A Short Road Trip

Our dear, sweet Heidlebeere and family has been trying to move to the mid-west for some time.  And finally they made it!  One of the nice things about that is they are now close enough that we can go see them and not have to spend the better part of two days to get there.  So we did!

We arrived the day after the movers left.  You know, the guys who walk into your house with all your stuff, set it down, and leave.  So their house was still boxes, boxes, and more boxes.  Boxes everywhere.

The vast majority of them had not been unpacked, though a few had.  And finding stuff is a real challenge.  But gradually you poke a hole in the mess and begin to bring some order to the chaos.

Probably the first priority in unpacking and arranging is the beds and bedroom stuff.  Like clothes and, in the case of kids, some toys so they can begin to feel like this is where they belong.  Bring some order back to their world.

 Then you want to get the kitchen in working order.  That's sometimes a real challenge.  Even though the landlord assured them the house had been cleaned, there was lots of work to do.  Apparently there was a difference in the definition of the word, "clean".  So before Heidlebeere was willing to set any food and kitchen ware in any of the cupboards there was a lot to do.  Multiple layers of contact paper to take up before putting fresh stuff down.

 The landlord figured the house was nearly 150 years old.  It obviously has never been modernized.  Well, that may not be fair - the windows all through the house were good, new, efficient windows that will do alright at keeping the heat in and the draft out.  That's a good thing because the heating system is antique - heat radiators in every room.  Should be an interesting winter.

 The house had sat empty for a while before they moved in.  Well, maybe that's not entirely accurate.  Any old house is going to have mice and it was obvious this one had.  Lots of mouse traps will hopefully be busy for the next several days.  This is the time of year the mice are always trying to come in anyway, looking for a warm place to be.  Even new houses can get a mouse this time of year.

So lots of work going on in the kitchen, cleaning first and then unpacking boxes into the cupboards.  This kitchen has all kinds of nooks and crannies.  It was kind of amazing.  Actually, for such a small space, it had a remarkable amount of cupboard space.

Getting ready for church Sunday morning - ah, yes.  Found a mirror.

The plan had been to go to church, have some lunch and then get on the road back home so we didn't get back too terribly late.  And that part went according to plan.  Only then, about an hour into the trip, the car made a funny noise for a few seconds. That was the serpentine belt dying.  Then the steering got stiff. That was the power steering pump no longer working.  Then the battery light came on.  That was the alternator no longer working.  Then the engine temperature light coming on.  That was the water pump no longer working so the engine was overheating. Yeah, so at that point we pulled over and stopped.  Just as we were calling a tow truck a police officer pulled up to supervise.

We got loaded on to the tow truck.  I rode into town in the tow truck.  Himbeere and Maulbeere rode in with the officer, allowing Maulbeere to cross an item off of her bucket list (ride in the back of a police car).

The tow truck operator recommended a shop so we took the car there and left it  And Heidlebeere came and got us.  Like a bad penny, we were back.

It worked out okay, though.  We got an extra day of cleaning in while we waited for the car to get fixed.

Lots of glass in the big windows of that old house.

By the time the car was ready we had gotten lots of glass cleaned and lots of boxes emptied and cleared away.

Nothing up on the walls yet but the place was looking a whole lot more livable when we left.

The car repair wasn't all that bad either.  Yeah, it was unexpected but it happened at a good time and place if it had to happen while we were on the road.  That was the blessing in the adversity.  We got it towed and repaired for only a few hundred bucks. And we got an extra day of visiting and helping in the process.  Not a bad weekend, if I say so myself!  I love a good road trip!