It’s official. In 34 days the Dee’s will be starting a new chapter in our lives. We got the news late this past week that our house passed the inspection and all is now a go for the sale.
We are actually well on our way for the move. When it was decided we wold be selling, the job of packing all the different rooms up were divided. Maybe not so fairly, but I was to take care of the woodworking shop and most of the garage, as well as my office and clothes. Nora and Grace would take care of all of the other stuff inside the house.
I started the shop last Sunday and just finished packing it all up this morning. The garage is about halfway done and will take just a few more hours to finish up. Nora started digging into all the junk we (mostly Grace) had collected and stashed away several months ago and is just about done with her end of things. All she has left is to pack up the kitchen stuff and her clothes (both are more of a last minute thing).
Some boxes have already been moved into storage, but there still are quite a few things that need to be put in the storage locker(s). Some we will do in the next few weeks and the rest we will wait until the main move day when we will have some friends helping. We’re not sure what the date of that main moving will be, but the likely candidate is August 10th.
We went out and picked up a 5 x 8 foot utility trailer and my good friends Chris and Sue at the Trailside Lodge are going to let me borrow their larger trailer to move Big Red and possibly the heavier woodworking machinery.
Yesterday I got to take a look at the camper that will be our home for a few weeks while we build the Barn-Dee-minium. It’s going to be cozy, but it actually was more spacious than it looked in the pictures, plus we will have a stand-up tent attached to it to give us extra space when the weather is suitable, which will be almost every day when we are in it. So it will be an experience for sure, but one that will be as fun as we make it and we are all planning to have a lot of fun!
Not much going on with us. We have been too busy with the packing for the move to partake in the usual summer fun like beaches, hikes, swimming and even the strawberry fest in Chassell this past Friday-Saturday. I actually have not even see the usual amounts of roadside stands selling strawberries, so I wonder if it was a short crop this year or perhaps the first main round of picking went to supply the strawberry fest. We did get some strawberries from a friend yesterday and they were delish! I believe when we get settled into our new digs in Jake that we will be expanding upon the garden that is already there. Nora and I have really enjoyed the raised bed gardens we have, so we plan to keep their plants as is and expand with some raised beds. The growing season down there is a full 45-60 days longer than it is up here, due to the protection the big lake gives down there.
Tomorrow Nora and I head to Wausau so that I can be put on the new med that is hoped to fix my heart rate. The medicine is suppose to have a pretty high rate of success, but if it does not work as we want, there are still two other options that have a high degree of success, but are more invasive. One way or another, my current heart issues will be dealt with and life will get back to full speed for this old boy. Gracie will be staying with friends and there will be a person house/dog sitting here. If all goes as good as it can, we could be back home by Wednesday. Otherwise, it would most likely be Thursday.
I am going to do my best to just relax and enjoy the time away from all the packing duties. I am bringing all my plans for the Barn-Dee-minium I have drawn up so far and plan to finish them up while hanging out in the hospital for the dew days. Once back, I will head down to the court house and get the permits for heating/plumbing, electrical and building, as well as set up an appointment with the health department to have the testing done for the septic. The only other item needed before starting the build will be to get a well dug.
So I guess this week will be the calm before the storm of activity to facilitate the move and build. I know I will fully enjoy the latter, I am most worried about the former! I wish I were better at being still!
Good night from the Keweenaw..
–JD
