Adjusting to our new home

We moved into our home in Pass Christian, Miss., this week and are living with a blow-up bed borrowed from my older sister; a card table and two folding chairs from my younger sister; two cushioned chairs from a neighbor; and an old TV with rabbit ears from a long-time friend. The floors are torn up waiting for new tile and carpet, and the walls are all waiting to be repainted.

But on the positive side, I have noticed several ways that life in a house is pretty different from that on a boat:
-- We can both brush our teeth at the same time.
-- We don't have to buy travel-size items anymore; we can actually buy large tubes of toothpaste and other stuff.
-- We can buy lots of frozen foods (our boat freezer was maybe a foot tall and eight inches wide)
-- I no longer live with a water Nazi (Ron constantly worried about water, and I doubt that our 75-gallon tank ever was less than half full.) I can run water as long as I want now although old habits tend to cling.
-- We don't have to worry about power -- just about the electricity bill.
-- Getting ice is as easy as pressing a glass to the refrigerator door. What a luxury!
-- I don't have to store cans in my sock drawer and other creative places. I actually have a pantry.

I think that living on a boat makes one appreciate the conveniences that most people take for granted. I am sure we'll think nothing of this in a short while, but for now, life ashore is a novelty.