10/4/2021 It was one month on October 1 that Walt and the family pulled into our little slice of paradise. It is gorgeous here, I love the location, not super impressed by the grocery and shopping options but I knew that before moving here. It is what it is.
The guy we hooked up with before arriving has proven to be amazing. There is nothing Aaron doesn’t know how to do. He did the concrete floor for the shop (with Bill’s help) and he and Bill recently completed putting on the metal roof. He actually used a chalk line on the roof to get the nails in a straight line. Both sides of the roof are finished and it looks amazing. They framed in the opening and he has ordered the metal for the gables of the roof. Aaron has a regular door for the shop, we need to order a garage door yet. Timing was everything since my new washer and dryer and freezer arrived the 29th and the roof was completed on the 28th.
I already ordered my stove, dishwasher and fridge (got the French door type) but decided to order an extra fridge for the closed-in back porch. We had an extra in Everson and it was awesome to keep drinks in and to use when we ate outdoors. I was going to get a white one and cover it in self-adhesive wallpaper but decided on a black one. The fridge was delivered yesterday. Once we get the electricity hooked up, I’ll be able to stock up on some groceries. All of our household things got delivered on Tuesday. The boys were excited to see their chairs.
Bowling Green is only an hour away, we spent 2 nights in an RV park there while hurricane Ida passed through. That’s also where Bill took my car for the 60K service. There is a Sam’s Club there, I’ll need to join, there is also a Target, Home Depot, Aldi’s, TJ Maxx and a lot of furniture stores. I’m looking forward to some shopping trips there.
I’ve decided I don’t like Walt. In fact, Walt is pitiful. I FREAKING HATE him. I hate the shower most of all, especially since we have been invaded by stink bugs, (these are the non stink if you squash them but smell awful after being in the vac a day dying) variety but a pest nonetheless. I think I preferred the paper wasps we previously had problems with. Yesterday I sucked up well over 150 of the stink bugs with the vacuum. This morning when I was showering 2 swooped in on me. I had a screaming fit, knocked the damn shower accordion door off the track and had all 3 boys trying to protect me. I also hate the bathroom sink. It has a screen in the drain and that freaks me way the hell out. As do the 2 screens in the double kitchen sink. I hate to empty things like that when tiny pieces of food get in there, that’s the reason I insist on a garbage disposal. I throw all the big pieces of stuff away but the small particles, down the garbage disposal. I can’t tell you what it is that freaks me out so badly but I have to wear rubber gloves to clean the screen drains out and I am internally shrieking the whole time. I would have died in a week if I lived in the Little House on the Prairie.
UPS brought some spray Bill ordered to kill the stink bugs and I do think it’s working. I’ve cleaned up only 20 or so since the boys and I came inside. The boys are all terrified of the vac for some reason. It’s not so bad in a house where they can go to a different room but they don’t have that option here.
It rained for almost a week and we were surrounded by 30 muddy wet acres and 16 muddy wet dog paws. They were getting tired of having their feet washed several times a day. I contemplated boots for them but they’ll lose them and I will spend all of my time looking for them. They were some mighty bored dogs. They put stone on the whole driveway EXCEPT where they were running the dozer back and forth. That meant I had to traverse 50′ of deep slippery mud to get the boys to the stone driveway. That has since been remedied.
Every morning I walk the dogs down the driveway and into the upper field. It’s so beautiful there, I wish we had known about that spot before. That’s what we get for buying property sight unseen. It’s a huge hilly field surrounded by trees. Many of the trees are Osage orange trees and they have the most horrible thorns I have ever seen in my life. I was really worried about the boys stepping on them but so far we’ve been lucky.
They run all over up there, so much to smell. I recall someone telling me that when you walk your dog don’t allow them to stop and sniff things. That’s not a nice thing to do to a dog. They get so much mental stimulation from sniffing, it’s really important for them to do. These guys must be having a blast. They’re also eating grass, never really had that option before, it’s new to them. I noticed Max had a poop hanging from his butt by a blade of grass. I used a stick and removed it. The things I do for these dogs. They are getting in at least 3 miles a day, probably more. After we return from a walk they are exhausted. A tired dog is a good dog.
We had a full week plus of nice days, then the rain returned. So did the mud. It’s been brutal. Yesterday we noticed a leak in the RV, not sure where the water was coming from. Bill moved the RV from being level to leaning to the side the water was coming in and that seems to have stopped it. It poured last night, thundered and all and no water leaks this morning.
Yesterday the boys were laying on the bed looking out the window and all of a sudden Gringo went crazy. I looked out the window and there was a deer in the lower field. Between the deer and the cows, Gringo may need an intervention. Saturday night Bill was outside talking to his sister on the phone. I had, just minutes before, taken the boys inside. The day had just gone from dusk to dark. He noticed something and looked down and there was a 4′ S N A K E. I am terrified of snakes but still had to go look. It was a big old King snake.
There are copperheads in the area and they are something I do not want to come across with the dogs. If the dogs had been outside, Highway or Barrio would have killed the snake in seconds. Barrio is all meek and mild but he is a killer. I’ve seen him in action on Roatan with rats and lizards.
Last night it poured, thunder and lightning had the dogs all freaky. Max was squished between the bed and the closet and would not budge. We woke this morning to semi sunny skies so as soon as I drank my cup of tea the boys and I set off for the hill. Afterwards we sat outside, Bill put the other 2 coolaroo beds together for the boys. They will be great to use on the screened in porch, much better than laying on concrete.
I just picked things up that were outside because it looked like rain and sure enough, it’s pouring again. I heard there was a tornado in Northern Cumberland County late night, flipped a few cars. UGH. Over the rain and all the crap weather.
This blog has taken way too long to do. We still have no wifi so I have to use my phone as a hotspot and I have limited hotspot data per month. As I told my friend Susan, this blog sometimes feels like a giant albatross hanging around my neck. I sure hope that once we get into the house I’ll have more interesting info to post. As of right now, the only excitement I have is sucking the stink bugs up in my vacuum, swearing at each and every one as I hear the satisfying plunk of them getting sucked up. The joys are endless.
Mermaid on a Raft 