Archives for 2020

Hey Sweetie,
Slept pretty well, but rain came in again during the night. I’m getting so tired of rain and wind, it just seems to be practically non-stop these days! Can’t wait for true Spring to start, it’s been unusually cold and miserable so far. I guess if you wanted to fly a kite it would be great weather for that, but I’m just not into that! Anyway, I went over to the house for a few hours to go through some boxes that were packed in a hurry, like the desk and the bedroom side table, to see what needed to be stored, given to Goodwill or thrown away. Getting down to the real remnants now. Other than a few pieces of furniture, it’s just about cleared out. The new owner has agreed to let me store a couple of boxes and the big frame photo of our first anniversary until October when I come back for the Skymont Endurance Ride. I can move them to Florida after that, but there’s no need to drag them around with me all summer. By afternoon the wind finally laid down and the sun came out, and it turned out to be a nice day. Just as I was leaving, the new owner arrived with another load of stuff. I had noticed that he had removed the carpet from the bedroom and dragged it into the garage, so I offered to move the trailer over so he could load it in there, and we could take it down to the dump later in the week. I’m happy to say he feels really happy and honored to have the house, very appreciative of it’s beauty, just the kind of person you’d approve of for keeping the place going. I headed back after that, and put some stuff up in the attic before settling down for the rest of the day. Baked a nice pork chop for dinner, watched some more Deep Space Nines, now I’m off the shower and bed, as usual! Love you, babe! Good night!

Hi Babe,
Best night sleep in a long time! In bed by 10, with earplugs, and even though it rained and was very windy, I slept almost straight through the night, right until 8:30! I woke up feeling more rested than I can remember. I had two people who were supposed to come to the house cancel, so I ended up not even leaving camp at all today! I worked on the computer a bit, read a bit, watched TV a bit (I switched to Deep Space Nine, which was MUCH better than Voyager!), and generally relaxed today. I still have a couple of problems to solve before I leave next week, but I’m counting the days to getting back on the road! The horses and Lola are getting as ready to move as I am, with all the rain the paddock turning it into a mud bog. Anyway, heading off to bed to see if I can repeat the sleeping experience tonight! Good night, my love!

Hi Honey,
Had a good night sleep, fortunately, Lola’s been wonderful the last few night, for which I am very grateful! I woke up a little early, though, and decided to take a quick trip over to the house to get the hot tub going after filling it overnight, burned some junk mail, did a little cleaning and rearranged some stuff in the garage, then came back to camp, where I did a remarkable thing for the rest of the day… NOTHING!! Well, other than doing some computer work and having a phone conference with a financial advisor, I sat in my recliner hoping to get a nap in, which I didn’t, but I did just relax, reading, watching TV, playing games on my laptop, just a day to try to recharge my batteries, which I desperately need. It was a nice day, with rain coming in tonight, so I took advantage. Watched a tense movie about coal miners called Mine 9, which kept me awake for a change (unlike the boring Voyagers I’ve been watching). Now, I’m heading to bed really early to try to get in a really good night sleep. Already had my tea, heading to the shower momentarily, and I’m even going to put in some earplugs so the rain won’t wake me. I’m determined to get caught up tonight! Love you, sweetie! Good night!

Hiya Darlin’,
Finally got a good night sleep last night, not surprising considering how exhausted I was! Got to sleep a tiny bit later, then headed over to the house the meet up with some folks and load up on some stuff. My first appointment was at noon, and I got a message saying they would leave McMinnville at 11:00, but then they didn’t leave until much later, which looked like it was going to make them late. Then, even though I warned them repeatedly not to trust their GPS because of the massive error Google Maps has on it now about the location of the house, they ended up missing the turn and were halfway to Coalmont before they called me. Grrrr! I ended up having to pack up what they wanted and meet them at the Baptist Church on the corner just so I could make my next appointment on time. I did, in fact, make it, and my afternoon was spent in the parking lot of a burned down gas station (you remember the Cruise In Market? Gone!), where I had three different people meet me to pick up stuff. So I made a couple hundred more bucks selling stuff, making it a decent week so far. The pile in the garage is winnowing down, not much left except big furniture and a couple of lamps and a few other odds and ends. Making progress! The governor has announced some phasing back in of normal activities, and I’m happy to report that opening the state parks is one of them! Looks like my reservation on May 1 at Chickasaw will be good! Can’t wait! I need about a week of sleep when this is all over! Of course, bingeing on Star Trek Voyager has been helping, inasmuch as it’s so boring I generally fall asleep during it anyway. I can’t believe they did six seasons of this, it’s really pathetic. I FINALLY saw an episode that was well-written and well-acted, but I had to get into the second season before I came across it. Not sure I can keep going, I keep hoping it will get better. Hope always springs eternal when it comes to Star Trek, as you know, but this one makes The Next Generation look positively thrilling (which we both know it was NOT!). I’m thinking of switching over to Deep Space Nine, I seem to remember watching a couple of episodes of that, they seemed to be better, but who know. Meanwhile, another day, another few dollars, another day tomorrow, though it looks like it will be slower, which will give me a chance to do some other things that have been waiting too long. Time for bed! Good night, darlin’! Love you!

Hi Sweetie,
Another busy day. I can hardly tell when one day ends and another begins these days! I went straight over to the house early, and Sherri met me at 7:00 to help me load up the guest bed and a few smaller items, then I headed to McMinnville where I delivered a box of mason jars, the silver condiment set, and, of course, the bed. I also bought a new power cord for my computer the old one was giving me trouble, filled up the tank for just $1.99/gallon, then I picked up some nice bales of hay in Morrison on the way back, which I stored under the gooseneck, which is covered with the skirting. By the time I got back to the house, the new owner was there working in the yard, so I got busy taking some of the last items out of the house and putting them in the garage. Just about done with that! Now all I have to do is empty the garage! Then I loaded up a bunch more stuff, mostly speakers, and meeting people at Walmart in Manchester to off-load those. Then I went shopping, of course, but I didn’t need much so it didn’t take long. Managed to get back to camp just after 4:00, which gave me a little time to play with Lola. The temps FINALLY warmed up to almost 70, it was the nicest day we’ve had in a long time. I changed my reservation at Chickasaw to May 1, I only hope I’m able to get done with everything before then! I have a young couple that may drive up from Atlanta this weekend to look at the MG, and I finally got a list of consignment places from the realtor (though I doubt they’re open, I’ll have to start making calls tomorrow). Honestly, though, I think if I had enough time to do it, I could probably sell everything, but I’m just about out of time now. The new owner bought the TV, the TV stand and one of the green loveseats, so at least that’s a few less things to move. I can’t wait for this whole chapter to be over so I can get on the road and relax for a while! I’m going to crash, big-time, I can feel that coming! More deliveries tomorrow, more work at the house, though my first appointment isn’t until 10:00 so at least I can sleep in, hopefully! Meantime, I’m headed for shower and bed! Good night, my love!

Hiya Babe,
Well, here I am once again, listening to rain on the roof of the trailer, temps in the mid-fifties, exhausted from a day of non-stop work. I spent all day at the house, partly cleaning, partly posting stuff up on Marketplace, partly answer messages about the stuff I’ve put up on Marketplace, and so on, and so on. I moves a few more things out into the garage, mostly speakers and electronics, cleaning off everything on the entertainment unit you built so long ago. Though I’ve had it listed altogether as a “home theater,” to which I got very little response, now that I’m putting up individual components, I’m getting a good response. It seems I’ve already sold several sets of speakers and a component or two, as well as the guest room bed and a few other odds and ends. One couple came over and wanted a bunch of gardening stuff, and I let them take all the related stuff they could find, including most of the stuff in the chicken house and the garden. The girl is building moveable chicken and rabbit runs, plus she took things like the water barrels and all the frameworks I used to use in the garden. I’m not charging her much, since she’s really doing me a favor by cleaning all that stuff out, so it’s a mutual benefit. She wants to come back tomorrow and get some more (she did two trips today!), which is fine by me. Tiring day, and it will be more tiring tomorrow since my first delivery is at 8:30 in McMinnville, so I’m meeting our neighbor Sherri at the house at 7:00 to load stuff up. Slow but sure! Meanwhile, poor Lola is getting no exercise, and the horses have just about finished their round bale, so I’m going to have to pick up some more hay tomorrow, which is supposed to be a sunny day. So tired of this weather! Isn’t is weird how we always seemed to be in places that were having record (or unusual) temperatures? All I want is 70 degrees, which is what it’s supposed to be here in Middle Tennessee in April, but no, we have to have extreme cold, unusual amounts of rain, blah, blah, blah. I am SO looking forward to getting all this work behind me and relaxing for a few days, maybe even (dare I say it!), a week! Of course, if there are trails, I’ll be riding, but that’s hardly work. Tiring maybe, but not work! Can’t wait! Meanwhile, work, work, work! And time to go to bed, though I have to make the bed first, more work! Sigh… Anyway, off to shower and bed for me, gotta get up early, early! Good night, babe! Love you!

Hi Sweetie,
Well, another busy day. When will I ever get a day off? I got a lousy night sleep, not because of Lola, she was surprisingly good last night, but because I was so aggravated, then rain came in, and though I slept for a few hours, then I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep until much later. I got up early with the alarm because I wanted to bank this check first thing, I certainly didn’t want to be running around with THAT for long, and because it was so large they had to get clearance from the main office, etc., etc., so I had to wait longer than usual. Afterward I headed straight to the house because I wanted to get started. I put a bunch of ads up in Marketplace and was getting a pretty good response, but mostly, I wanted to move everything into the garage like the new owner asked me to. I’m hoping he’ll be lenient on how long I can store my stuff there, it’s tough with all the consignment stores closed. Then neighbor Sherri came over and helped me move a lot of stuff, and we had most of it done by the time the new owner showed up at 1:30. There were a few large pieces that he and his guys helped with, so just about everything got out. I also spent some time cleaning. Our so-called renters had a much different idea of what clean meant, and I spent over an hour on just the stove. I think they must have used it every day for three months and NEVER wiped it down, it was that bad. There was so much grease and fat on the broiler I’m surprised it didn’t start a fire. I had to use a screw driver to pry the burners up, they were stuck down on the stove. I’m going to take some oven cleaner with me tomorrow to finish it off. I’m hoping to get some more stuff sold, I’ve got deliveries scheduled for Monday in McMinnville and Tuesday on the mountain, mostly smaller stuff, but I’m hoping I’ll be adding some bigger stuff before tomorrow is out, too. One of the new owner’s help brought his young daughter, and she kept Lola busy for quite awhile, so I’m hoping she’ll get a good night sleep, and so will I. I’ve already stayed up too late answering questions about my list of sale items, so I’ve got to call it a night now. IT’S A NIGHT!! Good night, babe! Love you!

Hi Honey,
Well, this was supposed to be a day of celebration, a day when I finally sell the house and get to move on. Unfortunately, it’s turned out to be a day of aggravation, irritation, stress and mourning, not that I didn’t finally close on the house, but that I learned that everything our Realtor told us was a lie from Day One. He never told the buyers anything that I asked him to find out. He STILL was saying he didn’t know what time the closing was until 10:00 this morning, though I learned later he had been informed back on April 7. Worse, he told me it was at 2:00 when in fact it was at 11:00. He told me everything was on track, when in fact, there were problems with the inspection, which I didn’t even know happened. I told my Realtor from Day One that this would be an “as is” sale, and he told me that was the way it was set up, that everyone knew that, yet I finally found out that the inspection required almost $10,000 in repairs, and that I was on the hook for it. The realtor told me he didn’t know anything about it, but that was a lie, too, he knew weeks ago, but didn’t tell me. It was a horrible, horrible day. I figured the whole closing was off, so I started working on putting a new base on my recliner, then suddenly I get a text saying they were going ahead with the closing. I did manage to get the realtors to cut their commissions by a tiny bit, but that was nothing compared to the hit I had to take. I almost didn’t go through with it, I was so close. Then to top it off, that idiot realtor first gave me the wrong office to go to for the closing, so I had to drive to two different places, then he didn’t even show up! What kind of realtor doesn’t show up at a closing? I’ll tell you what kind, the kind that lie and lie and lie and lie and don’t want to be faced with being exposed! I’ll be filing multiple complaints, believe me! I didn’t want to go through with it, but I just want this whole mess to be over with, which is exactly what this guy depends on, which makes it all that much more maddening!! GRRRRRRRRRRRRR! I hate this, I really do. I’m so mad, I’m so beside myself! And now I can’t even depend on the realtor’s promise that he has a place for me to consign whatever furniture is left over after the weekend. So I may literally not have any place to put this stuff. Then what do I do? I’m not about to donate $1900 recliners to Goodwill! But I’m not going to hang around here for weeks trying to sell them either, nor am I going to put them in storage, you know how THAT road goes! I’m so upset, I don’t know what to do. I did finally meet the buyer at the house, showed him a few things, tried not to be too upset, but that was really hard, didn’t get back to the camp until after 8:00, then I had to finish up the chair base, which took me another hour. And to top it off, Lola didn’t get any exercise today, and there’s a storm moving in, so I’m likely not to get any sleep tonight either, she’ll be scratching at the door (though she was good last night, I had a good night sleep, only to be faced with this horrible day), and I have to get up early and move all the furniture into the garage, which is the only place the new buyer will let me keep it for a few days. Work, work, work, I can’t wait to get a day off!! I’m so tired. I’m sorry for ranting, but I’m really in a state right now. I’ll quit now and go to be before I explode, and hope I can get some sleep. Not likely, but I’ll try. Still love you! Good night!

Hey Babe,
Had a bad night sleep, Lola kept waking me up every couple of hours, scratching at the bedroom partition, or the other door or just meandering and trying to fluff everything she could, her bed, the boot map, everything. She was just about to know over the trash on the dining room bench seat when I finally got up and let her out, even though I had let her out twice before bed. Grrr! Suffice to say I woke up grouchy from lack of sleep! The only thing I sold today was the floor jack, to a guy that met me at the trash dump down on the corner at Fred Lusk Rd. I still don’t have the final word on whether I can keep clearing out the house on the weekend, but it’s becoming a moot point, since I don’t have the time to finish it before then. The closing is supposed to be tomorrow, but I still don’t have when or where, sigh… When I got home from my trip, I got out the sewing machine I traded and played around with it a bit until I got it working to my satisfaction, then I decided to fix the living room drape. I was in such a hurry when I first made it, the whole thing was crooked and the hem was uneven, so I stripped it down and started again, this time getting it a lot better. Not perfect, but better. I had planned on getting another yard of that same material and making one for the dining room window, since that one throws a lot of glare onto the TV, but of course, the fabric store is closed because of the pandemic, and I haven’t been able to get any. I hope I can get it before I leave this time! Afterward, I took Lola for a walk and playtime, hoping she gets enough exercise tonight, because if she gets restless, I’m just going to have to put her in the truck, and with the cold nights, I really don’t want to do that. It’s not supposed to get quite as cold tonight, but I’d really rather she settle down, she’s been so good until the last week, I think she’s just bored and under-exercised, a condition I’ll only be able to solve when we leave here and are in a horse camp somewhere. I ended up falling asleep for more than an hour while watching TV, so now I’m off to bed, hoping against hope that Lola behaves herself tonight! Good night, babe! Love you!

Hey Babe,
Had a bad night sleep, Lola kept waking me up every couple of hours, scratching at the bedroom partition, or the other door or just meandering and trying to fluff everything she could, her bed, the boot map, everything. She was just about to know over the trash on the dining room bench seat when I finally got up and let her out, even though I had let her out twice before bed. Grrr! Suffice to say I woke up grouchy from lack of sleep! The only thing I sold today was the floor jack, to a guy that met me at the trash dump down on the corner at Fred Lusk Rd. I still don’t have the final word on whether I can keep clearing out the house on the weekend, but it’s becoming a moot point, since I don’t have the time to finish it before then. The closing is supposed to be tomorrow, but I still don’t have when or where, sigh… When I got home from my trip, I got out the sewing maching I traded and played around with it a bit until I got it working to my satisfaction, then I decided to fix the living room drape. I was in such a hurry when I first made it, the whole thing was crooked and the hem was unevern, so I stripped it down and started again, this time getting it a lot better. Not perfect, but better. I had planned on getting another yard of that same material and making one for the dining room window, since that one throws a lot of glare onto the TV, but of course, the fabric store is closed because of the pandemic, and I haven’t been able to get any. I hope I can get it before I leave this time! Afterward, I took Lola for a walk and playtime, hoping she gets enough exercise tonight, because if she gets restless, I’m just going to have to put her in the truck, and with the cold nights, I really don’t want to do that. It’s not supposed to get quite as cold tonight, but I’d really rather she settle down, she’s been so good until the last week, I think she’s just bored and under-exercised, a condition I’ll only be able to solve when we leave here and are in a horse camp somewhere. I ended up falling asleep for more than an hour while watching TV, so now I’m off to bed, hoping against hope that Lola behaves herself tonight! Good night, babe! Love you!