Some Adjustments are Easy

Some Not so Much

Arch and I grew up in Nova Scotia, went to university in Quebec and lived and worked in Ontario for 39 years. Montreal still feels like a second home and we loved living in Ontario. We made great friends - whom we miss.  But, we never quite felt like we belonged there.

So when we "retired" in 2003 we moved back to Nova Scotia, built our retirement home and plunged into life in Nova Scotia.

Some adjustments were easy. We love being with our families, living in a neighbourhood where we made great friends and running a business in such a business-friendly environment.

We rapidly learned to chat with people whether we knew them or not. To look people in the eye and say hello when we get on elevators. To be more polite and gracious when driving (Arch still finds this a bit of a challenge). To stop for jaywalkers, no matter where they step off the curb. We love the fact that when you call a business you still get a person on the phone - unless it's a bank, of course. We were amazed when we went to get our Nova Scotia driving credentials and, when we did not have all the papers we needed, the woman serving us said " don't worry about that - I will call the company and get the information I need later" and gave us our plates. And then, the person issuing our drivers licence asked us to smile for our photos and offered to take a second one of me when the first wasn't very flattering! We quickly changed back into Nova Scotians.

Except for one thing. We have still difficulty with is how long it takes to get things done. All this sociability is a time killer. I cannot head for downtown Halifax, make four stops on the way, and still get there in the amount of time I expected to. You cannot quickly run into a store here, purchase something and get out quickly. You must wait while the cashier chats with the person in front of you - there always seems to be time to admire a new baby, chat with a child, discuss the weather, etc. etc. Or, the product you want must be ordered.

So that is where we are with the motorhome renos. The floor is done. The wallpaper is ordered and will arrive in 10 days. The upholstery is being done - I have been told this could take up to 2 months. TWO MONTHS!! To upholster two dining chairs and recover 6 valences! The same with the side curtains. So we are in waiting mode.

One really good thing. Great friends have volunteered to do the wallpapering for us. Can you believe it? They volunteered! Needless to say, we are taking them up on their offer.