Dear Friends of Liad and all the ships in space,
we here at the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory appreciate your friendship and support – over the years you’ve helped us through problems, enjoyed the cats, and met us at conventions. Most of you have come to expect news out of East Winslow (especially the “For the Record it is snowing in East Winslow” and the Day Lily Count …) and you’ve seen photos of the snow, the flowers, the snow, the roadside, the snow…. We’ve enjoyed sharing all of this with you.
However, as Jefferson Airplane told us, Life is Change. That’s what’s happening here. Change.
Change?
Change. The Cat Farm and Confusion Factory will shortly be shifting.
All of us – cats, books, people (and maybe some day lilies and daffodils!) – will be moving to a campus closer to the delightful amenities of Waterville, Maine, so close, in fact that we’ll eventually give up our Winslow address entirely.
This is not as sudden a thing as it might appear – we’ve been looking to do this for years, as many of you know. Now, after several disappointments along the house-hunting trail we’ve not only made an offer on a house across the river but had it accepted. A house within a mile or two of the local downtown, the local hospital, the local major grocery stores (the local Gifford’s ice cream stand!), the vet’s. . .with a much shorter hop to hit the interstate, and a shorter ride to Old Orchard Beach, too. Both of us will have larger offices, and the cats will have a larger and more up-to-date basement. Also, we’ll have a garage to put Skylark the Subaru in and to mount the famous high-tail cat wind vane on.
What’s this mean to you, our friends? Well. . .change.
To begin with we’ll be maintaining our Waterville PO Box as is, so if that’s the address you have for us, you’re good. We’ll be submitting change of address to the PO RSN. . .and that will go out to all those who have need of the home address. Since we’re doing hybrid moving – partly us and partly a moving company – the change will take a few weeks once we go to closing. We haven’t got an ironclad closing date yet, but it could well be before the 40th anniversary of our joining households back in 1978.
Also, we have yet to sell the house in East Winslow. We’ll be doing some clean up here, and then the pros will come in to make everything shipshape for sale. You’ll notice this takes time ….
In order to keep all things flowing smoothly we’ve petitioned Toni at Baen for an extension on the delivery date for book formerly known as Fifth of Five, which she was kind enough to agree to without question. Ah yes, while the book is slowly in progress it does appear to have a name now: Accepting the Lance.
Other things are still in flux – we’re not sure we’ll be able to afford the planned trip to WorldCon this year, for example – but we will keep you informed as things settle out.
Thanks for all you do.
Steve and Sharon
Good luck with the move x
Happy for your new home and better access. Congratulations!
Best wishes for a trauma free move and re-settle. And hoping you get everything re-sorted out once you move with as little distress as possible.
Hugs all around!
Change can be good, in many ways, however moving really bites…big time. All the packing, unpacking, missing this and missing that and replacing the other. So, I wish you the best of luck in all things on the relocation side, and will have my fingers crossed (after the typing, of course) that you have the smoothest, easiest and most trouble-free move known to mankind. Blessings to you and your howshold.
Sounds like a good location. With plenty of space for people and cats
You can totally afford to come to Worldcon, dammit! You just can. I have decided. (There are extra parties, to which you are emphatically invited, I am just sayin’.)
Oh! Extra parties!
We’re going to do our very best to get to WorldCon; we’ve missed too many.
It’s a great location, set further back from the road than we are here — though granted, it’s a busier road — and a nice big back yard. The cats not only get a posh basement, but they get windows! The front of the house is Big Windows! My office has floor-to-ceiling windows; Steve’s office has two sets of sliders onto the back deck. There Will Be Light.
Congratulations! What wonderful news!
Oh, frabjous Day! Callou, calleigh! Sending hopes that the move will be as easy as is possible, after so many years in the current Cat Farm.
How can your far-distant fans help, in a more-tangible way?
If finances pinch too much for Worldcon maybe consider a fundraiser? I would happily pitch in a bit more than I am currently paying to Patreon for a chance to meet the both of you in the flesh. I am certain other West Coast fans feel similarly. It doesn’t get more convenient for me than this year’s Worldcon. I am an 8 minute drive away from the venue.
Fiat Lux! And wishing you all the best for a smooth closing, minimally stressful move, and a fast sale.
Congrats on the new house. Packing and moving can be a real PITA but you will find stuff you forgot you had so that’s exciting.
The new house sounds wonderful! The move will be a pain, but such is the cost of transition – and well worth it, sounds like. If you have a moment, from time to time, I’m sure all your friendly blog readers would appreciate an update as you go along.
Remember lift from your knees, not your back 🙂
Sounds wonderful and it appears to have been worth the wait. Enjoy!
let me know if you want additional financial help to afford to keep Worldcon in your plans
Congratulations! I am delighted for you all. I know you have been wanting and working towards a move closer to town for quite a while now. Very exciting and of course stressful. There is always so much to do when moving, so I hope it goes as easily and smoothly as possible.
Congratulations and good luck. Having a garage in inclement weather is a fantastic luxury. As are electric garage door openers – until the power goes out. Which was when I realised that my new garage door did not have an outside handle!
Congratulations on finally finding a new house! I hope that all goes as smoothly as a move can go.
Also, add me to the list of folks who would dig down and send you some fund to go Worldcon, even though I won’t me there!
Woohoo re being closer to groceries, doctors/vets, ice cream stand, beach, … So sorry that in order to accomplish that you have to go through the tsuris of moving which in my experience is awful once one is old enough to have more than 3-4 boxes.
Sending “everything going smoothly” vibes.
Congratulations! I know how much work goes into moving, and wish you the best in your new and future location!
just wondering if the generator is moving with you? Even if power is more stable in town, I could imagine it would still be useful.