Big day yesterday

The old trailer house that we brought here for my mom and dad back around 1986 has done its duty:  Mother lived there until she decided she wanted to  move to a less rural setting, closer to her friends and Church.  Then a family of four moved in, and they lived there thirteen years.  Now they've moved, and you can see for yourself that the old trailer is ready for the bone yard.  

The roof my mom had some guys build over the house has lost shingles, and the trim is falling off.  The steps to the porch made entering and exiting dangerous.  The inside of the house is in even worse condition.  When electrical problems recently started in one end of the house, we told the people we didn't want to see them die in a fire on our property.  We told them to live here rent-free and look for a place, giving them a deadline four months in advance.  
Thankfully, they found a home.  I'm sure everybody is happy with this deal:  They have a more livable house, and our property value will raise the minute that mess is gone.  
My son is here from Georgia, and he and Cliff spent much of yesterday getting ready to move the trailer.  A neighbor boy removed the aluminum skirting, which he'll turn in for cash.  Kansas City Power and Light came out and removed the meter and line to the house.  The next job Cliff and Jim faced was to shut off the water line running from the well-house to the trailer.  At one time there had been a shut-off valve, but it had given up the ghost at some point.  So the line had to be capped.  

My son bravely climbed down into a pit crawling with slugs and spiders to do the dirty work.  He's used to this sort of thing; he spent time in Saudi Arabia during Desert Storm.  

There was no shortage of observers and advisors.  

You can see the old trailer house in the background, skirting and porch now removed.  

Jim capped the pipe, and the deed was done.  Before you know it, there will be grass growing where once a family lived.  Stay tuned; the next chapter may be even more intriguing.  

busy days

Cliff has been busy doing a few honey-dos here in the house. I needed my refrigerator to open from the left instead of the right; I needed some curtain rods placed higher. We're getting those kinds of things done, gradually.

Today we combined several trips into one, since we had to head to the big city. We hit Sam's Club, Walmart, a Mahindra tractor dealer (for parts for a brother-in-law's tractor), and a mobile-home sales place.

We've lived in mobile homes before, so we already knew the drawbacks of trailer-house living when we bought this house. The reason they're so cheaply priced is that they're cheaply built. Yes, the walls are just a step above cardboard. Ask me if I care, while I'm enjoying my air conditioning and lots of electrical outlets and TWO bathrooms.

We bought a house cheaper than the price of most new cars. If it wears out, we'll just buy another one.

I've found some wonderful websites with tips and accessories to help fix up a used mobile home. Funny thing, though: The best resource we've found is Burkhart's Mobile Home Sales in Kansas City. The guy can get anything you need for a mobile home, and his prices are reasonable. Plus, he'll tell you how to install the product. Or he'll give you the name and number of somebody who can.

Why go looking all over the Internet when somebody forty miles away is that helpful? I'm glad we found him.

I got the fire pit I ordered, today. Bonfires in the back yard. Hooray!

odds and ends

I've been moving all week long, and now have most of my earthly possessions here at the mobile home. It's been a week of ups and downs, and there is still much to do. Today Culligan will see that our water softening equipment is installed; and the central air conditioning will be hooked up and charged, just in time for a heat wave: I'll have A/C for the first time in my life.

Also, an exterminator will come by and treat beneath the trailer for ants. He was going to be in the area treating a local church anyway, so he gave me a deal. No guarantees, though: "If you live in Missouri, you will have ants," he told me. Thank goodness for Terro, which has killed literally thousands of the little varmints in the past few days. Amazing stuff, and I read about it on somebody's blog. I may be the last civilized person to discover this stuff, because both my sister and my daughter were familiar with it.

Those are dead ants you're seeing. I love dead ants.

Although not everything is hung up or put away properly, the inside of this trailer house is feeling like home. As for the outside, that will probably take all summer. We will eventually have a driveway and a yard and some add-on porches and a deck; right now we're simply in a trailer house in the middle of the pasture, out behind the barn.

You can't believe how much quieter it is, five hundred feet further back than the old house. I haven't seen a single dog crapping near this house. Sadie used to spend half her days barking at the numerous mongrels roaming through our yard; now the only dog she occasionally sees is the retarded boxer she hates with a passion.

I can barely hear motorcycles going past on the gravel road, or on the highway.

I'm throwing away clothes I don't wear and items I don't use (except for the silly old things I love, and in this house, I can keep those in reach and revel in the memories they evoke). I sold my Kitchen-Aid mixer for $75 on Craigslist, because at this point in my life all I need is a hand mixer. I don't bake like I did a dozen years ago when I bought the thing.

I am thoroughly enjoying having a second bathroom, another first for me. No more waiting for Cliff to hurry up and get ready for work so I can "go". Ah yes, an addition to my list of life's simple pleasures.
I rode my horse twice this past week. One of those days, I was surprised to see a young lady park her car and take a walk on the river bottoms; it's so secluded down there, I'd hate to be on foot all alone.
This is a rambling bit of nonsense, I know. I usually try not to cover numerous subjects in one entry, but since I already have, I'll share a couple of pictures of Cinch, the pup belonging to the couple who board their horses here. There he is with his proud owner, Adam.
He's a difficult dog to photograph because he's so seldom still.
Here he is practicing his herding techniques on Secret, who is neither impressed nor intimidated.