Everything’s packed…. save for a few dishes and cooking utensils that I’m still using. Putting the camp stove to good use — cooking indoors with it is a no-no (carbon monoxide poisoning) — so I’ve got the vent on and windows open — not a good idea in 18 degree weather….

[sigh] Can’t wait to get to Ohio (we leave tomorrow right after the packers/movers load everything up in the truck)…. to avoid the 5-10 inches of snow we might be getting in the area. Hopefully by Valentine’s day I’ll be cooking again…. probably too late to put up those Valentine menus I was thinking of featuring — but again, not too late for next year LOL….

If you know anyone who’s thinking of moving to Northeast PA, feel free to forward this link.

It’s a nice quiet little neighborhood of about 30 houses, nestled in the valley looking up to the mountains, so it’s really pretty in the fall when the leaves turn color. Lots of kids — 32 at last count. Two hours west of New York City and two hours north of Philadelphia. An hour and a half or so south from Corning, New York, also near where Cornell U is, and the Corning Museum of Glass…. and if you like wine you’ll be within driving distance of the Fingerlakes area. There’s a very efficient Wegman’s where you can request special ingredients. And if you like skiing the Poconos is about half an hour from here….

I *am* taking the island with me as that was built as a Mother’s Day present by hubby and oldest daughter in 2004, and since it’s not attached to the floor, there’ll be a good amount of space to work in should you choose not to have one. The fridge in the picture doesn’t really belong there, it should go on the right side but the model I bought was too big for the space and knowing we were only going to be here a short time I didn’t want to remodel and remove/move cabinets. The adjacent room (where you see the bookshelves) is actually the dining room, but we used it as our study/library instead. And where I’m standing while taking the picture is the family room, but we’ve used it as the dining room. From there, a door leads out to the deck (a service puts up the awning in the spring and takes it down in the fall) where you’ve got the view to the mountains…. I really sad about leaving this place — of the 8 homes we’ve lived in this was my favorite:( but hopefully some lucky family will have fun in it too.