RoughCollie

[MotherMayI]

I hope all is well with your house search. Please post an update when you get a chance:001_smile:

 

 

Best wishes!

[MotherMayI]

bump:bigear:

[Chris in VA]

I'm thinking of you, too, RC. What's the scoop?:bigear::001_smile::grouphug:

[Quiver0f10]

:grouphug: Hoping all is well.

[RoughCollie]

Thank you for asking after me.

 

We did find a house -- the stone house was the only one available (Brazilian cherry floors & dog). I haven't seen it but DH saw it when he went to PA to find office space. That's the good news.

 

The bad news is that the only office space he could find was $700 a month more than I had budgeted for it, including utilities. That's a lot of money. For some reason, DH thought I really wanted the stone house ... somehow the idea that what I really wanted to do was get the cheapest house *and* office available went over his head. He signed the office lease without consulting me, thinking he was doing what I wanted. Is it the end of the world? It is to me. It is too late to get out of it -- he did this last week, and we have to be out of his current office by Monday.

 

We have spent the last several weeks getting the office ready to move. Today we packed about 40% of the 34,000 books left after we deleted about 10,000 of them from our bookshelves and data base. Hopefully we will get the rest of the books and the office packed tomorrow. All six of us have been working our tails off.

 

I'm exhausted & feel like a role model for the overwork ethic. On Monday, DS2 and DH will move to PA. I'm staying here for 2 reasons: I haven't had time to pack the house, and the 2 kids in PS don't get out until 6/26.

 

On Saturday, the guys DH hired to load the 4 moving trucks will arrive. I hope everything fits into them, and everybody hussles. On Sunday, I'm going to pack DS2's and DH's things, with their help. On Monday, I am going to crash between driving the kids to and from school (we couldn't afford the $600 charge to ride the school bus).

 

I am still worried about everything. I hate being in this situation.

 

Every muscle in my body aches. When Sunday arrives, I will be so relieved, because the trailers will be loaded and waiting for tractors to be hooked up to them on Monday.

 

That's what I hope, anyway. I don't see how we are going to be able to get everything for the office done. I had a system figured out, DH decided to use his. But guess what? I don't care! I won't be unboxing and shelving 34,000 books because I will be here. If it takes him 2x as long because he didn't use my system, oh well. I used my system anyway, and found it to be efficient and effective. I got so much done today that everyone else was amazed, but still DH doesn't like my system. He's not good at handling changes, and I think he is overwhelmed even more than I am because of that.

 

I am taking everything one day at a time, or trying to. When everything is unpacked and we are actually living in the house, I will get geared up to find out how live in a rural area. When I asked the landlord about us putting in a disposal, he said the sink "drains naturally" and we couldn't have a disposal because of that. He was quite cheerful about it: "That's country living for you!".

 

Hmm... I did find out that cows don't bite.

 

I think I will like living there just fine, if only because there is a lot to learn about. I read up on chicken-keeping in Mother Earth News a couple of days ago, just in case.

 

Now, aren't you sorry you asked? The long saga continues and I guess my finger muscles are the only ones that don't hurt.

 

I really appreciate your concern, MotherMayI, and everyone else's too.

 

RC

[HSMom2One]

You will be in my prayers RC! Thank you so much for posting. I will wait a couple of weeks and pm you. In the meantime, hang in there. It sounds like you are on a very interesting adventure.

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

[Jean in Newcastle]

I've been praying for you. Will continue to do so. :grouphug:

[OnTheBrink]

:grouphug:

[MotherMayI]

Thanks for the update.:grouphug: Our family moved about 2 months ago- and I was the sole packer- it was terrible. I can't imagine adding thousands of books to the mix.

 

I'm glad that you don't have to worry about finding a home anymore. It sounds lovely. The house we moved to has a chicken coop...I love the chickens!

 

Best wishes on your next few weeks. You will are in my prayers.

[elegantlion]

:grouphug: Been thinking and praying for you as well. :grouphug:

[Renee in NC]

RC, I hope that all goes as smoothly as possible this weekend.

[RoughCollie]

The house we moved to has a chicken coop...I love the chickens!

 

That sounds great. The articles I read said chickens eat bugs, including ticks, mosquitoes and fly larvae.

 

DH has mentioned to the kids that "Your mother has no idea about how many insects there are around farms". I know he's grinning to himself about the culture shock I will experience since I haven't ever been to a farm, except for Hancock Shaker Village or Plimouth Plantation.

 

(DH fails to realize that I am not a hothouse flower. My parents were like that, too. I mean, when I mention having chickens, these people's mouths literally drop open in shock, like I said I was going to become a Merchant Marine or something. Then they start telling me all the reasons I can't do it, like I'm a stupid wimp.)

 

I learned a lot from those visits. People do not give their farm animals baths (with a hose, like washing a car) every day, female cows have horns, too, and pigs smell really, really bad (at least the antique breeds do). Okay, maybe I am stupid, although I think of myself as being merely uninitiated, but I'm not a wimp.

 

Naturally, in the process of learning those things, I made a complete fool out of myself. I mean, the people standing around us laughed out loud nearly every time I opened my mouth. But I bet a lot of them thought the animals looked dirty, too.

 

I saw a chicken at the Atlanta Zoo decades ago. It was just sitting there, not in a cage or anything. I was so scared of it that I reversed course and went the long way around to see the "baby" bull that turned out to be a cow (well, large calf).

 

My mom rode a pig (for fun) when she was a child, so I've got the genes to handle this experience. :D I've learned to control my outbursts over the years, so even if something does shock me, I can take it in stride. I figure anyone who has had three babies throw up on them at the same time can handle anything.

 

Just talking to people in the town we are moving to has reaped some rewards already. I've been offered rifle shooting & safety lessons, and invited to go hunting -- by three different people! I allowed as to how I'd be willing to go turkey hunting.

 

My two favorite magazines are Field & Stream and Mother Earth News. I think I'm well-positioned to embrace our new lifestyle. It will be a great experience to go from book-learning to the real thing!

 

They even have a demolition derby at the county fair in July. Everyone I've talked to has described it to me with great enthusiasm: "Wait 'til you see it ... they even have school buses in the demolition derby!". Wow! A homeschooler's daydream come true! (Just kidding.) I've never been to one of those either.

 

The boys, OTOH, are not as enthusiastic because they are used to Boston and New England in general. I figure my enthusiasm will carry them along until they develop some of their own.

 

I think this place is as close as it gets to being back in the South. I've lived in the Boston area for 20 years, and while I've learned to like a lot of things about New England, I've always yearned to move back to the South. Western PA is chock-full of friendly, warm people, and it is beautiful. I think I'm going to like it there, as the next best thing to living in the South. I think I will fit in.

 

RC

Edited June 5, 2009 by RoughCollie

[RoughCollie]

RC, I hope that all goes as smoothly as possible this weekend.

 

Thanks, me too. DH is worried that all of his books won't fit into the 4 28' trailers that will be delivered tonight. They will -- I did the math.

 

Frankly, by the end of last night, I was wishing those books had been consumed in a freak disaster -- any kind, as long as only the books were hurt. (They are insured.)

 

This is such a far cry from the days when I thought throwing a book away was a sin! Back then, books did not entail hard physical labor, and we didn't have tens of thousands of them.

[TraceyS/FL]

Hang in there chicky!

 

And it's ok to watch them and smile at the same time while they smash those school busses ;)

 

:grouphug:

[Remudamom]

You can do it. When dh and I got married and I moved out here the locals were betting that I wouldn't last three months. My mom thought I'd be home in six. I grew up in a big town (Tuscaloosa) and it was big culture shock. From country clubs, maids and debutante parties to cow poop and Walmart.

 

I've been here 31 years now.

[RoughCollie]

From country clubs, maids and debutante parties to cow poop and Walmart.

 

Yeah, the biggest store around is Wal-Mart and it is 15 miles away. There is a mall somewhere, but it is not what I would call a mall -- I hate malls anyway, so it's no skin off my nose.

 

I think this will be fun. I've been reading about country life for my entire life, and I'm looking forward to experiencing it, even though we won't be living on a farm.

 

My mother, who tried her best to turn me into a sophisticate, just told me that I have to tone down my sophistication when I move. I told her to put that in writing and send it to me via snail mail because it is such a change. I've gone from being woefully under-sophisticated to being too sophisticated, all in one swell foop. :001_smile:

[Remudamom]

Yeah, the biggest store around is Wal-Mart and it is 15 miles away. There is a mall somewhere, but it is not what I would call a mall -- I hate malls anyway, so it's no skin off my nose.

 

I think this will be fun. I've been reading about country life for my entire life, and I'm looking forward to experiencing it, even though we won't be living on a farm.

 

My mother, who tried her best to turn me into a sophisticate, just told me that I have to tone down my sophistication when I move. I told her to put that in writing and send it to me via snail mail because it is such a change. I've gone from being woefully under-sophisticated to being too sophisticated, all in one swell foop. :001_smile:

 

That's so funny, our moms should get together and commiserate about us. My mom did her best to turn me into a Junior League/tennis playing/tea with the girls girl, but it just didn't take on me. I went through all the motions but it wasn't me. It's okay though, she's got two other society dds and lots of prissy granddaughters. She's horrified when she hears we're having mountain oysters, and is afraid of ticks when she comes to visit. She swears she couldn't possibly be my mother!

[Catwoman]

I'm sorry this is so hard, RC -- once you are all moved-in to your new home, I'm sure you'll start to feel better. Right now, the stress would be overwhelming for anyone!

 

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

 

Cat

[RoughCollie]

That's so funny, our moms should get together and commiserate about us.

 

I'm sure my mom would have a lot to say. Today I was told to curb my exuberance when I meet new people in PA -- the long lecture in a nutshell. Gee whiz, I'm 52 years old and she makes me sound like a border collie. I do know how to behave in polite society -- Mom trained me, after all.

 

Whenever my mom starts a sentence with "bless your heart", I know I'm in trouble.

 

I hear about ticks all the time, too. I cut my mom off: "The only ticks I care about are the ticks in the clock, along with the tocks, of course." It drives her nuts, which is the point. Remember when we were talking here on the boards about the uses of placentas? I had fun with that information, too -- to my mother's horror. Gotta keep a sense of humor, even if I'm the only one of the two of us that has one. :)

Edited June 5, 2009 by RoughCollie

[RoughCollie]

Thanks, Cat. I keep telling myself that. The good thing about working so hard to pack all these books is that I don't have time to worry about every little thing. I just put one foot in front of the other and keep moving. It's like having blinders on, and that part I like.

 

I'm sorry this is so hard, RC -- once you are all moved-in to your new home, I'm sure you'll start to feel better. Right now, the stress would be overwhelming for anyone!

 

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

 

Cat

[Renee in NC]

Thanks, me too. DH is worried that all of his books won't fit into the 4 28' trailers that will be delivered tonight. They will -- I did the math.

 

Frankly, by the end of last night, I was wishing those books had been consumed in a freak disaster -- any kind, as long as only the books were hurt. (They are insured.)

 

This is such a far cry from the days when I thought throwing a book away was a sin! Back then, books did not entail hard physical labor, and we didn't have tens of thousands of them.

 

:lol:

 

Yesterday my mother was fretting that all the stuff was in the trailer in the front yard and she was afraid that someone was going to steal it. I said, "Mom, I have insurance!" She looked really confused for a minute and then I said, "I'd rather have the money and then I wouldn't have to UNLOAD all this junk at the other end!":lol:

 

Please tell me that you have hired people at the other end to unload the trucks?

[RoughCollie]

Please tell me that you have hired people at the other end to unload the trucks?

 

Yes, we hired people to load the trucks here and to unload them when they arrive. Then DH and DS2 have to unpack all those books -- so far, we are up to 1,000 boxes. We can't afford to hire someone to help with that.