You won’t believe this, or maybe you will. I certainly have to give my head a shake. Ready? Yup brace yourselves: we are on the move again!
Ok so two years ago, due circumstances beyond our control, we returned to Albeeria. Its been busy! Cleaning and repairing what the former renter left us, creating our wonderful victory garden, and waging war on the raspberry bushes...exhausting, yes. Rewarding? Oh absolutely!
I took on a new role as Education Assistant, aka teachers aide, and found it fun, albeit different from anything I’d tackled in the past. And then, the thought of retiring kept popping up. I mean come on, I’m 66 and have been in the workforce for a loooong time. 51 years. Gak! Covid reared its ugly head, and with The Hubby home now (he says no one is hiring old dudes with white hair) we have taken inventory of where we’re at. And a 3300 sq ft home with a ginormous yard is getting too much. This past summer was crazy, endless mowing, weeding, digging...exhausting! I said my two month summer holiday was more like a sentence as feild hand! Now we’ve decided want to take it easy. To smell the roses as it were. More feet up, quiet time to reflect and explore new hobbies.
And what better way to relax but sell the house, truck, bikes and pull up stakes! Westward ho! So an evening or 15 of discussions about where to move to raised all sorts of possibilities: perhaps a move to somewhere exotic? Panama, Chile, Columbia and Czechoslovakia were all cards on the table. It was possible! Why not Cape Breton Island, the east coast was beautiful, viscous winters not withstanding. What about Vancouver Island? We did love it there? Apartment living seemed a doable option: someone else to mow, shovel etc..but no retirement home for us! So the search began. And it became an obsession! Our demands were simple: some place affordable, ideally newish, and where our two cats would be welcomed. A 2 bedroom 2 bathroom location was the target.
Our work was cut out for us. House was “decluttered”, and listed. Photos were taken, papers were signed, and it was on the market. For 2 days. And sold, just over asking price! No conditions, no inspections, site unseen! The market for small town living is Hot! In shock, the search for a new place to live took priority....we had just over a month to seriously downsize and purge! Lists were made, an apartment was found and it was scheduled to open (it was under construction at the time!) and their open house checked out. Cats were booked into a kennel during the move, so vaccinations were updated.
Oh yes, I haven’t mentioned the two cats....old blind clawless tiny cat and her new house mate big fully armed “Miss Murder Mittens” the huntress. Are we relaxed yet? 😂.
The new place has no storage, so what of winter tires and boots, etc? Secure storage needed to be booked - interesting fact but mini self storage is in high demand. Because we all have SO MUCH STUFF! Many calls later I found a small space, secured it with a wee bribe of Pino Grigio and another item checked off the list. Oh yeah, we’re relaxed now, 😂
A mover was engaged, the move in date arranged with the landlord, a move out date set up with the movers....another major task completed. A few days of telephone tag and utilities are NEARLY all lined up. No stress here, 😂
Oh and in the meantime, we’re Selling our Urals. Can’t have a bike without a place to keep it, so More phone calls, more driving, more papers to sign, and they are now on the market. Mine sold in a day, Macs will sell soon. My word yes, this is calming. 😜😮🤣 Thank goodness the market for used bikes is good!
Whats next? How about a YARD SALE! Okally dokally...posters up, FB Marketplace flooded, whatever we can’t keep is going...and that is a LOT of stuff. It means clear the garage, sell sell sell..and our friends and neighbors to the rescue! Big items sold, heavy items hauled up from the basement, prices set, and OMG our garage is packed! Aaaaand now its supposed to rain this weekend of the sale. Oh how ducky. Turn up stress-o-meter to 98. Many trips to the second hand store and closets are sorted. Someone mentioned that moving is a great time to purge, to lighten your load so to speak...yeah well we missed that lesson in life and have 21 years of amassed STUFF to get rid of. I’m so relaxed now that I am near-retired I am up blogging at 3:30 a.m. 🤣🤣😥😥 oh an we have sold the Dodge pick me up truck to our neighbor. And booked a Uhaul to take up our storage items mid month. Yeas this month mid month. Best have that stuff figured out eh? yup. Retire and relax they said. It will be great they said. 😉😬
And if that isn’t relaxing enough my car needs new winter tires, an oil change and an AC top up while magically my car dealership is keen to see us in a new vehicle. Give me strength, 😳😅 So day after garage sale insanity, we’re looking at this newer set of wheels.
Yup, its going to be good...how to get thru this without hot flashing myself into cinders is to visualize: sitting on the balcony, gazing westward at the mountains with a cup of coffee in the morning, and then going back to bed for the entire winter! 😴
Tune in next week to see just what new relaxing adventures will present themselves to the Moving MacArthurs! So far so good, we’re healthy, ok achy and creaky but making progress 😊 and eager to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Shhhh did you hear a train whistle?
