Four Country Gals

With the kitchen nightmare behind them, they now turn their serious attention to Mom’s room. The days are quickly racing by, and soon, she’ll be joining them. If they can’t get it all redecorated… they should at least get stuff unpacked as best they can.

Let’s see, right now, Mom’s room is chocolate milk brown. One wall has some kind of god-awful wallpaper that really looks like the “papered” side of drywall. There are patches where there used to be curtain rods, and those are unpainted.

Time to really focus and see if they can get Mom to agree to colors. They figure if they take pictures of the chips AND send both the chips and the pictures to her, surely she can choose one.

Well, that’s a no go… Mom can’t decide, so will wait until after she gets here. That means they’ll have moved everything at least three times. Once from where they originally put it, once away from the wall to make room to work, and once to where Mom finally decides to put it.

The one thing (probably the most important one) they’ve done for Mom, is find a great home for the houseplants they brought. You see, Mom just loves cacti, and other little house plants.

Cindy and Bev had carefully packed those in the Avalanche so the dogs wouldn’t trample them. As soon as they saw the east facing kitchen windows with nice deep ledges, they knew exactly where to put “Mom’s house plants”. Now all they had to do was remember to water them… not too much, but enough.

They’re fairly comfortable with the inside (even though it’s not done), so they turn their attention to at least making the outside look more presentable for her pending arrival.

They’ve managed to get the underground watering system going in the front yard. It’s on an automatic timer, and they’ve got it going twice a day, 30 minutes each time.

In order to make that work, they literally had to listen for the water to come on, go see where the timer was set, and adjust the time. Don’t ask them how they got it come on twice a day… that hasn’t happened for a while.

The backyard is another story. For the time being, Koda likes to play in the weeds and enjoy the shade of the tall cinder block wall. Missy and Mindy could care less.

You know, these two have been unpacking now for over two weeks, and they still have boxes scattered about, stuff laying around as if it will never have a home, and Mom arriving within a very short time… They’ve simply got to get in gear and get it done!

So it is as they head into the Labor Day weekend…

Well, the girls have continued to unpack. They’ve more or less gotten their rooms in order, and have made the living room somewhat “livable”.

Time to turn their attention to the kitchen.

This room is long, narrow, and turns a corner… really a strange setup. The refrigerator is old and small, with only a top freezer compartment. That needs to be replaced, for sure.

Oh well, onward they go…

They start really cleaning things and putting away kitchen stuff, when all of a sudden, they realize there’s water on the floor… uh oh!

Well, it doesn’t take them long to figure out it. Things aren’t right under the kitchen sink.

Oh yuck!

The thingy is disconnected from the what’cha ma’ call it. Yikes… this is serious.

Fortunately, both Bev and Cindy are pretty handy in the plumbing department. It’s not their favorite thing to do what with all the nasty stuff you encounter.

First things first… what the hell is the real problem here?

Oh, now I get it… the garbage disposal is disconnected from the drain line, and what’s worse is… all the piping is rusted.

Next question… who has the strength to bust all this stuff loose? Well that job fell to Cindy, who slithered under the sink and began wrenching it all loose, pipe by pipe. Each time she got one piece loosened, another one broke, until finally…

Bev said “That’s it! We’re replacing all the piping with PVC and then praying the disposal works.”

Several hours later, lots of bad words hurled at the stupid plumbing, and at least one trip to the “now discovered” Enterprise (just 17 miles down the road)  for parts, Cindy pronounced the job… “DONE!”

Here’s what her finished job looked like… All nice and neat with PVC and everything securely in place. So much for their first major “do it yourself” project. There’ll be more to come… you can count on it.

It’s the end of the first week, and believe it or not, they’re still unpacking.

Cindy has her room more or less in the order she wants it. With her computer set up, she and Shari are back in touch. Within the next week, Shari will turn control back to Cindy on all the programs they work. So that Cindy didn’t lose any continuity, she had given “admin control” to a few choice programs.

Bev’s room is still in a bit of a mess. She’s not sure exactly which way she wants her bed to face. Of course, that means nothing else has a place, either.

Mom’s room? Well it’s still a disaster. About all that’s been done in her area is to create a space for a computer. The bed isn’t set up yet, as Mom won’t be here for another month or so.

Mom’s bathroom hasn’t been unpacked either, as both gals are waiting to see if Mom is ok with her medicine cabinet. It’s rather small and pretty old fashioned. Seems kind of “old” for a house that was built in the mid-70’s.

They’ve kind of taken care of the more “important” things, like face the couch towards the TV, and set up the dining table in the kitchen. They’ve also sort of made way for fixing meals.

Neither of them are real “adventuresome” cooks, so Mac and Cheese works for a few times a week, as does Soup and Sandwiches or even TV Dinners.

The one thing they’ve had to figure out is coffee.

You see, the kitchen, including the morning coffee is within “Mom’s Domain”. That means neither one of them has ever really learned how to make coffee. Now, they have some idea in that their fancy coffee maker/grinder is more or less “goof-proof”.

You put the beans in one side. You put the water in the other side. You press the button that says “grind/brew”. That’s pretty simple… but how many beans for how much coffee?

Mom never told them that, or else, they never bothered to ask.

Let’s just say they drank some pretty awful coffee, from too weak to too strong for a week or so, until they finally got all “just right”.

Over the weekend, they continue to unpack, and try to figure out where things fit best. Little do they know what lies ahead as they really settle into their new home.

They were tired of unpacking, and had found a reason to go to St. George.

When you leave their house you go southwest to get to Enterprise. At the north city limits, there is cut-off to St George. It takes you over a 6150 foot pass and then drops you into the heart of “color country”.

Enterprise is a cute little “country town”. It has a grocery store, a general store, a senior citizen center, a True Value Hardware store, a bank, Post Office, a couple of auto/truck repair places, a beauty salon (at one of the auto repair places), two LDS Churches, and a full school system including an elementary school and high school which serves most of the valley.

St. George is the largest city in “color country”, and is also one of the fastest growing cities in the US. The weather makes it a magnet for retirees, with most being “snowbirds”. They arrive in the fall to enjoy the incredibly beautiful winter weather and then leave in late spring just before daily temperatures go to 100 degrees or better.

The drive to St. George offers breath-taking views of the massive red rock mountains, cliffs, and ravines. On the way “up the hill” from Enterprise you have to keep a sharp lookout for deer on the road. It’s not uncommon to see at least three or four of the critters.

About half-way there’s a little village called Veyo. The little country store there has some of the best pies you’ll ever eat… and the price is reasonable, too.

About half-way between Veyo and St George is the new golfing destination/community called “The Ledges”. Several well-known entertainers are purchasing homes in this community. From the highway, you can see several new homes that are built in the “adobe style” with flat roofs and “pole beams” extending beyond the walls.

St. George is just a few miles north of the Arizona border and is within about 30 miles of Zion National Park. You can see some of the peaks on a clear day.

St George is a “shoppers delight.”

Mom’s room was really ugly. The walls were “chocolate milk brown” and one wall was fully wall-papered. Bev and Cindy thought they could help with re-decorating by gathering paint chips and then sending her pictures as well as the chips. After all, her room would be redecorated espeically for her.

Bev and Cindy’s bathroom didn’t have a “medicine cabinet”. It had a full mirror firmly attached to the wall. Now, they knew better than to purposely break a mirror… but hey, when you’re trying to get a great big (24×36 inch) mirror loose from a wall (it was glued)… stuff happens.

First item on the list… a nice three compartment medicine cabinet.

Remember, Bev had set up the computer in Mom’s room. There was more than one reason for that… She didn’t get to bring her computer desk. At the price of computer hutches, it was smarter to leave that one and buy a new one. They looked all over but didn’t find one Bev liked, so that would wait for a trip to Cedar City.

Cindy had also left her computer hutch and is now using Mom’s, who won’t be getting a new hutch any time soon.

They pretty much made the rounds, going to WalMart, Home Depot, Lowe’s, and any other place that looked interesting, including Costco. They’d been in Sam’s Club’s while in Ohio, but once inside Costco, Cindy’s only comment was “Boy, with a membership here, we could get into serious trouble!.”

What did they actually come home with? Well, they got the medicine cabinet, and the paint chips. And, they didn’t get the Costco membership.

Left all alone with only their boxes, their dogs and each other, Bev and Cindy set about unpacking. Now, I don’t know about you… but unpacking is almost worse than packing.

They had lots of expectations about where things would go, and what they’d have to buy. Time to rethink a few things.

Good thing Mom wasn’t joining them until about six weeks later. They’d have time to get her room “just right”. Remember, the kitchen really belongs to Mom, too… so no matter how they set that up, it would most likely get major adjustments.

Yesterday, they’d had the big pieces moved directly to the proper rooms. Even though Mom’s room would get a paint job, they’d have to cover everything… better to have the moving guys move the big stuff up the the two stairs and around the hallway corners.

Some rooms were pretty straight forward. How many places can you really put the entertainment center when one wall is a fireplace/woodstove, and the other is a 12 foot sliding glass door?

As they were unpacking Mom’s stuff… well putting her stuff into her room, they also set up their computer there… just temporary so they could keep in touch with Shari.

The dogs? Where are the dogs?

Well, they’re settling in. Missy wandered from room to room until she found her favorite spot. Mindy staked out Mom’s bathroom and the tile floor in front of it for her “cool spot”. Koda was perfectly happy anywhere she was… give her a toy and a comfy bed and she was happy.

Monday morning, bright and early, the United Van Lines moving van showed up, complete with an “unpacking” crew. Oh boy… this would be like Christmas, opening boxes, some of which they hadn’t seen for nearly a year.

Where to put stuff?

Fortunately, the house didn’t require a lot of painting or other serious stuff. It was pretty much ready to move into, aside from cleaning out the dust. There were plush new carpets throughout. The only room that would be re-decorated, would be Mom’s room, and that would have to be done after moving things in.

Thank God for a pretty good sized single-car garage. Along with the overhang of the combination back porch, carport, they’d have enough room to put boxes outside and furniture inside… well, almost.

The “off loading” took the entire day. Little time to contact Shari and let her know whether or not they’d have room for all they brought.

Now, this home is about 29oo sq feet, so it’s not small. It has a full basement, although there were virtually no improvements beyond the laundry area. The main floor has a living room/dining room combination, a long narrow kitchen, three bedrooms and two baths with a hallway connecting the bedrooms. There are two doors which open directly to the walled-in back yard and patio. The front door has a small “mud room” so you can get in out of the weather first, then remove any wet clothing, before stepping into the entryway.

At the north end of the kitchen there is a door to the outside which puts you at the foot of the driveway, just in front of the garage door. The door to the basement steps is also at that end of the kitchen, just inside the door to the outside. In some cases, that is a blessing, and in others… well, let’s just say it’s always a good idea to keep the door to the basement closed.

So, back to unpacking… they would get the big stuff in the house in at least the right room. If a box was obviously marked as something they needed right away, it went in the house, and hopefully to the right room.

The rest of the boxes went to the garage. They tried to maintain some order, but in the usual chaos of unloading a truck, they can safely say there are still things they’ve not found, two years later.

After nearly 10 hours of unpacking the big moving van, it was now about 6PM, the van was empty, and the day was done. You could’ve put a fork into both Cindy and Bev, calling them “done”, too.

After getting that call from the real estate agent letting them know the house is theirs, it wasn’t long before the previous owner showed up with all the keys they needed. Since she had moved just down the road, it was much easier for her to bring them the keys, than for the agent to drive all the way out.

Keys in hand, they quickly got into the house so they could get their beds unpacked. At that point, the beds were more important than food… can you believe that?

With a few hours of sunlight, no problem getting enough done before dark.

Jimmy had TONS of work to do… You see, he wasn’t just an extra driver, he came along to do those all-important “guy things”, like make sure the electrical was in working order, and the furnace, air conditioning and heat pump worked properly, as well as make sure the plumbing worked.

Within a few hours, he was more than happy to crash on the living room floor in his sleeping bag.

Everyone was up early Saturday as they had lots to do… more lists were made and off they went to Cedar City to pick up stuff like cleaning supplies, air filters, etc.

In addition to all the inside work, figuring out where they expected things to go, cleaning the dust out, they also took time to “survey” the outside. Note this overgrown hedge… it plays an important part later on.

Bev had to take Jimmy to the Cedar City airport Sunday morning. Cindy couldn’t sleep (still on east coast time), so she was up washing windows before daylight, as well as recording one of the most beautiful sunrises.

Within a few hours, Bev returned home and they continued to unpack what they could. Jmmy had a more exciting adventure, going to Columbus Ohio by way of New York City, thanks to severe thunderstorms throughout the mid section of the country. He finally got home about 11PM, after thinking he’d be home by 2PM or so.

It’s now Friday… they’ve been “homeless” since Monday, when they left Put In Bay, Ohio, bidding farewell to a long and storied past.

They had enjoyed the trip, and the adventure to discover their new house… but frankly, living out of the Avalance and Blazer with three people, three dogs, and all that stuff was getting pretty old.

With their new beds and dining room table loaded into the trailer, they again headed over the last mountains to Beryl, and that little patch of sagebrush, tumbleweed and sand.

Mom had gotten her end of the paperwork completed earlier in the week and had personally seen it to the ferry from the island… As of Friday morning, the packet still hadn’t arrived in Utah, so the house wasn’t theirs yet.

The seller gave them permission to work on the outside area. After all, it had been quite some time since the grass was cut, and the weeds “whacked”. Between Jim and Cindy, both the front and back yards were mowed and whacked. I can’t really say there was any grass… more like drought resistant weeds.

Bev was busy making lists of everything they’d need right away. After all, the big moving van wouldn’t be here until sometime Monday. There was the Internet connection to figure out, the TV to get connected, phone service, etc. On top of that… there was all that sand and fine clay dust.

They all pitched in to shovel the sand from the bottom of the driveway area as well as on the walkway adjacent to the house. No time yet, to even think about what to do with the acreage.

Shortly before 5 PM, the all important call came in… the paperwork had been approved. The financing was all settled. The seller had been paid. The house was now their new home!

Awesome! Tonight they’d be sleeping in their own beds, under their own roof.

Upon checking into the motel Wednesday night, the Inkeeper suddenly realized they had three pretty good sized dogs, and saw an opportunity to extract a higher rental… Well, the girls got all undone. After all, they were pretty much exhausted after the very long day.

They soon struck a deal. No extra charges unless the dogs damaged the room.

The next morning, with Bev and Jim having packed everything, and gotten the three dogs into the vehicles, Cindy stood for inspection in the room… no problem at all. Therefore, no extra charge. However, the shoddy treatment by the proprietor has led Bev to put that place on her “do not recommend” list… to the point of not even providing me the name.

Knowing they’d be staying in Cedar City for at least one more night, they went across the street to the Motel 6, where the folks were very dog friendly, even providing them a first floor room near the door.

After a quick breakfast, it was time to “go exploring”… that means go west on Hwy 56 and find their new home. All that stood between them and their home was one more mountain pass… elevation 6455 feet. Lot’s of history here… but no time to stop and investigate.

Within minutes they crested the summit and began their decent into the Escalante Desert Valley. My God, you can see forever!

They pass the little burg of Newcastle. Significant as this is the home of their local Post Office; that and a Phillips 66 station and convenience store. A couple miles further there’s a sign to the Beryl Rural Fire Dept and a community “dump box” area… oh boy.

About 7 miles down the road, they come to Beryl Junction. Where’s Beryl?

What’s at the junction? This is where Hwy 56 and Hwy 18 intersect. You’ll find the “El Rancho Restaurant”, a small Mexican place, as well as the offices of the local power company, “Dixie Escalante Power Cooperative”. There’s an elementary school, a small community center, the “old school”, and a couple of houses. Oh, there’s also a road maintenance shed including some fuel tanks, and a little roadside picnic area.

A few hundred feet south on Hwy 18 is one of the busiest Goodyear Tire stores in the west… they marvel at that…

Turning right (north) on to Beryl Hwy (no longer officially Hwy 18), they soon find themselves in very unfamiliar territory.

What’s this big dairy? How come everyone looks alike? More about that later.

What was once desert is now a huge patchwork quilt of irrigated circles. Folks are growing alfalfa, hay, potatoes, and corn. There are a couple of “cubing” operations on their right about 4 miles up the the road.

Just past a sign that’s had more than it’s share of bullet holes saying… Blowing Dust, they turn west (4800 N or Antelope Springs Road) and see a fair-sized group of locked mailboxes.

Heading west for about 1/2 mile, they pass a couple of mobile homes. Other than that… nothing but sagebrush, tumbleweed and sand.

Right on to 400 W and they’re new property is on the left of the truck… an expanse of tumbleweed, sand, a couple of pinion trees, a couple of sagebrush bushes… and their new house.

I say “house” as it’s not yet THEIR HOME. With the “double closing” and Bev and Cindy on the road, paperwork had to be “overnighted” to Mom. Yes, she’s on the deed. This process proved to take a little longer than they expected. Mom had done everything correctly… so it wasn’t her problem.

A quick call to the seller confirmed that although they could unload the trailer and store the stuff in the garage, they wouldn’t be able to put anything in the house. That was the advice from her attorney… as long as she was carrying the insurance, the new occupants couldn’t have any access to the house.

No problem… with the trailer unloaded into the garage, they’d have room to haul some new furniture. You see, they’d left their old beds on the island, planning to purchase brand new beds when they got here. Hey, if you’re gonna make a change… you may as well make a big one!

Trailer unloaded, they take time out for pictures… gotta show Shari how far away from “civilization” they really are. From here you can see over 40 miles west, about 40 miles or so north, about 25 miles east and about 20 or so miles south. What a view!

Ok, time to get back across the mountains to Cedar City, a distance of about 45 miles, and do some serious shopping. In addition to the new beds, they add a dining room table and four chairs, spending nearly two grand in the process. At least they’ll sleep well, and have somewhere to eat.

Having arrived at Dad’s barn, they set about gathering the many boxes and other items they’d been moving off the island for the past six months or so. Originally, they’d been packing and storing the boxes in the basement of their island home, but the Realtor insisted they move things off and put an end to any clutter.

So, they moved things three times, from the upstairs to the basement, and then back upstairs out the door, onto the truck, to a rented storage building, out of there, back onto the truck… across the lake to Dad’s barn.

By the time they had stuffed the moving van and 12 foot trailer, all available extra space in both the Avalanche and the Blazer, it was nearly 11 PM. Yikes, and they were still in Ohio!

On the road… no matter they’d been up way before the sun. They must press onward.

They convoyed back to pick up the I-80 Turnpike, and head west.

Somewhere west of Toledo at the Swanton Rest Area they pulled off for much needed sleep.

Every time they stopped and started again, Cindy called Shari. It mattered not that there was a time zone adjustment, or that it might be the middle of the night. So, Shari was called after the vet stop, and then again very late, as they left Dad’s barn.

Very early the next morning, with fresh eyes, they again started their trek… Utah or Bust!

Bev and Jim did most of the driving, with Cindy filling in for short stints. On long boring straight highways, Cindy tended to get drowsy (or is that mesmerized).

From just west of Toledo, they put the pedal to the metal, soon heading into Indiana, through Illinois, Iowa, and into Nebraska. They’d be on I-80 until they got to I-76 just west of Ogallala. Even though they had well over 1900 miles to go, they felt like they’d be there in no time.

The towns and cities became a blur as they raced westward, stopping only to fuel the rigs, themselves, the dogs, and to provide a few minutes “out” for the dogs and themselves.

By the time they stopped for the night in Kearney, Nebraska, they’d gone through most of Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and half of Nebraska. That’s also four update calls to Shari, who was tracking their progress, as well as keeping an eye on the weather for them.

The found a “dog friendly” motel and crashed for the night, knowing the most challenging section of the trip was still ahead… the drive across the Rockies with the Avalanche pulling a 12-foot trailer.