As I shared in a previous post, I was offered an Artist Residency that truly lives up to its name. I am to “reside” in a neighborhood in Canton to engage other residents in creative projects that enhance their community. The neighborhood is called The Boulevards, and I have been moving into a house there for a couple of weeks now.

I will be sharing a lot about those creative projects in this space as the year goes on. At the moment, though, it is a bit difficult to focus on the meta aspects of the program’s future goals. That’s because I am up to my eyeballs in the micro details of moving.

I can’t be in two places at once, so I am closing the Creative Ohio Gallery (where I had my studio) at the same time as I am moving my home. That means I have had to move twice as much stuff, and I am still working at it.

I have moved many times in my life and it is never easy, but as you grow older it is much more difficult. First of all, your body is not as well equipped for the rigors of carrying stuff up and down stairs as it once was. Second, you seem to have accumulated a lot more stuff to move over time. And third, you seem to have accumulated more cats than you ever planned to have.

The first two are pretty self explanatory. It’s just plain grueling and physically taxing to move when you are older. But why does the number of cats matter?

All cats have adjustment issues when they move, just like people do. But mine push it to the limit. Especially Okey, who tends to be fearful and skittish anyway.

Okey has had a tough time, requiring that I keep her in the bedroom to help her feel safe. She’s coming along and will be venturing out of her “safe space” soon, but it has been a slow process for her.

Noah has been hiding a lot and only coming out when he knows I’m done moving, unpacking and rearranging things. Slick has had moments where she gets a bit befuddled, as her age has left her eyesight and hearing somewhat impaired. Brewskie and Who seemed to have adjusted the best, although they have their moments too.

We will all adjust soon, I am certain. It is a challenging time for all of us, but I think we are all going to enjoy our new home once we get settled in.

I hope to be creating fun stuff in my new studio and sharing stories of the Boulevards projects soon. In the meantime, we’ll take it one day at a time as we forge ahead with the process of creating a new home in our new neighborhood. Life certainly is an adventure!