Home again

It's been a busy week. Last Thursday evening I was busy getting everything ready for my week away. I needed to remember everything I should take to the conference, everything I would need at Hanna and Craig's, plus the usual beginning-of-shift stuff for hubby AND everything he would need in the truck for when he joined us after his night shifts.

It was about 11:00 when I figured I had everything ready and hopped into the shower to cool off before going to bed. Just as I was reaching for the taps to end the shower, I heard a strange gurgling sound. Hmm. Peed, flushed the toilet, and turned to the sink. Upon which the toilet sloshed water all over the bathroom floor. Plunged the toilet, water gushed up the sink. Again. Hmm. Definitely bedtime! :P

In the morning I just washed my hair in the kitchen sink and used my in-laws' bathroom. I was leaving WITH my m-i-l at 7 am, so that worked. Mentioned to f-i-l, he said it sounded like a blocked vent to him, or maybe tree roots in the septic line. Told him NOT to go checking it out! (He was due to have knee replacement surgery Monday morning so really didn't need the stress/ pain of our septic system acting up). I left a detailed note for hubby and headed off to the conference, where I had an enjoyable Friday/ Saturday with my m-i-l, a sis-i-l, and three nieces. Also ran into an old friend and saw my daughter on some of the breaks.

The Women of Faith conference was fun, but rather on the fluffy side. Concerts by Carolyn Arends and Sandi Patti, talks and comedy and drama by others. Got a ride home with Hanna and some of her pals from her church.

We got into a bit of a stride Sunday afternoon with organizing the packing and taking stock of what had already been done and what the order of business would be for the rest. In the evening I accompanied them to a goodbye barbecue with friends. All day Monday and Tuesday morning we packed like crazy, wiping out closets and cupboards as we emptied them. Jim arrived Tuesday about noon with our truck and a U-Haul trailer. He backed it into place in the driveway and headed for a nap. Hanna had a hair appointment (her stylist is a close friend of hers) so Craig and I began loading the trailer. I must say we done good and had it mostly loaded by mid-evening. By then we had some help!

Wednesday morning we finished with the last of the packing and loading and washing and carpet cleaning and were on the road by 9:30. The truck and trailer were heavily loaded and we have had some issues lately with the truck over-heating so we took it easy on the highway, stopping off at home for a couple hours break in the afternoon as Jim needed to feed the cows (they're finally about out of fresh pasture; it's been a better than usual summer for that aspect). This gave the kids a bit of time to see their grandparents also. Jim's dad was home from his surgery already and recuperating about as well as can be expected.

Then we drove the long way--around the lake and across the ferry rather than over the mountain pass to save the engine on the truck. We pulled into the parking lot at their new place about dusk and waited for the landlord to show up with the key. We unloaded the back of the pickup (which included their bed) and just far enough into the trailer to get to the deep freeze that night. Come morning the guys kept unloading while Hanna and I dashed to the store to find *something* for breakfast and then back to find *something* to cook it in! We'd done a really good job labeling every box and especially of marking with a large 1 anything that would be needed asap. Except the box with the salt and pepper, sadly!

Anyway we got the rest unloaded and made a good effort at unpacking as much as we could so the boxes would have a nice ride to the recycling depot in the U-haul. Hanna also selected some items to come back to the farm for storage as their new places is considerably smaller than their previous one.

Jim and I arrived home late Thursday afternoon, both of us tired and stiff and sore. And still needing to deal with the plumbing issue. This morning he ruled out the vent issue and also the septic line. He had about decided it was the toilet itself and went back to talk to his dad one more time. (Not only is his dad a licensed plumber/ gas fitter, but he built this house with his own hands, including the plumbing system). Then the lights went on as his folks recalled that occasionally the intake hole in the toilet gets clogged with calcium from our hard water. Sure enough, thirty seconds worth of un-clogging and everything is running smoothly again. At least we know the rest of the system is clean and good too! It's a huge relief to have that all operational again.

Meanwhile we'd been up and down from the muddy cellar and with water constantly sloshing all over the bathroom floor, the main floor of the house is just plain dirty. We'd discovered early on that the washing machine didn't seem affected by the plumbing problem so I'd started on the laundry--about the only cleaning task it seemed worthwhile doing until the other was solved.

Now Jim has headed back to drop off the trailer and go to the apartment for (hopefully) a good sleep before day shifts start again in the morning. I have kept the laundry humming (including putting away loads as they come out of the dryer). Our bedding is in the dryer right now. I've dusted and tidied and vacuumed upstairs and done one batch of dishes and cleaned the bathroom from top to bottom. The bath mat and all the towels are in the washer, and the kitchen and living room floors still need doing.

This past week I have gotten my exercise from washing cupboards and carrying boxes. I have mostly eaten what was put in front of me, trying to make wise choices when I had options. The first thing I did yesterday when we got home was pop into the grocery store for some fresh fruit and veggies and a rotisserie chicken! We had the chicken for supper along with a large tossed salad, garlicky green beans (garden), and corn on the cob (garden--a bit unripe yet). Later we had strawberries and vanilla yogurt for snack.

Today I made huckleberry oat bran pancakes for breakfast--I had mine with vanilla yogurt and sugar-free pancake syrup. At lunchtime I fixed a homemade beef and tomato soup with wholegrain toast (margarine). Before Jim left for work we had peach shakes and banana muffins. Supper is chili (glad I had some in the freezer!), salad and toast.

Planning to have the rest of the main floor clean before bedtime--shouldn't be a problem time-wise if my headache stays at bay. I'd like to do some actual relaxing on Saturday! I really over-did my neck and shoulder muscles this week and the old arthritis wants to kick into gear. Hopefully it will subside--it looks like it will.