Category: Shifting House

So, we’ve unpacked everything that can be unpacked at the moment.  Some of the boxes must await final disposition until the pantry arrives, realsoonnow.  My office has been unboxed and everything is someplace.  Perhaps not in the right place, but rearranging can be done in fifteen and twenty minute increments, in between other things.

The living room comes in two parts.  Part one, nearest the front door, is still a staging area, though there is considerably less staging going on.  Part two, the conversation and viewing area, still needs a couple things shifted out, and a rug laid.  We may actually get the rug down this weekend, whereupon there will be two rooms in the house which are designated Oases of Order, the second being our bedroom.

In terms of Real Work getting done, Steve is going through the page proofs for the thirtieth anniversary edition of Agent of Change (by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, while I’m proofing the pages for the mass market edition of The Gathering Edge (also by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller).

Steve and I went out to Lowe’s this morning (18 minutes from our house to Augusta! Good Ghod.  That used to be a 35 minute drive.) to shop for Those Silly Things that are required for town living.  A recycling bin; an outdoor trash can with a lid and wheels; room darkening shades for the bedroom; trashcans for the bathrooms — you know the drill.  I ran out of steam a couple hours in, so we came home and I had a two-hour nap before lunch.  Recruiting my strength now to get up and go tackle the laundry monster via the new machines.  Pray for me.

For the Fans of the Cats, I am pleased to report that Scrabble continues to frequent All the Rooms and has overseen much of the action, often in company with Belle.  Trooper and Sprite have regained their Coon Cat Sang-froid, and the cat castle in the corner of the living room, Part One, is enjoying good custom.

And that’s the news from the Evolving Cat Farm and Confusion Factory.

What’re y’all doing this weekend?

When last we saw the intrepid crew of the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory, Warrior Princess Jasmine Sprite had indicated a need for fortifications against goblin incursions; having specifically identified a breach in the basement, behind the chimney and the water heater.

Management quickly summoned a War Engineer, who, upon studying the problem, suggested that the best approach was to cede the area to the goblins, building a strong wall with a goblin-proof door between the water heater, the furnace, the chimney and the rest of the basement.

This was done yesterday, and we are now the first on our block to have a Goblin Room in the basement.

Today, the War Engineer returns to rehang the crooked french doors in Steve’s office, and also to help us figure out how many screens we need to replace — and how.  In addition to six children, the previous owners had (according to the neighbors on the left) two Very Large and Somewhat Alarming Dogs (left-hand neighbors own a Shepard-mix, themselves, so clearly not simply anti-dog) and the dogs had a taste for window- and door-screens.  With summer, as we call it here in Maine, fast approaching, fixing screens is at the top of the list.

On Monday, we had word from Carpet Guy Two:  The Installer, who called at 7:45 am (!) to say that he would come by on Tuesday (yesterday) to install the carpets in the bedroom and my office.  As the last word had been May 17, we leaped at the opportunity of an early install, even though it meant moving a bunch of boxes (again).  Monday, I transferred all the files from the banker’s boxes back into the file cabinets, which cleared a lot of floor space, and also shelved books in the living room, clearing even more floor space.

Yesterday, Steve and I cleared the bedroom against the promised arrival of CG2 at 3 pm, and were just sitting down to lunch when the phone rang and it was?  Yes, CG2, reporting that he couldn’t make it today, but would definitely do the install on Wednesday (today).

We were disappointed, naturally, but we really can’t finish unpacking and getting back to work until those carpets are down — and, honestly, what choice did we have — so we said OK, and resigned ourselves to carpets on Wednesday.

Two hours later, the phone rang again. So very sorry, said CG2, but I won’t be able to make it to you until Thursday, but you will be my Very First Install, I Swear!

So, anyway.

Today, I await both the War Engineer and the guy from PoolTech, who I hope will take away the pool).  At the moment, I’m sitting in the Sole Comfy Chair free of Stuff (which happens to be in my office, where the windows are open to the morning breeze and the sunshine is pouring through the windows as thick and as sweet as honey), typing this blog post on Seventh Son the Chromebook.  As soon as I’m done here, I will continue reading the page proofs for the mass market edition of The Gathering Edge. . .

. . .which will be a pleasant return to the ordinary.

I have to keep reminding myself that we only just moved last Friday; haven’t even been a week in this new place.  There’s still a lot to learn, and to discover.  so far, I’ve had tutorials with the microwave, the refrigerator, the washer and the dryer.  Still need to do the basic coursework for the stove and the dishwasher.  I suppose this is what comes of living in a Time Bubble for the last 30 years. . .

Everybody stay safe.

So, the modem at this house needs to be switched out for a new modem so that the old modem can be taken to the New Digs EarlyOhSoVeryEarly tomorrow so the cable guy can install it, and, after we move, the new modem can be returned to the cable company.  Yes, this seems Entirely Silly, not to say bass-ackward, but I’m assured it has to work this way, or Bad Things Will Happen.

In any case, we may or may not have full connectivity from now until the weekend.

In other news, curtains have been ordered, and are expected to arrive tomorrow; the rug that was predicted to arrive on Wednesday arrived this morning via the Happiest FedEx Driver (who doesn’t “make deliveries;” he “visits people.”); and I’m going back over to the New Digs this afternoon with a Forester full of boxes.

It is a gorgeous day in Central Maine, sunny and warm and just a little breezy.  People can be seen working in their gardens and on their lawns, and just sitting in lawn chairs and grinning.  Hard winter ending.  That’s worth celebrating, isn’t it?

So, that’s the news at this point in the day and week.  Everybody stay safe.

 

 

So, the painters finished up late yesterday afternoon, having done themselves proud.  The New Digs are splendid with their freshly painted walls.  Here, take a look:

I went over today to deal with the inevitable remains of the painting process, and to put in some shelf paper.  Came home for lunch, after which Steve and I went out to Home Depot to acquire more shelf paper, a water filter for the fridge, and  a non-slip rug pad for the new living room rug.

Dropped everything off, met the right-hand neighbors, very briefly, and came home to sort out my desk, which has gotten — surprise! — Rather Chaotic in the last week.  Now that’s straightened around, I can look forward to next week with. . .serenity.  Yeah, that’s the ticket.

Tomorrow and Monday, Steve and I will move some few things to the New Digs, and possibly go to Best Buy to acquire a Phone System.  Tuesday, at 8 am, the Cable Guy is supposed to show up to do his thing.  Wednesday, at 8:30 am, Mike the Electrician will come by to solve the various electrical puzzles that came with the New Digs.  And Friday, the cats will have a Spa Day at the vet’s.  Around all of that, packing will continue until everything is in a box, or the arrival of the movers, whichever comes first.

So, we’re in motion, and looking forward to the imminent completion of Shifting the House, Phase One.  After which we will seamlessly — seamlessly, I say — into Phase Two: Getting the former location of the Lee-Miller Cat Farm and Confusion Factory ready to sell.

Hope y’all are moving along, as well, in roughly the right direction and with as little muss and fuss as it’s possible to have.

Oh, and here?  An emergency meeting of the Coon Oversight Committee has been called to order.

So, the painter says he’s outta there at the end of the week.  That means I need to contact Mike the Electrician to get him in the first of next week to fix the various issues.  Also, we’ll be able to start moving some things into the New Digs over the weekend.  It would be A Good Thing and Worthy if the Rug Guy #2:  The Installer could manage to get in next week and do his thing, too.  Fingers crossed.

We have visited the cable company and lined up the change of address/service.  I think.  We are assured that we will be able to keep the phone number that we’ve had for 28 years, though there had initially been some question about that for reasons that I never did understand.  I mean, we were first given the number when we were living in Waterville and brought it across the river(s) with us when we bought this house.  Why bringing in back across the river(s) would be any kind of problem is beyond me.  But!  Whatever the problem was, it has been made To Go Away, and that’s good enough for me.

The cable guy of course pulled up our account while we were talking to him, and was impressed that we’ve been with “the company” for twenty years (actually, we’ve been with several companies and never changed once:   we subscribed to mint.net, back in the day, which was then sold to Roadrunner, which was then sold to Time-Warner, which was then sold to Spectrum.  And here we are.) — and also noted that we, err, didn’t subscribe to a cable plan.

We explained that we used the service to access the internet and our landline.  Oh, said the cable guy, so you stream movies over the internet?  Well, no; we said not so much that, either, really.  We might watch the occasional DVD on a night off, but mostly we read.

Read, the cable guy repeated, on a rising note.

Yes, we said; read.  Books.  We come from the past, where people read for enjoyment.

A moment of silence, then:  So, it’s a lifestyle thing, said the cable guy.

That’s right, we said gently; it’s a lifestyle thing.

On the business side of life, we’ve signed two contracts over the last week.  One to tidy up an existing contract; and the other for the publication of A Liaden Universe® Constellation Volume Four.  There’s no publication date set yet; we’re to deliver the manuscript in August.

I think that gets us caught up.  Hope everyone is having a pleasant Monday.

Oh, the flowers are starting to bloom at the New Digs.  Here’s a pic from the back yard:

Today, there are no contractors on my schedule.

The painter is at work in the new house, and figures to be done by the end of next week. The contractor has been chosen to install the pantry which is even now being constructed to April’s specs.  Rug Guy Number One: The Measurer has been to the house and measured my office, and the bedroom.  Rug Guy Number Two: The Installer may call today to set up an installation time, but probably, says Rug Guy Number One, that’ll be Friday.

The estimate for the actual physical moving of Stuff from Here to There  has landed — they figure five hours to load and five to unload which — eek!  On the other hand, it took us almost 30 years to fill the place up, so — fair enough.

Just to show we’re Serious about this, shelf paper has been purchased.  Also BIG Post-it sheets, in order to create signage for the moving guys.  LR, DR, SHARON’S OFFICE, STEVE’S OFFICE, TECH ROOM. . .and so on.

To recap in Short Form: Things are still on schedule for us to shift by the end of April.  We will then do turn about with the various contractors, in order to get the old house ready to sell.

Today, I will be doing laundry, and packing, and perhaps taking a nap — all these early morning meetings are catching up with me.  Also, I need to start thinking about a short story.  And a novel, too — I haven’t forgotten the novel, trust me.  But it will be easier, in this brief day or two of relative peace, to think about a short story, and getting it off the to-do list will open a (relatively) uninterrupted swath of time for the novel.

The cats have been diligent in rewarding normal behavior.  Yesterday, we had page proofs to go over, an activity which was enthusiastically endorsed by both Belle and Trooper.  As I write this blog post, I have Trooper in his basket to the left of my keyboard, and Sprite in her basket to the right, both asleep and determinedly unconcerned.

And that? Catches us all up, I think.  Hope your week is running on-schedule, with quiet-time inked in.

Here’s a picture of Belle, helping with the packing.  What a work ethic that cat has!

 

So!  The week in review.

Easter Monday is a weird sort of half-holiday in Maine; banks are closed, but mail is delivered, some businesses are open, others aren’t.  Steve and I celebrated by reporting in to the vampyres for blood draws, then going to the New Digs to Measure Stuff.

Tuesday morning, starting at 8 am, we hosted a stream of professionals, starting with the cleaners, the painter who couldn’t take on the job in our timeframe, but who kindly called an associate to come see us, the oil burner technician, the home security technician, and the painter.

Wednesday, at 10 am, I met April at the New Digs so she could measure the little alcove where the new pantry will go and check her design.  Also, she took the door of a kitchen cabinet away with her in order to match the new pantry to the existing cabinetry.  The cleaners were already hard at work — a team of four, with ladders deployed, mops and vacuums to hand.

Thursday, at 8 am, Steve had a doctor’s appointment.  After, we stopped at Day’s Jewelers to get batteries put in my watch (My watch has three batteries in it.  Why on earth does my watch have three batteries in it?), have my moonstone ring resized so I can wear it again, and to find a time to bring in the wall clock for repair.  We accomplished two of these things, but Day’s no longer accepts clocks for repair.  We did, however, locate a horologist in Palermo, and Steve delivered the clock directly to her.

Friday, we met the painter at the New Digs, at 8 am, and walked through the house with the color chips, showing him which room will be which (very simple paint job — my office at the back of the house, and the living room at the front of the house (the Window Rooms) will be a deep gold.  The rest of the house will be a very pale yellow.

We took a small ride in the sunshine, after, to Newport, to View the Ice on Sebasticook Lake, then came home, promising ourselves lunch and a nap, but!

As we were sitting down to lunch, our electrician, who had been having the Week from Heck, and had missed two curtain calls, phoned to say that he could meet us at the New Digs at 2:30.  So! no nap for us, but a fruitful tour of the electrical systems with Mike.

Last night, I finished writing a commissioned piece, passed it by Steve and got his input.

Today, Saturday, we slept in.  After I finish this post, I’ll revise the piece per Steve’s suggestions, and send it off; then pull all of the linens out of the bedroom closet, sort and pack them.  I’ll probably get into other trouble, too, but that’ll be a good start.

On Monday, the painters start — at 8 am — and the tech from Dead River is supposed to appear at about the same time to make the necessary upgrades to the New Digs’ heating system.  Steve will cover those appointments, while I make a short dozen phone calls, of which the most pressing is setting up an time with the mover to come over and give us an estimate and schedule our move, now that we know when the painter will be done his work.

It all looks in train for a shift in household by the end of April.  I fear we’re the weak links here, with the packing, but we shall contrive.

And that’s the week in review.

Today’s blog post title brought to you by Marc Knopfler, “Heavy Fuel.”  Here’s your link.

So, this morning, it was a visit to the vampyres for both of us, followed by visiting the new digs to putter a bit and to hang up a set of OUR windchimes; then to Goodwill to donate a couple, three boxes of Stuff, then to the HomeStyle Kitchen and Bath where Owner/Designer April built (on computer) the pantry we’ve been trying to find ready-made; then to Home Depot to consider paint and carpet; then home for a late dinner, and a hard root beer.

I’m now trying to crank up enough energy to do something useful around this house.  This may not happen, though there’s no lack of Things to Be Done.  However, we promised each other we wouldn’t kill ourselves getting this thing done, and we really have had a full day.  Watching someone design a piece of furniture to spec is exhilarating and exhausting.

Tomorrow, we need to have the door open at the new place at 8 a.m., in order to accommodate a long list of pros, who will in the fullness of time be providing us with estimates for work to be done.

Wednesday, Owner/Designer April will stop by at the more civilized hour of 10 a.m. in order to take measurements and fine-tune her design.  Mike the electrician is also supposed to stop by, but we don’t have a firm date-or-time for him yet.

Our goal is to be wholly established across the river(s) no later than April 30.  I think that’s doable.

*crosses fingers and goes to take a nap*

Quiet anniversary* at home. We of course exchanged gifts on Friday.

Steve has put himself in line for making supper: ham, mashed potatoes, and green beans, I believe.

I’ve started the laundry, and have done a minor bit of packing. What I really need to do is take a “break” and clear my desk, which has acquired mounds of Stuff that can’t be packed just yet. I think I’ll make a CURRENT box and put it beside the desk, so I can get at the Stuff, but it can’t get at me, if you know what I mean…

The cats Are Not Best Pleased with the various piles of boxes around the house. They’re taking it in shifts to sit on us and persuade us to less disruptive behavior, and napping off the stress.

I believe I’ll put on Pandora the next time I’m out in the living room; some nice, mellow acoustic guitar won’t be out of order.

Hope everyone is having an enjoyable weekend.

__________
*For those just joining us, this is the fortieth anniversary of combining the Lee household and the Miller household, the choice of date being the day the lease ran out on Steve’s apartment.

So, Steve and I, and our agent, did the final walk-through of the new house this afternoon.  All the repairs we had requested have been done.  We’re still dithering over the relative uses of two rooms — which only matters because whichever room wins Master Bedroom, we need to buy a piece of furniture in order for it to function in its designated capacity.  The two spaces under dispute are very different in size and layout, so — first decision.

Anyway — the walk-through was the beginning of an event-filled weekend.

Tomorrow. . .is closing.  After that, we’ll entertain the locksmith, then more measuring,  discussion; paint chips and. . .yeah, all that stuff.

Saturday, the Hugo finalists will be announced.  And more boxes will be packed.

Then!  Hat Trick Sunday, which is not only Easter, and April Fool’s Day, but also! the fortieth anniversary of the day Steve and I moved in together.

Monday. . .an early visit to the vampyres for both of us, then more packing, I daresay, and a quiet day at home to prepare us for!

Tuesday.

Tuesday is when All The Pros have been summoned to the new house, where they will  Scrutinize the Situation specific to their skill-sets in order to produce estimates and set timetables.  At least one of those pros will fill the oil tank.

Wednesday, for a change of pace, there’s a doctor’s appointment inked in, but for the foreseeable while, packing will be our lives.

So!  What’s coming up across your weekend?