Wednesday, September 29
It was a work day. Need I say more? I will say that it was an easy day. There weren’t that many sheets that needed tended to so I decided to tackle the pile of sheets with stains on them. Most of them came out, some did not. Those that did not are retired and saved for other purposes or given away. I finished in five and a half hours.
I spent the afternoon doing odds and ends before getting ready for an outing with the B&B gang. We were meeting at a local Mexican restaurant for supper – a celebratory meal right before one of the busiest months of the year at the B&B. They also took the opportunity to wish me well (even though I’ll be there during the busy month) on our new chapter. I was serenaded with ‘For she’s a jolly good fellow’, hahaha, and was given a beautiful handmade mug crafted by a local potter. We enjoyed a delicious meal on the patio; talked, laughed; and watched the sun set over the mountain. I think we all enjoyed each other’s company and ‘letting our hair down’. literally! Many may not understand how co-workers could become like family but we truly are and I’m going to miss every single person at the B&B. It’s bittersweet.
Before heading to the supper gathering one of the odds and ends I did was take some photos with my iPad of some of the furniture we’re going to be selling. We got measurements of each piece and priced them. I passed the iPad around the table and a few items were claimed. It’s a start!
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CountryBoy worked on the camper some more. He made quite a bit of headway before stopping for the day. I think we’re seeing light at the end of the fixer-upper tunnel. Won’t be long we’ll be stuffing it full of our belongings.
Thursday, September 30
It’s been a productive day. I really didn’t do anything major but I did a lot of small things throughout the day that, overall, will ultimately help when it comes time to pack. I started out packing up the composting toilet we had at the cabin. It had been stored in the barn so it needed a good rinse and dusting off. CountryBoy had done that a while ago and it’s been sitting in the greenhouse ever since. Box and all. We listed it on Facebook Marketplace and we have a potential buyer so I wanted to get it all boxed up as we are going to meet them halfway some time next week. After that, I cleaned and packed a few things for the camper – solar panels, rope lights (both were in the greenhouse as well), and a tote (a very dusty tote that was stored in the barn) that had a screen for the camper awning and some stakes in it. I emptied the contents of the tote and put all the aforementioned items in a crate to be stored in the storage compartment of the camper. Then I scrubbed the tote. My original thought was to pack some yarn in it but now I’m thinking of putting all my essential oils and supplements in it as my yarn stash is probably more than the tote will hold.
Once the tote was washed and left to dry on the front porch I grabbed some waters and wandered over to the camper to see how CountryBoy was faring. He was resting on the couch! Which meant that he had done all he could for the day and that he had a headache (thanks to his medication). He needs one more piece of trim and he’ll have to pre-drill a transition piece since it split. Once those few things are done the camper fixer-upper project will be done. yay!!! We sat in the camper a bit while sipping our water then we both got up and started in on cleaning up. I vacuumed with the shop vac inside and he cleaned up outside. When I finished vacuuming I decided to dust the bookshelf and clean the window behind the couch and some more drawers. I still need to scrub the bathroom and the kitchen sink but we can start loading it.
I decided to take some photos before we started filling it up. First up is the new vinyl flooring which is on top of a new piece of pressure treated plywood…
Here’s the sleeping quarters…
We’re going to use one of our Sleep Number mattresses we have however we are not going to set it up just yet. We figured it would be easier to pack various items in the camper without the bed in place.
Here’s the kitchen and living space…
There is a folding table (stored behind the couch) that can be easily set up for meal times and behind the door is the bathroom with a walk-in shower.
… and just the kitchen…
For a twenty foot camper it is very roomy and comfy. Oh the adventures we are going to have!
The first one will be the annual quilt retreat I used to attend what seems ages ago before life got too busy. The retreat center has a campground so all three of us are going to go down. I’m so excited to have CountryBoy and LizzieBelle there with me. We’ll stay at the campground, visit family, relax and during the retreat I’ll be sewing and catching up with friends while CountryBoy and LizzieBelle hang out at the campground or at the lake. It’s not until next year but I’m already looking forward to it!
Once everything was cleaned up CountryBoy hopped in the shower then headed to town for some new tires. These tires are only three and half years old but we were starting to have problems with them and the tread was about gone. Just before the weekend the right front tire started losing air. We filled it a couple times but never found the reason. Then Tuesday we came home from town and when I got out of the truck I heard a loud hissing sound. The culprit? A hole at the edge of the tire was hissing at me and staring me in the face. I put my thumb on it while CountryBoy went in search of the tire plug kit. He came back several minutes later and plugged it. I felt like the boy with his finger in the dike. So new tires had become a priority especially with an upcoming move three hours away and pulling a travel trailer. It took over four hours to get the new tires. The tires he wanted were in Lexington so a trip to Lex and back was made by the tire company while he waited. Meanwhile, I vacuumed downstairs; finished up the cabin for tomorrow’s guests; fed Mabel and gathered the eggs; read for a few minutes; and started supper. I had just finished when he walked in. Good timing! We spent the rest of the evening relaxing.
Friday, October 1
October is here!!! It’s one of my most favorite months with the changing of the leaves and cooler temperatures. This October will be a little different as we are in the midst of getting rid of things and packing but on my way to town this morning I saw some bright red leaves on a tree and it put a big smile on my face. When I need a break from all the decision making, selling stuff and packing I can simply go outside and feel a refreshing breath of cool air and see beauty beyond words for a quick reset.
As mentioned earlier I went to town this morning to run some errands. I stopped at the bank first then had to return the glass milk bottles at the health food store to get our deposit back. Hopefully we can find another good milk source at our new location. After that I went to the big box store to stock up on some dog food, fruit and yogurt, and some yard sale signs. Of course they didn’t have any ‘yard’ sale signs so I got two ‘garage’ sale signs. Hopefully no one will be disappointed when they discover the sale is on the front porch rather than a garage but since we don’t have a garage the porch will have to do. While at the store I bought up a cell phone and a pre-paid card. Yep. We decided that a cell phone will come in handy when we’re traveling. We don’t plan on using it very much (thus the prepaid route) and neither one of us will probably remember we even have it. Hopefully we’ll remember to take it with us when we hit the road, heehee! This evening I tried to activate it and couldn’t because there’s no signal at the house. I reckon next time we leave the farm maybe we can get it activated. Modern problems in the country, wink.
Before I left to do the errands I took better photos of the furniture we are selling and I posted the photos along with a description and price of each in a local neighborhood group. By the end of the day half of the items were sold and possibly another two pieces tomorrow. That’s a huge relief. One of the items that may go tomorrow is the hutch in the dining room. Looks like first thing tomorrow morning we’ll be packing the dishes and items currently stored in/on it. That’s a good thing! Meanwhile, CountryBoy has been selling tools, the log splitter, and possibly the generator this weekend. There is still so much to sell and get rid of but we’re off to a good start. I hope to have the yard sale around the middle of the month.
This afternoon CountryBoy headed to a different town to pick up his meds and some boxes a friend of ours had saved for us where she works. Good timing as we’ll be packing some dishes tomorrow! I stayed home and put some Florenza sunflower seeds in baggies to share with the girls at work that may want them. I also sorted through some more stuff in the greenhouse, potted up some Pothos starts I had in the kitchen window and watered the plants on the porch and in the greenhouse. Before I knew it CountryBoy was rolling up the drive. Shortly after he fell hard asleep in his chair while I literally quite noisily dragged a folding bed frame out from under the bed directly above him. He never heard a thing. I tell ya, I was rather very noisy. The pieces kept getting hung up on the legs of the bed so there was nothing quiet about the process and yet he slept right through it. He must’ve been tired.
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The black walnuts are falling from the tree behind the wood shed and man, when they hit the metal roof of the shed it makes an awful racket – sure to wake ya up from a sound sleep.
Saturday, October 2
I woke up with a headache. One of those at the forefront and top of the head. Probably stress. I wound up taking another Advil since the first one didn’t do anything to ease it. After an hour or so it finally went away. I’m surprised that it didn’t come back when I hit my head on the side-by-side trying to get in it this afternoon. sigh. Anyway, we managed to get some stuff done today.
Right after breakfast we started emptying the hutch in the dining room to get it ready for the people that were coming to look at this morning. CountryBoy packed what we decided to keep and we took them to the camper. While he did that I dusted and wiped down the hutch. I’m thinking the items we kept might fit in one of the cabinets. Fingers crossed. The rest are in a box waiting for the yard sale. No sooner’n we finished the people showed up and said it was perfect. We took the top part of the hutch off and they were able to carry the units to their truck which meant no heavy lifting for either of us. yay! Another piece of furniture is gone. They are dwindling down.
This afternoon I carried the books I wanted to keep to the camper and put them on the bookshelf in there then we all took a brief nap. I was checking messages when all of a sudden I felt very sleepy. I think I slept for a bit until my legs got cold. After that it was either get a blanket and throw over me or get up and do something. Since I had to get up either way I decided to just get up.
It finally feels like we’re making some headway in the moving/packing process. The more items that are gone or packed away gives us a truer sense of how much is left to do or what’s left to get rid of. I know one thing, our minds are made up to try and keep/take just what we think we’ll need. The less we pack the less we have to physically move and the less we have to unpack resulting in less that will fill the small lake house up. Less truly is more right now!
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Tonight’s guests were scheduled to come in after our check-in time and right at bed time. What that usually means is they will be another half hour to an hour later than originally estimated. We weren’t thrilled about waiting up for them but it is what it is. This afternoon, though, we received several messages from them stating that something came up that they needed to tend to and that they were now going to be arriving around midnight or after. They asked about a key or lockbox to get in so that we wouldn’t have to wait up. Thankfully they have a 4 wheel drive vehicle and can drive themselves on up. I told them there was a guidebook on the table that goes over how to use the items in the cabin as well as the outhouse. I also told them that we wouldn’t be waiting up, ha. Maybe we’ll meet them in the morning as they’re only here for one night.
Speaking of the cabin, we don’t have very many guests this month. It’s kind of odd but I really think the Lord knew what all we would be trying to do this month and He knew we wouldn’t be able to handle it all. We did get another one night stay for tomorrow night and that’s OK but as of now we only have four more guests. After hitting my head on the side-by-side this afternoon I was OK with that, ha!
Sunday, October 3
The rain started in the wee hours of the night. I took LizzieBelle out at 3:50 and it was raining then. The rain continued off and on all day – some times coming down hard and other times a light rain. During coffee CountryBoy decided to check the camper for any leaks. Boy did he find one. It was steadily dripping off the corner of the metal couch frame and had run across the floor in a stream and was pooling beside the door. I ran and got a towel and a bucket. It was a bit disheartening to see and yet the rain afforded us the opportunity to pinpoint the leak. Now for dry weather to caulk and see what needs to be done to fix it.
With the bucket in place we finished our coffee, had some yogurt for breakfast, then headed to church. After church I headed to work while CountryBoy cleaned the cabin. He also had to replace the door knob at the cabin as it broke. Not really sure how it happened but the guests said it broke when they opened the door to leave. The door handle on the cabin came with the cabin so a replacement is not readily available. He put a standard door knob on there. It works OK but is temperamental. It’s always something.
Work was short. Three hours and I was finished. Since this is going to be an extra busy month at the B&B I’ll take the few hours because the days will be long the rest of the month.
The evening was spent waiting on guests to arrive. When they got here they tried to drive their vehicle up to the cabin – completely disregarding the part of the check-in process to come to the farmhouse first. I tried to flag them down with a flashlight but they barreled their way on past and up. Their vehicle was not an all wheel or four wheel drive vehicle so they didn’t make it very far. By the time CountryBoy got to them in the side-by-side they were carefully trying to back down. Eventually they made it down (thankfully the driver was proficient at backing up because the road is narrow and tree lined) safe and sound. There are times I just shake my head. But, they were super nice and it all worked out in the end. Time for a nice cuppa tea in my ‘for she’s a jolly good fellow’ mug!
Monday, October 4
To say it was a non-stop day would be the most accurate way to describe the day. Loads and loads of laundry and trying to tidy up a house that’s in the midst of being culled and packed took up the majority of my day. The kids that grew up in this house came by this afternoon to check out their old stomping grounds. They had seen my post on Facebook about selling the farm and had checked out the listing online. They liked the changes we had done and wanted to see them for themselves. Their Mom passed away earlier in the year and it was an emotional but rewarding time for them. We were more than happy to oblige. We told them the buyers were going to continue where we left off and what their Mom started. They were thrilled to hear it.
I spent the evening taking measurements of a few things we would like to take to the lake house and gathering up stuff for our trip to the lake house tomorrow. On our way there we are meeting the buyer of the composting toilet halfway (they’re from Nashville) so I carried it to the truck so that we wouldn’t have to do it in the morning just in case we were running late.
Just when I thought I would relax for a bit before bedtime the phone started ringing. I talked to my Dad for a bit, then the realtor’s son called saying we had a closing date of November 1 at 9 o’clock in the morning, then the coordinator of the quilt retreat I’m attending next year called and had some questions, and while I was on the phone with her our realtor called to let me know that she was emailing a form we needed to fill out. After hanging up with the realtor I filled out the form and sent it back via email to the title company. By now it’s bedtime. I went to bed but couldn’t sleep. I got back up and finished the book I was reading. After that I was able to eventually fall asleep.
Tuesday, October 5
We were up and at ’em early this morning. We wanted to leave at 8 o’clock so that we could meet the buyer of the composting toilet between 10:30 & 11. We met at the Denny’s parking lot in Elizabethtown and enjoyed chatting with her. She travels for work and is in the process of converting a van into living quarters for her and her dog. Of course I love renovations of any sort so I really enjoyed talking with her. After we bade her goodbye and good luck we grabbed some breakfast then continued on our way to the lake house.
We met the seller there which was nice as he was able to point out a few things and answer our questions. Our minds were put at ease on the few concerns we had. I still hope a solution can be found to eliminate a few of the stairs from the parking area down to the house.
While we waited for the seller to arrive I walked around the backyard…
Soon! As I mentioned yesterday, we have a closing date of November 1. We will close on the farm house first thing in the morning then we’ll head over to close on the lake house in the afternoon of the same day. There’s still the possibility of closing earlier. Everyone involved is on board if that’s the case but, for now, it’s November 1. Guess it’s time to knuckle down!!!
Thursday, October 7
You may have noticed that I skipped Wednesday. Well, that’s because yesterday was a work day. It was a typical work day but when I got home I felt wiped out. I sat on the couch to rest for a minute. I picked up the book I was reading and within minutes I was reading the same sentence over and over because I kept nodding off. I finally laid down on the couch and I fell fast asleep. A little while later I got up and went out to the barn to gather the eggs and feed Mabel while CountryBoy put the finishing touches on supper. I was hoping to gain some energy after supper but I still felt drained and extremely tired so I laid down again. I fell fast asleep again only getting up to brush my teeth and going right back to bed. Twelve hours of sleep and I’m feeling much better today.
I had told CountryBoy earlier in the week that I just had to get through this week then the rest of the weeks before the closing date should (key word being should!) be easier. There’s a lot going on this week so I’m glad I had the chance to get some much needed sleep. Sleep is hard when there are so many decisions to make and tasks to coordinate. Once this week is over there shouldn’t be so many tasks and we can concentrate on packing and maybe get back to a more normal night of sleep.
This morning CountryBoy went to town to get groceries for the Fall Festival we are hosting this weekend for our church. He’s making his delicious beef stew and homemade dinner rolls and everyone else is bringing the sides and desserts. He grabbed some hot dogs for the kiddos and anyone else that may want one. Course they’ll have to roast their own over the camp fire! And with a camp fire there must be S’mores so someone is bringing the fixing’s for that. There’s also going to be a hay ride. It’s going to be a great time!
While he was in town I browsed through my fabric stash and picked out some fabric to be used in a quilt block I was making for the quilt retreat I’m attending next year. I managed to get the block sewn together then had to ‘fix’ it as I had turned the middle row around when I laid it down after sewing the pieces together. That simple mistake threw the whole pattern off. Luckily I sent a photo to my friend and she caught the error. Well, lucky for her as she’s fixing the blocks that have come in that weren’t right, ha! The maker of these blocks are entered for a chance to win a completed quilt top with all the entered blocks. I can’t wait to see all the different blocks and the completed piece.
After I finished that I emptied the small hutch in the guest room. A co-worker was going to try and come by this afternoon to pick it up so I knew I needed to knuckle down and do something with the contents. It was mostly used to store quilts and afghans so it wasn’t too difficult. Now that the quilt block was done (there was a deadline so I knew I needed to get it done before we moved) I can start packing up the sewing/craft room. Oh how I DREAD it! As CountryBoy says I have too many hobbies. I can’t argue with that. Anyhow, I started to pack a few things and quickly became overwhelmed so I stopped. My co-worker did come by so I had to quickly empty one set of the cubbies that stored yarn and quilting/crochet/knit books as well as finish emptying the book shelf as she was buying these as well. yikes! She kept apologizing but honestly, it was a kick in the pants that I need to just get it done. Right now I don’t want to narrow down my hobbies too much because I’m going to have lots more time on my hands so I seriously need to stop overthinking the sorting, culling and packing and just do it. Anyway, we loaded what we could in her van but since she was buying lots of big items they wouldn’t all fit so we offered to follow her and take the rest of the stuff rather than her making another trip. We took the two rocking chairs and footstools and the bookcase. Seeing the empty spaces where those pieces once stood makes the upcoming move that much more real. We stopped to eat before heading home and saw our realtor at the restaurant. How funny is that?!
Friday, October 8
We’re almost through the hectic week. First thing this morning I tackled CountryBoy’s recliner. A seam had come undone on one of the armrests. I wasn’t sure I could do anything but after closer inspection I saw a possibility of sewing it back together. I used a curved needle and some heavy duty thread then had to sit on the floor to work on it. I think it turned out OK and one would have to compare the armrests to notice a difference. It’s funny what you learn to live with because you think the job or project is too big but sewing up the armrest took less than twenty minutes. Since we are giving this chair to a friend of ours I wanted to at least try to fix it.
After some breakfast I started on the greenhouse. I emptied a good portion of it, cleaning and sorting as I carried each thing out. I swept and knocked the cobwebs down and, of course, had to mop and empty the buckets from last night’s thunderstorm. After that I brought two folding tables up from the barn, set ’em up in the yard and hosed them down. I’m going to set them up in the freshly cleaned greenhouse and put some yard sale stuff on them. There’s a good size pile upstairs of yard sale items but I didn’t want to carry the downstairs stuff to the upstairs pile just to bring it all back down again so it was time to create a space for all of it. It was early afternoon by the time I finished and I decided to stop. The buyers were coming over in a few hours and I needed a shower.
Meanwhile, CountryBoy checked the camper. Sadly we still have a leak but it wasn’t as bad this time. He caulked a few more places. We’ll see. He also went to town to pick up a few things he forgot for tomorrow’s Fall Festival and while there he went to the bank and the post office. When he got home he graded the road, took the banana bread up to the cabin (I tried but the temporary door knob wouldn’t work for me), then he started making his yummy beef stew. First thing this morning he had gotten the crock pots out and put a roast in each one. After a few hours the house was smelling quite good.
The stew had been cooking a half hour or so when the buyers showed up. He went over the tractor with him, I pointed out my spearmint plant to the Mom and kids then after everyone fed Mabel (she was soaking up all the attention!) we headed over to our friends farm to introduce the buyers to them. She is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to goats and since the buyers want to eventually have some sheep she was able to give them some great resources to get them started when they’re ready. The kids also enjoyed petting dogs and goats and holding puppies. On the way we pointed out where we got the wood from which is also their property. The buyers made arrangements to call and let them know when they would be out there to get some wood. Our job here is done!
Thankfully we got home before our guests arrived. In fact, we had just filled our bowls with some of the stew when they showed up. By the time we came back in the stew was the perfect temperature and quite yummy. We gobbled it up in no time. It’s going to be even better tomorrow for the Fall Festival.
We made a second batch of stew then spent the evening watching a movie before going to bed.
Saturday, October 9
The day is finally here – the Fall Festival held here at the farm. One last shindig before we head to the lake.
The events leading up to the event that started at 4 o’clock were non-stop. CountryBoy made three trips – one to the store for dessert plates and napkins, one to the church to pick up the tables and some chairs, and one to the quick shop to get ice. We decided on the area by the fire pit to set up the tables. While he was on one of his trips I vacuumed downstairs and tidied up a bit. Well, tidied up about as much as one can with boxes sitting around and piles of stuff waiting to be sorted through.
Just as we were approaching the critical moment before an event where timing is of the essence a friend shows up to get the generator and the recliner and to drop off the empty boxes his Mom had collected for us. Minutes after his arrival a neighbor shows up to get the porch furniture they bought right before heading on their vacation. Meanwhile, butter was melting on the stovetop, the stew was heating up, rolls were in the oven and people started arriving as a few pieces of the furniture, the generator and the chair were being loaded. People were parking all over the place with no rhyme or reason so CountryBoy had to direct the traffic in between grabbing empty boxes while I tended the kitchen. Before long our friends and neighbors were on their way and we started this year’s Fall Festival.
It was the perfect day for it – not too hot, not too cool and partly cloudy. Gobs of yummy food had been brought, prayers were said, and the festivities began. While the adults enjoyed good conversation the kids enjoyed playing on our utility trailer. Who needs tons of toys or planned activities when you have a utility trailer, ha! There was also a hayride for anyone wanting to participate. CountryBoy went so that he could give directions and I stayed behind. I chatted for a while then came inside to check on LizzieBelle. I brought her out to join everyone but she just wanted to eat. I figured since I needed to feed her I might as well take care of the farm chores since it was past the usual time. After that I joined the festivities again and before long the hayriders were back. Everyone loved the farm and had a great time. Whew, I’d say we survived the hectic week!
Once the last of the guests pulled onto the road I called the neighbors to let them know the coast was clear and that they could come back for the rest of the furniture they had purchased. Two trips later they had all the pieces that now belonged to them making the porch completely empty and the house a bit more bare.
When all was said and done we sat down utterly exhausted and hoping for a good nights’ sleep.
Sunday, October 10
Coffee. Church. Work. I worked at the B&B and CountryBoy cleaned the cabin. After supper we relaxed and watched an interesting documentary on the development of Florida.
Monday, October 11
This morning on the farm…
With three weeks left until we close it’s now crunch time. The entire day was devoted to gathering items and setting up for this weekend’s yard sale. We got permission to use the tables we had borrowed from the church so we set them up on the porch. As we were working a neighbor stopped by for a visit which was a nice mental break. After he left we were back at it. The entire day was spent deciding what to keep, what to sell and what to toss. I stopped every now and then when I felt overwhelmed. I didn’t stop for long but just long enough to give my mind a break and long enough to remind myself of the final goal which is to downsize but more importantly it’s to free ourselves from ‘stuff’. All this ‘stuff’ is mentally exhausting.
A neighbor’s Dad had come by to get some eggs after supper and we mentioned the yard sale. He said he would spread the word. An hour or so later a couple neighbors came by to check it out. We’ve already sold some of CountryBoy’s tools which is encouraging and made some space available on one of the tables. We also sold the cast iron wood stove that was stored in the greenhouse. yay!
Before going to bed tonight I read a few articles on ‘letting go’ to remind myself again of the necessity of it and to wrap my head around what I want our future to be like at the lake house. I will reread them in the morning and possibly throughout the week to keep me focused. It’s so easy to get distracted and lose your focus as you come across certain items.
Tuesday, October 12
Today was basically a repeat of yesterday. More stuff being sorted through with much of it being placed on the yard sale tables. At this stage of the moving game we are putting most of our focus and concentration on getting rid of the things we know won’t fit into our new life at the lake. I have to admit, though, that even though there are a good amount of things on the yard sale tables there is STILL a good amount left in the house. We could probably have a year of yard sales and still have too much stuff.
On my to-do list for over a week now was take good photos of the remaining pieces of furniture, rugs and higher priced items so that I can list them on Facebook and/or Facebook Marketplace. I finally did it today. I’ll be posting them soon and hopefully they’ll be snatched up quickly. The less we have to haul off to Goodwill the better.
This afternoon we tackled the attic. holy moly. I thought there were only a few totes up there but my goodness have they multiplied! Three totes had some very warm sleeping bags in them that we definitely wanted to keep so I carried them to the camper. There are a couple totes with Christmas decorations and a couple with Halloween/Fall decor. I haven’t decorated for the latter in years so probably all of that will go. The remaining totes have some personal stuff in them. You know the stuff that you don’t know what to do with but you don’t want to part with it? I actually have a few of those that need my attention. Overall, it was another productive day and although I still see so much stuff still in the house I know that we are making progress.
I’m spending the evening finishing up this mile long blog post and trying to get it published while CountryBoy is pricing the yard sale items. He’s so good at it!
Dream Valley Farmstead 