The Bare Essentials

Yeah, it's December 2nd and the goal was to be out of the rental and into my house by yesterday. The thing is, with Thanksgiving and the end of the Montana general hunting season being yesterday, I asked for a few days to get moved out. I think my landlord felt a little guilty for a number of reasons so she didn't have a problem with it.

Bare with me for a minute. I hate moving. I know I've said it and I'm sorry for sounding like a broken record but this will be the 3rd time in 13 months. We all have choices and I admit, I've made mistakes but this past year or so has been tough. Being forced to move, trying to deal with a roommate and her boyfriend, mysteriously missing hundreds of dollars and about $800 worth of GoPro cameras and gear while 'they' moved out...by the way, there were only three of us that had access to the house and one wasn't on the lease. All I can say is good luck with your new boyfriend, Liz.

(It's a long story and I won't bore you with the details but it's why all these videos of the remodel were taken with my phone. A week after my roommate moved out, all my GoPros were stolen. The roommate and boyfriend turned in her keys but kept the garage door opener. I came home twice to find the garage door open and that's when the GoPros were taken. Hence the landlord feeling guilty for not making sure the house was secure when the roommate took herself off the lease.)

As for the house and the goal to make it 'livable,' I feel like I've hit my mark. The concept of livable is fairly subjective. We all have our limits and needs. All I need for the short-term is a place to rest my head, shower, and leave a morning deposit. The only thing that's left with that is to hook up the vanity with water and drain. That will happen today. Otherwise, we're all set and I have to admit, it's looking pretty cool. The rest will come with time. I've been working every day on this and I think for my own sanity, I need to slow down a bit and take my time finishing the kitchen and making the rest of the house more livable.

I think the smart thing to do is rent another storage unit so to keep the clutter down. What I've noticed in myself through this process is that clutter creates OCD in me. The electricians came last Wednesday and ran the wires for the bathroom and started the kitchen so I could hang sheet rock. In doing so, they tore everything apart and I was left with a mess. It is what it is and it had to be done but I spent most of a day bouncing around the house trying to put things back into some sort of order. (This house is quickly becoming a metaphor.)

So the next few days will involve some heavy lifting and moving. The kitchen was ordered last week with cabinets and new appliances. That will all be here in a few weeks. While I wait, I'm going to spend some time on things that make me happy. That involves Cutter, cold weather, and lots of ducks and geese.

Keep 'em where they live...