412. Moving one’s bowels

Of the house, that is. Here’s where I am on our big move to daughter and son-in-law Susy and Curt’s home in Enumclaw, Washington.

Eleven of the twelve rooms in my house have been de-cluttered so far, leaving – in a state of constipation – only one remaining bedroom and the garage. Once those blockages have been removed – maybe by Monday – I can proceed into actually packing the rest of our remaining belongings into boxes for the Movers. At that point, instead of being hampered by constipation, it’ll be more like trying to control a case of diarrhea. Stay away if you can. It won’t be pleasant.

Sharing in the backbreaking effort has been my ever faithful daughters and sons-in-law, and grandson Bryce. No matter how I plead otherwise, they still march in with determination and flexed muscles, leaving behind towers of boxes for the Movers, and with full van-loads of furniture and household donations they cart to the nearest Goodwill site.

It’s starting to feel like my house has been undergoing a gigantic enema!

All this effort has been leaving me – you should pardon the expression – all pooped out. And too tired to crank out a nice, ladylike blob this week.


Instead, how about I give you a photo preview of where we’ll be moving all those towers of boxes? Our objective in making the move is to enable Susy and Curt to gradually take over all of my son Matthew’s caregiving support. Their farm (just outside Enumclaw) is called Kartar Ridge Ranch. Other occupants on the property include my granddaughter and grandson-in-law Josie and Caleb who live in their RV, six mini-donkeys, 2 horses, 4 dogs and an assortment of cats. Also a few eagles, owls, doves, bats, rats, voles, mice, and other creatures of nature.

A contractor has just finished retrofitting the house with 36” widened doorways and ramps for Matthew’s wheelchairs, plenty of grab bars, painted the interior and laid new slip-proof flooring throughout the house, re-finished the kitchen cabinets, built a separate apartment for Susy and Curt, etc.

The contractor company is K&B Master LLC. Fittingly, the father and son who performed all the magic are named Dan and Daniel. Activities like taming ferocious biblical lions would be no challenge for those two fearsome guys. They really outdid themselves.

First, to help me face moving to 1,500 sq. ft. from 4,000 sq. ft. of space, they designed and constructed a huge porch big enough for big family get-togethers. In the second photo, you can see Dan (on the roof) and you can sort of see Daniel (in the shade on the porch) waving . . . .

The porch at night

Next, they carved out of another building on the property, a small apartment for Susy and Curt, just a few feet away from the main house. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? To ensure maximum privacy, our plan in undertaking this project was to temporarily at least, sort of kick them out of their own house. Here’s how the apartment they’re currently living in looks today, thanks to the craftsmanship of Dan and Daniel. . . .

And finally, here’s a couple photos of the house Matt and I will live in. Once I move on to what I hope will be my heavenly reward, Susy and Curt will move back into the main house in order to more conveniently provide Matt with his full caregiving support. Here’s a couple of glimpses of what Dan and Daniel did to the main house. I’ll post more later . . . .

Thank you for your outstanding work, Dan and Daniel of K&B Masters LLC. We look forward to living in the beautiful and comfortable home you “mastered” on our behalf.

And finally, my unending thanks to daughter Lisa who never gives up on me and my efforts to execute this change, and who keeps our refrigerator full of delicious meals; to daughter Gretchen who quietly organizes all the teams of her siblings and their spouses who keep providing all their backbreaking support; to Teresa and Eric whose heroic break-through marathons of work have encouraged us all; to Judy and Gary for their constant help with packing, organizing, and hauling loads to the farm; to my stoic grandson Bryce who can’t even remember how many van-loads he’s made to Goodwill so far, or the food he’s ordered and picked up so we don’t starve, or for his determined efforts to find an easy and economical way to re-home my old furniture, and for just being there every time we holler for help; to Joe and Caleb for all the sweat-labor they put in to move out my bedroom furniture to its new location; and finally to Brad, Susy and Curt – whose help has been never-ending and beyond description for this mere blob! THANK YOU, EVERYONE!

And, oh yes, I didn’t forget you, ladies. Thank you, too. Get those Hee-Haws ready for your new neighbors. Don’t worry about all that poop we’ll be bringing. There’ll still be plenty of room left for yours.

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4 Responses to 412. Moving one’s bowels

  1. Well, you weren’t too pooped to produce this beautiful post. I haven’t seen any of those renovations, everything looks shiny and new. I’m sure you and Matt will be comfy, surrounded by all who love you. Don’t say no when we muscle in to the old place to help out. Moving is the #1 stress-producing activity in our lives. You used to do it all the time, but you stuck in this one place a very long time. We love you!!!

  2. Sherry Evard says:

    It’s so beautiful. What a reward for all the hard work that’s been going on lately. The unique donkeys and the sparkling country setting should give you and Matt lots of material for many more fascinating stories. Much peace and happiness to you in your new home.

  3. purpletuzi says:

    Moving is indeed horrible and I’m sorry you have to go through it. On the plus side, your new place looks absolutely divine and I can just picture how blissful it’s going to be for you there. That porch looks just right for family gatherings. I also want to tell you how impressed I am with all the streamlining of your life that you’ve been doing, which in many ways is just as hard as moving. Hope you get a chance to watch some Marie Kondo for inspiration!

  4. Josie says:

    Thank you grandma for being an inspiration to us all and for all the hard work you do everyday. I feel so lucky that we will be getting to see you so much more often. Also there’s a couple ponies and ducks here too to add to the list 😉

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