Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Progress Report

As you'll know if you read this blog regularly, we're moving this fall.  That has transformed this into a very busy summer, with a constant list of things to do to be ready.  You may have noticed that I'm writing a lot of blog posts about what I see nearby, not many Furry Gnome adventures this year!  But we're trading our big country property and gardens and some winter isolation for a tiny urban lot, easier access to services, and more time for adventures in the future - travel, exploring and photography, and writing.

Our new house is coming faster than we expected, as our builder has decided to use it as a model home for a couple of months before we move in.  There are multiple trades there working every single day, and there's never a gap in progress.  They're already installing the cupboards in the kitchen.  So far we're very impressed with the quality of the work.

It's a tiny lot, but we do look out on the local golf course, so hopefully we won't feel too hemmed in.  I hope I can find hours to walk around it when it isn't busy.  This will become our new garden - we're planning very little grass, at least in the back yard.

The saga of our shed has been challenging.  We ordered a small shed for the back yard, but when it was delivered, the wire at the end of the street was hanging a little low.  It caught the peak of the shed and pulled it right off the truck.  So back it went to be repaired.  Now it's sitting on the vacant lot next door waiting to be moved into place.

Meanwhile, back at home, we've been working like mad.  Don't have pictures of our garage sale, or our trips to the dump and other places, but we've been working like mad at downsizing.  One disadvantage of my big garage is there's too much space for junk!  Now that I have to get rid of it I notice what a packrat I am!

This is the little waterfall I created - after 4 years of hard work, delays, lazy summers, and more hard work.  The waterfall part is done, though you can hardly see the water, but the planting remains to be done.  So I will treat this as the 'before' picture and sometime you'll see the 'after' pic.

But down in the corner was the most challenging project for me.  I wired up an outdoor plug for the waterfall pump, with a switch inside the house, so I can just turn the waterfall on and off from inside.  I put this off for quite awhile, simply because I was hesitant to stand there and drill a hole through the wall of our house!  And of course you need to know what you're doing and be careful when you're doing wiring!  But it's done and it works!

So now we've started digging up a few key plants to take with us, mostly Hostas and Day Lilies.  This is the garden works yard for the summer.

The garlic harvest has been lifted, and is spread out in the garage to dry.  Mrs. F.G. hasn't decided yet how much garlic she's going to continue growing, or where.

And on top of that, we have a new house going in on the long-vacant lot next door.  Having built my own cabin, and two big additions, I'm interested in the process.  Our lot was an open field when we started, 19 years ago, but this lot is tree covered.  So we've listened and watched while they cleared part of the lot (chainsaws and a wood chipper), put in the driveway (which is going to have to be moved according to the owner), dug the foundation, poured the footings and then poured the foundation, and now they are spraying gravel everywhere with a big stone-thrower.  I've talked to the owner a couple of times, in part just to welcome them, and learned that this house is a pre-fab house built in a factory.  It will arrive on two trucks and be lifted into place.  I'm looking forward to seeing that!


16 comments:

  1. I am tired just reading about all you are doing!

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  2. Such a grand project and seems like you have your hands full with moving, downsizing and getting rid of stuff you don't need. Phew. The new place looks great with a nice view. Best wishes to you and hope it all goes well!

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  3. Down sizing to free up time to allow you to travel, have more fun and less work. More time to enjoy your RV. Amazing how good it feels to purge once its all done.

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  4. It's quite a challenge you are into and have ahead of you but it's a good challenge resulting in positive changes. Always nice to have positive changes and good happenings to look forward to.

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  5. Having built two homes in my life I fully understand the adventure and the exhaustion of moving!

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  6. Such a busy summer for you! We moved seven years ago, then moved my husband's mother. Not an easy job to downsize and then move. I dread when we leave this place. Continued good luck to you.

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  7. Moving is always hard, especially when downsizing is necessary. I am glad you have been taking pictures of all the beauty around you and look forward to seeing what you do with your new home as well. :-)

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  8. the new house is beautiful, it really looks great. i like the stone, no maintenance!!

    i think, for anyone, moving is difficult and all of us would feel like a packrat if forced to clean out and downsize!!

    good job on the garlic!!!

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  9. I like the stonework on your new home's exterior.

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  10. You have got a lot of irons on the fire. Stay healthy, good luck and try to get out and take fun pics. Carol

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  11. That's going to be a big change for you.

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  12. Things are progressing. It's easy to understand why you'd want to move to a more convenient location as you age, but I sure wouldn't want to be building a new place at my age -- but, except for the garden, it looks like it will be turnkey for you.

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  13. Progress indeed. Lots of hard work but worth it in the end. We built a new home in our woods next door our 1970 model. Getting rid of a tuck under garage and a very long driveway made it worth the effort...:)

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  14. Sounds like you will be in your new house very soon. It must be nice to see the progress moving right along.
    Should be interesting watching the pre-fab house go up.
    We are anxious to have our new house started!!

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  15. Hi Furry...
    Thanks for the info...lots of hard work...we have tried to move, but can never agree on location or type of home 🙄
    Perhaps this will inspire me...
    Best of luck...
    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

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