Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Moving, & a Scary Experience!

Greetings!  I realized yesterday that it's been a few days since I last posted.  I've been busy packing, needless to say.  Busy, busy, busy ... packing, packing, packing.  It's amazing how much stuff a person can accumulate in just a few years.  Before we moved here 6 years ago, we had a big 2-day moving sale.  We sold all our furniture with the exception of an end table, a storage cabinet, & our mattress set.  We also sold a bunch of kitchen things, craft things, DVDs, CDs, & all my shop equipment.  It was fun to see their reaction when men would say to me, "I can't believe your husband is selling all his shop equipment!" ... & I would say, "It's mine."   : )   Anyway, I have decided that we need to have a big "moving in sale" once we get settled in our new home.  The problem will be convincing myself to part with so much of this stuff that is so neat!

I am really, really envying the Amish now ... a simple lifestyle without a bunch of clutter.  Sigh!

As far as a new home is concerned, at this point we are looking at a homeless existence.  You wouldn't think finding a nice rental home would be so difficult!  I have searched online for rental homes in 12 different states ... 12!!! ... & have found some nice possibilities, but ARGH!!!  There were two mountain top homes in North Carolina that were well priced, beautiful inside & out, with gorgeous views, but driving 20 minutes down a mountain & who knows how much farther in a snowstorm to get to an ER if need be?  Not practical.  There were a couple of nice homes in a few other states, but $2000-$3000 & more for rent each month???  Again, not practical.  We drove 3 hours last week to look at a home in Tennessee only to find that the realtor handling the home totally misrepresented it to us   : (   Some of the nice homes that caught our interest turned out to be too small, or they were in a noisy area, or they wouldn't be available when we needed them, or there was some other problem.  Closing is just 3 weeks away.  I have joked with John that maybe we can park our moving van in a Walmart parking lot, sleep in the car, & wash up in their bathrooms until we find a place.  I know that God will lead us to a nice home somewhere.  I hope He leads us to it soon   : )

A couple weeks ago I had a rather scary experience.  I was out in the garage mixing some weed killer in one of those plastic containers that you pump to get pressure into them in order to spray the mixture on the weeds.  I was nearing the end of the pumping when suddenly the container blew up in my face with a deafening BANG!  John had gone out to run some errands, so I was alone.  Thank God I was wearing my glasses!  I was startled for a second ... didn't really realize what had happened at first ... then I rushed into the house where I took off my glasses & immediately turned on the kitchen faucet & started rinsing my face & neck with water.  I then ran into the bathroom to remove my shirt & to do more washing with soap.  When I looked in the mirror, I couldn't believe it.  My hair kind of looked like this ...

... but my bangs were spiked too!  I wish John had been here to take a picture ... lol!  (I can laugh about it now, but it wasn't so funny when it happened!)  My hair was sticky, my clothes were sticky, my skin was sticky.  Again, thank God I was wearing my glasses!  They were new ... I had just gotten them the week before ... & they were totally destroyed.  It looked like someone had shot a bunch of gravel at them or something!  Can you imagine the damage that could have occurred to my eyes?  Luckily the glasses were under warranty & I was able to get a new pair without having to pay anything.  After washing up a bit, I went back out to the garage where I found the container lying on its side with the weed killer all over the floor.  The container had apparently spun around while the pressure was being released because the mixture had sprayed in a circle all over everything in the area.  What a mess.  I cleaned it up as best I could, then took a shower & had a interesting story to tell John when he got home.  He said I shouldn't so stuff like that when he's not here, but who knew?  I had mixed weed killer in those kinds of containers for years without a mishap, but this was a new container & I obviously did not attach the spray tube correctly as that is where the explosion occurred.

The appraiser is due to arrive in a little bit to do his thing ... then I will resume packing.  Wish I could invite you all over for a big packing party with pizza, pop, & a big pile of cross stitch stuff that you could choose something from as a thank you for your help    : )

16 comments:

gracie said...

Such an adventure! You must be more careful. Hope you soon find a suitable place.

Robin in Virginia said...

Shirlee, I am glad you are okay from your weed spray explosion. The Lord was definitely with you at that time. Sorry to hear about your new glasses, but glad they protected your eyes. I know there is a home out there for you.

Robin in Virginia

Jo who can't think of a clever nickname said...

Oh my goodness what a hair raising experience!

Maybe you and John should hire an RV and tour around needlework shops of the States until you find the perfect place?

Cathy G. said...

Hi there Shirlee! Gosh you sure are having crazy things happen! You are so lucky you didn't hurt your eyes with that stuff!! I am gonna preach at ya here a little and tell you not to use that weed killer anymore.... so bad for the environment!! Weeds are better and more natural than that stuff!! LOL!!!

It is getting kind of scary that you haven't found a place yet!! I know decent rentals are hard to find. They are very scarce here in WI... but don't give up looking!! There has to be just the right place out there!!

Well.... take it easy packing!!
As they keep telling us..... Stay Calm and Carry ON!!! And keep me posted on what's happening!!
Hugs!!!
Cathy G

Vickie said...

Yes, your explosion incident was scary. So glad your eyes survived this mishap. ;)
You will find a place. You will. Keep praying and keep looking. And keep packing! I would love to come help. :)

Frances said...

Wow! That was a scary experience! You are very fortunate that you were wearing your glasses! Too bad we didn't get an actual photo......
You will find the perfect place to live, and you will know it when you see it! I cannot imagine sorting through and packing up! I want to clean out some now, though, so it wouldn't be hard if we ever decided to move!!
If you were close by, I'd be happy to come to a pizza/packing party!!!

Maggee said...

I would LOVE to come help you 'pack'... I am feeling the need to travel... :) Thank God you were not seriously injured in the little accident! Phew! And so glad you got new eyeglasses without charge! I really hope that you find the right rental home soon! Hugs!

Vicki said...

Oh Shirlee, if I was close by I would definitely help you pack. It's one of my favorite things to do. I enjoy moving and my favorite part is packing! Sounds like you're having a challenge in your house hunting, praying you'll find the best home soon!

Pam in IL said...

So so happy to hear that you were wearing glasses when the container blew! I'd be there in a heartbeat to help you pack -- if I didn't live so far away.

Angela said...

I am so glad to hear you are OK, that sounds very scary! I hope you are able to find something lovely to rent soon. My Parents are moving too and are not finding much to choose from either :) I will email you about the ornament soon.

Annette-California said...

Oh Oh ! I got scared just reading about your explosion experience. WOW! so thankful you did have on your eyeglasses. Still keeping you in my prayers. I know you will find a place, just keep packing & looking.
love Annette

Dawn said...

Wow Shirlee. So glad to hear you are ok! I'm homeless too. We are hoping to close on our house on the 30th. Our belongings made to to Erie. Everything is in storage and living out of a suitcase. Hoping you find a nice place soon! In my thoughts and prayers

Farmhouse prims said...

Hi Shirlee, I know you will find the perfect home. So glad you are alright from the spraying accident. hugs, Lecia

Kaisievic said...

So glad that you are okay, Shirlee - sounds like it could have been much worse. Good luck on finding a new home to rent - the world is your oyster now, how wonderful!

Krista said...

Best of luck to you on your move, Shirlee. I just went through that process and it is stressful. I agree, unbelievable how we can accumulate so much! Hope you find the perfect place!

Julie said...

Hope all is going well and you have found the perfect place xx