04 September 2011
Ya Load 16 Tons...
05/09/11 15:05
HAPPY LABOUR DAY!
So we moved into the house this week. It took us four days to get everything over here. We had help on the first day. Ursula and Gordon came over with their Volvo and trailer. Volvo’s are amazing. I suspect the idea of the Tardis for Dr. Who came from a Volvo. The inside seemed larger than the outside and there was always room for more stuff. Having a couple extra sets of hands was also wonderful. I figure they saved us at least four days of running up and down Harby Rd. Thanks again for the help.
By Saturday we were completely out of the rental. I was posed with a problem at one point. Gordon wasn’t around and I had several heavy things to put in the truck. After much thought I realized if I grabbed a couple of long boards from the pile in the back yard and put them on the bumper I could slide the pieces up without having to lift them. That’s right, after much pondering I invented the ramp, something the Egyptians knew about over 5000 years ago.
it’s been a long week.
Surprisingly though, I’m not as sore as I expected. The first day especially I pushed WAY too hard in order to try to get as much moved as possible. Guys will recognize this. You think to yourself “I know I’ll pay for it tomorrow, but right now I need to get this done.” It’s the real reason behind both Admiral Farragut’s line “Damn the Torpedos, Full Speed Ahead”, Nike’s slogan “Just Do It”, and innumerable frat boys saying “Go for it , man”. So I carried too much, made too many trips, lifted things that were too heavy, and more. We started at 6:00 and by 2:00 in the afternoon I was so tired I literally couldn’t keep working. I knew it was time to stop when I went to pick up a mattress and I couldn’t grip it. I mean my hands just wouldn’t close. Marsha carried the mattress into the bedroom by herself. The thing is because I went out the next day and moved more stuff, and the next day, and the next, I never got stiff and sore. The muscles didn’t have time to complain.
Or I’m in a lot better shape than even I’ve taken credit for.
But we’re in the house. The internet got connected on Friday. Up till then we’d been pirating from a couple of neighbours that have open networks. (Note: If you're smart enough to put up a wireless network, you're smart enough to secure it. You never know who might be leeching off of your bandwidth and why.) The big bed has been reassembled, so for the first time in over a month we’re not sleeping on the floor. The garage is a pile of boxes and furniture, but as we get things organized it’s clearing out.
The cats came through the move well. Geiger is having the time of his life exploring this new multi room, multi level world. Momiji on the other hand does not take well to change. She spent the first day hiding under the bottom shelf in the closet. She came out at night but was very skittish. The next day was spent under the futon and under the chair in the living room. That night she slept on the bed. It’s been a slow process, and she still spooks very easily, but slowly she’s accepting this as her new world.
There are things you don’t know about a house until you get in it. The family room downstairs does not in fact have cheap panelling. The walls are covered with quarter inch tongue in groove wainscotting. We may be painting rather than ripping it all out and sheet rocking. The house has automatic sprinklers in the front yard that we didn’t know about. We have no idea where the control box is but it was a nice discovery. The kitchen is fairly new but we didn’t realize until we got here they went top end on everything: KitchenCraft cabinets, new GE and Maytag appliances, under cabinet lighting, the works. We’re making discoveries like this in most of the rooms. The place is nicer than we even knew. It's a lot nicer than the house we first bid on. We lucked out big time.
And the yard. The yard is beautiful and I’ve started exploring the garden area. So far we’ve harvested Zucchini, Raspberries, Tomatoes, Peas, and a nice purple cabbage. We have two trees loaded with Apples, and a Cherry tree that will be great next spring. Somehow it makes up for the produce I left behind at Rutherford House.
So we’re settling in. No pictures yet of inside the house though. We have to get things more organized before we do that. Too many boxes and things stuffed in corners ‘for now’. But it’s already feeling like home. In the mornings the sun has been beautiful as is comes up behind the mountains across the water. Today I set up the telescope on the deck. Tonight I look at the stars.
All is good.
Doug & Marsha.
PIX:
One of the big reasons we like this house.
In among the peas and raspberries and zucchini are these. At first I thought they were either lima beans or fava beans. When I opened up a pod they turned out to be bright red and blue. Anyone know what these are? As they were in the garden I'm assuming they're edible but I'd like to know what I'm putting on the plate.
So we moved into the house this week. It took us four days to get everything over here. We had help on the first day. Ursula and Gordon came over with their Volvo and trailer. Volvo’s are amazing. I suspect the idea of the Tardis for Dr. Who came from a Volvo. The inside seemed larger than the outside and there was always room for more stuff. Having a couple extra sets of hands was also wonderful. I figure they saved us at least four days of running up and down Harby Rd. Thanks again for the help.
By Saturday we were completely out of the rental. I was posed with a problem at one point. Gordon wasn’t around and I had several heavy things to put in the truck. After much thought I realized if I grabbed a couple of long boards from the pile in the back yard and put them on the bumper I could slide the pieces up without having to lift them. That’s right, after much pondering I invented the ramp, something the Egyptians knew about over 5000 years ago.
Surprisingly though, I’m not as sore as I expected. The first day especially I pushed WAY too hard in order to try to get as much moved as possible. Guys will recognize this. You think to yourself “I know I’ll pay for it tomorrow, but right now I need to get this done.” It’s the real reason behind both Admiral
Or I’m in a lot better shape than even I’ve taken credit for.
But we’re in the house. The internet got connected on Friday. Up till then we’d been pirating from a couple of neighbours that have open networks. (Note: If you're smart enough to put up a wireless network, you're smart enough to secure it. You never know who might be leeching off of your bandwidth and why.) The big bed has been reassembled, so for the first time in over a month we’re not sleeping on the floor. The garage is a pile of boxes and furniture, but as we get things organized it’s clearing out.
The cats came through the move well. Geiger is having the time of his life exploring this new multi room, multi level world. Momiji on the other hand does not take well to change. She spent the first day hiding under the bottom shelf in the closet. She came out at night but was very skittish. The next day was spent under the futon and under the chair in the living room. That night she slept on the bed. It’s been a slow process, and she still spooks very easily, but slowly she’s accepting this as her new world.
There are things you don’t know about a house until you get in it. The family room downstairs does not in fact have cheap panelling. The walls are covered with quarter inch tongue in groove wainscotting. We may be painting rather than ripping it all out and sheet rocking. The house has automatic sprinklers in the front yard that we didn’t know about. We have no idea where the control box is but it was a nice discovery. The kitchen is fairly new but we didn’t realize until we got here they went top end on everything: KitchenCraft cabinets, new GE and Maytag appliances, under cabinet lighting, the works. We’re making discoveries like this in most of the rooms. The place is nicer than we even knew. It's a lot nicer than the house we first bid on. We lucked out big time.
And the yard. The yard is beautiful and I’ve started exploring the garden area. So far we’ve harvested Zucchini, Raspberries, Tomatoes, Peas, and a nice purple cabbage. We have two trees loaded with Apples, and a Cherry tree that will be great next spring. Somehow it makes up for the produce I left behind at Rutherford House.
So we’re settling in. No pictures yet of inside the house though. We have to get things more organized before we do that. Too many boxes and things stuffed in corners ‘for now’. But it’s already feeling like home. In the mornings the sun has been beautiful as is comes up behind the mountains across the water. Today I set up the telescope on the deck. Tonight I look at the stars.
All is good.
Doug & Marsha.
PIX:
One of the big reasons we like this house.
In among the peas and raspberries and zucchini are these. At first I thought they were either lima beans or fava beans. When I opened up a pod they turned out to be bright red and blue. Anyone know what these are? As they were in the garden I'm assuming they're edible but I'd like to know what I'm putting on the plate.