Skip to main content

One Down

So, No. 1 just moved out of the house for good. I mean just about 15 minutes ago. She and her father are driving to California, taking five days to get there, and then Eustacia and I will fly out next Friday to join them.

We'll help furnish her new apartment, get her kitchen in order and make sure she has what she needs to start her new academic life at Berkeley. In between those tasks, we'll spend a couple of days in Yosemite and a couple of days in Sonoma and maybe a day or two in San Francisco. I've been trying to convince No. 1 that we need to visit Alcatraz, but she isn't interested.

All of this will be exciting stuff, but at the moment all I can think of is how my little girl, my firstborn, will never live in this house again. I know grown kids sometimes move back home, but that's usually under duress, and we probably won't be living here if and when that happens. What if she needs to move in with us when we're old and living in some wicker and pastel bungalow in Florida (shoot me)?

Here are some things I can look forward to in this next phase of life:

• trips to California
• turning No. 1's bedroom into the spare room of my dreams
• purging closets and dresser drawers of old clothes she left behind

But for now, I think I'll just be sad.

Comments

dive said…
Don't be sad, Robyn; she'll be back in a couple of years when she drops out of college to live in your basement with her new kid, her crack-dealing boyfriend and his biker gang … er … I'm not helping here, am I?

You know she'll do brilliantly and have a marvellous time and you shall have a great time too, visiting her in sunny (er … foggy) Berkeley. You may even manage to persuade one of the girls to take you to Alcatraz.
And think what you can do with her room! Yay!
9:35 AM
savannah said…
they never really leave home, sugarpie! xoxox

(still laughing at dive's comment!)
10:37 AM
Shan said…
Well, my lower lip just went out in sympathy Robyn, because I just can't imagine. Let yourself be sad but I love your ever positive attitude and the way you can still list things to look forward to. You are so level headed. :)
12:06 PM
debra said…
My #1 will be 21 on Tuesday. On Wednesday she's meeting friends in NYC to look for an apartment. She told me that this will be the last summer she lives here..... sigh.
8:18 PM
Shazza said…
It's a weird transition isn't it Robyn? My #1 is living full time in Chicago and #2 although never formally moved out is transforming our basement into a small apartment for herself and her boyfriend.

Cheers! Here is to our children!
10:13 PM
Cheltenhamdailyphoto said…
Oh darling Robyn! I cried. I know how this feels. My eldest two are at uni but are based living with Dad anyway, it's only the youngest one who still lives with me. It hurts. Be sad; somehow I think it's important. I wouldn't turn her bedroom into the spare toooooooo soon if I were you, wait a while. Look also, as you are doing, to the positives i.e. those trips to California! Wow. That'll be such fun, as will your helping her to settle in. How come they're taking 5 days and you're flying out afterwards? Just a fun way round it all?
Alcatraz would indeed be interesting. I'd come with you! lol.
Even though my eldest two are not with me, they're still here and when they come to stay, they just slot right in like they never went away, you'll see, don't worry. As Savannah says, they never REALLY leave home. Lots of love, xxxxx
7:33 AM
Cheltenhamdailyphoto said…
Actually only one of my eldest is based at Dad's now, the other has his own house shared with friends, but is loving his independence, his new life - they grow, Robyn, they go, but they're always here with us. Always.
7:34 AM
Scout said…
Dive, you have such a positive outlook on the future. hee hee

Savannah, I suppose you're right. xoxox

Shan, you're a few years away from this, right? I've already started clearing out the closet. Next up, the dresser drawers, and then maybe I'll change the curtains.

Debra, welcome. NYC is a fun place. You can live vicariously.

Shazza, I thought of you yesterday because you're sort of going through the opposite thing right now.

Cheri, hey! Congratulations. Or should we be saying "oy," too?

Lynn, you're right and so thoughtful. I think the only difference is distance—the US is so big that a kid can move all the way to California and still be in the same country. They drove because she needed to take her car out there. We didn't want to spend five days in a car, so we're flying.
8:58 AM
MmeBenaut said…
Ah, Robyn, I can empathise although I've not had my own children move away. But my mother and brother live in Queensland which is 2 and a half hours' flight time away. I miss them and would love to be closer to my brother and young nephew but we only get to see them every few years. We have the same issues with living in a huge country.
But for now, I think that Lynn is right. Let yourself be sad for a while although I notice you're already busy clearing out things ready to turn that room into one of your own. It's a good thing to be busy when you're sad. I hope that you'll feel better once you've been to California and seen her apartment.
12:57 AM
Alifan said…
Big hugs sent your way Robyn, you know they never really leave you......but us mothers are meant to worry about our offspring... as mine get older I just want them to be happy ... I still worry and think they worry about me....

But you have given her a good grounding in life which will be with her always....
5:53 AM
Dick Farrell said…
You forgot three things that the future holds for you, Robyn.

1. Wedding.
2. Daughter's husband (your new son).
3. Grandchildren.

As sure as "The Graduate" was filmed at Berkely, they will happen sooner rather than later.
2:57 PM
Neponset River Bridge Dig said…
Wow isn't it scary how quickly time gets behind us? The younger crowd isn't interested in Alcatraz, robyn. I still would like to see the island myself.

Good luck to no.1 and to you.
3:05 PM
MmeBenaut said…
PS: I went on that trip to Alcatraz way back in 1982 with my first husband. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Perhaps if you show the kids the movie "Escape from Alcatraz" they might have some appreciation of the place.
12:51 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Classic Green Bean Bake

In anticipation of Thanksgiving, I feel I must post a recipe with plenty of good old American tradition. The classic Green Bean Bake was invented in 1955 by Dorcas Reilly, a home economist who worked for the Campbell's Soup Company. A study was done determining that 50% of all Americans have eaten the classic Green Bean Bake, and 38% of those believe it is best served during the holidays, mainly Thanksgiving. So, for the other 50% and for those in other countries where this dish may be unfamiliar--my treat: The Classic Green Bean Bake serves 6 to 8 1 can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup 1/2 cup milk 1 teaspoon soy sauce Dash of fresh pepper 1 20-oz. bag frozen cut green beans, thawed* 1 2.8 oz can French-fried onions -Preheat the oven to 350 F -In a casserole dish, combine the soup, milk, soy sauce and pepper. Stir in the green beans and half of the onions. -Bake until bubbling, about 25 minutes. Top with the remaining onions and bake for 5 more minutes. Serve hot. *Or cook 1 ...
7 comments
Read more

Bring On the Bombs

In today's edition : I generally try to keep on top of cultural trends even if I don’t adopt them, but there is a growing movement that I have only just discovered. Not long ago, I was walking along in Berkeley, California while visiting my daughter, and I saw a signpost that had been covered with yarn, like someone had sewn a knitted scarf to it. It was colorful and randomly striped, and I pointed it out as if it were the most unusual thing in the world. That’s when my daughter explained the nature of what is known as yarn bombing. It’s when knitters attach something they’ve created to a public object, most often doing their deed stealthily and anonymously. They leave a “bomb,” so to speak, for no other purpose than to brighten up the place and to bring a little cheer to those passing by. Their work has been equated with graffiti, except that the woven yarn is not permanently installed and does no damage to the object it covers. And instead of signifying the territory of a street ...
2 comments
Read more

Cindy Loo Who In October

What is it with people and Cindy Loo Who? Of my last one hundred blog hits, forty have been direct visits from regular readers, and fifteen have been as a result of people searching for "Cindy Loo Who," the little pixie from Seuss's How The Grinch Stole Christmas . A couple of years ago, I posted an image of the original Seuss illustration as compared to the TV cartoon image, and for some reason, that post is bringing in the crowds, relatively. Maybe it's the weather. It isn't even November yet, and already we've had frost and have had to dust off our winter coats. When it gets cold like this, I start to think about Christmasy things like listening to Nat King Cole and decorating the tree. It's ironic because I am offended when retailers start pushing holiday stuff early, but I don't mind my own private celebrations. When my sister and I were much younger and still living with our parents, we would pick a day in July, close the curtains to darken the ...
8 comments
Read more