My Moving Saga Part 1

Well the movers were 2 days late.  Ok actually one day late then took 1 ½ days to pack and load, even though I had packed almost 200 boxes myself.  The move was good overall as only one item was damaged.

The drive from NM to Maine took 4 days and 3 nights.  The hotels along the way were good and the one in PA was so pet oriented that they had an outdoor area for dogs and treats, as well as a fenced outdoor area for cats.

We were stopped twice by state troopers in TX and IL.  Both apparently were ‘profiling’ based on a van with AZ plates, dark tinted windows and a big dog.   We would get out, sit in their car so their sniffer dog could get a good whiff, be told to slow down or not follow so close and then we were on our way again.  I must say that in both cases we were treated professionally and with respect and for that I am grateful.

We only had one truly bad experience during the drive and that was because when calling ahead for a hotel we got Travelocity instead.  They never identified themselves (not once in 4 phone calls), outright refused to let us speak to a supervisor or manager (even their web site doesn’t have a complaint form, email or USPS address, yet alone a phone number for customer service outside of booking a place or trip).  I strongly recommend never ever using Travelocity!!!!

My daughter’s house is nestled into some woods on the side of a narrow road with a wide stream (which would be considered a big river back in NM) that runs along one side.  It is a rather strange stream as there are dams both up and down stream from house location and depending on which dam is releasing water the stream runs each way. 

My dog Max has seen ‘flying fish’, raccoon, possum, groundhog, fox and we have smelled skunk (thankfully Max hasn’t come face to face with one - yet).  There are tons of birds; yellow finch, sparrow, cardinal, robin, crow, osprey, hawk or falcon (couldn’t tell which) and golden eagle, to name a few.  I’ve also seen dear, raccoon and fisher (a type of weasel) tracks along the stream.

There are tons of wildflowers and I have to keep a constant eye out for poison ivy, oak and sumac which are abundant around here.

Since my in-law suite is not complete just yet I have gotten a room, close to my daughter’s for 4-6 weeks, out at an old farm that is owned by a person that rescues horses.  My dog now has several playmates to romp around with. 

The weather is pleasant; not too hot or cold (yet).  Although it does rain almost every night and the humidity is way up there compared to NM. 

Even though I didn’t want to live east of the Mississippi again, this is very rural, small town, mountain Maine and is surprisingly sparse with people that are good old fashioned down to earth, American, God fearing farmers.  Very few, if any, freeloaders, moochers or people controlled by any of the political parties.  These people employ American citizens before employing non-American residents.  In fact there are very few if any non-American residents here (maybe because this state does not pay out any service monies to non-Americans). These are real independent thinkers and doers – early to bed and early to rise, living off the land, American citizens.  A truly refreshing and blessed place to live for a spell!

Cell reception is sporadic at best and doesn’t really work in either house (probably due to the metal roofs), so it’s really kinda strange to walk outside, step away from the house and have the cell phone suddenly receive several text messages and ‘missed’ calls.

To those of you that regularly read my blog, I will be set up soon so I can get back to it (even though I am no longer urban or in NM).   My first article will be on Choosing a Bug-out Vehicle To Meet Your Specific Needs.

Also note that for some reason, scribd.com decided that I was an ‘inappropriate’ author and deleted my directory.  I am in the process of finding another web publishing site and will update the links to documents on my blog once I have accomplished that.

Keep in touch, take care and may the Creator bless you and yours always ;-}

TNT