Moving soon

So, what’s new, you ask? Both houses are in escrow now and we’ve begun the inspection process. We’ve had a test of the well and a pest inspection. The buyer paid for a whole house inspection and that has occurred. Also a pool inspection. Last, but certainly not least, is the septic system testing and that will happen sometime this morning. The packing continues apace and there are boxes and more boxes in every room. I think we’re ahead of the game. We have a 60 day escrow on both houses and I believe we have only used up 7 of those days.

I had forgotten what an ‘impossible’ task moving is. How could we have accumulated so much? And why? The pile of things that will go to the Seniors Thrift Store grows apace. (I’ve always wanted to find a use for the word ‘apace’ and here I’ve found two spots for it in just two paragraphs) We’re not going to have a ‘garage sale’. We will invite our children and grandchildren over to view the accumulated stuff and ask them to take what they wish. We’ve already been through our library and have discarded many boxes of books. Whatever the family doesn’t take, goes to the Friends of the Library. At the same time, I’m amazed at the number of books we have decided to keep. We had told ourselves that now was the time to let the library go. We hadn’t opened a lot of these books in years; Kipling’s Kim would be a good example of that kind of neglect. But I can’t let it go! And so the boxes of books we will keep grows…but not apace. (Three times!)

Yesterday, I had an interesting conversation with the septic tank guy as he dug down to the covers of the tank. It was a hot day and so I brought him a bottle of water. And we talked. He’s a small business owner and has owned this septic tank pumping business for ten years. (Hey! Someone has to do it.) Before that, he was a farrier. That business was ruining his health as most farriers can tell you. Trying to hold up the hoof of a poorly trained, one thousand pound, horse can do terrible things to your back. Anyway, back to our conversation. He proceeded to tell me how ‘change’ in our country had produced terrible results. Crime was rampant! The streets weren’t safe. Welfare was out of control! And it didn’t used to be this way in the good old days…of course he was wrong on all points, but I didn’t want to pick a fight with the man. It was obvious that he believed these fables and I would never be able to change his mind. What bothers me most about our encounter is the fact that this man will probably vote. And so will his friends and family. Voting based on rumors and plain old lies.

When I meet and talk with people like this; good people, salt of the earth! But oh, so uninformed, I become quite worried about our future as people upon the earth.