Debbie asked about the lake view from the front of our house . . . so here it is. For 32 years we've been privileged to live on the shore of Lake Wawasee, the largest natural lake in Indiana. It's been an absolutely perfect place to live -- the play of sunshine on the water, the excitement of storms moving across the lake, even the snow and ice in the winter -- I've never stopped appreciating it for a moment! It's very hard to leave, but we're trading this lifestyle for living next door to our two daughters and their families, including three of our six grandchildren. How cool is that!!
One of these days I'll be picking your brains on how to accomplish the moving of my hostas -- and for the first time, I'm not feeling envious of you who have thousands!
arg... that would be tough... for me at least, giving up lake home for an inland lifestyle.... I know lake real estate is limited in availability... but i really think they should move closer.
Looks to me like you're trading one spectacular view for another! You will probably miss being on the lake, but I'll bet living closer to your children and grandchildren will more than make up for the loss.
Arlene: Just love that front bed and the lake view is really nice...but it just can’t compete with your “future” view of your grandchildren playing in your yard...especially with the “hills & hollers” backdrop!
I grew up with Granny & Gramps Berry next door and Great-Gramps & Granny Berry just 1/2 mile through the fields...I can’t even express how precious those memories are to me. And I am making more...Grandpa Berry, 89 yrs. old, now lives down at the other end of our property just 1/4 mile away. I am so blessed to still have him going strong when I am pushing 50!!! There is nothing to compare to a grandparent’s unconditional love!!!
Don’t ever regret your decision...your grandchildren won’t!
Wanda, I grew up next door to my paternal grandparents, so I know how very precious that relationship can be. Of course, I have some regrets leaving here, but there's no comparison between what I'm losing and what I'm gaining.
When we started talking about this a couple years ago, my DH and I remarked that even if we never pulled it off, the fact that our daughters and sons-in-law all thought it was a great idea was a thrill to us. We wish our Illinois son and DIL would come, too, but they're in campus ministry and are committed to their campus, so that's out.
I know how hard it can be to change locations, let alone whole lifestyles. The lake looks beautiful, but personally I like trees. Did I mention I can't swim? Wish you the very best. When is the move scheduled? I am so glad hostas are so flexible...
Charla
Latitude 38.57N; Longitude -94.89W (Elev. 886 ft.)
We are doing the opposite this summer, moving to a lake spot not far from where we currently live. I haven't been around here much with all the crazyness in our lives this year... It pains me to move them all again, they are just settling down from their move three years ago. I'll try and post some pictures before I start digging them up.
My suggestion about moving them is to make it separate from moving everything else if possible. Digging them, driving to the new site, and planting them, even if just a temporary bed, beats potting them up in my mind. I just packed them into boxes and got them in the ground asap. One trick was to line them up in a tilled area and then fill in around them with dirt. That way it is fast to get them settled, and fast to dig them up when the time comes to put them in permanant spots. Just make sure to water during all that stress on them.
Arlene, I'm torn!!!! I love the lake, but the Grandchildren will love to have you near them. I'd love to live on a lake! I have a boat, but my daughters were my biggest lake buddies and they've moved out of the nest. Plus I've been workin 6 days a week for about the last 2 years.
What part of TN will you be goin to? I was moved here to Tulsa with my parents from Carthage, TN when I was 15 and I'd love to go back. Late last fall I took a week off work, jumped in my truck and took a long road trip back in search of a place to live in TN near a lake close to the mountains near a city I could transfer to with work.
Thanks for the pics!!!
It looks to me like a win-win situation, though I might have a little trouble leaving the water if I ever had the chance to live that close. I was blessed to grow up on the same farm as my grandma, and my kids have had both sets of grandparents close by. Now I have 5 of my 7 living within 5 minutes of my house, and it's such a joy to have them around. They grow up so fast, that you have to take advantage of every opportunity.
The views at both places are spectacular.
Linda P
And time remembered is grief forgotten,
And frosts are slain and flowers begotten.....
Algernon Charles Swinburne
That lake view is gorgeous....but it sounds like it's time for a new view! And the new view is nothing to sneeze at!
Having grandparents nearby for the grandchildren is such a special thing. Hubby and I live about 15 minutes away from my paretns....and my children get absolutely SPOILED by them. Not to mention that my grandmother (their great grandmother) lives with my parents...we have 4 generations going on when we get together.
Having those kids to help you in the yard, and plant plants, dig holes, and watering the gardens....you are gonna forget all about that lovely water view. Congrats on the move!!!
I'm sure the move will be a good thing for you & your family.
But my initial thought was that if you live right next door to them then you can never get away.....
But I realize that's just me. I like close/nearby - but I wouldn't like that close.
My wife's parents lived & worked in Omaha for years & they looked for a house to retire to here in Corning for a year+. [My father-in-law was from here originally.] Finally they found a very nice house in Lenox [area where my mother-in-law is from] 16 miles SE of Corning. My wife was NOT happy when she found out they wouldn't be living here. I'm not sure what she was thinking..... But I was just fine with them being that distance. Close - but not too close. In some cases - especially with them - having them here in town would not have been so wonderful.
Renaldo, our family talked long and hard before making this commitment. The fact that the three families will be on 45 acres -- 15 acres each -- makes it less "on top of each other." We've already worked through some things we didn't see eye-to-eye on, and we recognize that it will happen again! This may seem more natural to me because I grew up next door to my grandparents. I know it wouldn't be for everyone, but we think it will be fun for us!!
That all sounds good - especially 15 acres per family!! I thought you were talking right next door to each other in a town or city... It's good that you've talked about some issues & realize it will be an ongoing process.
Open communication like that with my mother-in-law would be difficult - if even possible - at best. She talks, but if she lets me talk - without interrupting me to talk about something totally different - it's rare & rarer still if she actually listens to me or remembers what I said... It used to really upset me, but I've mellowed over the years. Might as well cuz there's not a d**n thing I can do about it.
Did I mention I can't swim? 
But I was just fine with them being that distance. Close - but not too close. In some cases - especially with them - having them here in town would not have been so wonderful. 
It used to really upset me, but I've mellowed over the years. Might as well cuz there's not a d**n thing I can do about it. 
You will definately want 4 wheel drive though. 