14 More Days

So I've been packing moving boxes lately ... & not as cheerfully as the woman in the above photo, I might add ... lol!  John & I have moved 21 times over the past 39 years.  Those moves have included in-state moves as well as moves to 11 different states.  This move, however, surpasses them all on the stress meter!  

Closing is in 14 days.  We still have no idea where we are going.  I have searched for nice rental homes in 12+ different states.  Most are too small, or too big, or impractical in some way (two retired people in a 6 BR/4 BA home, two hours away from the nearest city), or they back up to an interstate or an elementary school or some such thing.  Two really nice homes were rented before I saw the ads for them.  I was told that we would be next in line if the first renters didn't work out, but apparently they did.  We had another home in our grasp ... the 6BR/4BA home I mentioned above ... but practicality won out & we turned it down.  A week later when I had second thoughts bordering on desperation, I saw that the home was still being advertised for rent, so I contacted the owners to let them know we would be interested in renting it, but they had found other renters ... they just didn't remove the ad yet.

We've traveled to see a few homes in northern Kentucky as well as in central Tennessee.  One was misrepresented by the realtor.  Another had a strange smell.  The most interesting home was one where I spoke with the owner on the phone & explained to her how picky I am & that I am looking for a home that is "squeaky clean."  She immediately said that I needn't worry ... she is picky too.  She described herself as a "clean freak" & told me how hard she worked to clean the home when she moved out including painting & new carpeting.  When we viewed the home, it was a sight to behold.  The basement was damp & smelled bad.  Upstairs the insides of all the drawers & cabinets had mold & various debris in them.  The refrigerator smelled bad & was filled with mold.  The stove top was scratched & scraped, & the oven floor looked as if things had boiled over onto it many times during the 4 years she had lived there but she never bothered to clean them up.  I went to turn on a light switch & noticed it was moldy.  Then there was the room which had served as her young son's bedroom. He had obviously been allowed to eat & drink in there, & while doing so he had apparently shaken his pop cans & juice boxes because there were drops & streaks & whatnot from the contents of those cans & boxes all over the walls & doors. The carpet was filthy, & the baseboards were all chipped.  And this woman stood there, right in front of us, telling us about how she is a "clean freak" & how she had the walls painted & replaced the carpeting when she moved out of the house.

We have a few possibilities to view over the next few days.  One is about an hour from here.  Two are about 2-1/2 hours from here.  These 3 homes are still in Kentucky.  We currently have 5 possibilities northeast of Cincinnati.  There is also a possibility of a log cabin home in northeast Tennessee sitting on 5 acres of land & owned by a pastor & his wife.  This last home is certainly intriguing, but I'm not sure how practical it would be.  Will any of these homes fulfill our needs?  I sure hope so as I am getting a bit antsy here. And please don't tell me to leave it in God's hands, that He has a place picked out for us, etc.  I know this ... & I am trusting Him to lead us to the home where He wants us to be.  Still, my human nature is freaking out a bit.  

While packing the other day, I started to sing.  I never sing anymore because over the years I have lost the ability to carry a tune.  If your back was turned & you didn't know I was behind you, & I started singing, you would think Lucy Ricardo was in the room.  If I'm in a situation where group singing is encouraged ... like singing hymns at church ... I hold the hymnal & just enthusiastically mouth the words.  Anyway, the other day I started to sing a song from West Side Story ...

"There's a place for us,

Somewhere a place for us,

Peace & quiet & open air

Wait for us ... somewhere."

... & the old Diana Ross hit.

"Do you know where you're going to?

Do you like the things that life is showing you?

Where are you going to?

Do you know?"

I don't know ... lol!  But there is definitely a place waiting for us ... that I do know.  

On Wednesday I had to call a plumber.  There was something wrong with our water heater ... it was making a terrible noise.  It turned out that the noise was not coming from the water heater but instead from some gizmo attached to it that regulates the flow of water ... something like that. Of course this gizmo couldn't have waited to break down until after closing.  We had to pay $585 for a new one ... parts & labor.  The plumber ... one of the "good guys" in The Devil's Playground ... noticed the moving boxes & paraphernalia all over the place & we talked about various parts of the country & moving in general including our super quick sale.  I told him it all happened so fast & that I hoped we hadn't made a big mistake.  His words of wisdom were these:  "This isn't a mistake, this is an adventure!"  Nice man, albeit a bit delusional   : )

But seriously ... this is an adventure.  I have often thought that with all the moving we've done & all the experiences we've had doing so, I ought to write a book.  My readers would probably think I was making everything up, but it would be interesting nonetheless   : )

I didn't intend to write such a long post.  Chalk it up to not wanting to face another packing box ... lol!  I will be back with an update ... whenever that might be.  I have rarely read blogs over the past couple of weeks, & if I have read one, I've rarely left a comment ... & I am beyond behind in answering emails.  All I can do is ask for your forgiveness & understanding.  Life will come together one of these days & I will return to being a better emailer & blogger.  Until then ... back to packing & looking for homes to rent.

(I wonder what happened to my Christmas count down thingie?  I didn't remove it, but it's no longer showing up on my sidebar.  Something to explore another day.)

(Note:  I have been informed that the Christmas count down thingie is still here.  For whatever reason it isn't showing up on my end.  Lol!  The craziness continues!)