The Era Of Discovery...

 I have now officially entered a new phase in the home buying/owning experience.   Discovery!   This is where I discover things that were not obvious during the inspection or any of the walk-throughs before purchase.  You know...   The light switch to nowhere;  The hidden door behind the toilet.   The hole in the subfloor that was never patched up before they placed the laminate flooring over the top of it....  and Now it is a "Soft Spot"...   

Forget the "Ghosts of owner's past".   Those do not frighten me as much as the black painted windows  in the basement...   What was that little "torture room" for??!?  The resident Vampire?

I could go on.   And probably will as I discover old issues that are new to me.  But I will try to keep this post light and focused. 

Today I tested out the Laundry!     I was impressed that it had a washer and dryer.  And even though they were kind of dirty, I figured beggars can't be choosers!   I will take an operational washer and dryer over the laundromat any day. 

  That is.. as long as it works.

Otherwise,  they are heavy pieces of  junk that is rather difficult to deal with.   But if it works!   Then I can deal with most of the other issues.  

That being said,  I fired it up with the laundry of the week and discovered a few things:  The hoses were new and shiney,  and had been torqued on the faucet fairly hard!   But... when you turned the faucet on,  it began to leak.  ( the faucet,  not the washer.) I'm standing there watching a small river of water snake its way across the floor to the drain.... Wondering where the water is coming from.  

I then discover the the "Wash Bin" ( that utility sink next to the washer and dryer)  has no hose to the drain set up.   it simply has a hole in the bottom that dumps any water on the floor!

Ok!  Have to get a hose for the sink and direct it over to the drain...  Note taken. 

Then the washer starts... but sounds terrible!  I peek inside.   NO WATER!   After a few minutes of trouble shooting, I realize that the drain hose is piped directly to the drain!   (on the floor!) So all the water that was going in, went down the drain instead of filling the washer.  

I pick up  the hose and elevate it so it is slumped  it over the Utility Sink. ( the same one that drains directly on the floor.)   and create an equalized pressure so the washer will fill up properly.  Who would said teaching Physics was useless?   

So now the washer is filling with water... again.   But now I have to deal with all of the water that is going to go into the utility sink ( and onto the floor!)   I quickly grab a plastic bin to act as a bucket.  It works!

Eventually the washer finishes and my clothes are clean.  And the plastic bin is now too heavy to move since it is now filled with water.   Time to dust off another physics trick!   

I grab the garden hose from the garage and use it as a syphon to drain the water out of the bin.  the water goes directly into the drain and there is no ( additional) mess or water on the floor!  Hurray!

Then there comes the dryer!   I discover that it works just fine.... But the door will not stay closed.   in fact, it never really actually closes!   It just closes enough to push the "Kill Button" that stops the machine whenever the door is opened mid-use.  I brain storm a band-aid plan and wedge it shut with a bucket of kitty litter. 

That works for a few minutes, but eventually vibrates away.   Time for a new plan.  

I eventually find one of my strength bands and wrap it around the entire machine.  It works!   My clothes are now clean AND dry!

And now I have to go to Menhards again to find a washing machine hose. ( or any hose that I can fit to the Utility Sink.) And a better latch for the dryer door.   Honestly, I think the band worked so well and the door to the dryer is so damaged that I may just leave it that way.  And now that I know how the "system" works....  I can do my laundry again in half the time with minimal mess!

I did other things today.   Like: move in several of the large furniture pieces.   I solo moved "THE BEAST" dresser and got it to its forever location.   It will now act as an entertainment center.   Until it becomes firewood.   By the way, it almost became firewood as I tried to move it.   Any piece of furniture that is too heavy for it's legs to support it is a Poorly Designed piece of junk!  ( in my opinion)   As I attempted to tip it upright,  

 I could hear the legs begin to crack!  Luckily, they held on long enough to get it in place.  Had any one of them broke, I would have taken it out back and "murdered it" with an Axe!  

I also got the Sofa in!  Which was surprisingly easier than the dresser.   Even though it was bulky, it did fit through the door and is now set up so the cat has her favorite perch back.  

The Tall Boy is still in the garage, but I will leave it for now.   I also finished mowing the lawn and putting up the leaves over the bar area.  In all....  A fairly productive day.  

I still have a few other "projects" that I want to accomplish this week, provided nothing else pops up that will require my attention. ( Like the laundry!)   I'll see if I can begin putting my tools away now that most things are installed and I hopefully will not need them this week.   That will clear up some areas and hopefully make it looks less cluttered.  

Overall, I think it is beginning to look like a home now.   At least the fist floor.   I have not touched the second floor yet, now the basement.  In fact, I may turn my attention to the garage and see if I can set up the automatic garage door so I can start parking the Subie inside at night.   I should have a full weekend next weekend to tackle some of those larger projects.  

Until then... I shall continue to embrace the discover of the unknown..... And  make every second count. 

Moving Day Complete!

 Well, I'm totally out of the old house and "fully" moved all of my stuff into this one. (Including the cat!) I could have even blogged about it last night, (since the WIFI was enabled...) But I was pretty toasted after that experience.   For my own records, I want to note that I did the entire thing solo!   And had a little over an hour to spare for the truck.   ( I had planned for 6 hours to move)  So,  those three years of Moving Experience with Allied and United came in handy. 

Now, you might be thinking: "Solo Move....Big deal!   It's not like you had anything big, bulky or heavy to move."   But you would be wrong!  

Dave, looking to square me away,  accepted several LARGE and HEAVY pieces of furniture.   Normally,   these would not be a problem if there were several burly dudes to carry them.  ( two man all of the heavy stuff)  But that become a challenge when it is just me.  

And I do not go to Cross Fit!

The secret:   Having a 2 wheeler!  ( And I even bought a 4 wheeler for the Sofa. )   

And there are a few other "moving Tricks" like using a blanket to pull things around narrow passages.  

I use every tactic I could!   And I am proud to say that I was able to get everything I had planned on moving, out of the house and staged in the garage before I even went to get the Truck. 

The truck came with a 2-wheeler,  So I did not even have to use mine if I did not want to.  ( but I used both.  Mine had larger tires, so climbing stairs was easier.) 

In the end,  I fit everything into the truck and did not even have to pack it tight.  Thank goodness the New Pastor accepted that HUGE,  HEAVY Leather Sofa.  I honestly had my hands full with the red one.   And at least I could "disassemble"  that one, by taking the cushions and legs off of it so it could fit through the door easier. 

By the time I got to the new place,  I had about three hours to unload the truck and have it returned.   I weighed my options and decided the heat ( it was hot outside yesterday)  And the fact that I was beginning to wear out,  would call for a shift in tactics.  Namely:   I put all of the "BIG stuff" in the Garage.  No sense in fighting to get them into the house when I don't even know where I plan on putting them!   Besides...

The passageways were TIGHT!   And even with the IKEA stuff,  I could barely make it through.   Chances are I will have to take the sofa and that BEAST of a dresser through the front door later.  

Personal Side Note:   The BEAST!   The tall Dresser.  ( Also known to movers as: all Boy, High Boy,  Low Boy, Batchelor Chest. Stand Up, Or...   Heavy Piece of @$#%!)   It was HEAVY!   And Bulky.   And a Major Pain in the BUTT to move.   Add in that one of the legs was missing a bolt and thus, could not support its own weight.   And you may understand why it gave me such a headache.   I remember it was a pain with Dave helping me.   ( Mostly because it was bulky and difficult to move into the back bedroom.)  But moving it solo presented a formidable challenge. 

I am proud to say that it did not "best" me.  And one one of those reasons is because I refused to fight it that late in the move. 

I left it near the end of the truck.  And then just wheeled it out into the Garage.   I will worry about moving it inside later... After a bit of rest and possibly some help from a second set of hands.  

And I mentioned before,  the house is rather "old school"  and was built when Americans were thinner and smaller.  ( And shorter!)  So wrestling with a HUGE, HEAVY, BULKY piece of ....Wood.   Did not sound like the right thing to do with my energy levels rapidly dropping.  

So now,  I have all the small stuff and "necessary" things inside.   (Including the Cat! )  All of the "Extra's" are out in the Garage waiting for a plan to get them inside of to some donation site. ( I simply may not have a place for them in this house.)  

Speaking of the Cat,  She disappeared half way though the move, and I had to come back later that night to catch her.   I think she was in the basement,   I'm just glad she did not have to spend the night alone in the empty house....

I should also mention that the Beast Furniture is actually Very Nice.... For people who never plan to move.   They are quality and very pretty to look at.  And Build like a Brick outhouse!  ( Meaning:  overly Designed and engineered to last for years when it does not have to. )  

And that is why I like IKEA.   Solid wood!  But made of a light wood like Pine or Poplar.  Engineered simple... to be built by a newbie.  While being durable to last for years with minimal stresses.  ( No Kids Smashing them or heavy people using them as ladders....) And BEST of ALL: EASY to MOVE!

And affordable enough that if you DID damage or break them,  you could replace them.  What is not to like? 

I spent the better part of today cleaning up the old house and preparing it to be handed off.  It took a bit longer than I had originally thought,  But then again,  I wanted to do a good job and leave it better than I  had originally found it.  To that, I think I was successful. 

One thing of note:  I realized that owning a cat is like having A FUR GRENADE explode in your house.  So many "dust bunnies" that were made up from a combination of wool Blanket and Cat fur.  I never notices that about cats back when I was living with Carpeting.  ( I guess the Carpet hides it well....) But the solid wood flooring shows it off  in the corners and behind the furniture.  

It does make for some satisfying moments when the Vacuum suck them up with ease. 

One of the elders texted me around 2 pm and wanted to know when I would be able to hand over the key to the place.   I volunteered to give them back today and that was probably a good thing.   Because it forced me to call the cleaning "finished" instead of obsessing over every little GI detail.  As it was, the Church elder seemed impressed with it, so I will take that as  "a passed inspection."

There are so many other things to add to this blog post,  but it is getting late and I have to go back to work tomorrow.   I will try to keep the projects small and slowly move into each room one at a time.   Today,  I focused on the bathroom and a little bit on the kitchen.   Perhaps tomorrow I will try to get my bedroom up and running.  And I can already see that there are going to be "moments of discovery" when it comes to light switches that  seem to go no where and screens that need attention.   

I will leave that all for later.   Right now,  I want to finish this post and get ready for bed.   Tomorrow is a new day!   And, God Willing,  I will have another opportunity to make every second count. 

The New Home!

 It's officially mine!  With all of the problems and issues that old houses bring.   ( Along with shelter, security, and possible happy memories... I guess.)   I don't know why, but I am not feeling the overwhelming Joy that I "feel" I am supposed to be feeling.  Perhaps that is normal?    

Time will tell. 

For now,  I have spent the greater part of the afternoon packing up my stuff and doing some preliminary cleaning.  I also came to the conclusion:  I have a lot of crap!  

More than I originally thought!   Mostly it is small stuff.  Not counting all of the "donated" furniture that so many people gave me.   I actually think they originally gave it to Dave.   

 And he, directly or indirectly, gave it to me.   And it came in handy!   So I'm not complaining.   And as luck would have it,  I will be able to leave some of the biggest (And most difficult to move....) pieces here for the incoming Pastor!   It is a win all the way around!

But as I was packing up all of the "knick knacks"  I had the thought of the "feeding of the 5000" come into my brain.   I can imagine thoughts of the disciples as Jesus asks them to pick up the "scraps" after the lunch.   

And they just keep finding stuff....  Well,  it was kind of like that for me here.  Batteries, small screws, tools, paper... lots of paper for some reason...  And a whole bunch of plastic containers from my lunch preps.  not to mention all of the kitchen items I "acquired" from the Bethany Chow Hall.  Crock pots, slicing contraptions, baking and cooking containers,  and lots of mismatched utensils!  

It took a bit, but I managed to put most of the items in boxes so moving should be easier tomorrow.  Since it will only be me,  I imagine it will won't take too long.  And since I don't have to take the big, heavy leather Sofa....   

I think I can handle everything else with just my two-wheeler.  Plus!  I like the challenge of self reliance.  ( Hopefully,  those words will not bite me on the butt tomorrow....) 

I will leave clean up for either Saturday night or Sunday afternoon.  With no furniture to worry about,  I think cleaning things up should be easy. 

 I did take down the Mural I had put up when I first arrived here.   It came down pretty easy since it was barely hanging on to begin with. 

 I was afraid I had done "too good of a job" when I put it up and some parts would be permanently stuck on.   But it was surprisingly easy to get off.   

In the mean time.   A small celebration at the Clubhouse.    Friday Fish Fry!  I Can't remember the last time I enjoyed perch dinner at the clubhouse.   It was good,  and after a couple of beers,  I plan on getting to bed early so I can tackle tomorrow the same way I did today.   Fingers crossed I maintain the energy I had this afternoon.  

I'm hoping the internet will be switched over by then and I will be able to blog about my day tomorrow.   Unless I am too tired.   Until then,  I should try to make every remaining second count.