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. 

The Eve Before Closing Day...

As the Big Day approaches tomorrow, I find the Anxiety building to almost unbearable levels!  

Ok, that is a bit more dramatic than it needs to be.   I have certainly felt worse in my life about situations I could not control.  But this one has to be up there in rankings.  I guess every time you experience a new "first" in your life,  there is that mixture of emotions that can not really be summed up in a single word.   And yet.."Anxiety" is the word of choice.  Even if it is not the best. 

There is an excitement that is mingled with the "fear".   And I have to keep telling myself to "enjoy the ride".   It will all be over soon enough and I will probably look back with fond Memories.   Like a Rollercoaster ride!    Either you want to "Do it again!"  Or you have the overwhelming feeling of being "Glad that is finally over..."  Either way,  You have the experience and memories to tell some total stranger at a bar in some distant future.

This week I have been walking around like a zombie ( my opinion).   Seemingly lost in my thoughts about things that surprisingly have nothing to do with the house!  It could be the amount of caffeine I have been consuming lately.  (But I usually drink a lot of coffee before work  as a habit.)   Oh!  Sure, there are the things I keep reminding myself about: Moving day,  Cleaning up.  logistics.  Even double checking all of the utilities that I have already transferred and wondering how things will work.  I have already changed my address, transferred services, registered to vote. (I think...) Reserved the Moving Truck, Got the Day off from work...   What else is there?  

I guess I will eventually find out.  Hopefully it is nothing too annoying or threatening.  I don't even know if by transferring the services from this place to the new one,  the services will cut  them off completely here!  And will that be bad?    I simply don't know the process. 

And then there is the "Life's Greater Direction..."  thoughts that hit me.   Going down that rabbit hole is a whole other blog post.  And even though everyone has those thoughts from time to time,   I am finding it rather unsettling that I have been having them a LOT leading up to this process.  Perhaps it is the whole concept of "Putting Down Roots" in a particular area. 

One more day of work before the big event.  And then,  Hopefully,  I will be able to fall back into "auto mode" with the move and busy work that will allow me to focus on the task in front of me and not on an uncertain future.   Honestly,  doing the small tasks that the bank and realtors have been giving me is like achieving milestones in a video game.   Each  completed task  equals a small, achievable victory!  Like stepping stones while crossing a river or climbing a mountain.  I could almost describe the experience as....  Dare I say:  Fun?  

Maybe....

 Fun is usually accompanied with hardship and struggle.   Even frustration and anger!  Emotions that would might not ever associate with "having Fun."   But there it is.  I never would have thought about things like that in my youth.   Perhaps that means I am getting old... 

So I best end this now and get ready for work.  Tomorrow will be a long day and it begins early!   So I had better be my best and get a good night's sleep.   And try to make every second count. 

Mushroom Gold!

 Well I did go out searching for mushrooms yesterday... And actually found some!  The Spring Oyster Mushrooms were out!   I found some last weekend and have been eating them for dinner.   I figured this weekend, they would be out in full force...  But I think I missed the peak time by a day  or two.   Most of the ones I found were rather old and leathery.  

I did manage to find a few that were just hanging on to "Acceptable". for harvest.   So I at least had a handful for this week.  Most of the time,  especially if the conditions are good,  the oyster mushrooms will drop their spores and shrivel up within 24 hours of popping out.   That is not a long time if you have to drive to your hunting spot every day from the other side of the city. 

Things were so much easier when I was within three miles and could walk (Or run) there everyday after work.   But...  Things change and sometimes there are sacrifices that have to be made for progress.

The weather has been AWESOME lately.  And since I was already out and enjoying the weather,  I figured I might as well check this other spot that had no Aspen or Poplar trees.   Because..."Sometimes you never know...
   

Turns out.... I DID discover something.   Chicken of the Woods!

I have never found a Sulphur Polypore this early before.  ( Come to think of it,  I have not found very many chicken of the woods Period!) So I was pretty excited to find this little gem popping out in a location I had never found them before.   Even though it was small,  I harvested it.   I did not want it getting too old before I next had a chance to get out there.   Nor did I want anyone else harvesting it ahead of me.  (Which happened a LOT last year!)   

That set the stage for today.   After a short nap  after Church, I headed out to another place where I have found Sulphur Polypores before.  And I also figured there were a couple of area where I found some Lung Oysters as well.  Perhaps I could get lucky with one or the other. 

I did find a small pinning lung oyster on a log I was familiar with.   I left it to grow and hopefully I will be able to find some more there next weekend. (Provided I have time to look for them...) But a couple logs away,  I found a Gold Mine!

Golden Oysters!   I don't know if I have ever found them yet in Wisconsin.   But I have NOW!   And this log had more than I could carry.   They were all fresh and I quickly filled the basket.   I also took a couple small sections and "inoculated" several fallen trees along the path.  IF the Goldens are as prolific here as they were in Iowa,  next year we should have a bonanza!

So now I have to cook these guys up in some stir fry.   Ideally, I will have them all consumed before I have to move to the New house. (I'm beginning to get confident about telling people now...  )  

Speaking of the house:   I just reserved the Moving Van for next Saturday.  I think I will be able to handle most of the furniture I plan on taking.   I have also set up a "to do" list I will be checking off through out the week.   Just thinking of these things begins to get me anxious... but there is also the excitement of "Unexplored Territories" that help temper the feelings.  Any adventure usually is accompanied by both fear and excitement.  I just have to remind myself to enjoy the ride...  It will be over soon enough. 

Tomorrow begins a new week!  And hopefully, it will be the last week I will be living in this house.   It was a good place, but ultimately it was only ever meant to be temporary.   So I'm hoping the more "permanent" housing will provide a solution to one of my many struggles.   And that will allow me to free up my mind to focus on the next thing that needs attention.  (I have so many... so there will be no shortage of things to work on.) But Rome was not built in a day.   And I can't solve all of my problems all at once.    Start small,  and work my way up....   And hopefully,   God will provide the time that I need to complete each task.   My job... Will be to make every second that I'm blessed with... count.