Death, resurrection & real estate: End of 2011

I have been mute. Not because of deep meditation, as the image may infer.
It's been more like a war. There have been victories, and more set backs than defeats.
But the victories have been good, one fabulous.

It seemed, just as I am mentally composing an entry, the movie changes. The scenario drifts away and then something else happens!  Over and over....and over. It's all been exhausting. But exciting. But enough of the vague descriptions, I'll just make a list:
- While negotiations for the sale of the Orient house were in play, I saw a house upstate,
   and promptly fell in love. The house is better than a boy friend: more supportive, less
   demanding, quieter and you can dress it up without much argument.
- Sold Orient house (for less money and a lot of aggravation, but oh well)
- Bought house upstate less than a month later, had to delay closing for seller otherwise it
  would have been a week later. Closing was a snap, took 20 minutes.
-  Refinanced NYC building: aggravating, confusing, delayed and still weird.
All this building stuff took place within a month between November-December. Meanwhile there was an eviction pending since November, that was about the loss of a lot of money, aggravation for over a year and a completely thankless endeavor. They have finally been evicted a week ago. Good riddance! Apologize for the overuse of the word aggravation. I wish it wasn't so appropriate.

Meanwhile, just after Thanksgiving -  in between sale of Orient house, refinance and buying house upstate - I had a tenant pass away. In the apartment. The longest resident in the building (32 years) with the lowest rent (don't ask). She was a sweetie, and she wasn't old. It wasn't suicide, it was just her time. May she rest in peace. Now she can move on with her mission accomplished on earth, at least for this go round.

Ceramics, my art making solace, that balances all this building $&%# was busy in December. Did my first gig at selling my pottery. It was fun. I learned a lot, but I didn't earn a lot. Yet, I got a commission out of it and am inspired to try selling my work some more.

The 'victory' I glossed over (or couched in complaints) was the sale of Orient and the purchase of my dream-come-true-house upstate, in the Hudson Valley. It was love at-first-sight, and will help me make a wonderful future. It is doing a great job of making a wonderful present. On New Year's eve I sat in my new house, knitted, drank a little cheer, text'd with some friends and listened to Beethoven. It was heaven. On New Year's day I took a little walk/hike with a friend, who is a NYC to Woodstock transplant, around Lake Minnewaska. That was heaven too.

The war isn't over. But in the Year of the Dragon, I feel a stronger soldier. The solace, the refuge of the house gives me the rest to wake up refreshed and continue life in New York City as a landlord mogulette. Who really identifies with her artistic nature versus her business nature. Perhaps this is the year where the two can live together simpatico and enhance each others natures. Perhaps my bouncing back and forth between the two addresses is the external of the artist in the land of brick mortar and sewer pipes.
I didn't even mention the sewer pipe debacle. Another time, maybe.

I prefer to move forward and write about the house and projects that have less rant-appeal. Speaking of....Lest I forget, there is a barn which will become my ceramic and art studio. Was talking this morning with the contractor about how to put in a sleep loft with a stairway and bathroom. Lucky lucky me, artsy mogulette ha ha...

To see photos of the house/studios in progress on a flickr set
(still trying to work the kinks out of that) go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgsdolcevita/sets/72157629075862311/
The photo of the lanterns was taken in Rhinebeck, NY during Christmas week.