In The Blink Of An Eye

Whew!!  That all happened faster than the blink of an eye.  Here I am parked in front of the gate, still wondering how I'm going to get it fixed.  There's no indication of any brand name, so I'm not sure what to Google.  At least my outside lights still work because they can be rather picky.  I think the moon is a nice touch!

 Here we go ..... Dan and I got most of the stuff out of the back first.  Ten minutes later, my Knight from from the Round Table of Bingo came by with one of his best hands ... my friend the tractor driver from the Pumpkin Patch.  I called out where stuff went and they took it there.  You can barely walk through my house.

A few minutes later the two kids from next door came over to lift the heavy stuff.  You're not going to believe it ... we unloaded that truck completely in 25 minutes.  We were like a bunch of ants cleaning out after a rainstorm!!

We had just enough time to return the truck.  It was another epic phone check-out process.  We had to take pictures of the mileage, the gas gauge, every side of the truck and where it was parked.  They dinged me for $18 in fuel because they said it had more when we left Tucson.  I took this picture to prove that we left the stuff inside the truck.

Of course the place was locked up, and we couldn't find where to drop the keys.  Finally on the way out, Dan spotted a lock box on the telephone pole and VOILA! we were done.

Starving, we made a quick right turn into Mickey D's for an egg McMuffin.  Boy did that ever taste good!!

Of course I couldn't come home without some kind of repair problem to take care of.  The ice maker quit, and I've had trouble with the ice door for years.  I can't believe I looked online and found a local repair guy that not only knew how to fix it, he has the exact same fridge himself ... and he has fixed the same thing.

It took quite some time, but I now have ice.  I might have just gone and BOUGHT ice for the next 5 years, because it cost of $800 for the repair.  AND he had to order a few more parts he'll put in later ... for free thank goodness.  What the heck ... it's only money, but I needed an aspirin after the shock wore off.

Dan and I continued unloading stuff from my rig.  First we rolled an old printer out the door where it will sit until it goes to Landfill Heaven.  It's a relic of my old photography days.  Then we unloaded the end rails from my quilting machine that were my bed rails for the last three days.

At that point, it was computer time.  We made Dan's return flight for Friday, but it would be better if he could fly out today.  At long last I got an agent on the phone and we were able to change the reservation.  Printing out boarding passes wasn't the easiest to accomplish.  After several attempts, Dan finally got them on HIS phone, so we'll be driving to Fresno today.  

At long last, it was time.  You knew where we were going for dinner.  Habit Burger is the name of the game at my house, and it just happens to live a couple miles away.  I ate every single bit of it!!

And so the big epic move is complete.  Now comes the hard part ... trying to find a place for all this stuff.  Although I'm a packrat and find it very hard to get rid of anything that is still useful, I will force myself to donate SOME stuff.  The rest can live in boxes in the garage, because you never know ... I may find the perfect little house somewhere that needs a part time visitor.

Oh wait ... there is yet another repair needed.  The garage door wouldn't stay open, so I propped it up with a ladder.  I'll have to call for that repair today.  It is just never ending!!

The best news ... I got a great night's sleep on my new-to-this-house mattress.  

Let the box unboxing and furniture rearranging begin!!!

Short and Sweet

 Well short anyway ... I made it to the house in California about 10:00 in the morning.  Dan pulled in with the truck about 5:00 pm.

Here's Cooper and I stuffed in the chair in Bakersfield where we spent the night.  It was a long drive, but a good one.  Not a single accident, or even a NEAR accident.  Even the truck drivers stayed off my back end and gave me room to breathe.  That's a first!!

It's dark at 5:00 in the morning and all I could think about was the hurricane crossing over Florida.  It turned out to be a big one and is currently slamming into the coast.  I'm praying for everyone there.

We walked about a bit, but not much.  This old body is a little sore around the edges and could use some rest.  Cooper insisted, so we made one trip down the shady side to find the trees covered in oranges.  Obviously not ready yet, they should ripen in December and January.

That's it.  Well almost ... I got home to find my electric gate opener wouldn't open.  I put a new battery in the control, but nothing.  I parked my trailer outside and up close to the gate to stay out of Dan's way with the truck.

When he arrived, he parked the U Haul, slapped a lock on it and we chowed down on Panda Express.  YUM ... I left the second yum off because they forgot to give me the teriyaki sauce to go with the teriyaki chicken.

We MIGHT have had some nice ice water to go with it, but my ice maker refused to work.  Just my luck, right?  I found a local repair guy who says he will be by this morning ... when we are unpacking.  I couldn't say no because I might not ever find anyone else to show up.

And so it goes ... half the unloading help will be here at 7:00 ... the other half may not show up at all.  We shall see!

Moving Right Along ... at 35 MPH

 How could I have forgotten to mention this beauty in all his splendor.  He tried to eat me in the last few moments of the Vail house.  I've no idea what it is, but it was fast, about an inch long and those front legs were going like crazy.  I do NOT have a passion for bugs, whatever it is.

I have to admit though, it might have been better with the bug in Vail than with the heat in Quartzsite.  Good grief it was hot.  I never stopped sweating the entire time.

This is the sound of air.  It is quite amazing to me that I slept with the AC unit on.  Not for long mind you, but sleep I did.  I must have run up a $100 electric tab in one night.

It's not exactly comfortable since there's no room for people, let alone one tiny dog.  I can't put the slide out because there's too much weight on it.  I'm not taking the chance of breaking something.

Morning came quickly, along with 92 degrees of heat.  It was okay though, because the inside air was 80 degrees.  YAY!!!  It took all of 15 minutes for us to be off to the next destination.  Except wait ... my truck is leaning to one side.  Apparently the left air bag leaked or is broken.  That's not good ... I had to let all the air out of the other one, which will probably kill it too.  It's going to be a rough ride.

But first .... let's fill up with some of this fuel that they tell me is NOT part of inflation.  Are you kidding me?  This is Arizona ... in the summer heat ... and the price of diesel is $4.60 a gallon.  Just wait until we get to California.

It was a nice drive in the early morning hours as I passed through Parker.  There was very little traffic and my little truck just hummed right along.  

Until we got to Needles that is.  I know I had 40 gallons of fuel and about 15 gallons of water, along with all the other things I stuffed in the truck and rig.  We barely made 35 mph as we climbed up to the top.  I was leaning forward, hoping to help a little.  She didn't fail me though, and still never overheated.  That was a big surprise.  AND no check engine lights!!

The next stop in Barstow for more fuel was an ouchy one.  I thought Arizona fuel was high.  Barstow was $5.999 a gallon, which my truck is sucking down as fast as she can.

The next few hours were boring, but we kept on trucking.  Going up Tehachapi was a little slow due to the single lane.  The last huge rain washed all the dirt and sand off this hill and over the road.  It was closed completely for several days, but open when I went through.  They are still doing cleanup work.

Boy was I ever happy to see Orange Grove RV Park.  In one minute we were parked (really un-level) with both AC units running full blast.  It's only 95 degrees, but I'm not going to unhook the electricity to move over two feet.  We don't need level since I'm not putting the slide out and the fridge is on electric.  

Here we are back on the bed under the AC unit.  The heat didn't bother Cooper at all ... it was PLAY TIME.

Yes, that's my blanket in his mouth.  He hid his ball underneath, and now has to dig it out.  What a kid!!

Cooper and I split a chicken tender for dinner, and we relaxed in the too small chair while I played with my phone.  There's no TV with the slide in, can you believe it?  

We've been here an hour and the temperature is finally down to 84 degrees inside.  It's almost pleasant. I would take a nice cold shower, but it too is full of boxes.

This morning we'll take off early again on the last leg.  Dan will be about nine or ten hours behind me.  Just in time for me to hit up Panda Express for dinner.  You didn't think I was going to cook, did you?  

I'm looking forward to a nice long rest when I get home ... after unpacking the U-Haul truck ... and spending days unpacking the RV.  Maybe then the furniture placement will come into play.

The good news is there have been multiple showings of the house.  Surely more good news will be on the horizon.  

I Think I Died And Went To Hell

 There are trips you want to remember forever, and there are trips you want to forget.  This may be the FORGET kind.

I didn't mention that I had a great dinner sendoff from the Chance Chef Saturday night.  Chicken Alfredo Noodles were awesome!

I think it was about 6:00 that Mother Nature gave me a big sendoff also.  See that hummingbird feeder on the right?  The picture isn't crooked, that's the wind and rain that came through with a double rainbow.  I might have gotten a few more pictures, but in two seconds I was soaking wet.  

Moving right along, it's Sunday morning, and Dan and I will pick up the U-Haul truck at 6:30.  The time was my fault completely.  I just thought we should get an early start.  Have you ever rented a U-Haul truck on Sunday when they are closed?  

I had already given them all my information, along with a credit card.  What else did they need?  Well, turns out quite a lot, which I had to handle completely by cell phone while we sat in the truck for 45 minutes.  Drivers license pictures, names of other people to verify who you were, it went on and on.  Why didn't they do this verification process over the last three days.  Why wait until you are THERE!

At long last we were "approved", whereupon we had to find the truck.  Good grief ... there are 30 trucks on the lot.  Got it ... now what?  Find the box with the code lock in order to get the keys.  That took us another 15 minutes!!

The good news ... it has air conditioning and cruise control.  FINALLY ... we are parked at the house.  The help hadn't arrived yet, so Dan and I loaded all the boxes up front and Dan strapped them in.

YAY ... help arrived.  Talk about a small world, come to find out my realtor's son in law Chris is from my old home town of Merced.  That's pretty crazy.  He was an amazing amount of help, as was my realtor.  I think in 3 hours the truck was loaded to the gills.  It doesn't look like it here, but it's completely full.

Since Chris' wife is pregnant and they just bought a new house, I donated my bedroom furniture to them.  I didn't need it, don't have room for it, and was just going to donate it anyway.  It was a win-win!!

Exhausted from the heat, I loaded up my truck, only to find I couldn't see the hitch AT ALL, in order to hook up to my RV.  Chris helped me, but it took about four tries.  At last I was on the road, kids in tow.

Hard to see, but it quickly jumped up to 111 in my rear view mirror temperature gauge.  That lasted all the way to Gila Bend, where it took a sharp upturn.  I was thrilled that my little truck just hummed right along in spite of the ridiculous heat.

From Gila Bend to Quartzsite it went all the way up to 116, with a tiny drop to 115 when I hit the RV park in Quartzsite.  I think I died and went to hell ... that's how hot it is here.  I left the kids in the truck with the AC running while I turned on BOTH AC units in the rig.  It took 3 hours to get it down to 88.

The big unit in the bedroom sounds like a Mac truck going downhill with its Jake brake on, but at least it's working.  We are actually now down to 85 degrees while we sit on the bed, directly underneath.  The one in the other room still reads 91.  Not suitable for habitation.

I'm hoping it gets all the way down to 100 overnight so the AC units can cool us down a bit more.  Otherwise, there's going to be NO sleeping.  Playing however .... playing will happen no matter what.  I mistakenly parked this toy box by the bed, where we are currently stationed.

Someone found his favorite ball and had to dig holes in the bed in order to hide it.  Of course now he's even HOTTER than he was before.  I'm not comfortable, but at least I'm not sweating buckets.  

So here we sit ... that little yellow dot is Jonathan's head in his travel cage.  

The plan is to take my usual three days driving.  Dan the professional driver, will leave Tuesday morning and drive through.  I hopefully have help to unload us Wednesday morning, return the truck and have one days rest before running Dan to the airport for his flight home.  I'm praying it all works out.  So far so good.  

The Last Train

 I took a sleeping pill, not that it worked or anything.  There's nothing like working yourself to the bone and being so tired you can't sleep.  Elva says I overthink it.  She's right!!!  She also asked me who was going to help me take the bed apart.  

Ummm no one.  Remember born and raised on a ranch? That's how you end up tough and self reliant.  I told her I can throw hay bales in the back of my truck.  Taking a bed apart is easy peasy!   

Next I moved on to the kitchen.  All the cupboards are bare.  I still have to wrap up the TV, but I'm getting there.

I was a nervous wreck when the expert at dismantling one of these beasts was late.  I could feel the nerves creeping up my back.  He finally showed up and we both went to work.  I took a lot of pictures, thinking I was going to set it back up when it arrived in California.  By the time we got to the table part, I threw that thought right out the window.  Good grief .... this thing is complicated!!!

Amazingly, we got the machine in a huge box that actually fit in the back seat of my truck, along with three table panels.  I figure it's the equivalent of a husband and three kids, because as you already know, I'm stressing about getting up and over the hills on the way to California.  

The two big end pieces were placed against the wall in the RV, wrapped in two quilts and my comforter to keep it in place and hopefully not damage the RV walls.  Cooper and I have about 12" where we can crawl into the bed.

Here comes the company.  Once inside, the buyer said OH WOW!!  That's a good sign.  They are from the Dragoon area.  Maybe we should just switch houses, because I love it there.  They liked everything and stayed for about 90 minutes, measuring rooms to be sure their furniture would fit.  Nice!!  I'm hoping I get an offer in the next few days.  Oh ... and they have a fifth wheel ... perfect for the RV cover.

Way too early this morning we will pick up the U-Haul truck and get it packed.  After that's done, I will take off for Quartzsite with a big sigh of relief.  Dan will head out with the truck on Tuesday.  

And so my friends ... this is the last train passing by.  I'll miss the view for sure.  I'll see you in Quartzsite!!

Just for giggles, Mother Nature gave me a great send off last night.  Pictures tomorrow.

The Dead Body

Now I understand why Jan and Bill didn't have all their furniture moved back East.  Honestly, you can buy furniture easier and MUCH cheaper when you get there.  If I get another house, I'll be camping out on the living room floor in my tent and air mattress.  No furniture required.

I finally got an early morning break to sit on the patio and enjoy the view, but it didn't last long. 

I'm trying to be organized ... almost all the furniture to be moved is right here.  There's four pieces in the other room, but I think they will require more muscle.

Today my longarm repairman will show up and help me dismantle the frame.  The machine itself ... it's a piece of cake.  The frame is another matter.

I got NO night's sleep in my bed last night, which will be dismantled today.    That should be fun since I've no idea how to do that!!  It's an adventure!  I'll probably sleep on the couch since it's still pretty hot outside in the rig.

I do have to say however, the dead bodies that keep popping up are a mystery.  There were two of these ..... red velvet ants.  About half an inch long, they have a nasty bite.  They are actually a type of wasp and are known to be called cow killers.  Lucky for me they were found DEAD on the bedroom floor.

One of the last things to pack up will be the TV and that Indian head sculpture on the credenza.  There's very few of those around any more because they are made of a type of concrete.  VERY heavy.  My plan was to wrap it in that comforter for the trip to California.

Does this look like a wrapped up dead body to you?   That was the first thing I thought when I was done with the job.  Hopefully no one looks in the back of the truck!!  

The other dead bodies found around the house included two scorpions, several unrecognizable spiders, a couple of moths and two very much alive daddy longlegs.  Seems they have been having a feast of moths by the back door.  As I said, I need to vacuum a little more often.

My realtor called last night to say she, her son in law and her husband would all be here to help us load the truck.  How nice is that!!!  She also asked if another realtor could show the house today.  Most certainly, but I will have to be in the house because we are taking the longarm apart.  Things are looking up!!!

Packing Sucks, But Cleaning Is Worse!!!

 Good Morning Arizona!  It's a tad on the early side this morning as temperatures start to heat up again.  Although we got a severe heat warning, the weather guessers say 97, so we shall see.  

I'm not sure if I showed this video or not.  This was a fabulous video before it got chopped up on the editing room floor.  Blogger just won't allow large files, so I had to cut out the crazy expression on the coyote.  Then it dawned on me ... make it into three movies.  So here goes.

Rarely do I ever see the pack.  Individuals stop by quite often, but the entire pack?  That's unusual.

I just love watching these guys.  

I'm pretty sure they were tracking THESE guys.  Sadly, no one has come to drink for the last week.  With rains coming in every day, there are other places to find water.  I finally got the camera working ... new batteries ... but no visitors.  Not even Prince Charming the Toad.

The first order of the day was to meet up with the trash guy.  Since my first choice said he couldn't show up, I just googled Trash Guys on the internet.  I got a very young sounding kid named Caleb.  I'm all about kids who have the initiative to work hard and make extra money.  He sounded like he fit the bill.

Sure enough, he texted me twice to say he was on his way.  He even backed the trailer all the way up in my driveway like a pro.  I'm guessing he was about 19 years old.  He said he had three more stops to make before heading home.  Some stuff he keeps, some he sells and most gets hauled to the dump for probably under $20.  

We loaded up all the junk and filled half his trailer.  I gave him a 100 dollar bill.  It was probably worth $75, but this kid showed respect, hard work and service in fifteen minutes.  I'll all about that in young kids!

Then of course I had to spend the next twenty minutes sweeping out the garage.  That little pile on the right will be loaded on the rental truck.  Gosh .. I've never done so much cleaning in one day!!

Did you notice the shelves were gone?  Manuel from Four Arrows Garden came by to pick them up.  That was fun .... we loaded them up just like this instead of taking them apart.  These things are HEAVY!!

With most everything finally moved out of the rooms, it was cleaning time.  I'm sure you know just how much I appreciated THAT little task.  I vacuumed for all of 10 minutes before it quit altogether.  What the heck?  Oooooooohhhhh ... it was jam packed with fluff and dirt.  Hmmmm I guess I need to vacuum a little more often.  Once cleaned out, it was purring again.  

Believe it or not, I even wiped down the baseboards.  Thankfully they only exist in two rooms.  No, I'm not cleaning the blinds.  I have my limits!

The rest of the day I managed to clean up more stuff and pack even more boxes.  It never failed, just as I sealed the box, I needed something inside it.  

Chef Patty called to say she was having a fabulous casserole ... she is the Casserole Queen ... and I should stop by for dinner.  It was quite tasty, but I didn't stay long.  I couldn't stop thinking about my second day drive that would probably be ten hours long.  

Back home, I sat on the couch staring at all this stuff, thinking "I don't need that, I don't have room for that".  More things got moved into the donation room.  Those guys better bring a BIG truck!!

Just before I crashed for the night, I decided I would leave Sunday, right after we finish packing the rental truck.  I should have plenty of time to get to Quartzsite, making my second day of travel about seven hours.  Remember, I have to drive slower when towing.  I don't mind really ... it makes it easier on me.  

I'll finish cleaning today, dismantling and loading my longarm tomorrow and the big pack on Sunday.  Here's hoping all goes on schedule.

Moving Tips

 As you can imagine, things have been pretty crazy around here.  I know it seems like this was a one second decision, but it's actually been in contemplation mode for quite some time.  I've just never talked about it.  Nothing like keeping a secret, eh??  I'll explain it much more after I'm planted back in my other house.

In the meantime, here are some packing tips.  Be prepared to go crazy and work your butt off.  As I mentioned, the first bid to move me was $9,900.  The second bid came in yesterday at $7,900.  That makes the $644 U-Haul truck sound pretty good, yes?  

It took less than two seconds to take Mr. Chance up on his offer to drive the truck to California and fly back.  That's what put everything into overdrive.  It's like the funny car drag races ... take off screaming ... because he has to be back in Arizona in four short days.

I thought I had things under control until I realized I had the kitchen to pack up.  I really don't have that much stuff here, but it's enough to make me work hard.  Here's a tip ... as you empty out a cupboard, you put a sticky note on it so you don't keep going back twelve times to see if it's empty.  On my way out, I'll take one last look and remove the tags.  

I'm pretty short on pictures today ... I was on a mission.  First thing when it was cool, I headed out to the garage and moved my truck out.  I put all the trash things on one side and all the "good take-it" stuff on the other so we didn't get things mixed up.

You really have to think on your feet ... especially when the guy who is supposed to haul OFF that trash calls and says he can't do it.  I hit my phone running and got a kid who is coming today at 2:00.  I love it when a young kid has some smarts and makes extra money hauling off junk.  Those are the people you should help out.

I just kept plugging away at it while the to-go pile got bigger and bigger.  Dan keeps saying I don't have that much stuff and it won't fill a 26' foot truck, but we shall see.  

Time to test our muscles.  Dan and Pattys son Mark could use a new bed.  I have two and can only sleep in one at a time.  It's a practically new fancy dancey adjustable bed that's nice and soft ... perfect for a late night watching TV.  It took Dan, Laila and I to get the mattress out to Mark's truck.

Who knew the frame was so darn heavy??  It took four of us to get it out of the house and probably a hernia or two to get it on the  truck.  Good grief that thing was heavy.  My next tip ... get all your kids and grandkids to lift the heavy stuff!!

Oops .. I forgot to check the game camera.  RATS ... still no pictures.  Now I'm thinking it's the batteries.  There's really no way to tell.  Sometimes no one shows up for a drink, especially during monsoon when there are puddles everywhere.  

I made a quick trip to the store for chicken fingers and batteries.  Safeway's food is pretty darn tasty when you can't cook.  Back home, I tested the new batteries, and it seems to be working.  Maybe that drop on the concrete two days ago didn't hurt the camera after all.  

Here's my last problem.  These are fabulous shelves.  Heavy ... steel grating ... and I hate to see them go, but no one has room for them.  I stopped by the little nursery that popped up down the street and asked if they could use them.  He said yes, but he never stopped by.  I guess we'll take them apart and load them up.

So that's it for today folks ... nothing really exciting.  My realtor is going to work for her money ... I've got more furniture in the house that will be donated after I leave, and the mobile home guys will come and repair the vapor barrier the next day.  She's going to be busy!

Pray for good weather please ... I'll be pulling out Monday morning.

Where Did All This Stuff Come From?

 I guess we all do it ... gather up stuff we just have to have when we are younger.  We display it all over our houses from top to bottom, filling every nook and cranny.  Then we have to move.  

I mean really, just how many pieces of driftwood have I thrown away!!  

Just like this squall that came in yesterday, it's time to clean up.  My big garbage can outside was full an hour after they emptied it.  It's full again and I now have two bags waiting in the wings, plus a truckload of junk in the garage.  I called the recommended guy to haul it all off, but he has not returned my calls.  I guess my realtor is going to earn her money.

As I'm sure you all know, when you sell a house with a septic system, you have to have it pumped and certified that it is working.  I knew it was, but I was on pins and needles.  I won't tell you what this cost, but the labor was $90 an hour.  I showed them where the lids were, but they are 3 feet deep, meaning lots of digging and dollars.

Yes the smell is less than rosy, but back in my construction marriage days, we pumped tanks and installed systems among other things, so I'm used to it.  Besides, once you've smelled several dead cows on the ranch, this is a breeze because you learn how to breathe through your mouth and not your nose.

There was another $110 fee to email the results to the County.  It just boggles the mind.  Anyhoo ... I continued packing stuff here and there.  The stack of stuff in the sewing room that will be donated to In Joy in Tucson, got bigger and bigger.  Where did all this stuff come from??

I'm hoping I can actually make it up the hill pulling my fifth wheel with all the quilts in it, along with small boxes of things I stuffed in the cupboards.  I tried to imagine eight quilts equalled one Prince Charming.  I'll be the one with six big trucks behind me honking because I'm going so slow.

The hummers were out in force, even surprising the pump guys with their antics.  You would think they would just sit down and eat ... but no, they have to fight for the territory I guess.

Thankfully, my system passed inspection, whereupon I headed right on out for lunch.  I had a truckload of donations to the local Thrift Store to drop off before hitting up Dairy Queen.  Certainly not the best meal I've ever eaten ... I should have gone with the extra crispy chicken ... but it was okay.  Even the blizzard wasn't up to par this trip.  What's up with that?

By 2:00 we were beat.  Dan stopped by to check out how much we needed to load and bring an extra roll of packing tape.  I had been calling around trying to get a little help with 3 big pieces of furniture, to no avail.  At long last my realtor said her 26 year old son-in-law could come help ... and she will too.  Now that's going above and beyond!!!

Finally ... time for dinner.  I completely forgot to head to the store and scrounged up a box of Mac & Cheese in the rig.  But wait .... I packed all the pots and pans.  Luckily I had one in the rig, so in no time dinner was served ... out of the pan, because I packed all the dishes.  Today I'll hit up Panda Express for a four meal box ... you just need a fridge and a microwave.

At long last, exhausted, I couldn't wait to fall in bed, except wait ... where are my PJ's?  I scoured the house.  They were nowhere to be found.  I must have used them to wrap up SOMETHING.  It sucks getting old!!

I actually think I'm done with packing.  I see lots of blue strips hanging on the cupboards.  That's what I do, use post-it notes torn in half and stuck on the cupboards that are empty so I don't keep opening the doors.  

Over the next couple of days I'll clean out the fridge and finish sewing this last quilt binding.  Every so often I walk around and designate something ELSE to be donated.  No use taking all this stuff to California, just to have it live in the garage.