Surviving the Auction

Oh, Mother Hubbard, my aching back, legs, sides, shoulders, arms! You get the idea. And the weather is most unseasonably cool — nearly cold in fact with the need to run the furnace in the house for the last two nights.

We had to have everything taken to the auction barn by 1pm on Friday & the cool weather made it tolerable for getting the last of our ‘stuff’ loaded. I would have literally melted if it had been 90+º like earlier this week. I gotta say, I’m very proud of Jeff & me for getting the very heavy & unstable pieces of woodworking & farm equipment loaded onto the flat bed trailer all by ourselves — without breaking anything (on us or the equipment). Didn’t know I could do it! But, we’re both paying for it now. I’m not moving normal yet without the help of ibuprophen. We picked up the tally sheet & check this morning. Of course we didn't make as much as we'd hoped, but there were some real surprises. The flat bed trailer brought $300 more than we paid for it, but my dear little Ford 8N tractor sold for $400 less than we'd hoped. Thankfully, we made a profit on some 'freebies' we'd accumulated thru the years. I don't plan on EVER accumulating enough stuff again to have need for an auction!



My peonies are blooming. Yeah!! Sometimes it rains too much this time of year & prevents the ants from helping the buds bloom. So, how do you pronounce this flower? As “pee OWN nee” (like me) or “PEE un nee” (like Jeff)?

A big thank you for the words of encouragement I’ve received from my readers. It helps a lot in the middle of the night when I wake up wondering if we’ve lost our minds & made a very bad decision to full time in a fiberglass egg.

My favorite flowers are bearded irises. They don’t need any “tending” & are very hardy left on their own. I’m so glad we’re still here to see most of them bloom.


Now that we’ve got the big stuff moved out, we’re still finding yard sale items. I keep going thru my clothes picking out a few more items that I don’t have room for & hope I won’t ever miss or need. I wonder about what to wear for the occasional wedding or funeral, or how “nice” should I dress for workkamping office duties. I’m basically a T-shirt/shorts or sweatshirt/sweatpants type of person. I seem to have this tired-brain-syndrome where I just want to stay put like a sick chicken — without thinking or feeling. Deadlines seem to be my only motivation.

Speaking of feelings, Thursday I watched Jeff drive the flat bed trailer off with the 1948 Ford 8N tractor my dad gave me 24 yrs ago to use around my wooded acreage. My daddy is an old farmer (still alive at 89) & still asks about the tractor. The only way to express what I’m feeling is that I wonder why I’m not sadder about all our “treasured” items going to new homes. I wonder if it’ll all HIT me later, if I’ll get homesick, or if I’ll have some sort of regrets about becoming a transient. Fortunately, Jeff has always told me that being with him is an adventure & that’s always kept the good, the bad, & the ugly in balance. In many ways, this is scarier for me than starting treatments for breast cancer. I had my house & familiar people & surroundings for security during that year — but soon, my only cocoon will be the Casita (which definitely feels very cozy & secure). The idea of traveling with all my worldly goods to unfamiliar places is strange — & frightening.

Guess I just need to grab hold of my mind & continue to concentrate on the immediate goal of our new life of full timing. I know that I’m a survivor [even from my own bad decisions], that nothing happens by accident, that life is about the journey — not the destination, and that I am exactly where I need to be. I’ll just keep looking forward, tighten my grip, & appreciate the beauty & good times of the adventure!