Downsizing was one goal of my move to Southern California two years ago. Friends my age have for several years been reporting on their efforts to simplify their lives and save their children the emotionally laden task of going through a lifetime of possessions once their parents can no longer do so. Since I was already planning to move closer to my son’s family, I decided this would be a good time to reduce my footprint on the earth and also save my children from having to make those decisions.

Before leaving Santa Cruz I held yard sales, shlepped carloads of stuff to Goodwill, donated books and puzzles to my grandchildren’s schools, and listed camping equipment and furniture on Freecycle and Craig’s List. It took several months, but I finally pared down my possessions until I felt I could claim I had indeed “downsized.”

My son helped me find an apartment complex not too far from his home, and it was dog-friendly. I decided to rent a one-bedroom apartment and a small storage unit, and I began my new life in Calabasas in May 2021. I wrote a post about the joys of moving here and wrote cheerfully about my new home and sharing a Covid bubble with my children.

Shortly after arriving in  Calabasas, my sixth grandchild was born, and for eight months I cared for her each weekday while her parents worked. I left home at 7:00 am and didn’t return home until 6:00 pm, so I wasn’t in my apartment much. But after my children engaged an au pair to take care of both girls, I began to recognize that I might have gone a bit too far in my choice of new home.

Three afternoons a week I invited my 5-year-old granddaughter into my home since her new baby sister was the primary focus of the au pair’s attention. She liked having me all to herself, and I enjoyed her company. We went to museums, the library, playgrounds, and parks, and explored the neighborhood. We planted flowers and vegetables in pots on my patio, and she painted, colored, pasted, and created wonderful things on the table in my living room/kitchen. But when she went home, I found the tiny space confining. I used the same table for writing as my granddaughter did for her creative pursuits, and it took a while for me to figure out how to accommodate both of our needs in the same space.

Fast forward to 2023. I have made a half dozen trips back to Santa Cruz to stay in touch with my granddaughter there, and to publicize my 2020 memoir, Back to the Land in Silicon Valley, Each time I came home, my apartment felt smaller. Once I sold my house in Santa Cruz, I decided to buy a condominium with more space. I visited several developments and decided on a floor plan I liked, but nothing came up for sale. Finally, when a newly renovated two bedroom unit was listed for rent I decided to go that route and began packing to move.

Meanwhile, there were writing conferences to attend, a couple of months when Kismet was exhibiting kidney issues that led to lots of vet visits and a special diet. I found myself leading a mystery book club for Sisters in Crime, and overseeing five critique groups for the San Fernando Valley chapter of the California Writers Club.

What there wasn’t, was the time or energy to write.

Upsizing a bit appears to have been the solution.

I’m in my new place now, and ready to restart my daily writing practice. My granddaughter changed schools and likes the new au pair, so we just spend Wednesdays (early release day) and the occasional weekend together. My latest book project, Organic Cooking for (not-so-organic) Families, is finally with the designer and looks like it will be released in the next few months. I’ve decided to step down from some of my obligations and put writing at the forefront of my attention. I plan to resume work on my cozy mystery and research on grandparenting.

It’s good to be back!

Marlene Anne Bumgarner writes primarily about food, family, and traditions. Her 2020 memoir, Back to the Land in Silicon Valley, is about raising children, animals, and vegetables on a rural plot of land in the 1970s.  

Organic Cooking for (not-so-organic) Families will be out soon. Her next project is a cozy mystery.