Settling In

Already I have been in Knoxville a week.  It seems like it has been a busy week but in truth the busy-ness has been tempered with ample amounts of sleep.  I didn't realize how thoroughly I had been running on adrenaline and worry, and how much sleep I would need once I arrived.

We have been out to the new house a few times now.  It is progressing nicely and I am very happy with how it is shaping up.  I am eager to move in, although I am also happy for this bit of respite, this time to rest and regroup and explore our new town just a little bit.

I had been told that Knoxville is a very casual town, and in some senses it is, and as a small city it would certainly be considered very casual compared to a city such as New York, but overall, I would say it is not more casual than my previous suburban/country abode.  

Already I am enjoying dressing again in the morning.  Admittedly however this may be more dependent on the items of clothing I brought with me and the fact that the shape of my days have changed than on any aspect of my current location.

I do wish I had brought another dress.  I wondered, when I was in Hyde Park, if I would continue to wear dresses more after I moved, but I only brought two in my suitcase to the temporary abode. The dress in is photo, taken at our house in Hyde Park, is one of the two that came with me.  But I wish I had more options.

While I am on the subject of style, I have noted a much wider variety in skirt-lengths here than I ever did in the Hudson Valley.   This trend seems to encompass all age and size groups, with a wide range of skirt lenghts represented, from above the knee to the floor.   I have seen older women nicely turned out in low calf and even ankle grazing skirts as well as fashionably trendy young women in maxi dresses and coats with sky-high heels.  Although I have no idea about what was seen in NYC, in the section of the Hudson Valley where I lived, once you ventured past the summer season when you would see chic young things up for the weekend wearing floaty summer dresses, mainstream skirt lengths generally hovered around the knee with the longer skirts wearers generally falling into the fringe groups of "earth mother", "artsy", or "Sicilian widow". Of course there are always exceptions to every rule.  I often wore whatever I wanted despite what might be considered mainstream, and I am sure there will be some things I consider normal that may be viewed as odd in my new locale.  I'm sure I  don't yet have my finger on the pulse of Knoxville style, but I certainly don't mind that my long black coat might fit in a bit better here.  

Minor points:

I wish I had brought a camera tripod to the hotel instead of packing them all for the house.  Not that it matters at the moment as I have misplaced the USB cable for my camera although I was certain I had packed it.  If there is to be blogging and photos, I may have to rely on my iPhone.  

I have not knitted a single stitch since I left Hyde Park despite having mailed myself 4 boxes of projects to "tide me over".  That may change soon now that I am feeling a bit more settled.

I am very happy with our temporary abode.  Of the two choices that would accommodate our needs and our cats, this was the best fit for many reasons: It is spacious, the bed is comfortable, it is convenient to our new house and family, and the staff are universally helpful and kind.   However, if you had told me two months ago that I would ever find myself living between Cracker Barrel and Hooters, I would have said "Not on your life".  And yet it has come to pass.  All one can do is laugh.