Anticipation!!

     You talk about patience; I am learning it. I don't like it, either. I really don't get along with having to wait for something. It's just not my strong suit. I can do other things so much better than just sit around and wait for the clock to tick its way over to the time I need or want it to be.  When you have to use all your fingers and toes to count off the days until something happens, you may as well just wait until you only need one hand or one foot to do the counting. I hate waiting. My birthday is November 22, so around Halloween I start saying it's soon - and then I realize I have three full weeks to go! 

    Well, I have four days to go now!! Only four days until my birthday, but I only have to wait two days (less than that since it's nearly 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday) before Laura and I take full possession of our new house. We just can't wait -- but we have to wait!! It is just not easy to do.  We'll only drive out to the place on Thursday to pay for the down and get the keys. We're not moving into it until the next day. We're going to set off bug bombs, and we'll make sure it's all locked up before we kiss the house good night and return early the next day (Friday) with the first of two big loads.

    Talk about anticipation! We've been dealing with it for weeks now. We have 94% of everything in boxes and bags just waiting to be loaded into the big truck. We started weeks ago, doing just a bit now and then, and then we upped our game and put in more each passing day. We boxed, we labeled, we moved the boxes into the dining area, and began the collection process. Now, three weeks later, and with only 2 days to go, we've got just about everything in the same spot - waiting. Just waiting. Our computers are still up, and the desks, of course. I have to work right up to the last minute.

    The kitchen is packed. The living room is packed, but the big stuff goes on Sunday. The office is packed, and the bathrooms and bedrooms are packed. We are just so ready.  We even went out to eat tonight, so we didn't have to pull out dishes and silverware. We're in the groove!!  It's not just our house we're dealing with; we have horses coming to live with us in two weeks. That's gonna take a little planning as well.

    I have to buy the fence materials, and Laura has to put the dang thing up. I get off easy; I'd so much rather pay for it than build it. Laura's OK with the arrangement as well. She's been out of practice for ranch-style living. She's biting at the bit (to use an appropriate term) to get started on all this good ol' country living.  The fence is the first real piece of it. She's only putting in a couple of lines and a gate, but she's looking forward to it. 

    We've been to Tractor Supply online to do the shopping and put everything we need into the cart. We'll hit "pay" on the 20th and get that part of it started. They'll deliver the materials on the 22nd, and she'll start the process. We could bring most of it home in the car, but if they're willing to bring it out, we're willing to let them. The 8-foot gate, wire, six-foot t-posts, and wooden posts need a truck to do it right; no sense looking like idiots carrying that sort of thing in my little car.

    When the horses arrive, I won't see much of Laura for a few weeks, months, or even a full year if I know her like I think I know her. Sure, she'll have a job too, but the second she's off the clock, she's barn-bound, and she'd sleep there if I didn't force her to come into the house to protect me. I use that as an excuse, you know; I tell her she has to come into the house after 10 pm so I'm not here by myself.  She threatened to take me shooting again and to buy me another dog so she can stay out in the barn a little longer. I may let her if it's a Dachshund Beagle puppy.

    My horse, Jace, and her horse, Lady Sif, are safe now from the Kill Pen and waiting for us in quarantine up in Kansas. The man there is charging $15/day per horse for them to be there. We'll charge the same when she gets her place set up. She's decided to keep 2-4 horses on one section of the land to bring in enough to pay her portion of the mortgage. That girl's a thinker! As long as we still have 6-7 acres to ride on, I'm OK with her side hustle. She'll enjoy watching over other people's horses and making sure they get the care they deserve. She'll do it her way and not have to ask anyone else for permission. That's the #1 thing about this place - it is OURS.

    We did find out today who it is that is moving into our little rented house. I say little, it's the same size as our new house, but it's just not ours. We found out it's an old neighborhood acquaintance we used to live next door to. We lived next door to that family for eight years. I couldn't be happier for them; they deserve to be able to spread out and give their two kids a nice yard to play in and their own bedrooms. That'll make their Christmas so much more enjoyable than it has ever been. I'm super excited about that.

    As for us? Well, we're already planning that holiday too. We've got a fireplace with a mantel. We've got a big open window with an amazing view out onto the horses and our acreage. We'll line the windows with lights, decorate the big fake tree, and put bells and silly "ears" on the dogs. The cats really don't like our silliness, but they do tolerate us during this time of the year. Ginger has earned the right to watch more than to participate. She turned 13 on the 9th. We will celebrate her birthday on my birthday this year, so we can do it together in the new house. She didn't argue when I suggested it.

Photo Credit: Me.  Ginger pup.