House Update

Okay, here it is.
We got the house! And at over 13 thousand UNDER list price!
I finally called my real estate agent and told her: "Here is my final offer. This is IT. No more negotiations.Not a dime more. If the bank chooses to accept my offer, they better do it fast, because I will withdraw this offer next Tuesday at 5pm, New Hampshire time. Then I will look elsewhere"
I also sent her an email saying the same thing.
I did that last Thursday.
I got a call back Friday around noon.unnel.

My realtor had printed out the email and put it in front of the banker, telling him, "My client is serious. If you think you will get a better price, you are kidding yourself."

The bank agreed.
WE GOT THE HOUSE!!!
Closing will take about 30 days. Which means another gawdawful hot July here in El Paso. But at least I can see a blazing light at the end of this tunnel.
So happy!
We are packing carefully. I am going through boxes that the Darlin' Man hasn't unpacked in EIGHT years!
A LOT is going in the trash.
I am going to have a yard sale. There is an amazing amount of stuff I am not going to take.
We are minimizing what we are taking with us. And what we are leaving unpacked until the last minute.
One plate, spoon, knife and fork for each of us. One bowl for each. One glass for each. One saucepan, one frying pan and the big pan that we make tea in. The tea pitcher. A couple of big spoons and pancake turners for cooking. The rest of the kitchen is almost packed.
Most of our clothes are packed. We are each keeping out enough clothes for one week and then washing the clothes we keep out every six days. One towel for each.
I need more boxes for the books...we have sooooo many. And movies. And CDs.
Well, at least I have a month to pack!

I Think I Am A Reasonable Person....

(Okay, stop laughing!)
Seriously, I AM reasonable about most things. I don't demand a lot from loved ones, I am polite to clerks and other folks in the stores, etc.
But right now, I am peeved.
You see, it is my intent to only *Buy American* when we get into a new house.
Fabrics and wallpaper...totally covered! SPOONFLOWER! Yeah...click that link. Awesome fabrics and wallpaper, made in America! Designers are independent artists that get a small percentage from each sale.
If you sew or quilt...I am so sorry (kinda) for giving you that link...you'll be on there for hours!

I thought I had found my new dishes. Then I found out the company that made them had *outsourced* to China in around 1989.

              

So, now I have found this website American Made Kitchen Stuff
But sadly, no dinnerware that I really like.
No, I don;t like Corelle....YUCK! Dropped one of those plates and it shattered...found slivers of glass for months! Also...saw enough Corelle to last me a lifetime when I worked for World Kitchen!
I did find one pattern from one place on that website that was *okay*...it was pretty, made in America...and $247.00 for a set for four people! HOLY SMOKE! I can't afford that!
So...I guess the search for dinner wear will go on.
*****************
About the move....I get the feeling everything is going to lag for a bit longer...then fall into place and start gaining speed. That is what usually happens with me and moving...it will be nothing, nothing, nothing, then BAM! All of a sudden I've moved!
We are playing a bit of a waiting game here...three things have to happen before I go up to New Hampshire to buy a house....and knowing my luck, all three will happen on the same day, lol.
*****************
All the baby goats are doing fine. I think I have decided to keep Charlie as our farm *mascot*. The Darlin' Man might protest, but I think I can make a good case for keeping the little guy around.

So...We Have These Pregnant Animals.....

My days and nights have been busy watching over 5 pregnant goats and 2 pregnant alpacas.
First, the alpacas.
Ana gave birth about a week ago, but unfortunately her little cria (baby alpaca) died after only a few minutes. We have no idea what wrong.
Yesterday, I checked on Alice and all was well, everything calm.
A scant fifteen minutes later, my son went out to change the ducks water and SURPRISE!, Alice had a wee one! We quickly transferred her to our *nursery* pen with the wee one. My son had to carry the little one and we determined it is a male!
Say hello to ANGUS!

Is he not the cutest thing on four legs? I love his coloring. I know, solid white fleece brings the best price, but I think he looks so adorable!
Mama Alice and baby Angus doing well so far!
*********************************
Remember our hand raised duck, Daffy?
We assumed Daffy was a boy. Well, a couple of weeks ago she presented us with an egg...then another, then another!
That's MISS Daffy, thankyouverymuch!
She has a private pen and a private wading pool, so obviously, her eggs are not fertile. We have tried to put a drake in there with her, but she chases them out. However, when my son goes out to her pen, she makes lovey-dovey eyes at him and preens herself and then tries to cuddle up to him.
Imprint much?
Don't know how we are going to solve this little problem!
*********************************
The Darlin' Man's son got his Drivers License....YAY! That means that I no longer have to do the bulk of the driving around here. What a relief!
*********************************
Speaking of the Darlin' Man...he kept sending out those job applications, day after day, just hoping to get an interview for his *dream job* working for the railroad.
FINALLY, CSX called! But the interview was in Indiana! So, for his Christmas present, we agreed he would go to the interview. He went by bus and had to get a motel room (financial bite we were NOT expecting right now!) The interview went well.....very well! As soon as he passes the medical exam, he is hired! They offered him a job contract that he readily accepted. After the medical exam he will be given a date to report for training at their school in Atlanta. We are soooo happy! Yes, it means he will have to work away from home for a bit, but the pay/insurance/other benefits are so good we couldn't pass it up.
********************************
Onto our move and all that. We plan to buy the house through an LLC  that we are currently forming. As soon as the LLC is registered and we have locked in everything, we will be buying the house in New Hampshire and moving. So....YAY!!!!!!! We have all the paperwork started, so it is a matter of waiting now.
********************************
The goats are stubbornly refusing to kid. I think Champagne will be first, followed closely by Nola, then Lilac and Gabby and lastly, Nikki.
Going to be a wild and wacky Holiday season here, considering all the does will kid within a 2 week period (I think).
*******************************
Hope you and yours are having a fun Yuletide season!

HOPA!

My cheese-making continues...I found a simple recipe for making feta cheese from goats milk, so I decided to try it. I am supposed to let it cure in the brine for a week to 4 weeks, but I tasted it before brining and after it had been in the brine for 24 hours.
Marvelous!
The flavor wasn't quite developed, but it had a wonderful texture and was not falling apart or dissolving in the brine (both signs of a bad batch).
I am planning a Greek feast next weekend as I think the flavor should be developed by then.
**********************************
Mothers Day went well...I heard from most of my herd, lol! The Darlin' Man got called into work rather abruptly this morning and had to work all day and overnight as well. *pout* So, I decided to not cook the dinner I had planned and the Girl and I made tacos and chicken strips. The Boy is spending tonight with a friend and going in from there to school in the morning.
**********************************
Right now I am waging a war against the cutest little mice you ever saw. We have these adorable little desert mice out here that look like they came straight out of a Disney movie. Wee things with soft gray fur, bright black eyes and tiny ears.In a Disney movie they would be soooo cute. On my kitchen counter...not so much. The Darlin' Man picked up a dozen mouse traps for me and I have been baiting them with various food items to lure the small creatures to a swift and merciful death. Best bait so far....peanut butter + Nutella. They will line up for it, practically fighting one another to get in the trap! Last night I caught two mice in the same trap at the same time. I guess a midnight meal for two seemed romantic at the time.
The mice migrated over here from a neighbors home. That house had been condemned and the residents evicted and when they left, the mice decided to wander through the neighborhood to find a new place. We, and the other neighbors, have all been battling them for the past month. Because we have dogs, I chose not to go with poison. Also, if the mice die behind a wall or in the duct-work, the smell would be horrendous!
*********************************
Well, the real estate search goes on. So far, three properties look promising. All within the same school district, much to the kids relief. Near a lot of recreational areas for fishing, swimming, skiing in winter, etc.
For my purposes, the properties are also near a couple of touristy areas where I could sell my quilts and baskets, etc. during the tourist season. All three properties are at least 10 acres, so there would be ample room to garden, raise livestock, etc. We also have one of the Darlin' Mans relatives who lives in Vermont looking locally. Unfortunately, they live in a yuppie-ish gated community with an HOA and a lot of restrictions and they seem to think that's the best type of property to get! EEK! Sorry, but we don't have, nor do we want to spend a quarter of a million dollars on a "McMansion"! Not our style at all. I think we have been able to finally get through to them what we want, though.
*********************************
Still no word on deployment. Still waiting and waiting and waiting...while the paperwork slowly wanders through the military snarl. The Darlin' Man has a sit down meeting scheduled this week, so we are kinda hoping we'll get a definitive answer then. That way we'll know whether to push forward on our moving plans, or whether we can settle here for a while longer. Either way, we have to be prepared.

(Mentally) Regrouping

Well, after the news that my Darlin' Man may be heading back to Iraq, we have had to mentally regroup and shift some plans around.
The consensus is that we would be better off establishing ourselves on property in Vermont while he is away.
Even the Girl, who will be a senior next year, has enthusiastically agreed we should move...and the sooner, the better! (She somewhat hates the schools here..they teach to ALL students as if English was their second language, which for 90% of the students is true) Girl, Boy and I looked online and checked out the schools in the district we think we are moving to, and they were very pleased. The entire student body of the local high school is one tenth of the size of the student body here. No football team...but they have skiing teams for boys and girls--J.V. and Varsity. Soccer and baseball and hockey as well. Basketball teams for boys and girls, too. Since it is a rural area, they have almost 100% participation in 4-H! We also checked SAT scores, etc and the school is very solid academically with over 50% of graduating seniors going on to college, university or technical schools.

I contacted a realtor I found up there. He mainly works as a buyers agent. The way it works is I gave him all the *must haves* for property we are looking for and he goes through all the MLS listings to find a property that meets our needs. He sends me the information on all the properties that the Darlin' Man and I think are within our budget and meet our needs. We look over all the info (photos, plat maps, google maps/views, listing info, deeds, tax papers, etc) and decide which properties we will consider. When time comes to buy, the buyers agent will negotiate the best price for us and handle all the paperwork.
The *Must Haves* for us?
Minimum of 5 acres
Water source on property, preferably more than one...a drilled well AND a brook or spring AND a stream, etc.
Electricity already to or on property. (anybody that ever has had to have electricity brought to their property knows why we put this down!)
No restrictions on livestock, etc.
We also gave him a price cap. Actually two price caps---one for bare land, one for land with a home on it.

We have been pleasantly surprised that in our area of choice, the realtor has been able to find around a dozen properties that meet our needs.
So, we are winnowing through all the properties and cutting our choices down to 5 or 6. One of us will go up to Vermont in June and make the final decision.

In the meantime, we are waiting for the final word on whether or not the Darlin' Mans orders for deployment are 100%. Right now, he still has a 10% chance of staying stateside, but like I said, nobody here is holding their breath over that. We should find out Friday. So, Army life being what it is, the old adage of "Hurry up and wait!" really applies in this situation!
**********************************
Today I am making cheese from our goat's milk. I started this morning and the milk made a lovely curd that I have been draining almost all day. Tonight I will be salting the drained curd and making some feta cheese and some hard cheese that I will put in a maleshift cheese press. Will let y'all know how that goes!
**********************************
I intend to keep posting throughout the moving process here...since we have 3 cars, 7 goats, 2 children, 11 chickens, 2 dogs and all our worldly possessions...should be a fun time!

Last Day, Last Night, Last Morning

So, I am moving. Today will be my last full day here, tonight my last full night and tomorrow morning---my last morning here.
Knowing that it will be my last is bittersweet.
I made many good friends here and I am leaving behind my 27 year old son and his dog (I think of her as also being *my* dog). My son has a job here and is planning on saving his money to move back east.
I am also leaving behind *stuff*.
Being the frugal pack rat that I am, that also hurts!
I have very limited room in the vehicle for my belongings. Clothes, tactical supplies, kitchen tools, sewing machine-- are ALL a must. BUT, I can only fit in about half my food storage.
So, today I call a friend and ask if they want my food storage. I know they'll say yes and most enthusiastically as they have kids and a good food storage of their own. If they cannot use what I leave behind, I am sure they can find someone who can!
A few people suggested I give my food storage to a food bank. I would, but I have a lot of wheat and such things that require a lot of prep and the proper tools---which, unless you already prep, you probably do not have!
My fella has food storage, so I know I won't be *wanting* when I get down to his place...or over to his place...it is 900 miles westward. I have my grain grinder and flour sifter (which I found out he has NEITHER!! Oh my goodness!), he has a good dehydrator and other kitchen tools. Not as many kitchen tools as I have, but the last few years he has lived the gypsy style life of the Army, being transferred from here to there and back again. Thankfully, that is about to change as retirement is on the horizon.

I will also have, for the first time in many years, two teenagers in the house!
As I told the fella, at least they are potty trained!
Teenagers are fun...it is a delight to see them stretching their wings and getting ready for their *solo flight*.
Big difference is, I didn't raise these two and will just be there for the end of their young adulthood.
I hope I can teach them a bit and that I can learn from them as well.
I have met them online...in future posts, if I refer to them, I will call them *Boy* and *Girl* as there is one of each. 15 and 16 respectively. Boy and Girl both seem rather intelligent and very aware of the issues that concern their father and I. Peak oil, sustainable agriculture, etc.

OH! I will be desert gardening! A new experience for me! The house I will be living in is on about an acre. The Fella has already purchased 3 goats...2 nans and a billy, for breeding and milk production. Chickens will be procured after my arrival as the Fella has never had chickens. There are (currently) 2 pups, both German Shepherds. One is a permanent resident, the other is a temporary one he is caring for until the owner can reclaim it. There is (I am told) a fig tree and a pecan tree. Some neighbors have citrus trees.
The plan is to stay there a year or two until all the retirement issues are worked out, then make the final move to the Northeast United States to be closer to some family members.
And that, dear readers, will be my VERY LAST move!

I have moved a lot in my life.
First because of being an Army brat myself., then after adulthood because of marriage, economic and educational circumstances and situations. Then divorce and remarriage and more moves. Then economics raised it's head again and it was a case of moving to where the work was.Divorce and remarriage again and that husband was afflicted with a wanderlust that kept him looking for that *greener grass*.
That last marriage ended and I returned to a place where I had friends and connections and started over again.
Then I met the Fella and things changed. I moved to where he would be able to come see me. Of course, that didn't last long until the Army decided he needed to be deployed half a world away! Since I had a job here, I stayed here and waited for his return.
Well, he is back and our future is together.
So, another move for me.
All told, I think the last time I counted it up...I have lived in---or traveled extensively through--13 countries and 30 states.
Not too shabby!
I have enjoyed it. I have seen things that other people say they only dream of seeing.
I have watched the moon rise over the Grand Tetons and heard the wolves and coyotes howl.
I have danced in an Alabama rainstorm.
I have swam in the Mississippi, the Little Big Horn, the Missouri, Lake Champlain, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. I have dove into the surf of the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans.
I have heard the crickets chirp and watched fireflies sparkle by in Kentucky.
I have seen the tulip fields in the Netherlands and been to the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Sunrises over the Rocky Mountains. Snowstorms in Germany.Summer days in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
And much, much more.
But finally, FINALLY, I am going *home*.
*Home* is where my Fella is and where we will dream and plan together for the rest of the journey we will share.
Take care all...I will be offline for a day or two...my next post...will be from *home*.

Oh the pains of packing!

So, I am making a move of a little over 900 miles on the third of September.
I have been packing, and while I pack, I am sorting.
I have so many things that I have hung onto for so long for absolutely no reason.
For example, I still had every birthday, Christmas, Valentines Day card, etc that my ex husband had given me.
Into the trash they went! Along with several magazines I had held onto *for the recipes*, several catalogs I was *going to order out of--someday* and loads of other useless paper things that had followed me through the years. A full lawn and leaf style hefty bag was filled almost to bursting with the stuff!
Egads!
Tonight I am going through clothes. Out go those things that no longer fit me, are hopelessly stained or torn, or simply don't look good on me. I have oodles of fabric for my quilting, so I refuse to be seduced into the time consuming task of cutting up said clothes to save the fabric for quilting! (and oh, the siren song of fabric is a hard one to resist!)
I am washing every item of clothing I am taking. Sort of an OCD thing, I suppose. I ALWAYS wash all my clothes and linens when I move. Otherwise, my clothes smell like my old house. I don't want to take the smell of my old house with me.
Okay, I am weird. We all have our own little idiosyncrasies, that's one of mine.
So, tonight is my *all nighter* laundry night.
As each load comes out of the dryer, it will be folded and packed in a sturdy Rubbermaid tote (my preferred moving boxes)
I have designated two, and ONLY two totes for clothing and linens as my moving vehicle is a friends SUV and I am limited on space.
Severly limited.
I am having to go minimalist here, people.
For a pack rat like me, it is almost physically painful!
My biggest priorities are my food preps and tactical supplies (guns, ammo). Absolutely NONE of the tactical supplies can be left behind. Too expensive to replace!
Kitchen tools are essentials. I have cast iron pans, food mills, sauce pots, etc. Also crock pot, electric skillet and yogurt maker, things like that.
I will be taking a few *knick-knacks* that mean a lot to me. Framed pictures of my kids.  Some lovely wind chimes I found at a yard sale. Just a few items, but enough to make the new place feel more like *home*.
Moving is exciting. It is stressful. It is an adventure.
I am trying to ignore the stressful part and embrace the exciting and adventurous aspects!
So, here's to new places, new people and a new home!
(And did I tell you I will have goats and chickens there!!! WOOOOO-HOOOOO!)

Taking Inventory

Part of preparedness is knowing WHAT you have and WHERE you have it.
Since I am planning a move in the not-so-distant future, I have been taking inventory of everything I have.
I have to strip down to the *bare essentials* and slough off the *non-essentials*.
My first priority is:
Will it help me survive?
Second:
Will it be useful on a day to day basis?
Third:
Have I used it within the last 90 days?
Fourth:
Does it have over-whelming sentimental value?


Now, last night I went through all my photos. I had, literally, pounds of photographs. I discarded duplicates, pictures of places I had hung onto for some unknown reason and the like.
I had 17 pictures of the cabin I lived in in Montana. I kept one.
40 pictures of the horses on the throughbred ranch I worked on...discarded them all.
I kept pictures of my children, grandparents, parents, and such.
When I was done, I had enough photographs to fill up one good sized album or to put in a binder (*reminds self to get photo pages for binder!)

Tonight I will be going through my clothes. I know I will need 2 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of slacks, 4 blouses,2 warm long sleeve shirts, 4 tee shirts, 4 dresses, 2 light nightgowns, 1 pair of warm pajamas, 1 flannel nightgown, 14 pair of underwear, 10 bras, 1 shawl/wrap, 1 hoodie, 1 rain jacket and 1 warm jacket. OH! And socks--14 pair. Almost forgot the socks! Also, one pair of sneakers, 1 pair of hiking boots and one pair of dress flats. I don't wear panty-hose, so I'll find a corner of my bag to snug in my garter belt and several pair of stockings.


I have a HUGE library of books, but I plan on only taking two---maybe three. No more than that.
Not taking my dvd collection or my cd collection...okay, might keep a few of my c.d.s if I have room!
A small sewing kit will go with me, but all my fabric, threads, sewing machine, patterns and notions will not.
I hope to buy a laptop before I go, my bulky desk top computer will find a new home! (I will be using it as a trade-in on the laptop.)

The things worrying me the most are my *essentials*...I have a cast iron grain mill and a set of three cast iron frying pans. I can make do with just two of the frying pans, but that grain grinder will have to go with me!
My #10 cans of wheat, sitting snug and content in my pantry will find a new home---just not with me.

It is stressful sorting through everything I have managed to accumulate while living here in Texas, but it is important for me to *streamline. I basically, cannot take more than I can carry by myself.
Also, my carry on bags and checked bags cannot exceed 50 pounds each.
I will have one carry on (a back pack) and one checked bag.
So, my worldly possessions can not exceed 100 pounds!

Think about that for a moment and look around you...
Could you reduce everything you own to 100 pounds in two bags and still survive...not just survive, but prosper?

We should all inventory once in a while, and I also feel we should all shake off all the possessions that we think we own---but frequently end up owning us!

Preps after a move...and a Scavenger Hunt!

So, I moved almost two weeks ago, and, as hurricane season starts in less than a month here, I am busting my butt trying to get prepped for it.
I have to bottle water...I figure 40 gallons drinking water and 60 gallons *other* water (but still potable) for each person , PLUS, 10 gallons water for the two dogs (each).
I am on the third floor of this building, so plastic to cover windows in case of breakage is looming large in my plans.One of my room mates works at a fast food joint and has been able to scavenge a few things...buckets, etc that will come in handy--just in case.

Speaking of scavenging, my room mate is a scavenger par excellence! Our first couple of days here, he rode his bicycle past a place that was being cleaned out and found 2 five gallon buckets full of perfectly lovely dishes! I washed them up and they are now in the kitchen cabinet. He also found a 3 gallon stew pot (or gumbo pot) and a love seat that he toted home on his back, much to the entertainment of our new neighbors!

Bit by bit, we are furnishing this place!

I have no problem snatching up someone else's discarded household goods...it saves me money and because it doesn't end up going to the local landfill, it is good for the environment.

So...this weekend, besides doing a bit of "curb-shopping", I plan to start bottling water for our prepping.
I hope all your preps for the coming season are going well!