The cold (okay, bitter cold) we’ve been enjoying of late, reminds me of the year’s I lived in northern New England; and some days I actually miss it!

I may have mentioned before that I lived in New Hampshire for a few years. While I was there I spent about a year living with my brother Bill and sister-in-law Judi; oh, and two cats–Freep and Mouse. I was unemployed then and was able to cobble together some temporary jobs to make some money.  Student loans, car payments, rent, something had to give; and thanks to Bill and Judi, the fact that I couldn’t afford my rent anymore did not leave me homeless.

Their apartment was not huge, by any means, and was up on a second floor.  I don’t think it was ever intended to be a 2-bedroom place!  I had furniture, books, kitchen stuff, clothes; my life basically, from my 4-room apartment, that somehow needed to be either put in storage or incorporated into their place.  My sister-in-law moved her studio from one of the rooms into the living room to make room for a bed, dresser, and nightstand.  A corner closet was stuffed with my clothes, shoes, and other “must haves” not relegated to either basement or attic storage.  My living room furniture was a challenge–the loveseat made a very nice addition to the hallway in front of a window and a great place for Freep to lie in the sun!

Three adults, two cats, one bathroom, somehow we made it work.  Bill and Judi opened their home to me. They gave me a space that I could call my own and made me feel like I was more than just a visitor, it was my home, too.  When I was finally ready to move back out on my own (after we’d moved ALL of our things to another apartment), I think we all breathed a sigh of relief.

There is no way I could have made it through that crazy time in my life, as well as some others, without them.  Thank you, Bill and Judi.  Love you!