Hey Hostalady - Moving

[ShepInTheValley]

Hey Hostalady, I got a kick out of you explaining having to move with all your preps - friends offering to help and the realtor wanting to show your place, etc. LOL. I know "keeping a low profile" had to be very hard! Not having any help makes it much more difficult to move, particularly if you already have most of your preps done.

Did you guys move to the country? We found a country place in 98... that move nearly killed us. Whew!

 

[hostalady]

still moving

No, we are still moving. The preps are killing us. Honest to God, I could live another 50 years and not need any food, camping supplies, cooking supplies, or utensils. We are overwhelmed by it all. We hit the basement cabinets and closets, and under staircase today. Still not moving all the food. Decided if cans are not labeled with dates will give to Foodbank, our local dump also has a For Sale spot. Will hope they take part of the food.
I said to hubby, how many people have to cook on, a volcano stove, 6 camping stoves, a grill, 4 or 5 20# propane tanks, about 20 small cyclinder propane tanks, white gas cooking cans galore,
and dual burner stoves, 130# charcoal, every lantern you can think of, matches galore, and of course about 10 different oil lamps with fuel. Tents, sleeping bags, etc. I could write a book.
We moved the woodstove last Sunday, it is now in new place, outside, wrapped in a tarp. Metal Chimney and 5 cords of wood is the last thing on the list to move. My new name is Mighty Mouse, I have moved it all with hubby. All 107 #s. Hubby is down to 149#. Still have a way to go. My goal is 7/15/04 to put house on market. Only prep we are short on is water. Emptied all the containers, threw out all but 2 pillows. Still have a 350 gallon water pillow to empty. Can't figure out where to put it at new place.
Had to stop moving for 3 days this week. Mighty Mouse moved so much heavy stuff and not a problem. Three days ago, bent over to put a hair brush into a drawer and muscles pulled from rt shoulder down back and across the left back. Thought I died. But 3 days later, am okay and back to moving. Will explain where we moved to next post. Thanks for asking.

 

[hostalady]

Moving Part 2

Continuing on.... In July of 1998 we learned of Y2K. Started prepping by purchasing and learning how to can food. At the same time was dealing with a close friend (like a sister) dying of lung cancer. Continued big time reading the forum and prepping and buying (hubby had a great job, big bucks), kept buying preps, food, you name it we bought it, we actually bought into every scenerio about Y2K there was. Just made friends with my mom after 5 years, and got her into Y2K and prepping. Wasn't hard as she was a depression baby. Boy, did I learn later how much she bought into it and stored. Well, on 8/7/99 she stroked.
It has been downhill ever since. Best friend passed away in March of 2000, brought my mom home in Feb of 2000 from Conv. home. Long story short. In Feb of 2004, mom went into Assisted Living. By 6/1/04 we decided to move into her place. We currently own a cape on .17 of an acre. No land. She (we, as of 4 years ago) has .50 of perfectly flat land, a neighberhood that is very quiet, and space big time between, which is surrounded by trees. No one can see what we are doing. Two weeks ago had a 12 x 24 prefab wood shed delivered to store the "stuff" Not big enough for all of our food, camping, etc. stuff. Did I mention I hate stuff. Tooo...............Much of it>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>........

 

[hostalady]

I'm on a roll

Boy, it feels good to get this garbage out of my system, even if no one reads it. Solar panel on roof and wiring still needs to come down and installed at new place. It will never be done.
We have over 30, 5 gallon buckets of food, for future use.
Never, and I mean never will we have to purchase flour,
sugar, yeast, pasta, rice or beans. Opened up and checked out
the food. Everything is fine. Made a macaroni salad with 99 pasta, just fine, Even crackers and peanut butter is fine. So much salt and Baking soda/powder and yeast. We have hundreds of packets of rice in flavorings, noodles and sauce, quick stuff, using little water. Then we have long cooking beans, pasta and rice., etc. Need I say more.....Everything you can think of to make water taste good.

God.............too much stuff. I told my husband we could feed our town and two others and still have left overs.............

Speaking of stuff, does anyone remember or know what happened or where she went. I think her name was Laurie pre Y2K. She had a barn full of stuff. Had thoughts and bought about everything as well including fem. hygiene. Never heard or read about her again. Thought her hubby might divorce her if Y2K never happened. I'll quit for now. Thanks for letting me get this out. Now just to hold my R.E. Broker at bay a little while longer.

 

[goatlady2]

Hostalady, I'm looking at the same situation but moving cross-country. By last estimate the moving guy said I had over 7 TONS of stuff counting the wood burning cook stove and the wood heating stove!! Luckily most all the "big" preps are stashed out of sight of the realtor. Most folks just think my 10' long, 12' high 4 'deep pantry is great. Of course they snicjer at my Maytag wringer washer and "solar" dryer. I decided I spent too many years gathering this stuff, I just ain't leaving anyting behind, so will pay the price.

 

[Tundra Gypsy]

I plan to move from Montana over to Idaho, but yet to find a place where I can put some of my long term storage items. Right now you wouldn't know there was a root cellar running the back length of the garage, which is built back into a hillside. Nice and cool in there during the summer. I'd sure hate for someone to see my "stuff" too, but I need the money from the place to buy a place in Idaho, before I can move my "stuff." Oh dear....wonder if I can tell them about the root cellar after the close of escrow? hehe

 

[Charlie]

The only way I could move all my prep "stuff" would be to have train tracks laid to my place.

 

[ShepInTheValley]

ROFLMFO Charlie!!!!!! You never have to leave anyway... you're in a perfect location.

Hostalady, man oh man do I wish I lived near you. You have stuff I'd love to get ahold of. We bought a 40 acre farm and just purchased another 80 adjoining acres... have tons of heavy timber and plenty of tillable land, plus we have a well. We had a 2 acre pond dug and it's now fully stocked with fish. Like Charlie,we have tons of deer, wild turkey, rabbit, etc., plus we have our own chickens for poultry and eggs. I SO badly want to get some fencing in so we can get some dairy goats and beef cattle... then we'd be sitting really well.

Talk ALL you want, I love hearing about all this and how others have been prepping. Sometimes it gets us "back on course" you know?

This house we moved into is pretty energy efficient, with skylights providing light, fresh air and passive solar heat, a great fireplace that heats the house, etc. ... but it is much smaller than I've have preferred, so we had to use the 1 car attached garage for our food storage. We moved quickly and prepped like crazy... figuring we'd get organized later and that really never happened as well as we would have liked. Long commutes to and from work daily.

NOW we have a new problem... mice have invaded and I'm just sick about the fact that we never got our rice, flour and boxed foods into more permanent containers (we were using cheap pantry cupboards). I'll bet I could take a full truckbed of stuff to the dump now! Sigh. BAD timing! Anyhoo - I'm getting the feeling it's urgent to get this problem cleared up and get BACK into the prepping mode to replace what has been ruined. This is a horrid project and just thinking about it makes me sick.

Those of you moving - I wouldn't get rid of one thing that I didn't have to, that's for sure. We all know those things we've purchased in the past are going to be a lot more expensive now... and possibly harder to find.

Well... I'll talk more later, but have got to get busy around here. SURE enjoyed hearing this, and I do hope it helped talking about it Hostalady. I'm sure Goatlady2 and Tundra Gypsy are glad they're not the only ones in this same predicament.

Hugs to you all.

 

[hostalady]

moving continues, anyone care for fried lamb

Fried Lamb, well there is a God, thank God, I believe in him. Left my hubby alone at old house, while I did R. E. errands this a.m. He decided to remove the Solar (12 volt) wires from the walls, so that the Home inspector does not question all these wires running thru the basement. As in woodworking, it is check twice cut once. Well, I just arrived, walked into the basement, and hubby was clipping the electrical 12V wires. Kneeling on a metal dryer, electrical wire clippers in his hand (not even rubber enclosed) he clipped a AC electrical wire. Sparks flew, he got zapped, I watched it. (Thoughts were, don't touch him, flip the main breaker, Oh my God, what just happened. His right hand was numb, look on his face cannot be decribed. The good news, no damage, learned he had 9 lives, just like my cat. 8 to go.
Well, no more for today on electricity, We shall save that for another day. The funny part of this is yesterday, while moving the basement and rec-room (and I mean a wreck room, storage galore. I said hubby, what is in this box. Told me, as it was labeled. I am labeling everything of his that is going into his shed/workshop. Why.....................he asks. Because if you died tomorrow, I need to know what it is. Well aren't you morbid he said. Well accidents do happen, you could die tomorrow and I don't know what this s..t is. I would throw it all way. Less than 24 hours later, Zap, he could have died. Now to fried Lamb........
Well it's our last name. Next Saga to continue

 

[hostalady]

Moving, electrical, he was zapped

Damages...He is still fine, or so he says, won't sleep all nite worrying if he is just telling me what I need to hear. Noticed a few extra few wrinkles on his face. I'll love each one knowing he is still with me.....Damages to the house....well, let's see, the dishwasher won't come on, all the overhead kitchen recessed lighting is dead and under the counter lights are dead( did I mention that the kitchen was redone 2 years ago!!!!) No big deal.
Just read this post and last one to hubby, he roared, thank God we can laugh about it. Thank God I am not planning to have a memorial for him. He keeps saying, I can't believe I'm not dead.

Now back to moving.... Thursday, 7/1/04 is our deadline. It's not hear yet, but we missed it. All stuff was to be removed.
Ain't gonna happen. After going thru all the food, I have 5 large boxes for the dump of canned food dated from 7/98 thru 02.
Have Fish (goodwill here) dated 02-03, 3 huge boxes to deliver of food. Nope not being dumb.....We have 6 months of 04 food to store. No place for all the food. It's under the bed, in closets, in the loft 30, 5 gallon buckets, in the freeer the flour, the yeast, etc.
We lost track over the last 5 years and didn't rotate.

The very best part of this move to me (not hubby) is a home again. If it doen't fit in the attic or shed or under the bed or in the already made normal closets, oh well, we don't keep it.

I am into surviving, a DGIT to Git it, but there is a point. This place will be a home. It wll look like a home inside and out.


Moved water yesterday, Qt containers. Didn't even empty them.
Have in the attic, bottles galore to refill. No time right now, so had to move the rest full of water. Thank god only a block.
Read Shane, and thught. Oh God, this is the only water stored we have. Well we did it.

Now the 350 Gallon pillow it another story. Thinking maybe I need a water bed. Pray we make it... 7/15 is the day (our goal) to tell our broker (my boss) ok, we are ready. Hubby is still alive,
electric is fixed at house, and yes, we are ready to sell....
Will keep you posted.....

 

[ShepInTheValley]

Oh man, Hostalady! What a close call... what a miracle! Maybe this was in itself a very important lesson... like the most important things can be gone in an instant... in a twinkling of an eye. All our values change in an instant once we face a life and death situation. Thanking the Lord your husband was blessed. And the damages to the house wiring - well.... that can always be remedied with a phone call to an electrician, I'm sure.

On your 350 gallon water pillow... if you happen to have a rec room/den or extra bedroom, maybe you guys could build something like a waterbed frame to put it in (and maybe you should consider a waterbed liner, just for safe measures), then utilize it as an extra "bed", just throwing some comforters over it or something. No one would be the wiser.

I'm still avoiding the garage nightmare myself. Sigh. Instead I chose to treat myself to some pretty flowers to add to our flower beds, since they were looking pretty sparse. I know - I'm bad. But I had a doc's appt and I hate them so much I often 'treat' myself by doing something special for myself. Flowers worked. LOL. Besides - I don't have a deadline like you guys do. Wish I could be there to help you some.

Anxious to continue getting all your updates - those of you who are moving. Goatlady and Tundra Gypsy... be sure to keep us up on how things are going for you too. Did any of you ever say which state you're in? Iowa here. Anyway... hoping things just 'click' together for you all.