PLANS FOR MY TRIP SOUTH

Since I don't want to impose on my friends and neighbor again, although they have offered, I will camp in my house. Yes, it will be easy and actually more convenient. Since I turned off the electric and water when I originally left there a year and a half ago to save on the monthly bills that I would have still occurred, I shut them off.

To turn the water off, the water company there had to take out the whole computer in the front of my ranch where their water line runs into my home line. The electric was easy. Just shut it off and someone had come and put a pink tag on my electric meter saying it was shut off.

So I'll make a migshiff latrine with two black plastic bags placed into my toilet. I will fill my two plastic gallon jugs and all my water bottles up for water to wash and make my morning (gotta have) coffee. I'll bring my propane camping stove to boil the water in. Sounds like a plan. Sounds like fun.

It really will be OK considering I'd be spending time in my much beloved ranch and to be able to sleep in my Tempurpedic bed once again. I'll be able to sit in my recliner and although my big TV is still there, I won't be able to watch it, but I'll bring a book and light the area up with my two camping lanterns. The more I think about it, the more I'm looking forward to the trip and doing these ingenious things. If I need a shower, the national park is not too far away and I probably can sneak a shower there, or, if need be, ask my neighbor across the road if I could use his shower. His niece will be there, so it wouldn't be too awkward, that is, if need be. I should only be there three to four days.

Day One: Drive nine hours to get there.
Day Two: Meet with realtors and list the ranch for sale.
Day Three: Store away into my storage buildings as much small "stuff" from the house and pack the van with as much small "stuff," mainly my pictures, oil painting materials I miss so much. The house was pretty much cleared of small, important things I have up here I use on a daily basis, so it looked pretty good before I left the last time, a year ago when I was there. It will look "for sale" ready easy enough.
Day Four: Drive back up to northern California.

Maybe I can get my bedroom night tables into my van. They would come in handy at my apartment to be able to store away some small "stuff."" The apartment is surely becoming a storage area until the "big" move into a home once my ranch sells. It's a sacrifice I've been making for a year and a half, plus the four years before that I've been wanting to get out of southern California, but for one reason, or really the big reason, i.e., the economy, I've been unable to fulfill. I must move forward, bad economy or not. I've had it. The apartment has served me as a base to be able to explore where and where not to buy a home and to be on a full time vacation, hiking, birding and photo shooting with the various organizations I belong.

Once the ranch sells, I'd just have one more trip down south to really pack up everything (still down't know how I'm going to get that final move up here). I'll certainly have to have a home bought beforehand in order to just move in everything from my ranch and my apartment. Doing this all myself is one of the most challenging things I've been faced with in my life, but I'm up to the challenge. I may just hire one of those big moving companies like Mayflower and let them do everything. I know it will be very expensive, but I don't know if I could handle driving a moving van by myself then still having to go back down to southern California again, rent a car just to go back and get my van. I'll just take one step at a time and hopefully maybe my realtor down there can help me by giving me some references on moving companies.

I look forward to seeing my friends down there in between all of my must do things and catching up on things besides just our e-mails to one another. That will certainly be part of my in between business things I have to do. But, business before pleasure.

So these are tentative plans. I must prepare the van. Get oil changed, van washed, laundry done, prepare kitty boxes, food and water bowls, brush kitty day before leaving. I need my space from kitty. As he's getting older, he's about 14 years old now, he's getting more clingy. We've lived together for almost 13 years. He can't be away from me at anytime. He has to sleep with me, touching me or leaning against me, spooning or some other cute thing he does to get my attention, love, kisses, scratches, hugs, stories I tell him, the ABC song I sing to him or some other song I make up at the time. When he does such cute things or just gives me those adoring looks and stares with those great, big eyes on that small baby face, I just can't resist doing such old lady with a cat things you hear about.

I'm exhausted, but yet excited about all of the things I have to do in the meantime. Wish me luck!