The Cats are Adjusting Well.

We have been in a small space for almost two weeks now and the cats are doing great, even though they want to go outside to explore. At first I was afraid that the maid would let them out accidentally or that they would get into trouble while Cheryl and I were at work. But I'm very happy that they have adjusted. By the way, we have moved to a place that is closer to the job. The Travelodge is a pretty nice place that has a pool, hot tub, and a full breakfast ( with Belgium waffles!) And best of all it welcomes pets and is literally a stones throw away from the job! The cats seem to like it and Rasha was first to make herself right at home. Cheryl likes it because for the first time ever, the cats seem to like curling up with her. Usually they avoid her unless it is dinner time. So at the moment, I'm at they lobby computer with a cup of coffee ( 24 hour free coffee! Yes!) and a cookie trying to log in a quick post. Iowa city is pretty cool. They have 10 cent sweet corn that Cheryl and I have been indulging in from time to time. ( It's one of the cheapest snacks we can get!) I can't wait to explore the area without worry of getting lost or "spending money". Until that first paycheck clears, I will have to be very tightfisted. Hope everyone is having a great week!

And now for the rest of the story...

Ok, to be blunt, much has happened since we arrived in Iowa a little over a week ago and I have not been able to post anything because of our lack of technology. So I will try, for the next couple of days, to fill in the missing stories that I'm sure all of you are dying to hear. I actually lost a follower while on my small "vacation." So I didn't really get a good pic of the cars as they where stacked up to the hilt with all the remaining belongings that we own. But this one should give you a hint of how things where packed. Picture me in the driver seat instead of Domo. And then there was the cats to think about. Now before you get the wrong Idea, they did not travel quite this luxurious as Red here. They were secure and snug in their little traveling cases so they would not get out of hand while on the drive. As for the time being, they are all in the room and all our stuff remains in our car. With a little luck, we will be able to find a permanent place to stay within the next week or so. Wish us Luck!

Finally a Computer In Iowa!

Finally we found a computer in Iowa so I can upload a few pics and give a few updates. So I wonder where I should start. First off, I should say that it is once again raining here. It has been raining pretty much every day since we arrived, with a few exceptions. I have been texting ( I'm new to "texting") Cheryl's family with a few things as they progress. But mostly I wanted to offload these pics to my blog before I lost them. I'll Have to go back in time to put them where they are suppose to be as well. So be sure to check back with previous posts.

We have Arrived!

Ok! It has been several days since my last post, but we have been rather busy while at the same time trying to be patient. Does that even make sense? Basically we begin work on Thursday and have to do several things in the short time leading up to then. We checked in to the place to get our Id's and located the motel where we were to stay. Now we are trying to find a place that is a little more permanent. The cats were awesome during the trip. No escapes, freak outs or any other bad behavior to note. They seem to have taken a liking to their new surroundings as well. Currently we are here at an Iowa library doing all our online stuff. Cheryl is looking at past email to see what still needs our attention. I must say that I never thought I would miss the computer in such a way. Even though I don't get on it for hours at a time anymore, it still is a nice thing to be able to sit down any time you want and check things out. Well, Until we are able to get pics on the blog again, I'll have to keep this short and try not to ramble.

The BIG move days Approaches!

The days are moving right along and I have a few updates to post. First of all I am frustrated that I can't post any pics from this computer. I'm thinking that I will go back and post them later when I get to a place where I can. ( does that make any sense?) Anyway, I have lots of great pics of this moving experience and I can't log them in for referance. So the Antlers and GONE! Yeah! The guy on Ebay told us that we could cut them in half and ship them in a smaller box. ( I know...why didn't I think of that???) Actually I did, but Cheryl was afraid that guy would say that the product was not as described and file a claim. She is still gun shy about Ebay, and I can't blame her. ( read previous posts when we were shipping carved toilet seats!) And yesterday I sold the loveseat and our kitchen table. My whole goal was to sell them yesterday and we sold them just before the sun set. Talk about cutting it close! So now there is all the little detail stuff that is left. Mailing address chance, closing bank acounts, etc. We have been taking the cats out on short drives to get them used to the moving experience. So far the brothers are behaving the best with Rashi settling down after about 10 minutes. She still whines, but then again, she is the only cat that was never in a small cage before ( Red and Hiro were both bought at the pet store...Rashi just showed up and invited herself inside one day and has never left.) There is much more to tell, but without pics, it will get boring. I can't wait to be able to show off the antler cutting process..It was fun. Perhaps next time I blog...I will be blogging from Iowa! Update! New PICS added!

Antlers, A couch, and Culvers of Grand Haven

Well much has happened in the last several days, But I'm still confined to the library computer so I really can't add much in the way of visuals. To bring you up to speed, We had our sale on Saturday and did pretty well getting rid of almost all of our stuff and making a few bucks for travel expenses. However, we are still left with the antlers and a really nice love seat! Both items are too big to take with us and too valuable to leave on the street. Goodwill will most likely not know what to do with a set of antlers ( trophy antlers might I add!) So this week will be spent trying to find a good home for them so they can continue to wow and amaze people with their size and mystique. As for the couch... I'm not really sure. Good will might take it but there is no way to get it to them as it is too big for our car. I'm not renting a vehicle to give something away! There was an interested party in the couch before and we are still waiting for her call, but I'm not holding out much hope for it. And last but not least, Culvers came and picked up the carving. She looks nice in front of their store. Almost as if she was always meant to be there. I hope she is able to remain there for years to come. Once I get back online and away from these library computers, I'll be able to post a picture to show her in context. UPDATE PICS ADDED!

Antlers SOLD! But not quite...

Well, We were all excited about selling the antlers. They were not as much as we had hoped, but they did fetch a nice price and we were happy....until. When we took them to the UPS store, Cheryl has a ball park figure for size and weight that they would ship in the lower 48 states for $75. Then we took them to the store and that ball park figure got hit OUT OF THE BALL PARK AND OUT OF THE COUNTY! That is right...try $450.00! Well now we are faced with a really bad situation. We simply can't pay that much to ship them. Not only is it more than half of the total gain, but if there is even the slightest problem...we could lose all that shipping money at a time when we can least afford it ( and really, when is a GOOD time to lose $450.00?) and refund all the winners money. Now you might be saying that the chance of anything happening is very slim. Well we made our living on Ebay for 6 years and this is EXACTLY the time when things go wrong. So in the end, the headache is just too big and Cheryl is refunding the money as I'm writing this. ( we are once again at the library...) So now we are back at square one with the antlers back in our possession, instead of a nice chunk of traveling change. I was planning on this post being a "can you believe we shipped this?" post instead of a "Psyche!" one. Hopefully things will look rosy after this weekend.

Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood. Only three Left!

That is right there are only three episodes left! Check them out at Funimation! In other news, Cheryl and I took another trip to Iowa to check out some housing leads. It was enlightening! You see, the job we have is in Iowa City and the place we were looking at was in Davenport, Iowa. ( a Bit of a commute) So we thought that it might be better if we got a hotel room for a week or two and look for something a little closer. Cheryl is as eager as I to get there and get settled, but we still have a last MOVING sale to get ready for and hopefully raise a little more cash. I also have to find some type of storage for the rest of the unsold stuff. It will be difficult to move when there is no place to move to! It may be a while till my next post! I'm currently at the library as our computer is "down" . I'm not sure when I will next get a chance to post something. ( I'm thinking a lap top might be in our future!)

When there is a rat in the bird house....

Well at least someone is finding a use for it. This was one of the houses that had no birds interested this year. I 'm not sure what the chipmunk is gonna do in there, but he seems to be a home. Even when Cheryl showed him to the cat he didn't seem too fazed. But Red thinks that chipmunks belong on the ground for some reason and decided to try to evict him. I'm not sure it worked, because shortly after posting guard, Red gave up. At least I succeeded in making the birdhouse cat proof.

And now to find a home for some guns...

Shotguns mostly! I have had them a while and many were presents over the years, but I just simply do not go hunting anymore. I don't even have a place to go target shooting for fun! So with money tight and the inevitable move fast approaching, I have decided to see if I can sell them for gas, food and lodging money to help the trek along. This is kind of a big deal as a former member of the NRA. Charlton Heston would probably roll over in his grave to hear it! But in the end I would rather sell my guns as I deal fit rather than have the Government take them from me because they are thought to be "A Danger to myself and others". So now the trick is finding a place to sell them so they can start a new life over in the hands of a young and upcoming hunter or trap shooter. They are pretty good guns and still have lots of use left in them. I have been calling around to see if I can find a dealer in new and used firearms...but so far no takers. I don't want to just give them away, so it will be a challenge. Wish me luck!