May 2017

May began with me replacing the alternator on Jay.  Afterward it seemed that the battery was also not taking a charge despite being less than a year old so I took it to Wal-Mart to get a replacement.  It turned out the battery was fine and the battery cables were just not connecting well enough.  Now that I think about it the alternator was probably ok too.  *sigh*

Susan took Tweetie to the vet and I met them there to see about getting her bowel issues figured out.  Susan had noticed puss-drool under Tweetie’s chin and the vet found an abscessed molar.  We set up a dental for Friday and went home with prescription canned food to calm Tweetie’s stomach.  On Friday the vet pulling her teeth (she had an additional tooth pulled) found that cancer is growing on the roof of her mouth.  Again we both were there to pick her up and talk with the vet.  They took a sample for testing and we’ll find out more information next week.  The abscess caused Tweetie’s face to be swollen on her right side and she sneezes and makes funny snorting sounds. 

May 6 weekend – Friday night after coming home from work with Tweetie and Bella (Susan had taken Bella to work on Friday and I drove Tweetie home from the vet) we packed some before going to bed.  Saturday morning we got up around 8:30 and after taking care of the pugs went to sign a lease on a storage unit close to our (hopefully) new home in Parker.  Susan had slept on the floor in the kitchen with Tweetie who was vomiting the night before (side-effects of the anesthesia from her dental) and was tired.  We brought with us a couple of sets of wheels and tires in Jay to start the moving process.  It didn’t take us long to sign the lease and drop off the wheels and tires and we decided to head into the city of Parker and have a late breakfast at Village Inn.  The restaurant wasn’t exactly close but the food and coffee were tasty enough when we got there.  Afterwards we went home to pack more.  The plan for the evening was to pick up Kari and head up to J J Madwell’s in Aspen Park for John’s birthday and as an early Mother’s Day celebration for Karen.  As we had extra time before we needed to pick up Kari we took the opportunity to drop off some donations at the Salvation Army and do some quick shopping at Costco (wine and storage bins).  The timing worked out well as we picked up Kari and arrived just after Karen and John at the restaurant.  The food was good and we talked and talked.  We ended up leaving after almost three hours which had our hind-quarters wishing the seats had padding.  It was a nice time for sure. 

Sunday morning Susan and I got up and loaded up the car trailer with most of the remaining tires and wheels and all the boxes and bins we had ready to go.  Susan found a long nylon rope we had in the garage which we used to tie everything down.  This along with some strategically placed tie-down straps was employed and we headed out.  The drive was smooth until we got onto Lincoln where the concrete was extremely bumpy.  We had to quickly stop and tighten and restack some of the wheels as the jouncing had stuff almost falling off the trailer.  Luckily we were very close to the storage unit at this point and made it the rest of the way fine.  After moving everything into the storage unit we went home to reward ourselves with Mike’s Hard Lemonade and some chili I whipped up.  We (mostly Susan) then packed up a few boxes for me to drop off on Monday morning (the storage unit is just outside my normal morning commute).  The weather was acting strange with crazy rain blowing into our neighborhood.  We opened up the garage to watch the rain fall and sat in chairs talking about our move.  After we were thoroughly chilled and the rain had blown past our area we went inside to pack more and hang with the pugs.  Thus we ended this first weekend of May. 

May 13 weekend – Friday night Jeff reached out to Susan to see if we wanted to hang out.  Of course we did and he came by for the evening.  We talked about this and that and, after some prompting from Jeff, bought ice cream from Safeway for a late evening snack.  It was a nice time. 

Saturday morning we woke up around 8:00 ready for the day.  We hooked up the car trailer to the Suburban and headed off to get coffee before making our way to our storage unit.  The day after we had moved the majority of tires into the storage unit (Monday) Susan got a call from an employee there.  Apparently they don’t allow more than four tires to be stored and we had to move them out.  As the storage of the tires was one of the main reasons for having the storage unit we ended our relationship with them and had to move them to a different place that did allow tire storage.  After a tense phone call between me and Gary at the first storage place we agreed to move out on Saturday and they’d refund the remainder of the month’s rent.  Thus Susan and I went to the storage unit with an empty car trailer and proceeded to pack up everything we’d previously stored there.  Fortunately we were able to load everything in the Suburban and onto the trailer in one shot and brought it to another, albeit less-convenient, storage place which had assured me over the phone that they allowed tires.  I was only mildly surprised that the person on site stated exactly the opposite regarding storing tires but also that she’d pretend she didn’t know about our numerous tires (good enough for us!).  We finished the transition around 1:00 and caught lunch at the Chili’s on the way home.  We were wiped out and were planning on calling it a day but found that we were re-energized by the time we got home and ended up making another trip to the unit with shelves from the basement.  Thanks to copious zip ties and Susan’s vigilance in tying them down the shelves made the voyage without issue.  After we got home we packed more before rewarding ourselves with an evening hanging with the pugs. 

Tweetie’s difficulty breathing through her nose had me up before 5:00 am on Sunday morning.  Initially we figured the abscessed tooth was the cause of her sneezing and swelling but now we know it’s the cancer in her mouth and the tooth was a symptom.  It’s hard to hear her struggle and know that we can’t help her.  I decided to waste my morning playing video games until Susan got up and we fed the pugs.  Susan worked on packing boxes in the kitchen while I mowed the back yard.  Then we proceeded to load the boxes and donation items in both Jay and the evo and head back to the storage unit.  With the shelves set up in the unit packing in more items is now inherently organized which is nice.  After we were finished I dropped off donation items in Jay and Susan headed home in the evo. 

We have an ongoing passive-aggressive parking spat with our next door neighbor Sam.  We fully acknowledge that we have a car-buying problem and also fully-utilize the available street parking.  As we live on a public street parking is first-come first-serve and anyone can technically park in front of any house.  Of course we all generally try to only park in front of our own homes as a courtesy which is nice but somehow our neighbor “claims” the parking spot next to our driveway which bridges the property line.  This isn’t a big deal and we’ve always moved our cars so he can have “his” spot until recently.  Now that we’re moving my level of caring about leaving the spot open (he rarely actually parks anything there) has come down considerably and we’ve been parking Jay there for the past several weeks.  On one of our trips to shuttle boxes to the storage unit using Jay he (unsurprisingly) moved one of his vehicles to the vacated spot (this has happened before).  I wasn’t mad because I understand how it goes and could park somewhere else (there is always more parking down the street).  No biggie.  Hilariously (at least to me) the car he moved to take Jay’s prior parking spot came from the other side of his driveway.  Thus I parked Jay in the now-vacated spot.  I consider it a check in our passive-aggressive parking game of chess.  Your move Sam! 

Anyways, when I got home from dropping off donation stuff I was again able to park next to neighbor’s drive which brought me much spiteful delight.  The plan for the rest of the afternoon was to do some Costco shopping and we left to do so (not taking Jay of course).  We stopped at the Roxborough Tavern for lunch as we were both starved.  Susan got their guac burger and I their southwest burger which is served in a tortilla smothered in chili (it was weirdly tasty).  We left with full bellies and couldn’t help but think we’d miss the place after we moved.  Costco was Costco and after we left Susan thought maybe we could catch Kari and Alvin at their property so we drove up there.  We seem to have bad luck seeing them there unannounced and pulled into their land just to flip a u-turn and come home as Kari and Alvin weren’t there.  As I don’t mind driving and it was a beautiful day I did not judge this a negative or a waste of time.  Once home we packed up enough kitchen stuff for me to drop off at the unit before work the next morning and I cooked dinner.  I called Mom to wish her a happy mother’s day and we spent the rest of the evening on the couch with the pugs.  A fine and productive weekend for sure. 

May 19 weekend – This weekend started off rather sad.  We had Tweetie euthanized on Friday morning.  Her difficulty breathing was causing her almost constant misery.  When she could hardly eat on Friday morning we knew a line had been crossed.  The tumor was not ever going to get better and her suffering would only increase.  We took the day off to grieve and hug Bella a lot.  Tweetie was always the troublemaker and the one we had to make sure wasn’t up to something.  She also was so loving and a cuddle-bug.  She especially liked being with me and I’ll miss her by my side.  With just Bella in the house it is so quiet. 

Saturday was a productive day as we loaded up the Suburban with boxes and dropped them and the rally supplies (which was taking a lot of space in the truck) off at the storage unit.  I made us coffee before we left and we let Bella have free reign (this probably will become the norm for her).  Then we went home for another load of boxes and a shelf from the garage.  Jeff reached out to Susan to see what we were up to and we invited him over for dinner and conversation.  I made hamburgers on the stove using an old camping pan that had a lid (we’d packed up all our regular pans with lids).  A new/used gas grill is on our list of things to buy for the new house but probably won’t become a reality until after we are finished moving.  In any case the burgers were fantastic and we ate them and some standard salad sides (macaroni and potato).  After eating we spent some time in the garage talking with the door open.  Tristan dropped by for awhile before we went inside to warm up and talk more.  It was a nice evening and Jeff stayed until around 9:00. 

Sunday began with me waking up around 4:30 for no good reason that I could determine.  What was clearly evident was that I was not going back to sleep so after laying in bed for an hour I got up and fed Bella before plopping myself on the couch for some solitary video games.  A couple of hours later and Susan was also awake and we were packing up what we could.  At 11:00 we went to US Bank to close on our second mortgage so we loaded up the Suburban with what we had to take another trip to the storage unit afterwards.  The close went fine and we were soon on our way.  We didn’t have the time before the close to load up much in the Suburban so it was a quick drop-off at the unit.  On the way home we decided to stop at The Container Store and Pets Mart.  We found a bin for the rest of Susan’s records at The Container Store (we were one crate shy) and a bully stick for Bella at Pets Mart before we dropped off a bunch more donation stuff at Goodwill.  Once home we spent a few hours sifting through old stuff and packing up more boxes and things.  We decided we didn’t have enough to warrant using the Suburban for a final trip to the unit and instead loaded up the WRX.  After dropping off what we had Susan convinced me that dinner at Texas Roadhouse would be proper and we went there to eat.  The food and drinks were yummy and we talked at length about the move, plans for the new house, and how we are going to handle a rental property.  That evening we hung out with Bella and each other.  Thus ended a sad but ultimately productive weekend. 

On Monday night we picked up a workbench including vice from a guy moving to Florida.  The previous night Susan found the ad on craigslist for said workbench and vice which happened to be located roughly a mile from the storage unit we’re using.  $25 and the heavy duty bench and vice were ours.  He was also getting rid of a caster-cart which he was happy for us to take.  We quickly dropped our new goodies off at the unit while the sky rained on us.  We had hoped to eat at the Jimmy Johns close to the new house but found that the location was under construction and not open yet.  Instead we went home where I made dinner which included fresh garlic Susan convinced me to buy (yum).  The next night had me at his house again to pick up two long folding tables for $10.  I was glad to take them off his hands. 

May 26 weekend – Friday was an overly-stressful day.  The day before I had picked up the second mortgage check and had it deposited (necessary for close).  Friday we found out there was an issue with the appraisal which could cause the closing to be delayed.  It ended up that, yes, a deadline was missed and late Friday we were informed the close would be delayed until June 2.  We were bummed but such it is.  Luckily for us the possession date remained the same as we didn’t have to reschedule various utilities installations/consultations. 

Saturday began with taking care of Bella and home-brewed coffee.  We then commenced packing up boxes to bring to the storage unit.  We’re getting to the last of the easily packable stuff and the storage unit is actually quite full.  On the way there we stopped at Great Beginnings Café for breakfast.  The restaurant is located very close to our new home and we wanted to try the place out.  It ended up being a great experience and I’m sure we’ll be eating there often once we’re settled in.  As it was still early we set out to Costco after we got back home.  Likely it was our last trip there until after we move which is crazy to think about.  Once home we loaded up more stuff (book shelves as well as boxes and donations) and made another trip to the storage unit.  We decided perhaps only one more load will realistically fit in the unit.  One the way home Susan ordered Dominos through their app and we enjoyed fresh pizza for dinner with Bella (though she ate her dog food) before hanging out on the couch for the remainder of the evening. 

Sunday we didn’t plan on doing any moving.  Instead, after we took care of Bella and had some coffee, we attended to some lawn maintenance.  I mowed the back yard while Susan trimmed down a planter box (it was out of control).  Then we pulled weeds in the front yard and sprayed plant killer.  This wet and warm spring has meant that the weeds and grass have really been growing fast this year.  It took two kitchen trash bags just to contain the weeds we pulled in the front yard and another two for the clippings from the back yard.  This occupied a couple of hours which was alright as it was a gorgeous day.  The Tiedemans had invited us over for a BBQ at 3:00 and we made a quick trip to Safeway to pick up chips and dip to contribute.  As they are across the street we arrived exactly on time.  We talked a lot about our new home and upcoming move while we waited for the burgers to be cooked.  An old rallycross friend Kubo came by after a bit and it was interesting catching up with him.  Kubo hasn’t always made the most rational decisions but is a nice guy so it was nice to see him.  After a time he and Gregg headed off to a concert and we stayed awhile longer chatting with Sandra before heading back home for the evening.  As the BBQ was early I ended up making chicken fried rice for a late dinner. 

Until late on Sunday the only plan we had for Monday (memorial day) was seeing the new Guardians of the Galaxy at noon.  Sunday evening Kari invited us up to their property for another BBQ and we happily accepted.  Of course it was to begin around 1:00 so we were to be late but such it is.  We saw the movie at Alamo Drafthouse which is always fun.  I lucked into reserving perhaps the best seats in the theater and we both enjoyed the movie with adult beverages, popcorn, and fried pickles (so good).  We made a quick stop at home to load up burgers, buns, and umbrellas (it was rainy-lookin’ out) and drove up to Kari and Alvin’s property.  Our joint pals Ken, Randy, and Jeff were there along with Alvin’s parents and John and Karen.  They had already made BBQ chicken so it was good that we brought our own food to cook as they didn’t have much left (we thought this might be the case).  We talked about our house and move as well as their progress on digging the foundation for their home.  They found that there was a lot of trash and building detritus buried where they dug which unfortunately means they’ll need to bring in better dirt before they can pour the foundation.  We played with Ringo and Dandi and gabbed about this and the other.  After everyone else had left Kari and Alvin gave us a tour of their trailer.  They have recently acquired a larger trailer for the property and it is really nice.  Electrical and septic are hooked up so they can stay at the property there while they work on their permanent abode.  Once we were finally home we settled in to a quiet night with Bella on the couch.  It was a good end to a busy weekend. 

Now that May is ending it’s insane to think how much has happened this past month.  Tweetie is gone and now there’s just Bella remaining to fill the pug-sized hole in our hearts.  We’re about to close on a new home with property and have been continually moving throughout the month.  Excitement mixed with sadness.  Such has been May 2017.