And the road goes on forever...

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Missing in Action

One of the most frustrating things about this move is the way we’ve combined household items from our distant past and thus strewn about between cargo trailer, sheds, sea containers, shop, RV, and apartment. No one single thing is where I’ve expected it and it thwarts me that some of my favorite—most useful—most treasured items are nowhere to be found! How is this possible? My teapot collection? I have the lids but not the pots. Vintage waffle iron handed down from my mom? Missing. Likewise, old coffee glass canisters with definite antique value given to me by my long dead grandparents.  A very large art picture and pair of vintage architecturally marvelous set of shutters that I was counting on to adorn my walls? Also MIA.

The helper Marc had lined up to assist was unfortunately not available on the Friday that Marc chose to do the move so he and I managed to do it ourselves over the course of the long three day weekend. By that Monday I had returned and completed the final clean so that we had our walk-through with the landlord on Tuesday. We were finally done with apartment living--putting up with hearing noisy neighbors above us; walking through the minefields of dog poo from the lousy owners who refused to pick up after their dogs; and most aggravating, having to use malfunctioning 18 year old appliances that were on their obvious last legs. All in all it wasn’t a bad place to live; just not our own and most definitely not nearly as nice as the home Marc has built us!

So despite my quibbling, I have greatly been enjoying my non-settled abode although its completion has become completely life consuming. I say me because Marc had to leave shortly after our move for a week out west and now after just four days back here he left again Sunday at midnight for another week. He played commercial truck driver last time since the company was short drivers and had a critical wide load that had to be delivered to the Dakotas so Marc, being the only one left with a commercial license, was shanghaied. Battling extreme fatigue, he managed to get some necessary things done to the house but progress is slow. We do now have our new front door installed, but none of the casing, so we still hear the wind whistling. He’s managed to hang more of the lights but not all of them and he finally got the filter to the icemaker in the refrigerator working so we can use it. He has not had a chance to convert my propane dryer to natural gas however, so I wash in the house and dry the loads using our dryer in the RV. Hey—at least I had an extra!

Spring is finally here in WI and the trees have started gently leafing out within this past week and I saw the first daffodils. Local nurseries are back to being stocked so people are out buying up armfuls of beautiful flowering plants and vegetables. Even my lilac bushes have the starts of tiny flowers. It’s actually been drier than normal but the grass has all turned verdant green with winter’s passing so it will be my chore to do the first mowing of the year this week. It would be a good time to start enjoying our front deck if ours was built—ha. Meantime, the view out our front windows is ever engaging and beautiful and it brings a smile to my face to be here finally.


It’s a very busy week for me with some out of town shopping plus Spirit is getting spayed Thursday so I will be her nursemaid for several days making sure she doesn’t get too rambunctious and tear her stitches. In addition to some much needed yard work like weed pulling I’m trying to establish a compost pile. There’s some outdoor yard art to spray paint if the weather cooperates and some upholstery to clean. My list is long and we just got internet again last Friday so there’s been lots of catching up to do in that realm as well. I promise to be back with some photos soon.