PHASE IV -- PREPARATION

Mike and I were anxious to move into the modular home after completion of the painting and carpeting, but it would not be a simple process. On Tuesday, June 1, we began cleaning and moving whatever we could from the garage to the house. Of course, our first interest was in making the tv workable and connecting to the internet. Fortunately, Mike took pictures upon dismantling, but interpreting the photos was another thing. Still, he persevered and won.

Next, I decided to do some laundry. My first attempt was a complete failure – no water. The hoses were connected but turned off. We rectified that, and I chose the “cool” setting for my wash, but when the washer finished, the clothes were hot-hot-hot! Okay, simple fix – switch the hoses. Next, the dryer was deader than a doornail, and the diagnosis (not plugged in) was easier than the fix. The cord was on the floor behind the dryer, and in pulling the dryer out, we pulled the vent loose. Mike went over the top of the dryer and behind it to fix things more than once.

Wednesday, the painter came to take care of a few exceptions we had noted. The paint job was great but the clean-up / detailing was lacking. Hallie says if it weren’t that, it would be something else. "Move on," she says, and she’s probably right. We continued to move between the house and the garage, cleaning and sorting. We can do only so much without our furniture.

Thursday morning the dual recliner sofa we purchased months ago was delivered and set up and finally the place began to be comfortable.

As always, one thing leads to another – clean this before doing that, etc. I had cleared out the linen closet in the bathroom, pack
ing our soft goods in garbage bags so that I could store breakables in the linen closet without having to wrap and pack them into boxes. So, in reverse order, I carried the dishes back to the breakfront so that I could unpack the linens. It was a chore, but I’m still glad that I didn’t have to box up all that china. Lennox, anyone? KW

OFF TO TOWN AGAIN / PHASE III FINISHED

So, back to town we went on Thursday (May 27). We dropped two old eyesore chairs off at the landfill in Orofino and carried Grandma Ina’s vintage rocker to the modular home.

 

 

We arrived in town shortly after 9:00. It was warm and pleasantly breezy. The carpet installation (Phase III) was finished, and we are pleased with it. In Phase IV, Mike and I will clean and sort, and in Phase V, we’ll move the furniture back in.

We picked up a few things at the house and traded the old pick-up for the Jeep. Then we went shopping – North 40 for a weedkiller, a tomato plant, and garden seeds; Big Five for my new shoes; and Winco for a few more groceries. You can never have too many groceries at the farm, or that’s the way it seems.

We left town at noon. It was 81 as we passed through Orofino, 73 at the farm. Mike quickly donned his cycling togs and hit the road, hoping to beat the predicted windstorm. I told him he was on his own. I worried about him on Saturday when a storm arose, but by the time I found him, it was all over.

Daughter Hallie and Nick are here now to spend the long weekend. I suppose next week Mike and I will return to the town house to begin Phase IV, but the town forecast is for 101 by Wednesday. KW

PHASE II COMPLETE

Mike has decided to cut back on the mowing here at the farm, so we’re experimenting with a few ideas. This is not a new dilemma. My dad also tried to simplify the yard.  

Mike suggested that we develop a “mini orchard” between the house and the grove. I’m all for it. If you know the yard as it used to be, my dad didn’t mow that area either. Grandma Ina had two pie cherry trees and a pear tree there. The old pear tree remains, but the cherry trees were lost when we remodeled the house – a disappointment. Mike said we could think about this idea, but I said that if we think about it, another year will slip by. We should get started, I said, and apples would be my choice. We already have a “honey crisp” there, but while looks healthy, it doesn’t bear. I think it needs a pollinator. And besides, Hallie and Nick are coming for Memorial Day, and I know they would love to help with the planting.

So, that brings me to Tuesday, May 25. We had to go back to town for food and supplies before Memorial Day, so as we drove in, we stopped at Green Things, the nursery on Riverside (Orofino). They weren’t open, but we peeked at the trees anyway, finding several apple varieties with reasonable pricing. Checking in town, we found the stock low and pricey -- $99 for a Granny Smith!

At the house, we found that the painter had finished, so Mike called the carpet company, and they said that our carpet was in and our job was scheduled for the next two days. Wow! We were so grateful we were in town and could deliver a key to them. Great timing, for once! So, the contractors work will be finished this week, and ours will begin again.

We bought groceries, picked up things at the house, loaded baskets, coolers, boxes, and our new porch rocker into the back of the big old pick-up, and set off for the farm, stopping once again at Green Things where Mr. Mount, the nurseryman, recommended a dwarf Emerald apple tree as a disease resistant pollinator. Mike suggested we buy another variety as well, and we chose the dwarf Freedom. Mr. Mount said that both trees should bear fruit next year. Oh, I do hope so, and maybe the Honey Crisp, too.

But – in our haste at the town house, we walked off without some things we’d like to have, so we’re going back today (Thursday, May 27). We'll carry back a half load of pine firewood from the lifetime supply in the barn, KW

PHASE I COMPLETE

Phase I of “Operation Refresh” (the modular home) is now complete. We have moved everything out of the little house into the garage with the exception of closets and built-in cupboards.

“Well, you actually did it,” exclaimed Mike. “You cleaned out your sewing room.” Oh, but it wasn’t easy! It was many trips back and forth to the storage shed, and I was amazed at what I was able to pack into it. In the end, we just stacked my books (I have many) on a big piece of cardboard on the shed floor. You know how it is – last in, first out, but I have a lot to do before I have to worry about it.

Dealing with the stuff is one thing, but then it comes down to the furniture, and that’s another story. Even though we were only going a few steps from the house to the garage, we had to have help.

On Monday, Mike confirmed dates with both the mover and the painter – the mover for Wednesday the 19^th, the painter for the 20^th. The plan was to move the furniture into the garage, and we carried out as much of the small stuff as we could. Wednesday morning we were ready for the mover, but when he was 15 minutes late, Mike called him. He was mixed up on the day but promised to come as soon as he could.

Meanwhile, Mike and I began the process on our own. We took the coffee table and end tables. Then Mike took the bed frame apart and we moved it out in pieces. Next, we tackled the dresser, which is a big piece but on rollers. And then, we just had to quit. We couldn’t do any more.

The mover was an hour and a half late, and then we had to wait another hour for his helper, during which time Mike and the mover were able to do some prep work and move some things. The hardest piece to move was the big desk in the office. Mike had to remove slats from the door frame in order to get it out.

It was all over by 2:30, and when the mover left, he took our old sofa and loveseat with him for disposal. They served us well for 35 years – way too long.

That left us with one night to spend in the house. Mike brought in the gamer chair he uses to watch sports events on TV for himself and my new porch rocker for me. We left the mattress and box springs in the bedroom, so I made the bed. Then we took our friends Ken and Ginny out to dinner. KW