Thursday 1 May 2014

Day Thirty


First Sunrise at new home

Have arrived at the point that I can say I am living at the new house. Spent my first night here. Woke up to bad back, no dogs and the delight trouble of  seeing a red fox crossing through the yard. First thought, "How cool!" Second thought, "Bad for cats!"  I opened window, yelled and foxy switched into high gear as he shot out of the yard. A short while later, I heard a robin singing. Spring has arrived!


Day 24 Subfloor in living room is complete. Robin did measuring and cutting. Our helper drilled the screws in. I vacuumed sawdust, prepared lunch and made executive decisions. The one that bugs me still is Robin asking if the floor boards shouldn't run the short way across the room. When I get asked a question like this, I have to stop and think/feel what it would be like to do it this way. Robin thought they should run east west, so that the line continues through the breakfast room. The whole thought process for this had me incredibly unsettled, but I have to know why it upsets me. I like to spout out, "It's bad fung shui" as a reason but why is it bad?
Living Room Sub Floor
When I stopped looking at (picturing in my head) the living room floor and looked at the breakfast room, I knew right away why the floor boards had to run the long way, north/south. Because when the breakfast room is done, it will have the same floor as the kitchen and the boards will be running north/south. There! Executive decision, with a reason.

So why is it still bugging me? It's not the decision that has me on edge, but that Robin would come up with the idea. Not sure if he is thinking creatively or if he doesn't see the final  picture. I will have to be careful to not leave him unsupervised with finishing decisions.

Day 25. I had help from Miss B to remove wallpaper. She surprised us at how well she can handle a scrapper and how long she stayed interested in the chore. Also good friend MW arrived with lunch and stayed to help wash walls.
Miss B  stripping wallpaper


Grandchildren, Cohen and Rebecca are spending the weekend with us. It is probably the last time they will sleep in their rooms at the old house. Didn't seem to bother them much as they explored the new house, investigated the bedrooms and assigned themselves spaces. Empty rooms leave lots to the imagination. Games of hotel, house, and camping ensued for the rest of Friday and all of Saturday.

Day 26. Living room ceiling gets primed.


Then painted.

Yes, that fresh snow again. But not to fear. It is all gone by the next afternoon. While I was busy with the rollers, Robin switched out light fixtures and worked on small projects.

Day 27 With the help of our Philippian friends, Robin hauled several loads to the landfill transfer site. Abandoned appliances abound on this old farm. There was no charge, this weekend for stoves, washers, dryers, etc. Fridges still had a $10 disposal charge.

Day 28 We are bagged. It is the end of Robin's week off and he jokes he needs to go to work to have a rest. Temperature is in the teens today. We crack a beer and  spend some time exploring the farm and the buildings. We find more abandoned appliances.

Day 29 Robin is just ready to leave for work when he calls me to bring the pliers. Sassafrass has had a run in with a porcupine. She is none to happy to have the quills pulled. Each day, we move the dogs back to the new house. Each morning, they are back at the old house. Each afternoon, the  next door neighbour that is siding his house, stops to wave at our little parade of pooches being led by a slow moving mini-van.

Later in the evening, I wanted to give the dogs a bit of ham for a treat and I opened the door. Sass came up to the door and tossed  (yes, she flicked her head and tossed!) a dead mouse on the mat, at my feet. I screamed. Pointing and yelling didn't convince her that she had to remove her present. So I got a piece of cardboard and meant to flip it out the door. I flipped it into the open floor vent! Screamed again. What to do? What to do? What would McGyver do? I tried putting a sock on the vacuum hose but it didn't work. So I abandoned the sock and just sucked up the critter. Love my Dyson vacuum. So easy to dispose of the detritus.

Sass's feelings are hurt. I was so unappreciative of her gift. She is not talking to me.

 I have been moving smaller items into storage in the garage all month . Have not got as much as I would have like done. Then I remind myself, how much of the month was snowy, cold, slushy, muddy. There are  limitations to how much I can lift and carry in a day before I pay for it with reduced activity the next day. So I have tried to chip away at the job, without causing mess, damage (did I mention I got the van stuck in the mud in the yard  and had to call the tow truck to extricate it?) or injury. This day, I moved over my basic toiletries and my pillows and prepared to spend my first night in the new house.

It is also notable that today we had the internet moved to the new house. Bed, coffee pot, internet. What more does a person need to call it home?



Which brings us to today, Day 30.  The final day of the first month. (It will take some math from now on, to keep track of what day it is.) It is interesting to note that in the last week I have become aware that much of the move is not physical, but mental. While the stuff is still at the old home, I am ready to be here and start figuring out how we will live in this space.



3 comments:

  1. wow, that's a lot of progress. you should be proud and yes, I understand all about the mental change. I still miss our old place although I can honestly say that I like where we are! But we had a lot less work to move here than you have there.

    I smiled at the decision makign you came up with and how you feel the need to control your Robin! I understand all about that kind of thing. But it's those little (big) decisions that can make such a difference in the long run.

    I can't believe you sucked up a mouse with your Dyson! Make me giggle! And yes, I love mine too. Good British invention!

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a heady (although exhausted) feeling it must have been to spend that first night in your new home. Thank you for sharing this journey with us. - Fawn

    ReplyDelete
  3. One month down! I am proud of your determination to get things done. Mr. C came home with big plans on how to build secret passages between his new room and Miss B's.

    ReplyDelete