures, trusted Charlie's impressions and knew it would be okay before I saw it. Yes, it is a bit dated in many aspects but homey and rustic and right for us. At 76 and 68 we are a bit dated too!! The house started life in about 1989 as a top of the line Cavco double wide modular. It has been remodeled and added to with 12' wide porches the full length both front and back, an over sized two car garage, and some other structures, clustered in kind of the center of the length of the lot.  All we lack really is a stove or fireplace--you just cannot beat a real live fire for feeling warm!--but that is in the works and will be ready by next winter if not sooner.  The real home and simple comfort we longed for is here and ours at last

And now Pictures; some in this and more in a second post

Courtyard off back porch/patio

Red Dog Room --1st day

Red Dog room today

Red Dog Room today

Project Room moving in

Project Room today

Project Room 2 (RD rm thru door)

 My room (the Red Dog Room since they share it!)  is the master bedroom, 12' X 15' with an attached bath and sits in the SW corner of the house. The project room was intended for dining I think but is very good for my craft and sewing area. Right now our freezer and 2nd fridge are there. That may change or not--we'll see. 

Next post for other rooms and the outside things.