November 3rd - Arrival

It's been official since Oct 31 when escrow closed, but if memory serves I didn't actually get the key and visit “my” property until Thursday, Nov 1. I took the dogs up here for a quick visit and to drop off a few things that I felt I might need.

Those things being firewood, an electric lantern, a hatchet, a metal cookie cooling rack to serve as a grill, the Jeep's rear seat (which was taking up room I felt I might need), and a tiny cooking burner and can of fuel.

As it turned out, I didn't need any of those things because, thankfully!, the water, gas, and electricity were left on and working.

Tomorrow, Monday, November 5^th, electricity and water are being transferred into my name, but I don't remember if I talked to the local gas supplier or not. There's a tank on the property, but it looks like it's near empty.

This morning, the fourth, at nine in the morning I got the last of the things out of the u-haul truck. By ten, I had the truck swept clean and out on the street, ready for the drive back to Murrieta. I need to drop Mika, my sister's pug, off so he can greet and be with Cheryl when she comes home from the hospital tomorrow, a day when I need to be here to oversee (hah!) the utilities and, most importantly, the Dish installation.

Internet access will come later, within a day or two (I hope!)

Yesterday was an adventure in moving, but not anywhere near as bad as it could have been. I walked down to the U-Haul place from Rachael's apartment, and that journey took the half hour I allotted for it. Getting the truck (and buying a hand truck) went smoothly, but it took a little longer than I figured to load up the last of the things from Rachael's. It all made it in and I was at the storage place right on time, just in time to get Barry's phone call. I'd  hired him and a buddy to load the truck because they were veterans and cheap.

He and his helper, Phillip, got everything out of the storage place and into the truck in the two hours I hired them for. For a little while it looked as if there would be time and room to load the love seat from Rachael's apt, but there ended up being neither. I tipped each guy $20, which may be more, less, or about what other people give them.

Two things happened on the drive from Murrieta to Landers. One, I found out that this 27' (the $39.95 model) gets horrible gas mileage. I got worried after driving through Hemet that I would run out of gas, especially since I was climbing up the hill on my way to Beaumont. I was able to make it, though, but had my first truck incident driving over the curb and rattling the stuff in the back on my way to the gas pump.

Then, I kinda screwed up and maybe didn't select debit to pay for the gas, which might have cost me more. For some reason, the gas stopped pumping at a little over $100, so I had to stop and get some more at my favorite little cheap gas station just outside Yucca Valley, somewhere around that Travel Lodge where I first got directions to Old Woman Springs Rd.

There I clipped a trailer belonging to some Mexican guys, who took $100 to make things right.

It got, sorta expectedly, a little hairy making the left onto Old Woman Springs Rd, and I yelled at Minardi more than was necessary. He was blocking my view of the passenger rear view mirror, but that had nothing to do with my driving over another curve or making everything in the back of the truck rattle, again, when I did the U-turn necessary to make it onto 247.

But, we got here, all in one piece.

After the mild excitement of loading up my stuff from Rachael's, using my sister's little truck, Buffy, to transport it all from the apartment to the U-Haul, which I parked on the street and doing my best to protect the TV, we got here and I guess I started unloading the truck around 3:30PM.

At first I was attentive and putting stuff, roughly, where I thought it would end up living and mildly putting it away. This first stuff was mostly the miscellaneous crap that wasn't in boxes.

By around five, I started worrying about it getting dark and running out of time and energy, and was at the start of the boxes. These I just pulled out of the truck and started setting outside, by the side of the house. I was past caring, and the home is way too small to hold more than one-tenth of the stuff I brought with me.

By eight or so, I had gotten most of the boxes out and sitting on the ground and was down to the “major” pieces.

I unfurled the futon Rachael lent me (which I will try to purchase from her) on top of some foam rubber, and was delighted to discover that Minardi, who never slept with me at the apartment, curled right up the way he sometimes did on Ramsgate, right up next to my chest.

I was overjoyed.

It didn't last, though, since I got up a short time later to take a shower, forgetting that the soap and things were places unknown, but I did chance upon a towel.

Refreshed, sorta, from the shower, I laid down and had a great night's sleep (for me). I slept about four hours before waking up and noticed that Minardi had moved to the duffle bag full of clothes from Rachael's that was at my head.

I fell back asleep and got up around 6:30, thanks to Daylight Savings Time.

By nine I had the truck emptied, and by ten it was swept, sitting out on the street waiting to take us back to Murrieta, and I was all done with that part of the adventure.

Before moving the first of the big things, the armoire, I had my first meal in my new home, a box of Thai Basil & Chili, which may have come from Trader Joe's. I boiled some water, twice, in the aluminum pan usually used for popcorn, since the microwave was still in truck. The meal was okay, but I couldn't taste much and even though I hadn't eaten anything yesterday when I did the moving, I didn't have much appetite.

I was getting a little light-headed, though, which I blamed on the lack of nutrition, and wished I had some raw eggs to eat.

Once the truck was empty and swept out, I sat down.

Now it's a bit before noon and the next step is driving back to Murrieta to drop off Mik. I might leave the dogs at the apartment to run to the 99cent store for some eggs or to Stater Bros for some groceries. I really don't have much of an appetite, but I haven't since leaving Ramsgate.

One thing I'd like is a window screen kit for the window overlooking the dining area. The other windows have screens, and I'd really like one for the front door, too.

No, there aren't flies or bees or wasps flying around and getting in, not yet, anyway, but some moths were drawn to the outside light last night and managed to make it inside. I wish there was a way, one that I knew of, to turn that outside light on or off.

I also wish I knew where the septic tank was. I'm a little afraid I've covered it with all the junk outside, but I have no idea how full it is, where it is, where the access to it is, or where the draining field is. Sharon Rose, my realtor, gave me the name of a plumbing company that can help, but I'm strangely reluctant to spend any more money right now finding out. I may see if there's a permit for it at the San Bernadino gov't office, but I have no idea when I'd get around to doing that.

One tiny victory: outside the water heater there's a spigot with a rubber hose attached to it. It was dripping water, but after turning it on and as tightly off as I could, that's all but stopped.

Before heading back to Murrieta, I checked my property to see where Minardi had found to take a dump. Mik's spot was on the east side of the house, but no sign of Minardi going anywhere. Maybe he'll need time to settle in.