For the sake of some kind of completeness, I’ll continue on from where I left off–packing and loading to head north. After all the main cargo was loaded, I still had to pack up what I figured I’d need for the summer, and get it in there, while still leaving room for the dogs. Packing for the entire summer, thinking about all the different things I plan/hope to do, and what I’ll want to have with me for each of them–more than my brain actually enjoyed (and it has turned out I did a lousy job–I forgot more than the usual number of things, some moderately vital.) Here’s the pile of stuff I ended up with:
I also decided to take the barbecue, and my yard cart or whatever you call it. The latter had been upside down in the back yard for over a year, so that it wouldn’t collect rainwater, and when I turned it over, this is what I found:
I think it’s the gophers that do that, but I’m not sure. Years ago I had left my little kayaky boat upside down next to the fence for years, and when I finally decided I wanted to get it out and use it, it was entirely full of dirt. Took hours to clean it all out. This pile, however, can just be left to melt naturally into the ground in next winter’s rains.
So I got it all in, including the dogs, and headed north. Got in Monday evening, and got the house opened up again–it’s almost but not quite a routine by now–by the time I get it into a natural routine, I’ll move up here and won’t be doing it so much. Unless I do more even long-term road trips than I think I will–you never know.
So Tuesday began unloading, starting with the little dresser. Put all the knicknacks in one of the built-ins in the dining room. I’ll have to take them all back out again when I get around to painting
and fixing those up, but they have to go somewhere and this seemed logical. They don’t look too bad in there, though I suppose it’s not what one expects to see in a china cupboard.
If I want to keep on blogging and run out of blog fodder, I could fill a bunch of posts just with the stories associated with the things in there. For instance–I don’t know if you can quite see them in that photo, but on the second shelf down, there’s a little pinkish shot glass (that I acquired back in my college days just because I thought it was pretty) with some mottled little spheres in it. Those are clay marbles. Apparently back in the day before cheap glass marbles that were mass produced, this is what kids played with. I got these from a childhood friend’s mom (for those of you who know, from Myra). I don’t recall just when she gave them to me–a long time ago now, but I think it was one of the times I dropped in when I was maybe in my 20s. She told me they had belonged to her husband Clarence when he was a kid. I thought they were cool, both in themselves and because of the history, so I’ve kept them all these years.
Anyway, got all the stuff out of the dresser, and put it in the corner in the downstairs bedroom.
It’s beginning to look like a real bedroom, don’t you think? I’m a bit concerned about what’ll happen when the bed goes from queen to CA King sized, but I’m committed now, so it’ll just have to work one way or another.
By Wednesday everything was unloaded from the shed, and I got it out by myself. Shouldn’t have, or at least should have been more careful, because I broke off one of the hinges on one of the doors, and I don’t know if it will still work or not. Oh well. Will find out, at some point. Got the rest of the cargo out, and it was a sunny day, so decided to mow the lawn, which needed it though not that much worse than the neighbors’. Got it all done, in spells (mow a bit, come in and rest a bit.) Here’s a shot of the back, about half done.
A lot of healthy work, and I’d live longer no doubt if I keep on doing it myself, but I shall seek alternatives.
There’s a TON of yard work needs doing. Things do grow here–not so much coaxing required as whacking and weeding to make room for the things you want. A couple of rhodies were/are still blooming, though in decline, and a couple of roses are hanging in there too.
I’m not sure what this is–it may be a camellia. It’s pretty much done blooming now–yesterday’s rain did the last ones in–but I caught this one the day before.
I brought some of the roses in and put them on the mantel (it’s just barely wide enough). The cut glass vase was a wedding gift to our parents, so it has to be over 70 years old–almost as old as the house (if my memory is correct, they got married in 1938 and the house was built in 1936.)
One last picture. It rained most of the day yesterday, and I did almost nothing. But by late afternoon, it was perfect–sunny, in the high 60s, with puffy clouds (I love the backside of a storm.) One of the few things I got done was filling the hummingbird feeder. One of the things I love to do here is have a glass of wine on the deck before supper; yesterday, I sat with my back to the sun for the warmth so was facing the feeder and noticed this
I love the way the house and all were reflected in the feeder, sort of like being in a fairyland.
Addofio 
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