Movin' On

I posted on FB that my heavy-duty vise needed a
new home. My friend and fellow welder,
Jody B. adopted it! Thanks Jody :)

The buyers of our house want to close on or before November 3. While both sales on the homes appear to be going swimmingly, I won’t say we have “bought a new house” until the keys are in hand or the first (of many!) mortgage payment is made. There are still SO MANY important details that have to be done that have NOTHING to do with the actual purging, packing or moving. There are the home inspections, the “health and safety repairs” that MUST be done on both properties, appointments for installers, plumbing/heating and electrical inspectors, as-built surveys, appraisals, realtors, mortgage companies, title companies, costs, FEES and more fees. But hands down the big daily project for me has been downsizing my metal shop/garage and an overall organizing and purging of the house and studio. We will need to build a shop and garage at the new house when time and money allow. Currently there is a charming, vintage single car garage and ALL of our tools will need to fit inside for the winter. I will have a nice, roomy and sunny studio in the house but it will be a bit smaller than what I’ve been used to. All of this has forced me to take a hard look at what actual art making I will be doing in the next year and letting go of the unnecessary art supplies and tools. My heavy-duty vise didn’t make the cut this weekend. She’s been sweet, and even held my anvel (which I’m not letting go) but the space the vise and base would take up made it necessary for her to find a new home with my friend Jody B. Jody, makes these killer fire bowls and his vise had just broke a couple weeks ago- good timing for him, huh?! I also had a dozen gridwall panels that I’d used in shows that weighed a ton, and also took up a lot of space. With no shows scheduled for me in the near future, bye-bye panels. Happy to say that the Girdwood Center for Visual Arts via Gina E. adopted all of my gridwall panels. Knowing that these and other items will be put to good use warms my Art Heart. I’m staying on task but this has been an emotional month for me.  Besides being reminded at every Rubbermaid tub I empty that I may have hoarding tendencies, watching that vise drive away atop Jody’s flat bed trailer was tough. Last night it looked like my little pony literally riding away from me in the sunset.