I've been meaning to a do a house update with photos of my new apartment since I decided to stay and move in after almost a year of changing, tentative plans. But I left my camera battery at home a few weekends ago and am still awaiting it in the mail. Oh well, until next time.

Since August, my weekends have been full. I went to a street festival one weekend to see Gaby Moreno live, traveled to New York City to celebrate my sister's 30th birthday, and volunteered at the NPH fundraising gala, among other things. When I'm not running around, I'm settling in, working on house projects (thrifting, painting, setting up a worm compost) or cooking (blueberry crumble, apple-cinnamon-cardamom pancakes, huge pots of rice and beans).

I'm always divided. Sometimes I want to minimize my belongings so I can up and travel at any moment and other times, I think there is something magical about staying still. I talk a lot about living away from the city but in the summer, with some greenery, it's not so bad. Right now my apartment is full of hand-me-downs and thrift store finds but for the first time, I've also been able to start collecting household items (glasses, plates, mugs, crock pots, artwork, blankets - although all still secondhand). I hope that this time they'll make their way with me from place to place.

Having a place of my own after a couple years of instability does lead me to over-think, daydreaming about taking the little savings I have and going across the border to Michigan, where town populations are nil and land is cheap, to buy a house to fix up. I could afford it; I'd have acreage and access to undisturbed lake shore; I'd be a few hours away from Chicago when need be. But life usually makes more sense in the city being that it has access to jobs so most likely, one day I'll probably just transition to Andersonville, the slightly yuppier version of my neighborhood now. 

Neither plan sounds bad but then again, why daydream and plan for the future when right now I can have a glass of wine in my backyard among sunflowers in full bloom? 

Pictured above: the Rockaways in New York City; my back porch