Over and out

A blog takes commitment and discipline. When I began writing my blog I had both and was eager to share our story of moving from the Bay Area after 36 years to downtown Portland, Oregon. We turned our lives 180 degrees with that move which included moving into a loft in a downtown apartment building. We walked everywhere and dove into our new lives in Portland.  We met wonderful people who have become lifelong friends and we loved Portland…until we didn’t.  It took a combination of homeless everywhere, antifa riots nightly for months, Covid closing everything enjoyable and the ever present gloomy winter weather that wore on us more each winter.  Spending the month of August in Alexandria on a lake during summer 2020 awakened us to another lifestyle that didn’t involve skirting around homeless tents on the sidewalks.  So we upended our lives again and moved from the west coast to the Midwest.  We got very lucky and found a home on a premier lake and dove into small town living.  At first, I was excited to share our experiences through my blog so the commitment was easy.  Now that we’ve been here a full year plus, my priorities are changing and the discipline is waning.  You have probably gathered that this is an over and out blog.  I have mixed feelings but it’s the right thing for me at this time.  But before I sign off, I have one more small town thing to share.    

Tom works at Fleet Farm which is a Midwest big box chain, four days a week. You can get everything from nuts to clothing, and all things in between, but you can also get all you need for animals such as deer attractant, udder wash, brooder lamps for chickens, horse bedding, night crawlers and of course fishing lures. There are 8 aisles on both sides filled with lures. Tom does the pricing changes from 5:30am to 9:30am. There are an amazing number of price changes a day. He has been in the lure aisles for so long that he is now dreaming about fishing lures. So if you came into the store looking for the best lure to attract a walleye, you’d ask Tom of course. What does he know about lures other than price changes? Absolutely nothing.

This is Minnesota so it does snow here. A lot. But it’s also sunny a lot. Surely it will stop snowing at some point and the golf courses will reopen. Just this morning, March 18th, it was -15 degrees with the wind chill. I keep hearing from old time Minnesotans that this is unusual. Why is the weather always unusual when you are present? It takes about 20 minutes to put on all the stuff you need to wear to walk outside. Long underwear, warm pants and tops, neck warmer, hand warmers, toe warmers, boots with spikes to walk on the ice, stocking hat, face mask and mittens. Then you wonder what you were thinking when you decided to take a walk. I read online that some very high end homes are putting in snow rooms as the cold and snow are supposed to revitalize your cells. They could rent an ice fishing house on the lake like the ones in the picture for a couple of months. That would really revitalize those old cells.

We are expecting lots of visits this summer from friends and family, including one from Paris. We had an exchange student, Danielle, when she was 12 years old and Katie 10. Well, both those women are now in their 40’s and Danielle will be in the States in August and will take a side trip to see us. We are really looking forward to that.

I have to thank all of you who read this blog for your loyalty and comments. I have really enjoyed and appreciated that. With mixed feelings, this will be my last post. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Road Trip Blues

It all started with jambalaya. We flew to California for Christmas, New Years and then a road trip. We were at our son’s home for New Years with a car borrowed from a friend for this trip. It’s been a tradition for Tom to make jambalaya on New Year’s day for 30 years. Naturally everyone wanted jambalaya and Tom offered to make it. Katie and family came down for New Year’s also so we were all together for the first time in a long time.

The night before the preparation, our son’s wife walked into the kitchen and as she did, water came up through the floor boards. This was not good. They had just put in new floors and painted all the cabinets, and something was leaking. The culprit turned out to be the dishwasher. The plumber was called first thing in the morning and gave the wonderful news that water was everywhere, under the floors and in the walls and everything would have to come out. The insurance people came over, declared a disaster and immediately got a crew to tear out the floors. Not only that but they set up 5 industrial fans and a humidifier. If you’ve never tried to make jambalaya with industrial fans going, count your blessings.

After the jambalaya disaster/success, we were off on our road trip. First to Phoenix, then San Diego, Balboa Island, back to our son’s for one night, then back to our daughter’s in the Bay Area for the twins 10th birthday. This was the period where they had torrential rains. While we were gone, Katie and Drew bought a new SUV and gave us their old one. That was the good news, the bad news was we had to drive it back to Minnesota. After two days at Katie’s, the Northern route we were going to take wasn’t available as they had tons of snow up in Tahoe and the roads were closed. We decided to take the longer Southern route.

The weather followed us. Downpours of rain on our way south made the driving stressful. We finally reached Arizona and planned to go to Flagstaff the following morning, but they had 2 feet of snow and it wasn’t stopping. The news the next morning advised not going to Flagstaff if that had been your plan. Once again plans changed as we decided to go an even longer route through Phoenix. We had just been to Phoenix at the beginning of our road trip and now we were going back.

Truth or Consequences, NM was our goal that day, a town of about 6,000. It might have been small but the hotel was nice and after the hotel from the previous night, very welcome. Our plan had been to reach Santa Fe and stay there a couple of days as neither of us had ever been there. That plan was also out the window but we could go through Santa Fe the next day and stop for lunch. As we were driving, I was looking at the Santa Fe tourist guide. It has 320 days of sun a year, lots of restaurants and shops and charming architecture. As we got closer, the weather got worse. We were going to hit one of the 45 days a year with no sun. By the time we parked it was raining hard and cold. As we were having a very pleasant lunch it started sleeting. Were we going to walk up to the Plaza anyway? We were there, we were going to do it. What a miserable experience. You could see how nice it would be on one of those 320 days with sun.

About an hour out of Santa Fe we hit sun! With good weather, Tom decided I was capable of driving. It was about another two hours when it got cloudy and we started going up. All of a sudden it started snowing hard and then we came to almost a stop as we were going up a pass, there was a snowplow ahead of us followed by a line of cars and trucks. We were crawling but there were SUV’s and pick-up trucks passing through the snow on the left, and passing fast like they were Formula 1 drivers. I was not that brave and Tom was quite stressed by the fact that I was driving. We had not yet reached the summit but the snowplow suddenly stopped and pulled off to the side. We were entering the state of Colorado and no way was he going to plow Colorado roads. As we made our way down, the weather got worse and visibility was an issue. Then Tom announced he was going to drive, so we pulled off at the first gas station we could. He took over the driving and our goal was to get to Pueblo, CO in one piece. Initially we had hoped to make it to Nebraska but that wasn’t going to happen. We did make it to Pueblo and spent the night. The next day didn’t look too bad so we were hoping to get to Denver and beyond. Denver was only 116 miles away.

Close to Denver, the weather once again got bad. We turned east on I-76 which connects with I-80 at the Nebraska border. The snow increased and the road was down to one fairly clear lane with very little traffic. We saw a message board that read “I-76 closed at Sterling, CO. I-80 closed through Nebraska.” No wonder there was very little traffic. Using an called Next Exit we found a shopping center off the highway. The road to it was covered in snow. We were thankful for all wheel drive as we made our way there. Once there, we stopped at a Target for coffee and to plot our next move. We called our nephew who wanted to meet us for dinner. Dinner? That was the furthest thing from our minds. We were trying to cross Nebraska.

If we could get back to I-25 near Ft. Collins, we could go north to Cheyenne, WY and to HWY 80 through Nebraska that way. We have friends in Ft. Collins we haven’t seen in several years. We called them and they told us to come right over when we got there and stay for as long as it took because by now the weather forecast indicated I-80 would be closed for some time. We were stuck. We stayed in Ft. Collins for two days waiting for the roads to open and had a great time. So much to talk about and so fun to catch up. It turned out to be a highlight of the trip. But we should have done laundry!

Two days later we made it to Sioux Falls, SD. It was a long day but the weather was good and the leg to Alexandria from Sioux Falls was a short one. Besides reusing underwear and driving through dense ground fog the next day, we made it home at last and were happy to be there. The sun was shining brightly, the house was fine and not too cold, and there were a ton of ice houses on the lake for fishing. A three day trip took seven full days and nearly 2900 miles of driving but boy, was it good to be home.

Tornadoes and Boats

When you read the rest of this blog, you will notice how long ago I wrote it. What happened? In a word, summer. House guests, parties, summer theater. We’re a small town but the summer theater here is world class. I was stunned when we saw our first play. I was expecting community theater but we got professional actors from big theater companies. The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis for instance. What a wonderful surprise. The blog got put on hold, a long hold, but here is the story of boats and tornadoes.

I’m writing this, waiting for the storms and tornadoes to hit. It’s scary. We’re right in the middle of all the weather coming in. Right now it’s thundering. I love thunder but not this thunder. I have the candles out, all the deck furniture has been brought into the house, windows closed tight. I thought we had escaped all the dangerous stuff by moving away from fires and earthquakes. A tornado touched down three weeks ago and destroyed whole houses, garages, roofs and tons of trees. There was a lot of damage around the lakes, docks destroyed, boats thrown up on shore and toppled, outdoor furniture all destroyed or blown away. You get the picture. The storm hit and we were ok but a lot of people had a lot of damage. I hope that’s the last of the big storms this season.

The storm reminds me of the day we finally decided to go out shopping for a boat. It was raining, wind howling and very cold. This was in April. We figured we’d be the only ones out shopping for a boat, everyone else would be cozied up in front of their TV with the fireplace on. We picked the showroom closest to us and we were the only ones in there. They had beautiful new pontoons for sale for $54,000. This of course did not include the lift which was an extra $11,000. And those are just the beginning of the expenses of having a boat. So we took all the shiny brochures and went to the next place out on the edge of town.

This place wasn’t quite as fancy as the first place and the salesman was great. Quickly we became best friends. AND their pontoons were only $43,000, the lifts $10,000. I was sold of course. We picked one we liked the layout of and they only had one left. We needed to make a quick decision. Tom kept talking to our new buddy and I was pretty antsy. What were we waiting for? “I need to speak to my husband” I said. Our new best friend knew he had me on the hook. “Tom, they only have one left, we’d better get it or we won’t have a boat this summer.” “I’m not ready to commit, you do realize we can’t afford this, right?” I looked at our new buddy and asked if they have financing. “Yes, of course and it’s great financing.” “How many years?” Tom asked. “We actually finance for 10 years which is the longest so you don’t need to worry about affording your boat.” Of course we were hoping for 30 years which would mean we could afford the boat. “I’ll tell you what,” he said, “I will hold this boat for you until 10am tomorrow. I shouldn’t do this, but I can see you need some time to think about it.”

On the way home, silence in the car. Next morning I said we needed to call our good friend about this boat. “We’re not getting this boat” Tom said. I pretty much knew that but…”We don’t have our final bill from the remodel and we can’t afford this boat, we’ll look for a used boat.” “There aren’t any” I wailed. One thing about Tom, hysterics have never moved him. We started looking for a used boat and went to a town (a very small town) about 10 miles down the road where a new boat place had just opened. He had new boats and he had some used boats. He showed us the shop where they refurbish the used boats and they had one there already sold but he had another coming in. It was a 2004 but they would put in new furniture, flooring, motor, etc, whatever you wanted. We struck a deal and also a deal for a used lift. This package was way more affordable. And they did financing. We were very excited. We’d have a boat for the summer.

The boat didn’t come in and didn’t come in. Soon, very soon he told us. Then before the boat came in, our remodel bill came in which was a lot higher than the estimate they’d give us two weeks prior. Something had to give and even I knew it was going to be the boat. The day we got our down payment back, the boat came in.

Who Is This?

By now, you have forgotten that I write a blog. I agree, it’s been a long time since I’ve written anything. I deserve to be forgotten. I could make excuses as I have plenty, but I will skip all of those excuses and write about our new home town and surviving our first winter in 43 years.

We are finally in our new home, although not wholly unpacked, wondering why I moved certain things, what was I thinking. Did I really need those three legged frogs, all those teapots, pans I didn’t use at our last house but MAYBE I’d use them here and you get the picture. So I started a box for all of those things I moved and wished I hadn’t. Although we’ve downsized twice ,this is the largest home we’ve ever owned and it’s so open there is nowhere to put anything. As I was opening yet another box, I unwrapped two sets of Chinese figurines from my many trips to China. One set was of thee men standing and the second the same but the three men were sitting.

“I am going to give away these figurines of the men sitting” I told Tom who was in the room. Dumb move. “Why?” he said, “I like those.” “Why?” I asked. “We have two sets, the standing ones are better and don’t look like mass produced tourist traps.” “I like them better than the standing ones, and it’s my house too. I should have some kind of say.” “OK”, I said, “then they’re yours and you can find somewhere to put them.” “No problem” he said and walked over and put them on his desk which is our old dining table. I knew he’d do that. He had to shove aside reams of paper and small wooden animals to find room where they look totally out of place. I waited a few days, then moved them which he didn’t notice at all. Is it safe to box them?? (Tom here: NO! I thought I moved them) With a bigger house, we are light on furniture. Because we had to buy a bed, we went for a king. We have the new king mattress but the bed frame which was promised in February is now maybe coming in by the end of May. We are one of many victims of the supply chain.

We think we like it here, ask me when the weather gets a little better and all the snowbirds are back. We made it through one of the worst winters they’ve had in a long, long time, according to the locals. A throwback kind of winter, a way below zero kind of winter, with lots and lots of snow. It’s April and still snowing, along with howling wind. All the smart people left for Arizona and Florida a long time ago and will be back shortly I’m told. That’s good because when it’s just you and your husband, it doesn’t take long to look at each other with murderous intent. Usually that happens on the 8th day in a row that it’s been 34 degrees below zero.

But let me tell you the joys of small town living. We couldn’t get the gas fireplace to work so Tom called the local fireplace shop and asked if someone could come out. “Sure, are you home? We’ll be right over.” The first time that happened we were in shock. Then it happened with a stuck garage door, not to mention leaving something at the hospital and the lost and found department calling me several times to let me know their progress in finding my item, which they assured me they would, that their detectives were on the case. Then they called and proudly announced that with the help of a nurse they found that phone charger and I could pick it up right away. Things like this seem to happen all the time. Then you have the very friendly store clerks who like to chat and really seem genuinely interested in your story or the grocery clerks who share recipes or give advice on how to cook something you bought.

We love our new home, the remodel is next to finished with just a few things left to do. We have a wonderful view of the lake. Our next big purchase? A boat. I hear they’re really hard to get, there being a shortage of boats, just like cars. We have put off this hunt for a boat long enough so Tom is out today in the snow and howling wind to peruse the boat shops. I will let you know how this hunt goes. Our friends and kids who are all coming this summer to visit are expecting a boat, imagine that. But it’s April, and we need a couch.

Will it Last?

It took 43 years of living on the West Coast, and then moving back to the Midwest to realize this is where we belong. After living in big Cities, the small town is a wonderful experience. No traffic, no homeless, no riots, cheerful workers everywhere, the grocery stores, the restaurants, hardware stores, retail, and even in the government buildings (most of the time, except for the DMV), but also not much shopping to speak of. It seems everyone wants to have a conversation and are genuinely interested in what you have to say. It’s beautiful here with the ever changing lakes, so many of them, each with their own personality. The thunderstorms, the owls at night, the loons, why did it take us so long to move? When you’ve lived on the West Coast as long as we have, it’s pretty scary to move back to a small midwestern town with a season called winter. It could snow any day and we don’t have coats or boots or gloves or a Yeti cup to keep our drinks warm. Will we hate the winter? Time will tell.

Our remodel starts in a week. We’re now moving back into my Aunt’s house. We didn’t think we moved much into our house as there are still boxes piled in the garage, but we moved in more than we thought and now we’re taking it all out again. It will be worth it, the longer you wait for something, the more you appreciate it as the saying goes and I know that’s true. Meanwhile we can hop on over to Nelson, a small town of about 150 people which has a bar called the Corral that attracts people from all over. Why? At this bar you can “shoot the minnow” The bartender will drop a minnow into a shot glass with the beverage of your choice, usually Tequila. If you can swallow that minnow in one gulp you get a tee shirt that says: “I Shot the Minnow.” Now how is that for small town America?

No Going Back

We did it, turned our lives upside down again, but this time the change is huge. We went from living for 43 years on the West Coast to the Midwest where we both came from, albeit different States. One of us a gopher and one of us a badger. We have left our kids on the West Coast and hope our change is enticing enough for them to spend a great deal of the summer here.

We moved to the land of lakes, unlocked doors, cream horns, thunderstorms, hooting owls, loons, and…winter. Alexandria, MN is a small town in the winter and a large town in the summer as there are 41 lakes in the area. We got very lucky with an off market deal as there was absolutely nothing for sale here and there still isn’t.

We were here in May and after two weeks of seeing nothing, were ready to leave when our realtor got a listing from an older couple who lived in a great location on a big lake but wouldn’t be able to get the property on the market for a couple of months as they had so much stuff. Maybe they’d let us see it. She got them to agree and we saw it for about 30 minutes where it was hard to get past all the stuff which included a 6′ tall curio cabinet full of moose figurines. But we liked the feel of the place right away and maybe were so excited to finally see something that we left and made an offer the same day, convinced we’d never see anything else. They accepted our offer mainly because they wouldn’t have to put the place on the market and have time, with professional help, to clear it out. Three days later we had a house.

We rushed back to Portland to put our house on the market, and our realtor was out of town. She got it on the market as soon as she came back and it sold right away. Now we had 30 days to pack and leave. We’ve moved a few times, so why was this so hard? Several friends helped us pack and somehow we got it done. We drove both our cars out to Alexandria and at some point our daughter sent us a pending Redfin listing and said “I think this is your house.” It was. It was empty and sort of horrifying to look at the pictures and to realize how big it was. “Did we really buy this place?” I asked Tom. It didn’t look all that great. We don’t have nearly enough furniture for a place like that, maybe we should have asked them to leave all those moose.

We’ve been here almost two months, back and forth between my Aunt’s house, cousin’s house and finally, our house. Although we’re living here right now, we have to move out soon as there is so much work to be done. All the floors have to be replaced, everything painted, the kitchen we thought looked ok really is not ok and has to be replaced. Orange formica countertops anyone? A big built- in aquarium, popular in the 70’s but not now, has to be dealt with and a wall has to be taken out to get a better view of the lake. There is so much more, but let’s not get carried away here! We’re moving out again back to my Aunt’s, so the remodel can begin. We have the garage filled with boxes which we’re living out of. Finding clothes is hard but my Aunt who’s 93 said: “Oh honey, you can just wear my clothes.”

Most people around here leave in the wintertime. But we’re going to tough it out. Maybe we’ll love it. Snowshoeing, pickle ball, bowling and maybe even a little snowmobiling. Then there’s always ice fishing.

What was your biggest move? Would you do it again?