Moving

Shwew, we're finally moved in.

The packers came at 8 o'clock Monday morning and by the time Uchenna came home for lunch they were finishing up. I guess we don't have much stuff. They could have easily loaded and taken everything that day, but since they'd planned to load the second day they hadn't brought the truck.

Last time we moved, the moving company gave us all kinds of instructions on how to prepare for them, what things they couldn't carry, and so forth. This time they didn't say much. But it turns out that since we were just moving in-state, they could take everything without all that special preparation. Really, my only job was just to put aside the things we didn't want them to load up.

Turns out I didn't do my job all that well. For instance, I didn't think through what we would eat and how we would eat it. Or like when Uchenna said, where's my shaver, I had to say, I think it's in one of these boxes here. Or when he said, let's go get the certified check to take to closing tomorrow--where's the checkbook that they said we should bring? I had to say, oh gosh, it's probably buried in one of those boxes over there (although that worked out all right, because the bank didn't really need a check from us afterall, and they even waived the certified check fee). And finally, I did want to take a picture of all the activity, but who knew where the camera ended up.

Again on Tuesday the movers moved very quickly, like a whirlwind. We had to take off for Bartlesville, to sign our life away, very early in the morning. The movers came at 8 again, and by the time we were driving home about 11, they called to let us know they were finished and taking off. We came home to a completely empty house. I was reminded of the Grinch, who "on their walls left only some hooks and some wires."

So we got to work cleaning. Unfortunately, I thought we should also clean the oven, which wouldn't be difficult since it's self-cleaning. I've never tried it before, so it really was in need of some attention. After about a half an hour of cleaning at high heat, though, the whole thing went blank. The electronics panel was VERY hot, and it just looks like it fried. We had our realtor look at it the next day, to see if it came back to life when it cooled down. In her words, it was deader n' a hammer.

So we have repair guys coming on Monday. We're just hoping it won't take months to get a part, like last time the oven had a problem. We actually suspect that with that last repair, maybe the guy didn't replace the necessary insulation--because why would the electronics get so hot, when it's supposed to be designed to take the high heat of a self-cleaning oven?

On Wednesday, the movers delivered everything. Now we're just arranging it all. And suddenly, what seemed like not much stuff looks like a lot. For instance, in our last house the look was spare and clean--here the living room is full of furniture. I'm also missing my lovely built in bookcases, where we had all our movies and music, games and decorative knick-knacks. Anyway, we've got the living room and kitchen settled and livable--just need to get the pictures on the walls--and over time we'll get the stuffed, chaotic back rooms (where everything is hiding) in good order.

The Mighty Hunters

House hunting is by far the most fun part of relocating--okay, it's the only fun part. It's like an elephant-sized shopping trip. You get to explore all these houses and imagine yourself living in each one. And even though you have a very definite price range in mind, you blithely ignore it until it comes time to make some decisions.

(Can you see me reflected in the mirror? When you look at about 10 houses in one morning, you need pictures and copious notes to keep them from all blending together--at least, I do.)

You also see some wierd things along the way. For instance, this house looked very promising online--new, pretty, and reasonably priced:

But see that odd shadow falling across it? What could that be? This is what we saw as we drove up:

We said, "Ahhh! Beware the giant mushroom!" I guess it looks more like a very plain hot air balloon about to take off. The closer we got, the huger it seemed to grow. Really, what builder thought it'd be a good idea to put a house directly across the street from something like that? We didn't bother to go inside.

We also drove right past any house next to a big drainage ditch. We have a couple of friends who lived next to a similar ditch here in town, and they had to constantly--like monthly--get their place sprayed for bugs. Ewww!

Then there was one house, cute on the outside, nicely priced, and built in 2000. But when we went in we had our doubts. It had that sculptured carpet from the 80's, wallpaper, one of those kitchen box lights. We kept saying, "THAT'S not from 2000." We decided it had to be from the late 80's, maybe early 90's at a stretch. Then our realtor said she knew a trick. She took off the top of a toilet tank, and the date of manufacture was imprinted underneath. 1990. Ah hah! We knew it. Mystery solved. We couldn't have seriously considered that house, anyway, since it smelled strongly of smoke.

(Could this be the one? Actually, it was the runner-up. I like the porch.)

We narrowed our search down to two houses, but the one that lost out wouldn't have worked anyway. It had a great, huge garage that even opened into the backyard. Perfect for a boat or RV, right? Well, we don't have one of those, nor do we plan to get one anytime soon. Plus, it really was out of our price range. At some point fantasy has to give way to real life.

(If one had a boat or camper, one could make good use of this garage's back door. Unfortunately, we are not that one.)

Anyway, I like the one we finally came up with. I think I'll miss our lovely mature trees (as they say in the real estate ad), but I'll find new things to love. Now we just have to get all the money and paperwork lined up for our closing on the 25th.

(Ooh, ahh. I think we have a winner.)

Summer Storms

Looks like we're in for a storm. The sky to the west is dark and murky, and lightening over there is getting more prominent. The forecast calls for 90% chance of precipitation, but not severe thunderstorms--meaning there should be rumblings and rain, but not hail or tornados. I hope we don't have to clean up broken trees again.

(The rain last week was clearly too much for the rain gutters to handle.)

Last week a short but dramatic storm blew through. When Uchenna and I were driving home, a few fat raindrops started hitting the windshield, and a few minutes after we pulled in, it all seemed to break loose. It's been a while since I've seen rain come down in sheets like that. Between all that water and the wind tossing our trees about, it looked like a hurricane. We were mildly concerned that the small hail clattering against our windows, blowing in sideways with some force behind it, might break the glass. But it was fine. And it was over in about a half an hour.

(That tree left the back yard a mess)

It did leave branches scattered all over town, though, including in our own backyard. I don't think cottonwood trees are very strong. And who would plant cottonwood anyway, with all that annoying fluffiness they blow around? But we've got one. And it dropped a couple of branches in the backyard.

(This branch fell outside the fence, into the school field, and took a bite out of the fence on the way. I'm really glad nothing fell on the house.)

We thought about investing in loppers or some other yard implement to clean it up, but actually it's amazing how much you can get done with brute strength: Uchenna just pulled down that one that was still partly attached, and we both pulled off twigs or broke sticks over our knees. Oh, and we did have our small bypass shears. The kind made for roses, yes, those ones. Besides, the house we're going to won't need loppers or anythings for several years. The trees are tiny, and no bushes to speak of.


(After work the next day, Uchenna and I gathered all the smallish pieces into neat, bushy piles.)


(Almost done.)

So we bundled it up and set it out with the trash. Except for a few larger pieces. Our neighbor and fellow church-member came over with his chain saw and made short work of whatever was left. I have to say chainsaws scare me, I don't really want to own one, but I appreciate people who do.

(Our neighbor's chainsaw chewed through the bigger pieces in short order. He came prepared with his ear protection and everything, but somehow the headphones never made it to his ears. You can see them sitting around his neck.)

Anyway, it has started to rain now, and the thunder rumblings are constant, but I don't think it's going to get much more interesting. Which is fine with me. Besides, what about all the people and horses and bulls that are gathering for the big 50th anniversary 101 Ranch Rodeo? We pass the rodeo grounds on the way to work, and they're all camped out there with their trailers. I don't think a big, blowing storm would be a good thing for them.

For Sale

(Yes, a sign, in front of our own house. Sigh.)

You know that kid's rhyme game: "can't go over it, can't go under it, gotta go through it"? That's how I feel with this whole moving thing. There's no way to side-step or short-cut this long, hairy, complicated process. Just gotta go through it, step by step.


(The first sign is our own. How many can you see behind it? Hint: a blue one, another brown one, and a red one)

As the first part of the process we've got our house listed for sale. This makes life a little exciting because people can come look at it with as little as 30 minutes notice. I've never cleaned so much in my life. I tell you, it's unnatural. You know the video of the house on the realtor's website (http://www.visualtour.com/applets/flashviewer2/viewer.asp?t=1941060&sk=6) that shows our spacious, white counters? Frankly, no one can live with counters that cleared-off. You guys who have kids and have sold houses--how do you even do it? I'm so ready to get back to my usual laissez-faire housekeeping.

We also did a couple little repairs. I know, why should a house need repairs after only one year? But it's like this. In the spring--before the heat and flies got out of control--I would leave the doors open and let playful breezes blow through. Sometimes, though, the breezes would get overly fiesty and slam the door so hard that it knocked part of the door frame loose (that little strip that the door rests against when it's closed). Oops.

So we had our friend Brian, an expert woodworker, come help us put it back together. I learned all kinds of little tricks, like drilling a guide hole for the nail to avoid splitting the wood. And hammering the nail in most of the way, then setting it and covering it over with putty. Now, the door is not only secure and sturdy, but looks totally smooth and professional. You know if I'd been in charge of that repair, it would be all split, with obvious nails surrounded by hammer indentations. I love learning tricks of the trade.

We also discovered the virtues of recaulking. A sink goes from stained and deteriorating to fresh and new in a matter of moments. But watch out--that caulk splooges everywhere, and once it sticks it won't let go.


(This is actually a picture from a couple of months ago, when Uchenna fixed a leaky, squealing faucet.)

We had the missionaries over for dinner the night we re-caulked the kitchen sink. Of course we couldn't let the caulking get wet for something like 24 hours. It's a little tricky making dinner, especially for guests, when you can't use your kitchen sink. I'm just saying.

I also did a little beautifying of my own to get the house ready for its photo shoot. We bought a couple of pots for our mantle months ago, intending them for flower arrangements. I don't really get around to things unless I have a deadline, though. So that morning before the realtor came over to take pictures, I bought silk greenery and flowers, foam and moss. I think they turned out pretty nice, considering I'd never done anything like that before--and in spite of the huge mess the moss made. I got it cleaned up just in time. Shwew.

So those were the fix-ups we could take care of ourselves. Today I've got to call a couple of roofing companies for bids on fixing some roof issues. Hail damage--no big surprise, but grrrr.

I suppose this work would need to be done whether we were selling the house or not. But if someone would just come buy it, it would make it seem so much more worthwhile. We've had two appointments to view it and 27 people at the open house. So far no nibbles, though.