News flash on the status of my new apartment: I have hot water in the kitchen! Actually, I think it was always there; I just couldn’t figure out how to get to it. Seems the hot and cold lines are reversed, so I don’t get hot water unless I push the lever all the way to the right, rather than the left. I wondered whether this might be the problem immediately upon moving in, and even tested this theory. But summers are so hot in Florida that water from the tap is tepid at best, thus the water seemed “somewhat” warm no matter which direction I pushed the lever. Yesterday, I was really thirsty for a cold glass of water, so I let the water run, thinking that the temperature would be cooler if it came from deeper in the pipes. Half a minute later, I was surprised to feel hot water; apparently I didn’t let it run long enough on previous attempts.

As of today I am completely moved in and settled. I caved in and bought a TV; I even hooked up the cable. I guess if I must have a vice, TV is a lot better than many others I could suffer. Since all my ‘stuff’ is stored in Illinois at my Dad’s house, I had to buy a few things. I nosed around the secondhand shops until I found used silverware and an inexpensive set of dishes. I found a cute little corner table for the TV and two secondhand bar stools, which I added to my two chairs and daybed, and that’s all I need! I love my little apartment, with its hundred-year old wooden floors, huge old windows, high ceilings, tall baseboards, and decorative crown molding. I don’t need much ‘stuff’ to be happy these days. Quite the contrary, that the less ‘stuff’ I have, the happier I seem to be. My life is simple and uncomplicated and I intend to keep it that way.

There’s an interesting side note to all of this. Earlier this year I left for three months to oversee the sale of my house in North Carolina. When I returned, Sarasota didn’t feel like home any more. At that time, I spent only a few days in Sarasota before driving down to Key West to take care of some additional real estate business. Now that I am back, Sarasota suddenly feels like home again. Although my reversal may have something to do with the fact that I’m not particularly fond of Key West and couldn’t wait to get out of there, I suspect that moving to my own apartment is also largely responsible for my change of heart. Whatever the reason, I find that I am extremely comfortable and content, and I can see myself staying here for a good long while…especially since I now have dishes to eat off of and hot water in which to wash them!