Why in the world would two seniors on the far side of 70 choose to leave their home and good friends and perfectly comfortable life in a great prairie town?
It's a good question. Here's my answer.
For starters - we were ready for a change. Correction, I was ready for a change and my husband, who is easy-going and generally happy wherever he is, warmed up to the idea of an adventure, a new chapter in our lives, before we hit old age and shuffled off to a Nursing Home, or a condo.
We knew the city of Saskatoon well, it had plenty of draws.
Here's my update from our first few months on Main Street...
The leafy streets in our neighbourhood make me smile everyday. I love walking and biking in these old areas where the houses have well-aged charm and the yards are small. An old-fashioned, nostalgic area, made for humans, not cars.
Coasting down Broadway Bridge and pedalling under Gordie Howe Bridge and sailing along the river paths is exactly what I like doing on a sunny afternoon.
Dave likes longer-distance cycling and easily found groups that ride outside the city. No studded tires for him but he'll be ready again in the spring.
We've enjoyed concerts, and heard our daughter perform and seen plays at Persephone Theatre. We biked in the dark during Nuit Blanche, great fun!
Art, movies and talks at the Remai are just a walk away. Here's our daughter checking out a photo of her daughter above the main door of the Remai Modern.
Not everything is wonderful in the city, there are downsides. We're dealing with more traffic than we're used to. And worrisome homelessness, especially in the downtown core which is not thriving.
It's a long 20 minute drive to our family doctor (but at least we found one and we like him).
On the positive side, we have a five minute drive to our dentist. And we can walk, not drive, to the bakery, buy groceries, get a bottle of wine, a haircut, shop in small independent stores, meet friends for coffee or lunch at this cute neighbourhood cafe on Temperance.
The Festivals will arrive in the summer - Jazz, Folk, Food, Fireworks. I browsed through a giant Flea Market this morning, Dave's going to a hockey game tonight. Yes, there are things to do in this city.
And outside the city. The walking trails at Cranberry Flats are lovely and quiet.
Pike Lake and Blackstrap Lake and endless camping destinations to the north are waiting for us and Vanna White and our young passengers.
And then there is Health Care, another reason to move to the city. As we're starting to need a few minor repairs we like these medical specialists close by.
We found a great house that needed absolutely no renovations, a good thing since we're past facing that kind of stress. And too busy with doctor appointments.
Decorating a new house is enough of a challenge - creative and puzzling. Where do we put all our stuff?!
Brand new furniture or old? (we've chosen old), cluttered and bohemian style or streamlined and minimal? which pictures go on the wall? which ones stay in boxes forever?
Buy a freezer, find a dentist, build some shelves, find our stuff. We've been busy. Lots of work but satisfying, it gives us a mission.
Dave has met new musical friends and is learning bluegrass at jam sessions - a change from the tunes he played with his wonderful bandmates in SC, who I'm sure he'll miss.
We meet new friends but still see our buddies from home, they're only three hours away, we're not in Thailand.
We putter and feather our nest and little yard. The neighbours on one side brought muffins and from the other side came homemade Saskatoon pie. It's a friendly spot.
Best of All! We regularly see our two loveable and entertaining little grandchildren who come to our house to play games and make artwork and have suppers and sleepovers. Yes, being closer to our family is The Best!
Only a 10-minute drive to their house, or 15 minutes by bike across Victoria Bridge and onto the river path. We can babysit at the drop of a hat.
We now have an airport! In just four hours this Vancouver family can be at our door. Two more wonderful little grands and their staff.
Uprooting from our previous life involved lots of work and a bit of anxiety, but so far so good, we're very happy we took the plunge.
PS I acknowledge the dissonance between my cheery little story and the inhumane situation happening now on such an enormous scale in Gaza and other places. It's on my mind and I'm sure on yours too.
