Well it’s official….we’ve found a new place to live. Over the last week/weekend we made plans to look at some potential houses for the big move. There were a lot of places that sounded like they’d be great. One was a nice double wide with some additions…it looked really nice. It was on 17 acres which was something I really wanted. However I wasn’t willing to share it with the other tenant who lived in another trailer on the same property. It just seemed like a bad idea to share space with a stranger.
Another place we actually went to look at was a nice looking (from the pictures) 2 story farm house on four acres with a fenced in pasture & a barn. Not that we need a barn but with dogs it is nice to be able to put them outside & yet know they have a nice sheltered place to be if we are gone for a few days. Walking into this house gave me the idea that things would be difficult living there. The front corner of the house had settled quite a lot so there was a pronounced slope to the entry & kitchen. I’m fairly certain that putting an egg on the (miniscule) kitchen counter would have led to the egg being smashed in the corner of the room. The dining room was very nice…easily the nicest in the house…with beautiful hardwood floors, built in cabinets & really nice wood throughout. However, there were supposed to be 3 bedrooms…well since the upstairs was not available (some lady likes to come & stay there from time to time I guess. And there isn’t a separate entrance for her plus she’d have to use the main bathroom & kitchen) they had taken the formal sitting rooms (which were divided by a giant pocket door) and closed them off creating 2 “bedrooms”. This meant that there was only one common living area (the dining room) which was NOT large enough to hold our living room furniture let alone a table & chairs. So that left us with one more place to inspect before we were back to square one.
The final place we actually went to inspect is 30 miles west of Sioux Falls. A bit further than we’d like but still easily in reach since it’s interstate driving. It’s in town (another thing I especially wanted to avoid as I like my space, don’t really like people, and I want to have plenty of room for our dogs) but it was the right size & the right price! We ended up taking the tour in the dark (the owner had the power shut off & our appointment was for 7 PM) & cold. It was an adventure navigating the house with only flashlights. Still it was a really nice house. There is plenty of space of us & we will have room for guests as well (if we ever have any). There is a teeny back yard so it will be a huge adjustment for the dogs but we have a nice large garage so they can be in there too. Overall we are very happy with the house & know that it’s only temporary as we have a one year lease & then can look for something else if we want.
Now comes the packing which I hate. Our house is a jumbled mess (one because I am a terrible housekeeper & two because we’ve started packing already) & we’ve got 3 weeks to pack, clean & move 400 miles in the winter. I have no idea how we will manage to move our stuff (there’s a lot of furniture & things like the grill, lawnmower, dog house) without stealing an 18 wheeler. I can’t think about it too much or I end up crying/having a panic attack.
I will miss our old house. It isn’t perfect but it is our little world. We can sit outside without people seeing us, there’s a fire pit & lots of room for the dogs. We have gorgeous trees that flower & turn bright pink in the spring. There are lots of birds & even an occasional deer will wander through. It is my haven, my Fortress of Solitude & I will miss it greatly.
