Where Was I?

 Where did we leave off when last we "spoke"? In spite of all the drama, we found our new abode to be tranquil and relaxing. We bounced ideas around about the placement of furniture and the plans for the great outdoors. It was relaxing.

On Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, we reloaded the fridge in the RV and got everything in the house locked up until our final return to start our new adventure. We headed south to Perry, GA to spend Thanksgiving with family for the first time in many years. 

Being tied to the park, as we were (note that I used past tense) meant we usually hosted that day for all the campers with no destination for the day. I love to cook and see others enjoy the fruits of my labor, so it was still a day I looked forward to. This Thanksgiving I was simply a guest! It was strange not to awake early to get everything going, but I had the best time. We saw family we had not seen in years and met new members of the family. Our nephew, Davis and his new wife, Emily, were in attendance and she was a delight. Of course, the four year old son of our niece, Tara, Hollis stole everyone's heart.

It was supposed to be a 4 hour drive. Besides the fact that it was the day before Thanksgiving, it was quite a challenge. The drive would have been lovely .... in a car, but it was downhill and steep with lots of switchbacks. I could smell the brakes! We drove through Helen, the streets were full of people strolling along. Christmas lights were everywhere. This was only about 50 miles from our new home and will definetly be revisited. I want to see it at night.

As we approached Atlanta, the traffic increased dramatically. First we slowed, then finally came to a stop. It was stop and go after that. We traveled at a snail's pace until we got on interstate 75. The trip was 6 hours and we were exhausted upon arrival. My sister-in-law had soup ready for all the travelers trickling in. The big surprise waiting for us was our daughter, Adrienne and her son, Gavin! Last time we were able to see our grandson was in the hospital room when his Papa had a heart attack. Two years ago. His hug was worth all the aggravation of the entire trip!

Okay, back to more calamities. When we arrived at our new home and removed the car from the dolly, it sort of rolled into a tree/bush that stopped it from traveling down a slope to another road below us. It stayed there until we were ready to hook it up again. Usually it is simply pulled by HeWho to line up with the hitch on the coach, but it was stuck. Thanks be to the woman who packs limb loppers, a shovel and a rake! We cut the limbs down low and hooked it to a towing strap to pull it out and on a path to the RV.

Still hooked to the strap, the two of us pulled it up almost to the hitch before losing it to roll back downhill again. It was jerked to a stop. I grabbed some rocks to put behind the wheels and we pulled it up in increments. About four feet away, HeWho decided to back up the RV. I admit that this was a scary proposition to me. I was afraid he would not be able to stop with any precision and back over the dolly. I would do my best to make that NOT happen, but experience has taught me that my voice would appear to be a tone he does not hear.

His first attempt was almost perfectly lined up and would have been an easy hook-up had he stopped when I told him to. Thank goodness the back wheels of the RV are so far up! He finally listened to me when I screamed STOP and managed to get it hooked up. He even listened when I suggested he drive down the hill to little gas station that provided me with coffee so we could put the car on the dolly on level ground.

You need to know that HeWho is not a planner. That morning I had said we need to leave no later that 1pm to get there before dark. I ran around taking care of necessary preparations. I got everything on-board, but planned to take some other things on-board into the house to leave there. I wasn't ready to go at 11:30 when we attached the dolly. Another 15 minutes was all I needed, but he drove away! I collected the dogs and leashed them, saw his phone and his stainless steel mug sitting there and a few things I had not yet loaded. I crammed everything I could in my purse and slung it on my shoulder and grabbed the leashes. Eddie got caught behind the door and as I tried to let go of his leash I lost Bo's leash, as well. He was happy to wander around unencumbered by my hold and I crammed the two remaining dogs into my car and gave chase to the little stinker. I was able to stomp down on his leash and scoop him up. All the while Eddie is crying pitifully in the background, afraid he was being left behind.

I thought HeWho was already at the bottom of the hill waiting for me and the car and gave out a little shriek when I turned and he was suddenly there! He had stopped at the top of our driveway and walked back to help me! Chivalry? Maybe, but I think he knew he had forgotten his mug of flavored water. He helped me get all the dogs in the car and drove us to the RV (you didn't think he would walk back up that hill, did you?) He headed to the RV and I quickly stopped him to hand him his phone. I was getting into the car when he suddenly turned back and with a look of sheer panic asked if I had picked up his gum! Having given up cigarettes, he is now addicted to sugar free juicy fruit. I buy it in the refill bag of 120 pieces and I get 3 bags at a time so we have gum at the ready ALWAYS.

We met at the gas station and the car went on the dolly with great precision. We are getting good at this. Lest you think it went smoothly at this point, let me remind you that we would appear to be a comedy act of calamities. After the car is on, the front wheels need to be strapped down. He went to back floor board of the car and found only one strap. There are two wheels. Suddenly I remembered picking up the other strap with a bunch of fence posts and shepherd's hooks and not putting it back! It was MY fault. He was greatly annoyed and I toyed with thoughts of letting him think he misplaced the other strap. 

I couldn't do it and I fessed up. He was ready to go back to the house and get it. He asked me where I put it. I am usually good at retracing my steps in my mind and visualizing a location, but I was totally blank. Fortunately he remembered the tow strap as I was about to go in that gas station and ask if they sold them or anything that might work. He cut a piece and we set off to burn our brakes down the mountain.

Come back tomorrow and I will enchant you with the menu of a true southern Thanksgiving. Spoiler alert ... THREE turkeys.

The Journey Continues

 I need to grocery shop, but I don't want to. Bring more things here to pack up. I know we will eat most of it, but I just am not in the right frame of mind. Out of milk, I made french toast with an egg and water. It wasn't so bad and think of the calories saved.

The unloading of the coach continues. Everything must be unloaded before it goes in for body work. A little teaser there for you. And when I say everything, I mean everything, as I never plan to be a passenger in this RV again.

You may recall me telling you how very steep that driveway is. Doesn't seem bad in the car, but way up high in my seat in the RV, it was just shy of terrifying. Part of that due to the close proximity HeWho came to the edge of the ravine. He does things like that, just to scare me. After the night in the cold RV, I gathered up some sheets and blankets and made the queen bed in the house and we slept in there where it was warm.

Although it made the morning ritual for the dogs super easy with no leashes involved, the humans had to go out into the chilly RV to take care of business. I have to confess here that I might have squatted in the dog yard, much to the consternation of my four legged babies. HeWho is equipped for such adventures, but for me it was hard to say which place was colder, the RV or the dog yard.

We finished pulling all the boxes from the basement and my car was empty. We simply sat for awhile in the warmth of our new home. I ventured out with the sun high in the sky and raked leaves. No internet to entertain us, no TV reception either. HeWho managed a nap in the recliner while I played outdoors. I gathered supper makings and cooked on my new stove. The RV had a lone skillet on board and some metal storage bowls. I used one to make rice and didn't burn the bottom like I thought I might. It was the only thing I could find that would hold a cup of rice and water. The following night I made spagetti. I could have used that skillet to make everything, but I had to do the dishes in the RV. We had to shower in the RV. It was a chilling experience despite the hot water, but we made it work. We ventured out to explore our new area almost everyday after the big unload. On day four we made our way to a Dollar Tree and bought a deck of cards. 

We picked out a garage for the new RV that we have yet to purchase and my car and went on a she shed expedition. The sky high price of building materials had my mind in over-drive. It will most likely be an on-site build, due to accessibilty being somewhat limited for big trucks. I was itching for internet capability to access Craigslist or Marketplace. No such luck, but we were told by someone in our new "neighborhood" that when we did get it hooked up, it will be lightning fast and that we will be able to use it to stream TV. Good to know.

On day three, I sat in my solitude waiting for the man of the house to awaken and drive to the little convenience store down the road for my coffee. I thought I knew how we would be able to turn the coach around and be able to drive out instead of backing out. It would require some maneuvering on the part of the driver. This would require patience on the part of the driver, as well.

I slowly explained my plan to the driver. I went over it several times, even knowing he was tuning me out to think of his own way. Think of a school bus making a three point back-up turn ..... only this would be much tighter and require more like a 12 point back up turn. I walked off the space and I knew it would work, as I am quite good at approximating measurments. I had no plans to drive the behemoth myself. Hind sight being 20/20, I almost wished I had driven it myself.

HeWho mounted the drivers seat and I positioned myself to be visible in his mirrors. Keeping in mind their is a camera that shows you your rear as well, I was still worried that he would not obey my directions. I have experience with this man not listening when I speak. I don't know what possessed me to think this day would be different. I am an optimist, you know.

We moved my car way up the drive and began. I yelled "GO SLOW" a lot. There were things I did not want him to hit. Like the new house, the LP tank, either of the existing sheds, and ... ME! Keep in mind that the clearing our house sits on is not that big, the embankment that is part of our property is quite tall, taller than me and is part of the mountain, with big granite boulders in it. I did not want him to hit the mountain either.

He quickly became impatient and would not listen to me tell him which way to turn and when to stop. No big surprise there. Hit hit the mountain (embankement), cursing, then pulling forward, ripping the entire back fender piece on the drivers side out, but not off. He got out to take a look and without a word, got back in and pretty much did it again, not stopping until he scraped the entire side halfway to the front.

He said he couldn't see or hear me. I was yelling at the top of my volume. My volume is considerable, as I have been told I don't need a microphone. I was in the line of the mirror and waving frantically while I yelled. Even if he didn't hear or see me, you would think the initial impact would have gotten his attention.

He did get it turned around. It sat at the ready for our departure and we went inside to gather our senses again. The day before we bought groceries and they were in the fridge and freezer. A lot in the freezer. Things we like and can't buy here were there, like the frozen creamed corn. I bought a cool dozen to tide us over until we move. Low in sodium and tastes so much better that the canned. Anyhoo, on one of his many trips to the RV he disovered the fridge was not working because it was so unlevel.

The way it sat going up hill we could never have slept in it, as all our blood would be rushing to our heads. So we plugged in the fridge in the house and transferred everything to the new location. Without anything to distract us, it was good to have an activity!!

Stay tuned for more! Don't forget to find the humor in all of it, as we did.

Traveling Down The Road

 I am back here in the park after my break with having internet access! We left the park after loading the basement of the motorhome and my car with all the boxes we could cram on board and headed to our new home. Just a visit to whet our appetite for the next chapter of our lives.

I would like to say that the trip was uneventful .... but that's not how we roll. With very sore muscles I climbed aboard, musing that even with all the boxes we loaded, there was still so much left to move. I was looking forward to dozing on the couch with my canines keeping me warm, and that is exactly what I did on day one. The weather was pleasant, no rain and we made good time to the first stop, just south of Nashville, TN. Did you know there is a Nashville, IL.? Now you do.

The dogs got right back into the routine of leashes for potty breaks. Now, if I can train Toni Louise not to tangle her leash with every other leash, then wrap it all around my legs! We made the stop in Murphy, NC to get our keys and were soon parked in front of our new home. The dogs seemed to remember they had been there before and raced the length of the porch (that would be 28', just so you know). I put up the temporary fence and introduced them to the doggie door. Toni Louise and Mr. BoJangles were intrigued and came through the opening while I help the flap up. The doxie duo came through the door opening and looked at me disdainfully. I don't think the doggie door will be of much use. I ended up just leaving the door open for them to go to the yard as needed.

But, I am getting ahead of myself. The very first thing Toni Louise did was trip me coming down the steps and then escaping my grasp as I tried to keep from falling. I fell anyway on my rather ample derriere and she ran like the wind up the driveway while I yelled for her to stop. That driveway did not seem so steep when we first looked at the property! I yelled for HeWho rarely listens to me and got no response so I tried running up the driveway. There are several things wrong with this scenario. First, I don't run. It is more like a fast walk. Second, that driveway seemed to be going straight up at a 90 degree angle. I was winded and still trying to encourage Toni to come back, when HeWho is my hero sauntered up and asked what I was doing. I could only point to the dog as I grabbed his arm to catch my breath. He called her and she came bounding down the drive to her master. I wanted to kill her! Keep in mind that she is my escape artist and has already suffered a dislocated hip from a jaunt down the road that ended with her being hit by a truck. My mind had raced ahead to scooping her off the road and then trying to locate the closest vet.

I am far too old for so much excitement in one day. I secured the dogs and decided to unload the car while HeWho piddled around with the RV. The first night of the trip we discoved the heater was not working. We had a small electric one that did little more than keeping the pipes from freezing. The dogs were a huge comfort in bed! Bo tunnelled under the covers to my feet and Cujo and Bo were along my right side. They refuse to even entertain thoughts of sleeping near the edge of the bed, so to warm my left side I had to turn over. HeWho had his electric throw and the only thing cold on him was his head, it being outside the covers.

Despite having made previous arrangements with the the company providing electricity to the house to simply read the meter, then transfer the billing to us, they turned it completely off. There is an emergency propane heater there and I have been told that living in the mountains requires one for when the power goes out. While HeWho charmed the woman on the phone, who asked for him to e-mail a photo ID! No internet and though he did text a picture of his driver's license, I wondered about the practibility of her request. With never having seen this person, what possible use was a photo ID?

Still pondering this, I headed out to my car and opened the back door to retrieve my bucket of peony bush. I grabbed it and stepped in a hidden hole covered by leaves and fell to the ground again. On my right side. I tried to stop my fall with my arthritic hand and failed to do so. Having had the breathe knocked out of me I just stayed there for a minute. HeWho walked up to ask me what I was doing. Yes, he did. I almost told him I was taking a nap. He tried to help me up, but I quickly discovered it would be easier to roll around in the fallen leaves and get myself up.

That day we unloaded boxes and I unpacked them to take them back to reload. Since the house was winterized, we didn't want to turn the water on, only to have to winterize again when we left. We decided to sleep in the RV after the previous owner showed us how to turn the hydrant on and get water to the coach without having to affect the house. This was tricky, since we had to keep our distance from him. Despite have been vaccinated and had the booster, he was recovering from COVID.

Why we opted for sleeping in the RV? The convenience of having water and a working bathroom. I woke first to take care of the dogs and decided to just stay in the house where it was toasty warm. I sat in the rocker recliner holding two dogs and planned my day without benefit of coffee. I stared at the tiny loveseat left by the previous owners and it struck me that it was quite deep. Upon further investigation, I discovered that it was a hide-a-bed for a twin size mattress! The bedroom had a queen mattress and it was warm in there.

I did say that day one was uneventful. Day two started out with a bang! As we were leaving the campground, the audacious speed bump we had gone straight over the night before had to be navigated in order to leave. Let me stress that we were NOT speeding, but we must have been at an unfortunate angle, because when we went over with the first set of tires, things flew off the couter in the kitchen. Things that had set there on every trip and never moved while we were in motion! The glass carafe shattered in the floor and HeWho stopped while I attempted to gather all the shards of glass that might end up in the eight tiny paws onboard. I could not get to the broom and dustpan with the slides in and used paper towels over my hand and a piece of cardboard. Having done my best, I settled back into my assigned seat with dogs and we continued with the second set of wheels over that speed bump. If you have ever seen the inside of any RV, you will note that every square inch of space is dedicated to storage and that cabinet over my head that held a rather hefty notebook with all the info pertaining to the RV flew open and that notebook came down on end and karate chopped my neck before falling onto Bo. 

This is why I did not have coffee and I was already beat up efore we even got to our new home! Also why poor Bo trembled throughout the rest of the ride. Tomorrow I will continue with our adventure and tell you more about our trip and how we were without TV or internet for six days!

Still Here

 Contrary to Cujo's announcement about our new home, we still don't have a buyer for the park. Still here for now. Packing, sorting and packing some more. And waiting. Some days are better than others. Having packed up all my playthings such as my sewing machine and craft supplies, I have no outlet for keeping myself occupied.

That might have to change, as gardening this time of year is minimal to non-existant. I feel no compulsion to ready a winter garden and in my mind I am already in a different place. I can't just sit and watch TV. Solitaire and crossword puzzles are losing appeal.

Still attached to a phone with mostly telemarketers to amuse myself with. I can choose any of my personalities on any given call. But that is getting old, too. Reading blogs is time consuming, but spotty lately. Someone here must be trying to stream movies and I keep getting knocked off. 

Every little annoyance seems magnified and I imagine the perfection of my new home. Of course, I know it will not be perfection, as nothing ever is. Maybe God is trying to show me something. If that is true, I hope it becomes apparent sooner than later.

Being in the house most of the day has been somewhat relaxing, as the dogs are close. Eddie is always a comforting presence, as well as Cujo. Speaking of my old round guy, it has come to my attention that he seems to be growing fatter every day. I was baffled at first. 

Then I realized that if I filled the food bowl with the weight conscious formula dog food in the morning, HeWho was replacing it again in the late afternoon and it would still be half full when we went to bed. Being the geat detective that I am, I suddenly knew the reason for the weight gain of my fat little guy. He has been getting up in the middle of the night and eating all the kibble left! Little stinker!

One problem solved. Mr. BoJangles has decided that he should acompany me in the store everytime the bell rings. I won't deny that he is absolutely adorable and loves to meet people, but if they happen to bring their dog along he goes berserk. His hackles rise dramatically and his bark becomes threatening. He stands on his hind legs with his forepaws on the windowsill in order to command the attention of anyone there. If he decides that the person outside finds him to be cute he will hop into my lap so they can see all of him. He sticks his face under the slot that the clipboard with the registration goes through, and will lick fingers if they are offered.

He can sense those who do not care for dogs and will simply walk away. Since his very special surgery that made sure he will never father little ones, he has mellowed. He is more apt to cuddle now. Eddie still has not made his second appearance to have surgery. I doubt his manhood removal would have the same results, as Eddie is the most mellow dog ever. 

Toni Louise tries to go into the store with me, her only thought is  hoping for someone to open the door to outside to facilitate her escape. I can read her mind. Cujo is disinterested in accompaning me to help others. Just too much trouble and no treats are involved. He is more likely to nap while waiting for my return. The only place he is likely to follow me is the kitchen with high hopes of me dropping food. 

I suppose I will go see what today holds ....

New Home!

 Cujo here. It has been a hectic morning in our house. Mom drank her coffee and said she had some serious work to do. Us dogs stayed in our spots on the couch, ready for our early morning nap (not to be confused with our mid morning nap, then there is the early afternoon and mid afternoon, followed by a nice early evening snooze before bed). She headed to her bedroom, as usual and we expected to see her emerge in suitable attire for whatever task was at hand.

Dad and Toni Louise were still in bed. Mom dresses in the dark, so she won't disturb them. She calls it being considerate. Next thing we heard was the water in the shower. Okay, this means her task will be inside and not in her gardens, as she will delay her shower to work there (she calls it playing in the dirt). No matter to us sleepy hounds.

The water was still running when we heard Mom tell Toni Loise that she was getting a much needed bath! Wait a minute, it is my turn to have a bath! Toni no longer fights about the indignity of the bath, having reaized that it makes no difference to Mom. Dad got up and dressed and was sitting in his chair when Mom called out that she could use some help. Dad came out with a very wet Toni, followed by Mom and a dry towel. She finished drying Toni and scooped me up for my bath!

I was so happy, I don't know if I have told you all how much I enjoy a nice warm bath! I am not a fan of the blow dryer and Mom let's me skip that part. I have very short hair and it dries quickly as I run zoomies through the house. Now, while I was about the business of drying myself, I heard Mom tell Dad to grab the demon dog and deliver him to the bathroom. 

That would be Mr. BoJangles, in case you didn't know. He is not a fan of getting wet and has been known to give Mom a nip or two during the bathing process. I once heard her remind him that she bites back and that he was lucky he was soapy that moment! He did quite well today and Eddie was waiting patiently for his turn. I suppose he forgot his bath of only a few days ago.

Mom said her back was killing her. Bo wondered how her back would kill her and started asking really dumb questions. He went so far as to ask if her back was going to shoot her! Demon dog, indeed!

Toni has been unseen since the morning bath. She will usually make her presence unknown when Mom takes any of us dogs in for a bath. She has never been first before. Pretty clever of Mom to surprise her this morning. 

And now for the big news of the day. We have a new home!! We will be living in North Carolina! It is two day trips away. We went there earlier this year in the motorhome. Then we got in the car and drove there. Us dogs got out and I personally marked many spots as I walked around with Mom before we went up some steps onto a porch. Dad was there and he talked with Mom while us dogs sniffed the entire porch. We went back the next day and met a man there who let us inside to look at the house part. 

We liked it and so did Mom and Dad. It was quite small, just one bedroom. I like small places and in this place I can see Mom from every room. I like to know where she is. Sometimes she will get up in the middle of the night because she can't sleep and I am always available to keep her company. 

I don't know when we will move there, but Mom is packing every day. I am giddy with anticipation!

Show Me The Money

 As I stand looking at all the boxes of stuff I can't bear to part with and wondering where it will fit, I realize that is the least of my worries ...

It is November and this has been going on since August. Still no closing date looming large for the sale of the park. Our property in North Carolina closes this Tuesday. We found it, offered a price and settled on one in less that a week, had the inspection, settled on a few more things, then it went to the attorney and a few more details were brought to our attention and now the new contract is ready and the money has been wired and the place will be ours next week.

The sale of the park is not moving along at all. The prospect would appear to be having trouble funding his purchase. I am trying not to be impatient, but when we purchased the park, we wrapped it up a whole lot faster. We knew what would be required as far as a down payment went and even though our biggest asset (our house) had not sold, we borrowed the money and moved on with the purchase.

This has been the root of my sleepless nights and lethargic days. I start to pack up stuff and then wonder if I will ever move. In my mind I am no longer here and long to be in my new surroundings. I don't want to interact with people, hate answering the phone and no longer care about the business here. On the other hand I am not willing to just give it away. I have worked too hard for too many years to simply hand it over to someone and not profit from my efforts.

Back to the beginning of this adventure of selling, the prospect approached us with his offer. Said money was not an issue for him, that he had several avenues of resources. We provided all the data he needed to obtain a loan. The business is turning a healthy profit. At this point, with someone saying they want to buy, I am no longer interested in expansion or remodeling here. As it is, he approached us. In August.

Now that it would appear he can't get funding, he has started picking at the faults as he sees them and we agreed to lower our asking price. Well, HeWho wants to be gone as much as I do did. I was not a happy camper about the whole thing. 

The nature of this business guarantees that there will always be repairs to be done. Water hydrants get hit, trees get hit, electrical boxes get hit, sewers back up with the things people decide to pour and cram down them. There will always be repairs to do, no matter how hard you strive to change things for the better.

The final blow was a plan for us to contribute to the down payment. "Do what?" you might be asking! He even put it on paper in an effort to legitimize it. We would supposedly get it back at the closing, but it would require us to finance our new home and invest the money I had saved for a cash purchase. Never mind that I had sacrificed creature comforts to squirrel away for my retirement and do not want to have a mortgage payment to deal with.  And, as I read this ridiculous hand written  proposal, I realised that the money I would "get back" was actually going to be part of the base price, ultimately making the offer shave 100 grand off in their favor. Lots of double speak. Not to mention the cost we would incur with financing a loan and other incidentals that would not be part of the so-called payback.

"NO" I said, just no. I am not his mother, I feel no inclination to invest in something that will offer me nothing in return. Now he has convinced another couple to invest with him and there is still no news on the loan. He roams the park every weekend announcing the up grades he plans to make and pish poshing things we have done over the years. Does he not think others will tell me? 

We took over this park when it was not even supporting itself. Over the years we have overcome the economic downfalls and high gas prices to turn it into what it is now. We have weathered lean years and done without and now it is time for a reward in a fair asking price. 

As I sit here with a nagging headache after another sleepless night, half packed up and ready to leave, I have just one thing I would like to say ..... SHOW ME THE MONEY! Or shut up.

We will be re-listing the property this week, back to square one. I did some more research online last night and discovered what I already knew to be true. Our asking price for the amount of acreage and the existing business is a bit below average.