Hello Murphy

Nothing in life unfolds exactly the way you originally anticipate. That’s why they invented Murphy’s Law, right? And of course, when you have the least amount of spare time to focus on an unanticipated project, that’s when a pesky little project will materialize out of thin air.

This moving effort has been a huge investment in time, money and energy. Yesterday was the day that we officially moved all of our furnishings, appliances and animals from Cristy’s house and my offsite storage unit to the new house. The moving team was great [big kudos to Three Men Movers]. Naturally there will be a few million predictable tasks and errands that accompany a move. Now, thanks to Murphy, we can add three more to the list.

#1 the electrical plug for the clothes dryer is incompatible with the receptacle on the wall. Big problem. We have 5 dogs. Laundry is a constant in this household. We immediately went to Lowe’s to get a replacement connector with the proper plug type. Seemed like a straightforward fix until Cristy started working on it and found that she was unable to remove the old wiring. After consulting with several family members, Plan B appears to be to hire an experienced appliance repair person to replace the wiring. Cha-ching!

#2 Jasper figured out how to climb over the dog run fencing. OK, not a problem as long as we are here. The purpose of the dog run is to permit the dogs outside access while we are at work, but keep them away from the swimming pool. Sometime during the night, Jasper just climbed over the fence like it was nothing. Not good. We will go back to Lowe’s and buy another spool of fencing mesh, the taller kind, to replace the shorter segment that she scaled. Cha-ching! She is a clever dog, and obviously very motivated. I predict this will not be the end of the story.

#3 Jasper (again!) figured out how to dislodge the cover from the dog door. Another big problem. Having a cover on the door is a requirement to keep the dogs IN the house. Like when the lawn maintenance service is here, or when we are treating the yard with insecticide, or when we are entertaining outdoors and don’t necessarily want the canines standing at the fence howling to join in on the amusement. The solution to this problem is out of our current span of imagination. But I predict there is a high probability the cha-ching noise will accompany the solution.

In spite of the complaining about Murphy, it feels good to be here. Incredibly good. It will take longer than I anticipated to unpack and longer still to furnish it as beautifully as I want, but I’m not complaining. Every one of the non-Murphy projects can be planned, anticipated and will serve as a source of joy and inspiration as we feather this beautiful nest. For now, I sit here at the kitchen counter looking at the soft light all around me, the sleeping dogs and the haphazardly arranged furniture and feel nothing but pure bliss.