I have been in Washington a month today, and we are continuing to ready everything for the home sale.
After we got back from our mini-vacation on Whidbey Island, we switched our focus to the pole barn. Mom and dad had a massive 60*40 foot pole barn, with two tall RV bays and a third bay that is insulated and heated – my dad’s shop. Cleaning it up is a grubby job, complete with dust bunnies, cobwebs, dirt and dead flies, considering that mom hasn’t spent much time in there since dad died 4 years ago. So much fun!
But first, the tractor. When dad died, he owned two tractors. One was an antique 1941 John Deere B, which had been on his family farm when he was growing up. They had it shipped out to Washington from Michigan several years ago, and dad restored it over the course of a couple of years. Mom sold that one to a guy in the antique tractor club shortly after dad died.
The other tractor is a contemporary John Deere, which dad got for working around the property. He loved it, and it was hard to imagine selling it. As it turned out, we didn’t have to. We arranged for a shipper to haul it to Minnesota, where it will work on Corey’s and my property. Mom and I were both happy that this worked out!
The hauler arrived on Friday just before 2 pm, after only confirming the haul at about 9:30 Friday morning! Mom’s neighbor, a farmer with his own tractor, was a godsend in getting all the implements and the tractor loaded onto the flatbed. It took about two hours, and a fair amount of cringing on my part as I worried about how it would all go down. The haulers left mom’s around 4:30 pm Friday. There were two drivers, and they arrived in Minnesota just before 11 am Sunday morning. That was so fast! Unloading went a lot faster than loading too, so everything was off the truck in about 30 minutes. I was relieved to know the tractor had arrived safe and sound and ready for her new life.
Meanwhile, once we had the floor space that had been occupied by the tractor and her implements, it was really time to go to work. Much of the stuff in the pole barn is dad’s, which has meant that it is a bit less emotional for mom to go through. We started in the shop bay, and pretty much went around the perimeter. Then we moved into the larger bays. I have made piles for donate, garbage and areas for keep. I have sent photos of unknown items to people who are smarter than me at identifying tools, and engine parts. I contacted the local REStore about coming out to pick up wood. Dad did woodworking projects, and we have a lot of wood!
Today mom’s neighbor came with his utility trailer and we loaded up and hauled another load to the dump. That cleared a good section of my floor space again! We worked until about 2 today, but then were forced to quit by the heat. It was 90 degrees today, and the pole barn was getting intolerably hot inside. Thankfully, I think it is supposed to cool off after today, and we will be at it again tomorrow morning.
There is still so much to do, but we can definitely see how far we have come! That said, I don’t recommend moving. It sucks. I will be so glad when it is done.
In non-moving news, I had two social get-togethers since I got back to work after our mini-vacation too. Wednesday night I had dinner and a walk with two girlfriends, and we got to see a stunning sunset! And Friday morning I had breakfast and a walk with a girlfriend I used to work with. We met in a city halfway between us, and tried out a new-to-us restaurant. Both outings had delicious food, fun conversation and great company!
I hope you are all well!
Wine and History Visited 
It seems to me this move is exceptionally difficult, particularly because of the pole barn. You are slogging through it and making good progress. I hope the worst is over.
There is just a lot of stuff period. The house was packed, the shop is large and a lot was unorganized. We are getting through it with progress each day. Mom stays motivated by thinking about the fact that she does not want to be doing this at the last minute! Neither do I! I wish my brother would bother to come help, but it is what it is.