Almost

esterday after work my co-worker and her husband brought their truck and helped me move all the big stuff out of my storage unit and over to the trailer. I have plastic tubs of many colors ringing my front deck at this point. I'll go over in a few minutes and get the last of the smaller stuff, and then I will at least have all my things out here in one place. Now that my ankle is not hurting and feeling weak as much my attitude is improving. This morning I went over to the small State Park near me and hike about a mile. It was a good test of my leg and ankle, and they passed pretty much. It did hurt to climb into the Jeep after the hike, but I did ok after that. The hike was nice. Things here are still green even in winter. Damp, chilly, and green are not what I'm used to. Still, it was good to get outside again and get some exercise.

One day this week I was driving to work and happened to look off to the side of the interstate. There was this HUGE mountain right there that I hadn't noticed being able to see till then. It's Mt. Rainier. Kinda hard to miss when it's clear out. It is strange, cause from here to there seems to be pretty flat, then the mountain just kinda appears. I'll drive over there soon. I'm waiting on the roads to have some chance of being open up in the higher elevations. It's about an hour away, I think.

I'm Tired

I'm tired of moving. I have maybe a third of my stuff moved out of the storage unit. I'll keep at it. I have till the end of the month.

I know that I have not had a great attitude about this entire move. Everyone but me has been excited about it. It is different when a move is planned in advance, and is something that has been designated a Good Thing from weighing all the alternatives, etc. This move kinda just happened. So, I've decided that it's time for a change in perspective.

I am very grateful to have a job. And, it seems to be a job that I will enjoy. I'm in a nice area of the country (even though I was also in a nice area before the move). There is a lot to do around here. I just need to get settled, or get more mobile by getting rid of stuff. One or the other. I can't keep moving all this crap... err, stuff around. I'm sore, I'm tired, I'm grumpy. I want to be able to get out and see this new area without feeling guilty that I still don't have everything moved in.

One load moved today, at least one more to go.

Snow

We got let out early today because it snowed. I thought that Nashville was a bit slow with snow after moving there from Indiana. Back in Indiana if I didn't hear the snow plow on my residential street by 6am on days it snowed I was miffed. In Nashville, the main roads got plowed on a fairly regular basis if it was snowing, but the secondaries were on their own for the most part till it quit snowing. The word was, stay put till 10am or so and let it just melt. Here, they apparently don't own plows at all. Even on the interstate there was no evidence of any snow plows and it snowed all day. The temp was 35-39 degrees, so it was more slush than anything. The grass is green under the snow. It's funny, but I finally warmed up when it started snowing. The damp chilliness went away.

Yesterday on my way out the door for my first day of work I missed the bottom step off my deck and twisted my ankle. I've been gimping around work. Great first impression. For the most part no one really cares I'm there at this point anyway. Not that anyone is unfriendly. I'm just not a part of their world yet. In the military (from my limited experience) folks tend to 'stay in their lane' and concentrate on what is needed for what they are responsible for. I'm still working on what I need to have the credentials to do my job. It's a slow process. However, work is very low-stress at this point.

Between the snow today, and the sore ankle yesterday I haven't moved anything more over from the storage unit. It is frustrating not to have my stuff. For the most part things I reach for and don't have are things I did bring with me, they are just over in the unit. I think dish washing detergent (which I did go buy tonight) and wastebaskets (I need to get soon) are the only things I know I need that I didn't bring with me.

Sunday Evening

I am unpacking. I went to the unit and got a few more of the suitcases. Luckily I got the ones that had the bathroom things I needed, or really just wanted. The cats are settled in and playing and romping and napping with me in the hammock. Things seem to be on track. However, I'm feeling unsettled. Like I forgot something. Maybe my life? Like I left it back in Nashville? I just tell myself to give it time. Get all my stuff over here from the storage unit and start whittling it down. Make a (long) list of my bills and when they need to be paid. Get a routine going. It will all fall into place.

I want to go back home.

But I can't.

Normal Life

Yesterday went a bit slower than I had planned. I was up and ready for work around 7:30am. My ride in from my co-worker took a bit longer to show up. Once she broke away and got me at around noon, things went fairly smooth. We had lunch at the pizza place near the hotel (which was good), then got my various ID cards and vehicle registration so that I can get on post on Monday. Then we picked up her kids from daycare,and she dropped me back off at the Jeep. I drove over and paid my deposits and got the key to the mobile home I'll be renting. The rent kinda went up a bit, I think I am the first one of the year, and the manager first quoted me the old rate. I didn't write it down, so it's a moot point. It wasn't much different anyway. So, I unloaded the Jeep into the home, and came back here to the hotel for the night.

My back is starting to hurt more, so I think getting back into a hammock to sleep will be a good thing. Even if it is the (relatively cheap) Coleman portable setup I got the other day. This morning I'll make at least one trip over with just the stuff from the room, then the cats will ride over in the crate (not look forward to getting them into it again...). I have to be out of here at noon, so best get started on the process.

I'm looking forward to being settled in again. I am starting to really realize that I don't have anyone to call to have dinner with or go do any of the things I'm planning for the weekend. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

Got It

I got a call from the manager of the mobile home park last night. I was approved for the mobile home. I am going into work later this morning for awhile, then I'll go over to the park and give the deposits and rent and start moving in. I probably won't move the cats till in the morning, but I have at least 2 other Jeep loads of stuff to take first. I got a Coleman portable hammock and stand to sleep on for now. I have my 2 camp chairs, and my recliner. Of course, I'm not sure how to get the recliner to the mobile home if it doesn't fit in the Jeep...

I'll try to post pics of my new digs tomorrow.

Now I'm Worried

I got the truck filled up with gas and turned in. Cannibal, you did good on the repair to the carrier where I ran the fender into the concrete, it wasn't even mentioned. Then I applied for the mobile home at the park next to the storage place. Most likely I can move in starting Friday. So, I extended my stay here at the hotel through Saturday morning. It will take several trips to get me, the cats, and the stuff in the room over to the mobile home. After that I went to dinner at a place close to the hotel, which turned out to be an oriental buffet. I ate as much there as I have in the entire time since I left Nashville. After that I went to Cabellas and looked around. No hammock stands there right now. Did see a hammock in a box, so I'm pretty sure I was in the area where they would have been. This may call for a trip to REI in Seattle this weekend. So, things are falling into place after all the adventure of first going to Germany for 3 weeks, then hearing about the layoff and worrying about it over the Holidays, then finding out I would be laid off and starting the job search, they getting laid off, breaking down and applying for the job out here, getting hired, packing up the house, loading the truck, driving for 4 days straight, unloading the truck, finding a place to live...

Oh, why am I now worried? My fortune cookie at the oriental buffet? It said: Soon your life will get more interesting.

Movin' On

I picked a storage unit place out of the on-line yellow pages, reserved a unit through their central off (Public Storage, you don't get to talk to the locals till you commit), and when I got there it was a place I could also drop off the truck and carrier. Got the Jeep off the carrier and got it unhooked and unofficially turned in. Then I spent the rest of the day unloading all the stuff I drug out here. It barely fit into the 10x10 unit. The Jeep is stuffed, and that doesn't account for all the stuff I've got in the hotel room. It's going to take several trips to get moved out of the motel room. I extended for another day.

I need to shower and then get breakfast somewhere on the way to check in the truck. Then, start looking for a temporary home. There is a sign at the small trailer court next to the storage place that says Mobile Home for Rent. I'll start there. I grew up in trailer courts, so living in one is no big deal. RV parks seem to be just up-scale trailer courts anyway. If the mobile home is month-to-month it will buy me time to find my own RV.

At bit later... I got a couple of phone calls, and one of them was from Lori, my new co-worker. I verified that the mobile home park is in an ok part of town, so if the accomodations work I'll probably do that. I've had my shower, and Advil, and 2nd or 3rd cup of coffee. The world looks brighter.

I made It

Copied from my post on HammockForums.net since I'm still tired:

Thank you, everyone, for the prayers and posts of encouragement. I slept in this morning, 8 am, but here it's only 6! I get to cheat like that for awhile till I get acclimated . I felt the prayers the entire time I was driving out here. In fact I smiled at one point when I had stopped to get gas. I had gotten chilled while filling the truck, and decided once I was in the rig to toss a coke bottle. I was too tired/cold to get back out again, so I just kinda leaned out and threw it in the general direction of the trash bin. I swear there was an 'assist' to that bank shot because it wasn't really close enough to get in on it's own, and I really didn't want to have to get out and pick it up.

The trip went well, better than I had any right to expect. Joyce took me in when plan A didn't work. All the rest areas in IL were full because eveything in KY was closed. Neo and Joyce insisted that I stay with her. It was a wonderful experience, and she and Shadow (her dog) gave up their bedroom for me and the cats. Shadow wasn't even allowed to play with the cats, much as he wanted to.

The trip across MO and KS was mainly just long. I slept in the truck when I got tired and just kept driving. When I limped into Denver I was met with a hug by Cannibal and he and Genuine Draft took me in and made me feel at home. They fed me pizza for dinner, and then Cannibal made me warm cinnamon rolls while Genuine Draft made me coffee for breakfast. I didn't want to leave.

I left Denver with no plan other than just drive. I was having good weather, but didn't know how long that would last. I just beat feet all through WY, at least as much as the poor truck could do with those inclines while pulling my Jeep on the carrier behind it. I knew that it was the end of January and I was further north than this Southern chick ever wanted to be this time of year. The weather was stable, and while there was snow on the ground the roads were clear the entire way.

I made 11 states in 4 days. I'm in a really nice place, a Guest House International. I'm in a 'family suite' and if needed the cats could have their own bedroom with bunk beds. . Breakfast downstairs, an indoor pool with jacuzzi and work out room and laundry facilities. I will say the folks here have been really wonderful. I'm taking up a large chunk of their parking lot with the big truck and car carrier. I can't afford to stay here but a couple of nights, as the relocation fund is draining fast.

First up, after coffee and cleanup, is to unload the cab of the truck and the Jeep. Then find a storage unit, unload the truck, and if it's early enough, turn it in. Then I can relax a bit. Tomorrow and the next day explore and find a place to live longer term. Friday I'll go in and get ID's and meet my new co-workers.

And so ends the saga of Shadowmoss Heads West. Thanks for the support and prayers, they have meant a lot.

In Denver

I am sitting in Denver at Cannibal and Genuine Draft's place. We are drinking coffee and Cannibal fixed me a warm cinnamon roll. Things with the trip are working very well. No issues, except just driving. The cats are doing ok. They calm down immediately when I can get them out of the carrier. They are well behaved cats when I've stayed at people's homes, using the litter box and not making messes.

I'll leave here in a bit, and head north. The weather looks good for the next few days. I'm not sure about WY, it's supposed to be windy (duh). I'm heading into unknown territory. I haven't been in this area in 20 years.