Movin' Right Along

Well, my friends, a blogger can go only so

long without blogging, and I've stretched it

to the limit.  But I think I've had a good excuse.

We've been preparing to move (temporarily) since

last October, and have gone at it with full fury

since mid-January.

For those of you who don't know, we have sold

half of our property for Pinehurst Senior Apartments,

which will provide independent living and affordable

housing for many senior citizens in our area.

Judy and I plan to move back and build on the

property we retained, perhaps in a year, plus or

minus a few months.  In the meantime, we are

quite blessed to staying in Judy's Grandmother

Short's old home, and find it cozy and inviting.

In today's blog, I want to share some photos

which show the character and uniqueness of

the old house, which will soon be demolished.

The driveway for the new development will go

right through the site of the house.

Here is the old oil furnace, not used by us since

1979.  It's quite an artifact, as well as a hazard--

it's coated with asbestos, which must be removed

prior to demolition.  But that's not our problem.

Judy's worthy '98 Tacoma has performed

heroically throughout the moving process.

Here's a typical load.

We'll be renting long enough that it's worth 

setting up some of the favorite entertainment

items for the grandkids.  A couple of sturdy 

dogwoods happen to be close at hand.

I removed a little of the sheet rock in our

old furnace room to expose the boards which

were once the back siding of the house.  At 

some point in its history (since the 1920's),

the back two rooms were added on.

This masonry shows the foundation of the

back-to-back fireplaces in the living room

and dining room.

Here are the pine floors of our master bedroom

once everything was moved out.

The components of the bed await hauling 

from the front room, most recently a playroom,

but once Jennifer and Amanda's bedroom.

The girls had their own sink, but somehow

none of us ever used it much.  Anybody want it?

Contact me quick! It and the bathroom fixtures are

 likely to be demolished with the house otherwise.

The woodstove, which provided our heat

since 1979, will stay with us.  In the new 

house it will be an insert.  Judy often cooks

soups on it and bakes potatoes in the ashes.

We both agree, there's no heat like wood heat!

A mattress buffers the Yamaha piano. It

arrived at its new home unscathed and is

already getting a workout.

Our clever moving team knew all the tricks

for getting bulky items through tight doors.

Judy pulls out with the washer and dryer.

Once again, the Tacoma does its share and more.

The piano loves the acoustics of this paneled

room.  Judy and I purchased it jointly from Bob

Murphy in spring 1976, several months before we

were married.  How's that for a marriage contract?

Once the heavy stuff had been relocated, I

had a few days left to remove anything of 

interest or use.  One of my favorites is these

vintage window weights, a clever design that

facilitates the raising and lowering of windows

via a pulley system.  These things are quite heavy.

 Here are the pulleys.

Each window had a "pocket," a

slat which was easily removed in

case the rope broke or came untied

from the weight.

Even the inside doorknobs were

interesting.  How many of you have

skeleton keys for your bedrooms?

Evidently, these rubber doorknob covers

 were once stylish.

You've seen the brick foundation of our two

fireplaces.  Here's the dining room fireplace,

plastered over years before we ever lived here.

Here's the living room fireplace, closed off

with sheet rock.  This is where our wood stove

was located.  You'll see these fireplaces

"excavated" in a moment-- pay attention!

There has been a lot to take care of outdoors,

too.  I dug up three garden carts full of compost

and started a new compost pile on the property

we're keeping.  Anybody need some cinder blocks?

There are a lot more than this!

I dug up the old iron clothes line posts,

made by Bud Monroe, the Pinehurst Blacksmith,

way back in 1978.

We have thoroughly enjoyed our ramp for 

the last couple of years.  Not only did it

assist many of our visitors in entering the

house, it facilitated my wood hauling to the

 front porch.  Here, I've removed the railings.

That ramp was rather heavy, but I knew

there was a way it could be moved.  And

there was.

I propped it up on its side and planned my

strategy.

I was interrupted briefly for my propane

man to relocate our gas tank.

Then the Tacoma went to work.  With use

of a tow rope, it turned the ramp into a sled

and pulled it onto the property we didn't sell.

Now, back to those fireplaces.

Here's the living room fireplace after I 

smashed out the sheet rock.

The dining room fireplace was even more

intriguing.

I began to chip away the plaster, which

revealed a wall of brick.  Having read Poe's

"The Cask of Amontillado," I paused.

Pretty cool, huh?

Somehow, I resisted toppling the wall until

Judy could be there to video the occasion.

Here is Judy's video. 

Let the walls come tumbling down!

It was worth the wait!

Irresistibly mysterious!

The last big haul was the kitchen cabinets,

which had Judy's father had built for us

back in 1978, when we first moved in.

Again, the Tacoma was more than up to the

task.  Disclaimer:  some of this load didn't go

on the highway, never fear.  I'm crazy, but not

that crazy.

We are left with five beautiful acres, including

a tree house, trails, and a stream with refreshing

pools and waterfalls.  And we'll be coming back.

Here are some views of the land that is still ours.

We have 37 years of memories. Some of 

the grandest have been in the last 7, since

Brianna, Claire, Hunter, and Evan became

part of our lives.  This decal, a thoughtful

gift from Gail, is so true.  And though the

decal can't go with us, the sentiment has followed

us to our new residence.  And my next blog,

soon to follow, will show how the grandkids

have already fallen in love with our new place.