.:There's No Place Like Home:.

I'm SO ready to go back home to the cabin!! The living room is FULL of boxes packed with all the stuff we're taking back with us! What a nightmare!

It's been nice being in Nebraska... even if it's for longer than we had originally planned. I've been able to see a couple girlfriends from college, another friend who had moved to the East Coast and have 24/7 access to internet to play on Facebook - which may or may not be a good thing. Facebook is an interesting phenomenon: a place to keep up with family, friends - old & new, former co-workers, etc. Also interesting is the amazing information one can find on Facebook - things one would generally not look for (mostly political and religious). It's a great place to share views & discuss world issues... although it sometimes gets a bit heated. It's still a fun place to "hangout" online.

We've probably missed the changing colours of the aspens. It seems the weather in Nebraska has skipped fall (although the trees are beautiful) and is closer to winter weather. It snowed last weekend and has been cold & damp... and gray! Not my ideal weather by any means. Jerry's wondering how I'll do with the winters in Colorado... I guess the way to find out is to actually spend a winter there.

Friends here are still wondering why in the world we'd want to spend winter there.... I guess what they don't understand is ~ THAT IS home for us... the place here in Nebraska is more of a second home, a place to sleep when we're back visiting without having to shack up with our kids or friends.

We got a call today from some friends in Colorado saying they'd stopped by our cabin & we weren't there... they hadn't seen us in a couple weeks... wondered if everything was okay. They also told us that everything looked "normal" at the cabin - so that's a good thing! Great friends everywhere!

We are SO grateful for our friends here. When we're in Nebraska they make sure we're fed and entertained... and provide us with a place to bounce ideas & concerns, a shoulder to cry on and much love & laughter. They are icing on our cake!

Stinkin' hot & humid weather.... UGH!

We surprised friends Friday nite at a street fair here in town (saw one of Jerry's boys - twice that day)... Saturday we drove to Kansas to surprise my mom on her 75th birthday -- and the 50th wedding anniversary of cousins and Father's Day... then on back to Nebraska to surprise Jerry's dad for Father's Day. Today we saw two of Jerry's boys... had two meals within 4 hours. We're stuffed & tired! One more of Jerry's boys to see... and maybe we'll see Spencer too??

Anyway... the weather here is ABSOLUTELY miserable! How in the world did we tolerate living here during the summer?? If the heat doesn't get you, the humidity will. I straightened my hair this morning... and before we left the house it was already getting curled back up because of the humidity. Thank goodness for headbands! I don't know what my hair is up to... for years I spent money on perms because my hair was SO straight... and now it has decided to curl & do all kinds of weird things. Hormones, I suppose. Whatever it is I wish it would make up its mind... I'm tired of guessing/stressing out about it.


I was going to pack more tonite... and discovered there was only ONE box left in the house that was empty. We did grab a large box Son #3 was throwing out... it will be good for packing clothes in I think... but since Jerry's the only one who has clothes left here... he'll get the honor of packing it! Tomorrow I'll make another run to the local liquor store to get more boxes. Hopefully I can get LOTS more packed - even if we don't take it all now - at least it will be packed & ready to go!

I'm hoping we can head back Thursday. I don't think I can stand this weather much longer! Calgon take me away!

:.Ongoing Saga.:

Today we bought solar panels!! One more thing to haul - but we need them as soon as we get there & this way we won't have to go hunting them down!! We have one deep cycle battery, but will probably be getting one more. We bought carpet runner for the stairs. Since it's not as wide as the stairs I will probably stain the stairs to give them a more finished look.

My list of things to take is growing! Time is running out (it seems to me!) and I'm starting to feel like I'm drowning! Could be it's just the drizzling rain of Memorial Day weekend. At any rate, it can quit any time - I've had enough!

I thought I had packed A LOT of stuff -- and by the looks of the shelves downstairs, I HAVE!! We went to the auction tonite - didn't buy anything - but wasted precious time I could have been packing. By the time we got home it was after 10:00 but I decided to start packing some stuff from the bathroom. Some of it will stay a while longer -- until the cabin is completed -- if we happen to come back to Lincoln we'll at least be able to shower!
Tomorrow I will start packing the kitchen: the canned / boxed food & spice cabinet. We've eaten almost all of the perishables so I'm hoping this will go quickly. Once that's taken care of I'll most likely begin packing clothes. The laundry is caught up -- with the exception of what we've worn since Sunday, a few towels & the bedding. The real fun begins next. I need to do some deep cleaning -- vacuum the area rugs then roll them up so I can dust mop the floors; kitchen & bathroom floors need to be swept/mopped; furniture needs to be dusted; fridge & stove need to be wiped down along the kitchen sink, cabinets & counters. I'm not sure what will become of all the eBay crap (er... I mean "stuff") that Jerry has sitting around. If it were up to me - it would go to the dumpster by the alley... but I'm sure that would cause me more grief than I want to bear right now!

I packed our new bedding along with the curtains & some decor in a large Rubbermaid tub. I figured it would be easier to do it that way than have to dig thru umpteen boxes/tubs to find everything that is to go in our room. I did the same with the "guest" room. Not sure we'll take that tub right away - but at least everything is together!


****this was started on 5/26.... don't know why I didn't post it... but hear you go!

To Everything There is a Season...

...and a time for everything under Heaven!!
For the past year or so I've been checking my college alumni website in hopes of reconnecting with people I knew in music school. I continued searching for my college roommate, Sue, with no luck. A couple weeks ago I logged onto the website again... BINGO!!!! There she was! Not only was she there... but the address listed was in Lincoln... just on the other side of town!! No phone. No email address. So I sent her a note with my phone number letting her know that I'd be moving away soon & we should get together. She called & we've been catching up like crazy. Drinking coffee, chatting, crying, laughing, thrift store shopping. It's been 20 years... and it seems like yesterday. We just picked up where we left off!

Packing... is still underway... at least for me. Jerry hasn't packed a thing!! He has been working on getting our trailer ready - making side rails. Otherwise it doesn't seem like he's in much of a hurry! Argh! My list of things to take is getting longer. I'm just trying to take as much as I think we can handle in order to get as much done as possible without having to make a 1400 mile round trip back here for more.

Our friends are having their annual Memorial Day garage sale Saturday. In past years it had been a 3-day event... but we're all getting tired of babysitting the garage sale when we could be doing something fun... so it's become just a 1-day event. We're taking some things over to sell. I should probably be digging a little deeper for stuff... I KNOW there's lots more to get rid of!!

Moving tips!...or Not!

Tip #1: Hire professionals to pack everything! Yeah right! Like I could afford professionals! After all the times I've moved I should be a professional!

Tip #2: Be frugal... don't buy "real" packing boxes & supplies... use recycled boxes and packing materials! I mentioned before that I previously used liquor boxes that were set out by a local liquor store. Of course a truck box full of liquor boxes will prompt folks to a) judge you & tell you to seek out the nearest AA meeting or b) offer to help (thinking the boxes actually have liquor in them).

Tip #3: Have plenty of caffeine on hand! I made a pot of coffee this morning & have been re-heating the same cup o' joe all afternoon... I didn't seem to have time to drink it! There's still a half a pot left... I'll probably heat it again & drink the rest of it in the morning.

Tip #4: Don't ask hubby for help... it's easier to do it myself! Jerry told me that I have to be able to lift & carry every box I pack - I think this was an effort to get me to NOT take everything! Besides... according to him - the only thing he owns in the house is HIS wardrobe (and maybe a few odds & ends).

Tip #5: Make sure that you only bring one box at a time from the basement to pack things upstairs. This will insure you get LOTS of exercise...a good cardio workout!



Tip #6: NEVER mark the boxes you packed! The element of surprise when you unpack. Wonder where the blood came from that's smeared on one box & discover it's your own! Hmm! I don't remember cutting my hand! Look for a band-aid... discover the only band-aid in the house has Backyardigans on it!




Tip #7: By now coffee isn't working so well... pour a glass of wine to relax a bit. Wine has healing properties - sure to help the cut on my hand, right?

Tip #8: Leave a stack of full boxes by the stairs to take back to the basement - but conveniently forget to take a box down as you go to check on the laundry...that is why you're going back to the basement isn't it? Have another sip of wine before you head to the basement - empty handed again. Oops! Back up, grab a box... have another sip of wine.

Tip #9: Did I mention you should dust each item before you pack? You don't want to move dirty stuff to your new place. Oh wait! The new place will be either a storage unit or an unfinished cabin where dust blows constantly!

Tip #10: After discovering dusting is a bad idea & you're sneezing... have some more wine - that will settle the dust & you'll relax a bit more. After a few more sips of wine, decide you CAN take your dirt with you... most likely your stuff will need to be washed or wiped off after it's unpacked anyway.

Tip #11: Do not attempt to cook dinner while packing. What's that high-pitched, screeching sound? Oh no!! While you were busy packing or were in the basement re-organizing the boxes you've packed (because you can't just leave them stacked randomly) - dinner will burn - setting off the smoke alarm. That's what that sound is! Run up the stairs... trip on the landing & almost fall head first into the wall!



Tip #12: After the smoke clears - have some more wine. After three glasses of wine you'll not care whether dinner is burned.

Tip #13: May as well give it up for today...before things get worse. Things could get worse, right?

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Response to comment:
This started out to be a serious post about my adventures in packing... but wine tends to bring on AADD (Adult Attention Deficit Disorder) with me... and I had to include all the other stuff that happened during my day of packing!
So... please don't get me wrong... I'm very organized normally... I am a list-maker to beat all list-makers! I have made lists of things we have to move immediately (in approximately 3 weeks) and lists of things that will go on the moving sale. I pack room-by-room... for instance - kitchen: decor / casseroles / dishes / cookware / utensils / pantry; bathroom: decor / towels / rugs / medicine cabinet / shampoo,soap, etc. Like items packed in boxes of like items - boxes marked (except when I don't have a marker!). All the bedding & throw pillows & towels have been stuffed into those cool vacuum bags that you suck the air out of (can't believe those things work but they do!). I have packed the bedding & decor for the master bedroom in one HUGE tub to take with us (we're hoping to have the upstairs finished soon after getting there!).
The countertop/sink, cook stove, enamel top table & kitchen cabinet we've acquired will be the BIG things we take... along with some tubs of things we will need to "survive" the summer. Our furniture won't be moved until later in the summer...and quite frankly we don't have THAT much furniture.
Today I will make a trip to WalMart to get more vacuum bags, a fresh marker...and more wine! Let the packing continue!

Sunday thoughts

This morning I woke up with not just the snotty, yet stuffed up nose I had gone to bed with but a sore throat & a phlegm-producing cough. More than you needed to know, I’m sure! I told Jerry I was “sick in the head” - as in: a head cold! I managed to dodge the cold/flu bug all winter - only to get sick now! When I was growing up we had a next door neighbor who once told me to take ExLax for coughing! When I questioned him about it, he said that it wouldn’t cure the cough but it would make you afraid to! Sick or not… I got up, made blueberry muffins & oatmeal - also with blueberries - and a pot of coffee. Jerry peeled a couple oranges for us & Skeeter & I shared a banana. Dishes done & put away, I took chicken out of the freezer to grill tonite.

I had promised myself that I would get busy packing stuff up - so I dragged my sorry self down to the basement to get boxes. I noticed the washer lid was closed. Funny! I could swear I had put the clothes in the dryer - Thursday! Nope! Eeewww! Stinky damp clothes still in the washer. Washed them again while I moved the metal shelf unit to a better lit place (there are no lights in the south half of the basement for some reason). I hauled over some tubs (6 to be exact) of Christmas decorations, clothes & kitchen stuff that had been packed a while ago, stashed them next to the shelves, grabbed some boxes & headed back upstairs to pack up my ever-growing library. I managed to pack up three Sam Adams beer boxes of books that I have yet to read. I packed the authors I really enjoy reading in one box & marked it (#1)… and the rest of the books in the other boxes to take at a later date. I also packed away books I’d already read (don’t even ask why I feel the need to keep them!) and some of my religious/devotional type books. There are still LOTS of books to pack… mostly reference books: building, gunsmithing, survival, and our Bibles. Jerry started a box of books to donate to Goodwill & I added a few that I had, haven’t read, don’t intend to read! I could probably pack most of our DVDs and the VHS tapes (yes, we still have a VCR!). Maybe later today! When we moved from our previous renting situation I had gone to a local liquor store on a daily basis to pick up boxes they set out. I’m sure when we move again people will think we either own a liquor store or have a serious drinking problem!




I called my sister & talked with her while I packed the books. By the time I got the boxes packed & hauled to the basement the clothes had finished washing - again! I threw them in the dryer, decided to take a break from packing & headed outside to scoop poop. One of my favorite jobs! NOT! I discovered that it was no longer 47 degrees out, the sun was shining & there was a very gentle breeze so again I traipsed back down to get the jeans I had laid out to dry & hung them on the clothesline outside.

This brings me to where I am currently… sitting in my chair on the computer. My head is pounding but the coughing has subsided a bit. My throat isn’t as sore as it was when I woke up - I’m crediting coffee for that - but my nose is still stuffed up. I’d really like to soak in a hot bath but I have a feeling I’d be done for the day If I did that.

I suppose I should get busy doing something or I’ll be falling asleep in my chair. Hope your weekend was a good one!

November news...

November 11, 2008 - Tuesday
SNOW... and cold Current mood: blustery
We got back to our place in the mountains about 1:30 a.m. today! We left Lincoln about 4:00 p.m. What a long drive! We slept in the camper... temperature was about 31 degrees. Luckily we had the usual sheet, thermal blanket & quilt on the bed... topped with a sleeping bag & another comforter. It wasn't too bad but I certainly wouldn't want to make it my normal sleeping arrangement. Anyway, tonite we're staying at a local motel. They're pet-friendly so Skeeter is right at home. He seemed glad to see me... and I was glad to see him.
After we put our truckload of stuff in the storage unit we headed to the coffee shop to visit friends. It was good to see people & catch up on what's been happening in the Valley. While we were there it started snowing & has been doing so off & on all day. I don't know how much is expected but even tho it's below freezing here it's actually not bad. (I'm just not thrilled with sleeping in the camper!)
Jerry has made arrangements to meet someone tomorrow to look at the roof of the cabin & give us a bid. We're planning on having the "standard" green metal roof. Once that's taken care of I think we're headed back to Nebraska.

November 9, 2008 - Sunday
So much for "plans"!...I’m tired of moving!! Current mood: tested
Well... I thought we had a plan... but as with most plans... there should always be a "Plan B"! I thought we'd be in & out of Lincoln in 10 days. HA! The weather didn't cooperate with our plan to have a garage sale the first week we were home... and we were caught up in the excitement of seeing family & friends we hadn't seen for 5 months that we really didn't care if it was raining or not!
Thankfully we have GREAT friends who were willing to buy our excess - lightening our load some... my Jeep, stacking washer/dryer, a rocker & ottoman, TV, sewing machine, the kitchen table, patio swing, a set of antique dishes... I'm sure I'm forgetting something... were BIG items that they bought. I also gave away quite a few things to the kids... but still we had too much!
Then we made a trip to the storage unit only to discover that there was MUCH more there than I had remembered putting in... VERY depressing! Ugh! So... we decided to give away a huge box of Hayli's leftover toys to a son & daughter-in-law who just had a new baby. That eliminated some of the stuff... my younger son took a couple things...and one of Jerry's sons took Hayli's twin size bed & two dressers. We made a trip to Kansas where my cousin has an antique store... and consigned a few larger items there & dropped off my pie safe & grandpa's hutch at the farm! Ahhhh!
We did end up having a 3 day garage sale & got rid of quite a lot... but again we were disappointed at how much was left over. We packed up a couple big boxes of things that we thought were worthy of being sold on eBay & took two truckloads of stuff to Goodwill. With one of our boys out of the house we were able to really start digging into what was left. My piano was the BIG item that I've had the most difficult time with... I hated the thought of getting rid of it... and offered to donate it to the church we'd been going to in Blanca... but they already had a piano (and no place to put another one!). Knowing how stressed out I was about the prospect of selling/donating my piano, our good friends offered to store it at a little rental house they have (it was not being rented) and then generously offered to let us rent their little house for the winter. It was an offer too good to refuse. We hauled the rest of our possessions to the little house & I have been sorting out what will go to Colorado to our storage unit there and what will stay here.
Hopefully tomorrow we can get on the road to Colorado. I'm sure my friend is WAY tired of Skeeter... and quite frankly, I miss having him around. Sounds like our trip to Colorado will be a rather quick one since we'll be staying in a motel (TOO cold to stay in an unheated camper & the cabin is nowhere near ready to live in - even for a couple weeks).
So... friends & family... have no fear... we'll be back in time for the holidays! And BTW... pretty much whatever I post from this point until next spring... is just going to be stuff... very little about the cabin or Colorado. I may mention a few things in the posts but since we're not actually there I won't have much to write about. Just wanted to give you a heads up!