Two Week Update

Time flies. It’s been a couple of weeks since my last post so I thought I’d better get with it and publish some updates.

702 Main

The Iowa retirement house purchase moved ahead with the appraisal accepted by the bank. Right now we are looking at homeowners insurance, which must be in place by time of closing. (We’ll pay the insurance premium as opposed to having an escrow account that pays it.) Pam is also filling out paperwork for the local Elma Co-op (our source for LP gas), internet options, and establishing electrical service in our name. Contact was made with the “bat boys” to get us on their list for remediation work. A handy man has been secured to help put up a catio and assist in installing fencing for a dog run. We are in the process of opening new checking and savings accounts at the local bank — the same one handling the mortgage.

At home

And the packing continues. The house stereo is packed along with several more household items.

Pam is doing some painting, both in the house and on the south side of the garage where the paint has faded. The new paint looks good!

I did some work on the back deck, adding some wire to replace the wood slats I had removed earlier in the year. Pam thinks the wire, and painting that went along with the install, looks much more modern than the old picket fence arrangement.

The Lot

I rented a U-Haul trailer and moved the Ford 8N tractor up to The Lot. I hope to use the 8N to move the chipper around The Lot – but – it also moves the tractor off our yard and will be one less item to have to transport to Iowa.

Other activity included bringing home the last logs from the Aspen Grove, transport of a load of burn pit wood, and filling two bins of chips for landscaping use around the house (on the parking pads where the Scout, Honda, and tractor used to sit).  I managed to fell a few dead trees and cut some brush on the area I call the Grassy Ridge. This work is slow-going due to the steepness of the terrain. Lots of breaks taken as I worked this area!

Truck maintenance

The F-150 truck had been making an engine noise for a few months. I thought it was the alternator that was replaced a while back; nope, with the help of a neighbor the noise was traced to a faulty idler wheel that keeps tension on the belt that runs the power steering, alternator, and air conditioning compressor. New parts are on order. There are four idlers in total in the system so I ordered replacements for all four.

Given the relocation and trailer-pulling demands that will be put on the truck in the coming few months, and the fact that it has over 195,000 miles on it, I thought it best to replace all the idlers (three wheels and a tensioner) rather than risk a breakdown somewhere along the way (like Nebraska or South Dakota). The belt itself was replaced along with the alternator so I didn’t think it was necessary to order a new one.  Cost was not excessive, less than $65.00, and it will take an hour or two for me to install the new components. That will be one of my tasks this weekend.

Moving On

It is hard to believe September is nearly here. We close on the 16th, which means it will soon be time for the first trip to Iowa. There will be closing and delivering the first load of “stuff” to the house and getting started on projects there. I have vacation time approved from mid-September going into October; in three weeks, we hope to move Pam, the house pets, garage cats, and the bulk of our belongings to Iowa. After those trips are completed and I return solo to Colorado, I shut down The Lot for the winter around the first week of October. Busy, busy, busy….

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny:

As I keep multiple balls in the air, both at home and in Iowa, let’s hope my aging brain is up to the relocation task. It certainly is a Type A project of the highest order.

Happy Trails.