Being in Between: Nesting, Perching and Shopping

So, we are “home” for now, in a cute little house close to the Deschutes River and Downtown Bend. I spent the week in Portland at a bodywork course, and Jeff took some of that time to empty our storage unit in Portland and move those things into our new place. Before we moved to Germany, we sold and gave away just about everything. There was no way to possibly imagine that we’d be in a place of needing those things again less than a year later! Still, we kept some heirloom antiques, including a table and armchair, along with some framed artwork. All of those things have made living in our little house more comfortable. Our crate of German goods has been held up in Los Angeles for inspections of some kind. Not only do we need to wait longer for dishes, sheets, mattresses and our couch, but we have to pay for the inspections and storage of our goods while they wait there! The injustice!Knowing that our goods are coming makes us very reluctant to buy anything… While I am thrilled to be in a place of our own for the first time in what feels like forever, we can’t really dig in yet. Plus, knowing that we will soon be packing it all up again kind of drains me of enthusiasm. Still, I know that getting to England in a few months will not be arrival at “home.”  We will live in a hotel for at least two weeks, possibly longer if we can’t find a rental right away. Then, it will be another month or so of camping out, waiting for our goods to arrive on that end. So I still feel it’s important to fully appreciate the fact that we are living in our own space now, and have a real need to make it home for now.
And there is just no getting around a couple of wonderful things– we are in a cute house, and the shopping here is amazing! No, I’m not talking about fancy stores and boutiques. I am just loving that I can go to World Market and find cute, practical things for cheap. And TJ Maxx! And Target! It’s all so reasonable, and the selection is fantastic. I never would have even know this, if I hadn’t spent so much time frustrated as I was trying to get these things in Germany. I know these goods will be very expensive in England as well, so there is a bit of a catch-22 going on– the need to conserve money now, but needing certain things and knowing we would have to spend a whole lot more on them later. Here’s something funny:  I was able to pick up an awesome German chef’s knife on clearance here, which I never, ever would have been able to afford in Germany! Other things I’ve wished for are kitchen utensils and ceramics like these:

As soon as we found out that we were going to be moving into this house, I went and bought this elegant little water dispenser (with discounts, only $10!) at World Market, knowing it would look so pretty on these white counters:

So, although it’s all very tentative, I’m having fun. There is one little spot in our house that is composed and really pleasant– our little eating nook in the kitchen.
 
The news that we’re making another major move is still so fresh for us, and it’s a strange time of limbo. We love our new little house, but we are already looking for homes near Cambridge as well! I am so glad that I love setting up living spaces…

(P.S.– Just thought I’d mention that my post about Bavarian food has been featured here on Expatica.com.)