Sunday, June 28, 2009

Moving By the Numbers


Beautiful back yard of our present home in River Falls, WI. Number 57.


How many times have you moved? I was looking through some old folders and found something I wrote a few years ago. All the places we lived since we met and got married in 1971. I jotted down this information from memory so I wouldn't forget it. I wanted to have a record of this sort of thing to leave to the Grandkids.

No, I'm not dying right away, just getting a few things in order. After all, this is more moving around than most people do, I think. I know I said in 1980, “If Reagan gets elected, I’m gonna move to Canada.” And I didn't say it then, but in 2000, when bush got (S)elected, I should have gone to Canada!

I also made overtures that my next move was gonna be into an RV camper after 29, 48 and 52. I'm in #57 now, so, obviously that didn’t happen. I like it where I am, but I liked it well enough to move into all of these places too, then left them.

A wide variety of reasons made moving a choice. We were evicted after #4 because the owner sold the duplex and the new owner wanted to occupy the side where we lived. Otherwise, all were sold, or rental agreements ended, and we chose to move on. Job changes/distance to work, new horizons/greener grass and that-would-be-nice/that-would-be-cool are some of the other reasons we moved.

Notably, there are four places where we lived and actually moved on the same property. Pine City, Numbers 11-15, The Gunflint Trail in Northern Minnesota, numbers 20-24 and after we bought the Lake Elmo house, when we moved around as we worked all over the country, numbers 31-41.

Each of these places has a story or at least a highlight. We were living at #2 when Maggie was born, #4 when Sarge, our dog, had puppies, #6 when Alyssa hatched and #9 when the stork brought Jayne. Maggie passed when we lived at #19. My first heart attack was at #13, second episode at #25 and third when we owned #54, but lived at #47. I was staying at #54 when it happened. #47 was our permanent residence. We were actually in the act of moving when Alyssa was born.

Two times we reduced our load of material things down to that which we could haul in a 5'X 8' utility trailer pulled by the vehicle we owned. We did that to move into #'s 20 and 25. We heavily reduced our load, but not to that same degree to move to #52.

There you have it. Moving by the numbers. I'll gladly fill you in if you have any questions about any of our places of residence. This post would way too long if I tried to describe each of them. Many of them were very unique, like #'s 6. 16. 19. 26, 29, 33, and 35.

I know I said I would only move into an RV if we moved out of the Cabinette, but I didn’t/ I went to a friend’s place, then rented an urban apartment in an upstairs duplex before buying a home in River Falls, WI in Spring of 2009.

We accomplished the moving with a moving van, a rental truck, rental trailer, our own trailer, a pickup truck, in the back seat of a car and a combination of these modes. And like my good friend Dawn, plenty of black plastic garbage bags.

Please enter your name and phone number so we can call you the next time we move if you want to help. Always a good feed at the end of it all. At least pizza or cold cut sandwiches if not a full out genuine Italian spaghetti dinner.


The place we lovingly called The Cabinette. Number 52


Moves since getting married in October 1971

Note: I have many pictures of the places where we have lived, just not available as they are in plastic storage containers and we haven't unpacked them. So, I only posted a few pictures of the places we lived in the more recent history of Spadoville.

1 Melrose Park Apartment Oct. 1971 to whenever, about a year.

2 Brookfield Owned Home whenever to Aug. 1974

3 Hugo, (Centerville, Lino Lakes), rented Home Aug. 1974 to Dec. 1974

4 White Bear Rented Home Dec. 1974 to March, 1975

5 East side St. Paul, Arkwright Ave. Rented Home March, 1975 to Feb. 1976

6 Lindstrom, on So. Center City lake, Rented Apartment Feb. 1976 to May, 1976

7 Cambridge, 5 acres and a mobile home, Owned Home May 1976 to June 1976

8 Lived with Bruce and Jeanne for about 2-4 weeks on Marshall

9 From Marshall to St. Anthony Ave, Rented Apartment July 1976 to March, 1977

10 1926 Laurel, Owned Home March 1977 to March 1980

11-15 Pine City, 18+ acres on the Snake River, Owned Home March 1980 to May 1989

Pine City: (11) old mobile home w/ addition, tear down and sold mobile, (12)lived in mobile bought by parents, (13) moved to new mobile on house site, (14) moved back into parents mobile as we built home on our site, (15) moved into new home we built. 5 moves on same property


The shop with apartment in Ashland, WI. Number 50.

16 Virginia Ave, Rented Apartment May 1989 to whenever

17 632 S Snelling Ave. Rented Apartment whenever to whenever

18 15 or 16xx Goodrich Ave. Rented Apartment whenever to May of 1991

19 Camp Menogyn, Gunflint trail, May 1991 to March 1993

20-24 Gunflint trail: (20) Camp Menogyn
(21) Rental in Grand Marais
(22) Back to Menogyn
(23) Rent from Lee Zoft for winter of 1992-93,
(24) Some weeks at Hungry Jack Lodge w/ Jerry
5 places in same area with none to really call our own

25 Grand Junction, Co Rented Apartment, March 1993 to whenever

26 Grand Junction warehouse, Rental whenever to July, 1994

27 Hungry Jack Lodge, Gunflint Trail MN, Given House July 1994 to October 1994

28 Duluth, MN at the kids West end apt Nov 1994 for a couple of weeks or so

29 Park Point Rented Apartment Nov 1994 to March 1995

30 Sibley apartments, downtown St Paul, Rented Apartment March 1995 to Aug 1995

31-41 Lake Elmo Owned Home Aug 1995 to Dec 1995

Lake Elmo: To Silver City, New Mexico RV
To Los Angeles

In LA: Jan and Ron’s
Sea Sprite
St Regis on Wilshire
Venice ave apt

To Stillwater Rental Apartment

Back to Lake Elmo

(Somewhere in this time frame, KOA in Lake Elmo and the Lake Elmo Regional Park)

Back to the house in Lake Elmo (kids moved out, finally)
(This whole sequence is very hard to explain, but we owned the Lake Elmo house, daughters were living in it while we worked all around the country and lived numerous places.)


The house in Ashland between the shop and the Cabinette, number 51.

42 Two Harbors, MN Owned Home Dec 1995 to Jan 1996

43 Palace Ave, St. Paul, Rental home, Jan 1996 to Jan 1997

44 812 James, Owned Home Nov 1997 to Oct 2000

45 540 Harrison, Rented Apt, March 2000 to Aug 2001
(rented an apartment while kids took over our house on James, returned to James house after a year)

46 Back to 812 James Aug 2001 to Oct 2002

47 832 Armstrong Rented Home Oct 2002 to Aug 2003

48 Howard Lake Rented Home Aug 2003 to March 2004

49 Saint Paul, Saint Clair Ave. Rental Apartment April 2004 to August 2005

50-52 Ashland, WI Sept. 2005 to 2008

(50) Shop and warehouse apartment Sept 2005 to December 2006

(51) House on 4th Ave. December 2006 to May of 2007

(52) Cabinette on Lake Superior May 2007 to May 2008


In front of the storefront/apartment I had in Silver City, New Mexico in the mid 1990's.

53-54 Owned and lived in a second home we had in Eureka, California. In 1998 and 99, and again in 2001 to 2003

55-56 (55) Moved in to Steve’s and stayed there in upstairs bedroom as we emptied the Cabinette

(56) Rented an apartment in St Paul on Randolph Ave.

57 Bought a house in River Falls, Wisconsin

I guess I didn’t count the shop and apartment I rented in Silver City, New Mexico because I lived there while visiting down there and we still had a residence in Minnesota. I also didn’t add living in the RV up at Johnny’s RV and Marina, but we did pay rent and live there for a period of time, also while owning another permanent residence.

And that’s where we live now. In River Falls. Been here since March 20 of 2009. I have no plans or desires to move at this time. In fact, I have told close friends that I will not move again, no one believes me, I wonder why?

16 comments:

This Eclectic Life said...

Goodness gracious! I can't imagine having to pack all my stuff that many times. I'd probably do as you did a couple of times and get rid of things (but it would just kill me to do it).
You'll have to post the pictures in their order, to give the full flavor of the changes!

Enemy of the Republic said...

I've moved a lot and may move again this year. What does it mean to settle down? I guess it is when you are settled in your heart, not in your surroundings per se.

This is a great idea for a blog post or even a meme!

Anonymous said...

Goodness, that"s a lot of moving. I hate moving, try to keep it to a minimum.

Anne

D.K. Raed said...

Obviously you can legitimately sing that Johnny Cash song, "I've been everywhere, man"!

Fran said...

Whew- that was exhausting. It's amazing you were able to keep track of everyone.

For a while we seemed to have a 3 year span before we moved....
but we've been in our house now for 17 years.
It was a nice hub between elementary, middle & high school... meaning the kids could transport themselves.

Plus we are near the river, and just outside city limits, meaning we do not have through the roof taxes.

We'd kind of like to settle further away from town....
but we are centrally located by work for now & as working class folks are not seeing retirement anytime soon.

Although truth be known...I'd retire in a heartbeat if it were a realistic option.

Spadoman said...

Thank you for stopping by and leaving comments.

Shelly.... That's just it, we didn't always pack our stuff. We have a few totes of pictures and a couple of boxes of keepsakes. That's all that ever meant anything to us. Sometimes we moved the furniture, other times we sold it at a moving sale and resupplied when we got to where we were going. Strange as it seems, we never talk about some piece of hardware we used to have, but we sure do like to rummage through those pictures on a cold winter's day..
Thanks for coming by.

Cruel One... So wonderful to see you here. You make a good point. Settle down? What will I be when I grow up? You hit the nail on the head: When you are settled in your heart. When I close my eyes to sleep, it never makes any difference whereI'm at. My eyes are closed, I could imagine myself anywhere. Same with looking down at a plate of food. Our song has always been, "We ain't got a barrel of money" Thjanks for coming here and gracing these pages.

Queen Anne... Well, there are those like you that have more sense than those like me. That's probably why I didn't marry you and decided to spend my life with someone that moved along with me. LOL Thanks so much for being here and checking in on this post. I appreciate it.

Deke... Well, yes, I have been to a lot of places, but not everywhere. Almost everywhere I've wanted to go or be though. In the early days, I'd say I want to live here, (the place I was visiting), but now, I know better, I just want to spend time there and experience the place. Thank you for stopping by.

Fran.... When we built the house in Pine City, (please reference the number if you care to) it was to be forever. We built the house to our own specs, a pantry, loft for the girls, 7 different kinds of wood for building, siding, trim, etc and a southern facing exposure with sunroom and heat sink. It was centrally located and all, like your place of desire. We were sad when we had to move from there, but we understood why we had to do it. We just never looked back and cried about it. I guess being stable in where we lived never was a concern, but as much as I seem to be a misfit, I have been stable with my family for many years. Thank you for being here at the Round Circle.

Peace to all.

Mel said...

Holy Moly.......

Keep little and live big!

Oh, I wish I could abide by that rule. *laughing*

I haven't counted--but I do know it wouldn't add up to 57. (thank goodness!)

Spadoman said...

Mel.... Most people say "Thank Goodness" when they think of moving and having to pack and physically move stuff, but we don't have too many things that you need more than one person to move. And believe it or not, every time we've moved, except for a couple, everyone in the household has been in agreement about.
Thanks so much for stopping by here at the Round Circle.

Whimsy said...

Well I could echo the other comments: holy moly that's a lot of moving! But I think we all find our strange niche - be it moving a ton or not moving AT ALL (my parents come to mind - in the same house for 36 years and boy did they build up a lot of stuff).

I have a feeling that we're all moving toward being more mobile, not staying in one place for too long, and certainly not living in the same house we grew up in. It just doesn't happen anymore, does it?

In the end, I'm so glad that you've been at peace with each move - I hate regrets. For myself as much as for other people.

Spadoman said...

Thanks so much for coming by Whimsey. You're right, no regrets at all. We move and move on, basking in the next adventure. Peace.

susan said...

First off, I have to say Mrs. Spadoman deserves a medal. Second, you both do because one of those things left behind can often be the marriage.

I moved an awful lot when I was young so I'd have to think long and hard about how many places and where between leaving home and arriving in the US (from Canada) at age 31. In RI we moved 3 times in the first 12 years then then 5 times in the final 3 (attaining lift-off velocity). We've been in Portland for 15 years now and have moved just 4 times so I guess we're slowing down but neither of us expect this to be the last move. Who ever knows when that will come but the intention is a return to Canada with east or west coast yet to be decided.. and then there's finding a comfortable spot. You have to be there to assess the needs, yes?

I can't help but have noticed that you owned homes for much shorter periods than living in rentals in similar time frames. We only owned once and I hated the feeling of being tied down.

eaprez said...

I like the white bungalo looking house!!!!!!! I have moving down to a science too. I was in the AF and my ex husband. I've been here for a while but am restless. Great post!

Spadoman said...

Thank you Susan for stopping by here. You hit the proverbial nail on the head with that second sentence.

The things left behind were not the marriage. The marriage is being together. Having stuff or not having stuff was never what the relationship was ever about and it still isn't. And yes, she does deserve a medal, not just for the moving, but all the rest of the BS I put her and family through throughout the years. Hopefully, I am making up for the past with being a good Dad, Grand dad and husband today.

Also, we didn't stay home owners very long because we didn't like the feeling of being tied down either. I own a home now, first time in 8 years. I feel connected to where I am now more than any place I have been in the past. I feel like I am suppose to be here, right now. For how long I'll feel this way, I can say "forever", but what is forever anyway? I just don't know the future, no one does.

Peace to you and thanks again for stopping here.

Spadoman said...

Beth.. Thank you so much for coming over to have a read. Being restless, I know about that. Always trying to change what I could about life, sometimes thinking that living in another place in another town could do the trick. Sometimes it did, sometimes it didn't.
Moving doesn't have to be hard. It's all in the anal retentive nature of things to get organized:-)

Thanks again for being here.

peace.

WolfMusher said...

Alyssa Hatched? Hatched? I think you mean the greatest day of your life!

Spadoman said...

Wolfmusher... Yes, it was a great day when you were hatched! Thanks for stopping by.

Now, I just was reminded that I forgot one place. It would be number 30.5 I guess. We live in a lower apartment off of Como Avenue on Snelling. 1282 North Snelling I believe. It was across from the fairgrounds.

How in the world could I forget that?

Thanks for the reminder Drew Danger, (Drew posted the reminder comment on the post entitled Solon Springs Water Run.

Seeing as I forgot that, maybe I forgot which of the daughters was hatched. Maybe it wasn't Wolfmusher, maybe it was Plain Jane. Oh well, each one was a glorious occasion.