Today is moving day for my daughter Ruth and her husband Chris. They built a new condominium after a year of renting. They have moved 5 times in 7 years of marraige. So I looked up some statistics from the census bureau.
In 2013, the average person living in the US moved 11.7 times in a lifetime. People under 30 will move anaverage of 6 times before they are 30. Persons over 45 years will average 2 more moves in their lives. Wealthy white people move fewer times than poorer non-white populations. The three major reasons for moving are up or down sizing , better housing or relocating for a job or family.
With those numbers in mind, I have found that I have moved 8 times in my life. That is close to the average. My Husband, John has moved only 3 times, two of those moves were during our marriage. I have to remember that statistics don’t tell the whole story.
Speaking of moving and stories, I would like to relate the strangest move in my life. This was when I was a young teen. We were moving from our childhood home to a house across the street.
My Mother had loved the old Eaton homestead. She thought that her anitiques would be better suited to a vintage house.
My brother Brian was 6 years younger than myself. He heard we were moving but didn’t hear where. He said goodbye to all his friends. Some gave him parting gifts. To his chagrin, he had to give the gifts back and explained how they could still be friends.
On the day of the big move, a large number of extended family showed up to help with the move. Starting in the bedrooms, aunts, cousins and my my brothers started to move the itens in the room. Drawers were removed from dressor, desks and night stands. The larger pieces of furniture were taken by the men across the street. Others followed with the drawers for that piece. Clothes from closets were grabbed with their hangers and hung in the new closets. Little by little the contents of one home was walked across the street to their new location.
When the old home was emptied, half the family went to clean each room while several men started the grill to cook hamburgers and hotdogs. The family had a large picnic in the new backyard. The whole move was finished in half a day and the picnic and cleaning took up the afternoon.
I imagine the neighbors were entertained watching rockers, tables and bureaus waiting for traffic to clear to make their way to the other side of the street.
Ruth and Chris are having movers take their items to the new home and place them in the correct rooms. They will move the three cats themselves. Such moving is normal but not as exciting as the family parade of belongings.
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It’s a Family Affair
Uncle Don and Aunt Marion were first to arrive.
Then cousins Gail, Jimmy and Barb.
Uncle Al and Aunt Jan brought their older children Billy, David and Peggy.
Aunt Cathline and Uncle Ed too, added to our own family number.
Men took the heavy things, women took the rest.
The move was performed with military precision. Dad directed the items to move and Mom directed where the items should be placed.
Cheap entertainment for the neighbors.
Carolaspot@aol.com
copyright 3/25/21
traveling up and down the blind highway 