Monday, Aug. 23, dawned as usual. Checked my weight again this morning... I'm hovering at 157, lowest I've been in years.
Things are coming together, packing-wise. I can see that most is going to fit in the truck okay, I think, but the weight is something I'm seriously concerned about. I've been weighing each box and writing the weight on the top right corner of the end in green ink. The first big stack of boxes add up to just over 700 pounds, one third of the allotted "one ton" the truck is spec'd for. And there's at least another pile almost the same size to go. Plus a few heavy-duty bigger plastic locker-boxes and a desk and a filing cabinet and shelving and paint supplies and...... oy, jeezzz.... this better work.
I realized mid-day that Wednesday is also not going to be a day I will be ready for, and so called U-Haul again and re-scheduled the pick-up date for Friday!
Got an update notice from the building management anticipating a move-out date of either Aug. 30 or 31. I'm supposed to let them know ASAP. Gotta get that done, too.
Tuesday, Aug. 24, was a good morning, until I realized I forgot to (ritually) pick up my copies of 24Hr and MetroNews yesterday. Missed the crossword and stuff.
Back to packing... it's looking better. Looking like I'll be ready for Friday. Gonna have to pack out the desk I'm currently using for my netbook computer, though. The desk has to go into the truck first, facing front, so the space under the desk can be accessed through the door hatch in the truck wall.... I'm going to have to put the cats' litter box in that space, so it's accessible to them. Then, in the back, everything will be stacked around the desk, including the two red-oak shelving units, which are going to be a tight fit, no matter how I slice it.
Don't think about the work ahead too much, or more anxiety starts to well up. Just gotta keep plodding ahead. Plod, plod, plod.
.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Packing and More Packing - - - Aug. 19-22
Thursday, Aug. 19, just a slow day. Worked on the truck a bit, and used most of my time trying to get stuff organized in the packing department. Damn! but packing goes slowly when you've got wa-a-ay too much stuff! Kept plodding on, though, between bouts of waves of almost crippling anxiety... sometimes I just had to lie down for a half hour and get some rest and wait for the worst of the gut-burning feelings to go away. Other times, I could use some visualization to get past it, when I remembered to do it. That's the trick when you know how to re-visualize... sometimes you just gotta remember you can do it!
Overall, though, it looks like I'm not going to be ready for move-out by next Monday... better call U-Haul tomorrow AM and re-sched the pickup date for the tow-dolly trailer.
On the morning of Friday, Aug. 20, I ran some errands around town... dropping off non-refundable recycling at the Mall Depot, dropping off the paying refundables at Beverly Bottle Depot, pick up a newspaper for the crossword, and decided to treat myself to an honest-to-god eggs'n'bacon breakfast at Jay Bee's restaurant. It's been months since I've had bacon & eggs for breakfast, & it was a good chance to unwind a bit, do the crossword, enjoy a slow breakfast.... all the goodies we're supposed to take time to enjoy.
Jay Bees' B&E breakfasts include a pile of potato hash browns, with finely chopped green onions added. Quite a nice addition to the flavour palette. The coffee comes with a full cup and a pot on the side to refill from. The toast was perfect. I sidled into this breakfast nice and easy, doing the crossword as I went.
Breakfast took an hour. Enjoyed every minute.
After getting home, I slowly got back to the business at hand. Packing. It went slowly.
Called U-Haul and re-scheduled the tow-dolly pick-up date from next Monday to Wednesday. that should give me enough time to get everything done, packed and ready. I hope.
By the time you reach my age, you realize that everything you pick up has a place it should be. Sadly, it is invariably NOT in that place, and needs to be set aside to be put in another box that has been set aside for that kind of item. Unfortunately, that box is usually at the other end of the apartment.
So, the decisions start to boil down to: do I run each item to its appointed box at every discovery, or try to set them aside and make one pass to the boxes located throughout the apartment that are awaiting their specific item types. With my usual steely decisiveness, I waver.... sometimes running out for each item if it's of some relative importance, and other times just trying to keep track of which of each item is going to go to each "zone" for packing. Either way, it's messy.... either too much running about (and occasionally getting further distracted by discovery of yet another item that should be going over there!), or losing track of numerous items that were supposed to go into assigned boxes, but only half of which can be found.
As you can imagine, this style of packing leads to a great deal of delay and slow progress. I've always been a bit of a fan of the last-minute-grab-whatever's-close-and-just-ram-it-into-the-nearest-box technique, because it is fast, relatively effective and panic-driven.... but is hell when it comes time to actually figure out where everything actually IS once you've reached your destination and the unpacking begins.
Anyway, I've continued to plod along in this manner, as it does show progress, however slowly. The downside is that nagging, acid-soaked churning in the gut that rarely goes away, as the reality of the impending deadline hangs like a toxic psychic cloud over me.
Went to sleep this evening just trying to ignore the burning stomach.....
Woke on Saturday Aug. 21 to much the same kind of day as yesterday, sans errands. Instead, answered some emails early in the morning, fielded a few phone calls throughout the day, and otherwise, maintained my scattershot methodology of packing.
Y'know, if I could just get this one last mass of paperwork in the middle of the living room, I'd be able to movve the recliner chair out of the way. Then, I could move the boxes out of the way that are blocking the ability to clear out the middle bedroom by bringing those boxes out onto the floorspace currently occupied by the confusion of existing boxes. But, I can't do that until something else is moved, and that can't be done until something ELSE is moved... etc., etc.
However, it does get slowly done.
In the late afternoon/early evening, I nipped out to Safeway to get the margarine I forgot to get on yesterday's jaunt to Sobeys. All dreadfully boring, so far, I'm afraid.
Today, Aug. 22, has been something of a turn-the-corner experience.... got some floorspace in the living room (by getting a logjam of crap finally sorted and moved), and boxes from other rooms are getting stacked there now. It's going together good so far.
Once the space cleared up, there was room to move in stuff from the other rooms, and start collecting it all in one spot for a co-ordinated move-out on the appointed day.
Mid-day I went out to get some paint for the divider wall that's ready to go into the truck... I need a wall between the cab and the rest of the open cube so that stuff has something to stack up against. I was also further goaded to create a wall when I envisioned driving down the road and then having to make a sudden, unexpected stop... and having a ton of boxes and stuff sliding forward into the cab.
Not a pretty visualization....
Got a mistint for two bucks of bright blue from a Glidden paint store by Manning Crossing.
Got the wall, door insert, and the secondary piece above the wall all painted. It's gonna look nice, I think.
Started cleaning out the rest of the truck in preparation for starting to move the furniture and boxes into it.
Onward. Ever onward. Slog forward. Head down, eyes out... keep moving...
.
Overall, though, it looks like I'm not going to be ready for move-out by next Monday... better call U-Haul tomorrow AM and re-sched the pickup date for the tow-dolly trailer.
On the morning of Friday, Aug. 20, I ran some errands around town... dropping off non-refundable recycling at the Mall Depot, dropping off the paying refundables at Beverly Bottle Depot, pick up a newspaper for the crossword, and decided to treat myself to an honest-to-god eggs'n'bacon breakfast at Jay Bee's restaurant. It's been months since I've had bacon & eggs for breakfast, & it was a good chance to unwind a bit, do the crossword, enjoy a slow breakfast.... all the goodies we're supposed to take time to enjoy.
Jay Bees' B&E breakfasts include a pile of potato hash browns, with finely chopped green onions added. Quite a nice addition to the flavour palette. The coffee comes with a full cup and a pot on the side to refill from. The toast was perfect. I sidled into this breakfast nice and easy, doing the crossword as I went.
Breakfast took an hour. Enjoyed every minute.
After getting home, I slowly got back to the business at hand. Packing. It went slowly.
Called U-Haul and re-scheduled the tow-dolly pick-up date from next Monday to Wednesday. that should give me enough time to get everything done, packed and ready. I hope.
By the time you reach my age, you realize that everything you pick up has a place it should be. Sadly, it is invariably NOT in that place, and needs to be set aside to be put in another box that has been set aside for that kind of item. Unfortunately, that box is usually at the other end of the apartment.
So, the decisions start to boil down to: do I run each item to its appointed box at every discovery, or try to set them aside and make one pass to the boxes located throughout the apartment that are awaiting their specific item types. With my usual steely decisiveness, I waver.... sometimes running out for each item if it's of some relative importance, and other times just trying to keep track of which of each item is going to go to each "zone" for packing. Either way, it's messy.... either too much running about (and occasionally getting further distracted by discovery of yet another item that should be going over there!), or losing track of numerous items that were supposed to go into assigned boxes, but only half of which can be found.
As you can imagine, this style of packing leads to a great deal of delay and slow progress. I've always been a bit of a fan of the last-minute-grab-whatever's-close-and-just-ram-it-into-the-nearest-box technique, because it is fast, relatively effective and panic-driven.... but is hell when it comes time to actually figure out where everything actually IS once you've reached your destination and the unpacking begins.
Anyway, I've continued to plod along in this manner, as it does show progress, however slowly. The downside is that nagging, acid-soaked churning in the gut that rarely goes away, as the reality of the impending deadline hangs like a toxic psychic cloud over me.
Went to sleep this evening just trying to ignore the burning stomach.....
Woke on Saturday Aug. 21 to much the same kind of day as yesterday, sans errands. Instead, answered some emails early in the morning, fielded a few phone calls throughout the day, and otherwise, maintained my scattershot methodology of packing.
Y'know, if I could just get this one last mass of paperwork in the middle of the living room, I'd be able to movve the recliner chair out of the way. Then, I could move the boxes out of the way that are blocking the ability to clear out the middle bedroom by bringing those boxes out onto the floorspace currently occupied by the confusion of existing boxes. But, I can't do that until something else is moved, and that can't be done until something ELSE is moved... etc., etc.
However, it does get slowly done.
In the late afternoon/early evening, I nipped out to Safeway to get the margarine I forgot to get on yesterday's jaunt to Sobeys. All dreadfully boring, so far, I'm afraid.
Today, Aug. 22, has been something of a turn-the-corner experience.... got some floorspace in the living room (by getting a logjam of crap finally sorted and moved), and boxes from other rooms are getting stacked there now. It's going together good so far.
Once the space cleared up, there was room to move in stuff from the other rooms, and start collecting it all in one spot for a co-ordinated move-out on the appointed day.
Mid-day I went out to get some paint for the divider wall that's ready to go into the truck... I need a wall between the cab and the rest of the open cube so that stuff has something to stack up against. I was also further goaded to create a wall when I envisioned driving down the road and then having to make a sudden, unexpected stop... and having a ton of boxes and stuff sliding forward into the cab.
Not a pretty visualization....
Got a mistint for two bucks of bright blue from a Glidden paint store by Manning Crossing.
Got the wall, door insert, and the secondary piece above the wall all painted. It's gonna look nice, I think.
Started cleaning out the rest of the truck in preparation for starting to move the furniture and boxes into it.
Onward. Ever onward. Slog forward. Head down, eyes out... keep moving...
.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
4 Days of Hard Work - - - Aug. 15-18
On Sunday, Aug. 15, after a week of devoting most of my energies to packing and getting stuff ready to go in the apartment, the time had come to start seriously finishing the exterior of the truck. I didn't want the rather ratty exterior to draw unwanted attention from the towns' constabularies I'd be driving through on the trip back home, so drove over to Barry's and began surface prep on the truck.
(Barry has kindly allowed me to use an open space next to his house to work on the truck, and borrow some power from his place via an extension cord. There is an open lot beside his house, with a huge concrete pad where I guess a house or something used to be, and is an ideal place to work on cars. Barry himself uses it when he needs some open space to work on friends' vehicles.)
Earlier in the day I'd driven out to the local registry office and bought another In-Transit Sticker to allow me to drive the otherwise plateless truck (see earlier "Getting the Truck - - -" in this series for explanation) around town. I was pleasantly surprised when the girl made it out for SIX days instead of the customary three... I mentioned I would be needing it for several sessions of repair and upgrade work, so she must've adjusted things to suit. Nice.
The first thing was to use the grinder on the worst of the rust, then prep dents for filling. The right front fender, which had been seriously bent inwards by some previous owner, was the worst-looking offender. (Hmmm... a fender offender...??)
I was there from about noon until after 7 PM. Got half the work done I'd hoped because of running into new quirks, problems and unforeseen stuff, but what was done got done completely.
Monday Aug. 16, I got to Barry's about 10 AM. More grinding, more filling, and then got down to seeing if I could pull the crumpled right front fender out to match the other side more closely. Not having much in the way of auto-body repair hardware, I ended up using a come-along on the fender. I drove the truck forward until I was within range of a handy crack in the concrete pad the vehicle was parked on, and tapped one of the heavy hooks of the come-along into the crack. Then, I drilled a hole just large enough for the other hook into a part of the fender. Shoved the hook into that, and began cranking the come-along. The truck rolled forward an inch or so at first as the tension built, then held in place and the fender started coming forward, outward, ever so slowly.
By rotating the hook to different angles in the hole, I was able to pull a large section of the crumple out.
When I was done, I'd gotten the fender back to about 85% of where it should be... any more pulling would start tearing the metal. Foam filler would have to take up the extra space.
And, speaking of foam filler, that happened to be the stuff of choice when I went for filling the larger cavities, rusted areas along the bottom edge of the body, and deeper holes in the exterior... I'd bought a can of Great Stuff (expanding foam from an aerosol) down at Home Depot, and was ready to try The Great Experiment.
I went around the vehicle shooting the stuff into holes along the bottom, being careful to not fill any void "more than 50%". Except for a few where I deliberately filled about 75%, just in case.
However, as it turned out, the stuff indeed did expand adequately for the most part. Especially dramatic was the mess of strands of it I'd "woven" into the hollows and wrinkles of the right front fender. I discovered that, as the foam starts to set up, in about 15 minutes, its incredibly sticky nature lets you "pull" on a section of it with the nozzle tube and pull the webby, stringy mass across and over to other high points or anchor points of the wrinkled metal. Because it's so incredibly sticky, it lets you create these "webs" of foam that then settle into place and dry there... and expand a little bit more.
So, by late afternoon, the stuff had dried to the point I could go at the swollen-out parts with a grinder. It sands down VERY quickly, and does not clog the sander. So all I had to do was sand it just below the level I needed, then could fill the small, thin void left over with putty. They warn that Great Stuff discolours in a short while when exposed to sunlight (something I witnessed several years ago; it's true) and can weaken. However, since it's being covered over by Bondo and paint (and fiberglass and resin), the Bondo will lend it additional strength, and the paint offers an extra layer of protection from the sun.
At 4 PM my phone rang; someone who was coming to my apartment to pick up a chair I'd advertised on Kijiji was going to meet me there at 5 PM. I finished the last few grinds and took off. End of a good day.
Tuesday, Aug. 17, woke up with my upcoming moving deadline wreaking havoc on my nerves again. Looking at all the stuff yet to move, and the 6 days left to do it all in, is starting to really work on my stomach. There is this reflexive, burning anxiety I've been waking up with the last few mornings, and have to spend a few moments using a little NLP-based visualization to put the worst of the gut-gnawing burning feeling aside so I can get going on my day. Onward... ever onward...
I really, honestly thought I was going to be able to paint the truck today, but fine-detail work kept slowing me down. Final sanding, filling and body prep took way longer than expected.
I'd arrived at Barry's place about 11 AM, and worked until about 6:30 PM. Would've stayed longer, but had other errands to run at home. Left Barry's at 4:22 PM and scooted home.
Today was definitely the worst, though, in terms of sheer dirt and grit. Power-grinding Bondo and old paint and the first layer of scaly surface on the rear wooden doors and rust all took their toll... I had layers of Bondo powder and dirt and fibreglass grit all over me. Gritty, gritty, gritty.....
As soon as I got home I took a hot bath and soaked it all out. Then I took Jasper down to Rundle Park so he could get a little bird-time in the trees. He loves to sit on a branch and just watch the world go by. However, it was definitely chillier than usual, and after half an hour, I'd finished the crossword puzzle I was working on and called to Jasper... he looked kinda chilly too, so I got him out of the tree and took him back home. Usually, he gets an hour or two in the trees, but today even he was glad to leave the park early.
Wednesday, Aug. 18, is the big day. Body prep (at least, as much as I'm going to do) is finished. Today... the paint goes on. Got out to Barry's about noon... had planned to be out much earlier, but a lot of small stuff at home kept me there looking after details and some cleaning up, etc., longer than planned.
Once there, I spent almost an hour masking off all the small stuff that should not get painted: marker lights, door handles, trim, chrome logos, etc. Then, since this paint job was going to involve direct application by roller and brush (NOT spray!), I went around to all the finicky spaces and curves and painted over them with the brush first. THAT took twice as long as expected... it was about 4 PM when I finished that part of it. The rear view mirrors, on extender arms on either side of the cab, were the worst... trying to paint five tubes on each one holding the mirror out was a definite pain in the butt... many tiny spaces and details and hollows to push paint into.
Anyway, finally, just after 4 PM I was able to pour paint into the roller tray and go at the big expanse of the box sides and really quickly go along and finish the big, flat sections. So, by about 5:30 PM the worst of it was over. However, over the next few hours I found areas where the paint had gone on a little thin and needed a second coat, or spots I'd missed, or spots that needed brush retouching, and so on.
The back (wooden) doors of the truck were so dry it was a good thing I'd started with them when I first used the roller. The wood sucked up all the first layer of paint very quickly. By the time I'd finished the rest of the truck, they were ready for a second, heavier coat. Later, a very light third.
Finally, some time after 8 PM, everything was done that I was gonna get done that day... everything was in place and the truck looked a helluva lot better than it had for the last few days! Barry and his daughter had returned with some KFC and invited me in for a quick snack. After I finished cleanup of rollers, brush and stuff, I went in for a piece of chicken, and watched part of a movie they had rented. But, after a half hour, I had to get back out... the truck needed the masking tape peeled off of all the lights and trim. By the time I finished THAT, it was 9:45 PM. I put everything back into the truck and was driving home at 10:04 PM.
Pulled into my parking spot at the apartment with a nice-looking truck for a change.
The evening before, I'd gone out to get something from the truck, and one of the neighbours sitting near his patio door near where I park jokingly asked "Does that thing run?", referring to its somewhat decrepit looking condition. I assured him that it runs a LOT more reliably than it did a couple weeks ago, and that by tomorrow, it was going to be looking a lot nicer.
And now, it does. Almost new, as a matter of fact.
(Barry has kindly allowed me to use an open space next to his house to work on the truck, and borrow some power from his place via an extension cord. There is an open lot beside his house, with a huge concrete pad where I guess a house or something used to be, and is an ideal place to work on cars. Barry himself uses it when he needs some open space to work on friends' vehicles.)
Earlier in the day I'd driven out to the local registry office and bought another In-Transit Sticker to allow me to drive the otherwise plateless truck (see earlier "Getting the Truck - - -" in this series for explanation) around town. I was pleasantly surprised when the girl made it out for SIX days instead of the customary three... I mentioned I would be needing it for several sessions of repair and upgrade work, so she must've adjusted things to suit. Nice.
The first thing was to use the grinder on the worst of the rust, then prep dents for filling. The right front fender, which had been seriously bent inwards by some previous owner, was the worst-looking offender. (Hmmm... a fender offender...??)
I was there from about noon until after 7 PM. Got half the work done I'd hoped because of running into new quirks, problems and unforeseen stuff, but what was done got done completely.
Monday Aug. 16, I got to Barry's about 10 AM. More grinding, more filling, and then got down to seeing if I could pull the crumpled right front fender out to match the other side more closely. Not having much in the way of auto-body repair hardware, I ended up using a come-along on the fender. I drove the truck forward until I was within range of a handy crack in the concrete pad the vehicle was parked on, and tapped one of the heavy hooks of the come-along into the crack. Then, I drilled a hole just large enough for the other hook into a part of the fender. Shoved the hook into that, and began cranking the come-along. The truck rolled forward an inch or so at first as the tension built, then held in place and the fender started coming forward, outward, ever so slowly.
By rotating the hook to different angles in the hole, I was able to pull a large section of the crumple out.
When I was done, I'd gotten the fender back to about 85% of where it should be... any more pulling would start tearing the metal. Foam filler would have to take up the extra space.
And, speaking of foam filler, that happened to be the stuff of choice when I went for filling the larger cavities, rusted areas along the bottom edge of the body, and deeper holes in the exterior... I'd bought a can of Great Stuff (expanding foam from an aerosol) down at Home Depot, and was ready to try The Great Experiment.
I went around the vehicle shooting the stuff into holes along the bottom, being careful to not fill any void "more than 50%". Except for a few where I deliberately filled about 75%, just in case.
However, as it turned out, the stuff indeed did expand adequately for the most part. Especially dramatic was the mess of strands of it I'd "woven" into the hollows and wrinkles of the right front fender. I discovered that, as the foam starts to set up, in about 15 minutes, its incredibly sticky nature lets you "pull" on a section of it with the nozzle tube and pull the webby, stringy mass across and over to other high points or anchor points of the wrinkled metal. Because it's so incredibly sticky, it lets you create these "webs" of foam that then settle into place and dry there... and expand a little bit more.
So, by late afternoon, the stuff had dried to the point I could go at the swollen-out parts with a grinder. It sands down VERY quickly, and does not clog the sander. So all I had to do was sand it just below the level I needed, then could fill the small, thin void left over with putty. They warn that Great Stuff discolours in a short while when exposed to sunlight (something I witnessed several years ago; it's true) and can weaken. However, since it's being covered over by Bondo and paint (and fiberglass and resin), the Bondo will lend it additional strength, and the paint offers an extra layer of protection from the sun.
At 4 PM my phone rang; someone who was coming to my apartment to pick up a chair I'd advertised on Kijiji was going to meet me there at 5 PM. I finished the last few grinds and took off. End of a good day.
Tuesday, Aug. 17, woke up with my upcoming moving deadline wreaking havoc on my nerves again. Looking at all the stuff yet to move, and the 6 days left to do it all in, is starting to really work on my stomach. There is this reflexive, burning anxiety I've been waking up with the last few mornings, and have to spend a few moments using a little NLP-based visualization to put the worst of the gut-gnawing burning feeling aside so I can get going on my day. Onward... ever onward...
I really, honestly thought I was going to be able to paint the truck today, but fine-detail work kept slowing me down. Final sanding, filling and body prep took way longer than expected.
I'd arrived at Barry's place about 11 AM, and worked until about 6:30 PM. Would've stayed longer, but had other errands to run at home. Left Barry's at 4:22 PM and scooted home.
Today was definitely the worst, though, in terms of sheer dirt and grit. Power-grinding Bondo and old paint and the first layer of scaly surface on the rear wooden doors and rust all took their toll... I had layers of Bondo powder and dirt and fibreglass grit all over me. Gritty, gritty, gritty.....
As soon as I got home I took a hot bath and soaked it all out. Then I took Jasper down to Rundle Park so he could get a little bird-time in the trees. He loves to sit on a branch and just watch the world go by. However, it was definitely chillier than usual, and after half an hour, I'd finished the crossword puzzle I was working on and called to Jasper... he looked kinda chilly too, so I got him out of the tree and took him back home. Usually, he gets an hour or two in the trees, but today even he was glad to leave the park early.
Wednesday, Aug. 18, is the big day. Body prep (at least, as much as I'm going to do) is finished. Today... the paint goes on. Got out to Barry's about noon... had planned to be out much earlier, but a lot of small stuff at home kept me there looking after details and some cleaning up, etc., longer than planned.
Once there, I spent almost an hour masking off all the small stuff that should not get painted: marker lights, door handles, trim, chrome logos, etc. Then, since this paint job was going to involve direct application by roller and brush (NOT spray!), I went around to all the finicky spaces and curves and painted over them with the brush first. THAT took twice as long as expected... it was about 4 PM when I finished that part of it. The rear view mirrors, on extender arms on either side of the cab, were the worst... trying to paint five tubes on each one holding the mirror out was a definite pain in the butt... many tiny spaces and details and hollows to push paint into.
Anyway, finally, just after 4 PM I was able to pour paint into the roller tray and go at the big expanse of the box sides and really quickly go along and finish the big, flat sections. So, by about 5:30 PM the worst of it was over. However, over the next few hours I found areas where the paint had gone on a little thin and needed a second coat, or spots I'd missed, or spots that needed brush retouching, and so on.
The back (wooden) doors of the truck were so dry it was a good thing I'd started with them when I first used the roller. The wood sucked up all the first layer of paint very quickly. By the time I'd finished the rest of the truck, they were ready for a second, heavier coat. Later, a very light third.
Finally, some time after 8 PM, everything was done that I was gonna get done that day... everything was in place and the truck looked a helluva lot better than it had for the last few days! Barry and his daughter had returned with some KFC and invited me in for a quick snack. After I finished cleanup of rollers, brush and stuff, I went in for a piece of chicken, and watched part of a movie they had rented. But, after a half hour, I had to get back out... the truck needed the masking tape peeled off of all the lights and trim. By the time I finished THAT, it was 9:45 PM. I put everything back into the truck and was driving home at 10:04 PM.
Pulled into my parking spot at the apartment with a nice-looking truck for a change.
The evening before, I'd gone out to get something from the truck, and one of the neighbours sitting near his patio door near where I park jokingly asked "Does that thing run?", referring to its somewhat decrepit looking condition. I assured him that it runs a LOT more reliably than it did a couple weeks ago, and that by tomorrow, it was going to be looking a lot nicer.
And now, it does. Almost new, as a matter of fact.
Truck Gets More Work & Prep Continues - - - Aug. 7-13
On Saturday, Aug. 7, Barry let me bring the truck over to his place for more work. The rad was boiling over if it was driven too long, and there were other small mechanical issues to deal with. Also, the brakes were still a bit unresponsive... not a good thing if the truck's going to be hauling a ton of load and a car behind on a tow-dolly.
I started working on some of the interior stuff while Barry worked on the engine. I began by ripping out the heavy plywood sheeting on the walls of the cargo area; half-inch-thick sheets that were partially coated in a kitchen-y style of wallpaper. All this wood was adding at least a couple hundred extra pounds to the overall weight of the vehicle... weight capacity that would be better served in hauling my stuff back to Ontario. The cargo area already had interior metal walls; I guess the previous owner just wanted to add a little more hominess, or insulation. I also noticed that the ceiling was about three inches lower than it had to be. Again, the previous owner must've thought a plywood ceiling would serve better. It was stuffed with fiberglass insulation. I just left it as it was for the moment. There's even a square hole in the ceiling that must've once opened up to the sky. However, a sheet of wood, screwed in from outside, blocked what would make a nice 14" x 14" skylight. I'll have to work on that later.
Finally, I got all the wall-wood removed. Barry continued working on the brakes. At one point, he needed a part for one brake set, a clip used to keep the pads in place. He let me use his car to run out to the local Canadian Tire. He finished the mechanical fixes, and we bled the lines to make sure there was no air or contamination in them. I kept working on the back and some of the exterior of the truck to get it looking better. My long term goal is to sand and smooth out as much of the truck's body as possible and then paint the entire thing, just to get rid of the rust, the scrapes, the dents and general patchy look of it.
Later, about 6:50 PM, we needed one little bolt to finish some engine work he'd done. Again, he let me use his car, and I offered to buy A&W for dinner for us. His daughter Jennifer wanted to come along, so she and I arrived at Canadian Tire just as they were closing. My watch (which keeps CBC time to the second) read 19:58 (7:58 PM), and the manager of the store, a woman standing guard at the door, had already locked the doors for an 8 PM closing. (I later learned they used to close at 9 PM, but just started this Saturday closing one hour earlier.)
I went up to the glass doors, looked through, straight into her eyes, put on my biggest Puss-In-Boots wide-eyed helpless look, and held up the bolt I needed a copy of, indicating I just needed this "one tiny thing". She let us in, and gave directions to the hardware section where they would be, urging us to hurry.
It took a few minutes to locate the right size, but we eventually got a small package of bolts and headed for the checkout.
Later, on the drive back, we stopped at the A&W and got three meals to bring back.
Once back, Jennifer and I finished our meals off on the front porch, with her calling to her dad every five minutes or so to come eat. He kept replying "just one more thing to finish!" Eventually, he did come around, but long after we had finished our meals, and his was cold. To each their own...
But he did finish replacing the thermostat on the engine, and when we tested it, it did kick in at the right temperature and keep the temperature gauge from redlining.
Finally, that day's work was done, and I drove the truck home.
As I parked in front of my place, on the street, I noticed I could hear water hissing out of the engine. I walked around to the front of the vehicle, and yup, coolant leaking out of the engine all over the road.
Now what?
Next morning, Sunday Aug. 8, Barry came over to my place mid-day, and looked at the engine. He discovered that the main rad hose had developed a crack next to the clamp, and that was where the coolant was leaking from. So, we hopped into my car and started a prolonged search around town for a new hose, and some other parts and things needed.
Our travels took us to the Sherwood Park CTC (Canadian Tire Corp.), Part Source on Fort Rd., another CTC on Fort Rd., and finally the NAPA shop on 75 St. at 118 Ave. The CTCs had a rad hose that was very close to, but not exactly the same as, mine. Also, it looked a bit thin. NAPA had the exact part.
Finally, about 4 PM, we got back to my place, got the hose exchanged and other minor work done, and tested the engine. It ran beautifully, with no immediate leaking visible from the short test run we gave it.
Today was the day my In-Transit Permit expired, so the truck was not going to get any more driving for the next few days. Any further work would be done in the parking lot.
And, oh yeah, still got a ton of PACKING to do...
Monday, Aug. 9, I drove my car to Barry's; he'd offered to try and find the source of a rattle that was coming from under the right side, mid-way somewhere in the vehicle. Got there about 10 AM. He looked awhile, we checked out everything visible, and couldn't find a thing.
He did give me another transportation idea to check up on, though... he noted that over by the railroad yards, there was a SEARAIL office that you could book train passage for, for your vehicle.
...
Drove down to the SEARAIL yard about 11:40 AM. Learned that if your vehicle is over seven feet high, they can't help you... only smaller, regular cars can go this way. My truck is about eight feet...
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday August 10-13, went by in a hazy blaze of packing, getting more boxes at the local KFC box-bin, packing, quick trips to Dollar stores for more packing supplies, one quick trip to the local laundromat, packing, etc. All of this accompanied by the deep-acid burning anxiety welling up about the upcoming deadline for moving-day, currently scheduled for Monday August 23.
Worst case of long-term nerves & tension I've had in my life, I think.... probably because it's all gotta get done by me. No one to help, no one to assist, no one's shoulder to cry on in exhaustion, blah, blah, blah...
Oh well... that which does not kill me......
.
I started working on some of the interior stuff while Barry worked on the engine. I began by ripping out the heavy plywood sheeting on the walls of the cargo area; half-inch-thick sheets that were partially coated in a kitchen-y style of wallpaper. All this wood was adding at least a couple hundred extra pounds to the overall weight of the vehicle... weight capacity that would be better served in hauling my stuff back to Ontario. The cargo area already had interior metal walls; I guess the previous owner just wanted to add a little more hominess, or insulation. I also noticed that the ceiling was about three inches lower than it had to be. Again, the previous owner must've thought a plywood ceiling would serve better. It was stuffed with fiberglass insulation. I just left it as it was for the moment. There's even a square hole in the ceiling that must've once opened up to the sky. However, a sheet of wood, screwed in from outside, blocked what would make a nice 14" x 14" skylight. I'll have to work on that later.
Finally, I got all the wall-wood removed. Barry continued working on the brakes. At one point, he needed a part for one brake set, a clip used to keep the pads in place. He let me use his car to run out to the local Canadian Tire. He finished the mechanical fixes, and we bled the lines to make sure there was no air or contamination in them. I kept working on the back and some of the exterior of the truck to get it looking better. My long term goal is to sand and smooth out as much of the truck's body as possible and then paint the entire thing, just to get rid of the rust, the scrapes, the dents and general patchy look of it.
Later, about 6:50 PM, we needed one little bolt to finish some engine work he'd done. Again, he let me use his car, and I offered to buy A&W for dinner for us. His daughter Jennifer wanted to come along, so she and I arrived at Canadian Tire just as they were closing. My watch (which keeps CBC time to the second) read 19:58 (7:58 PM), and the manager of the store, a woman standing guard at the door, had already locked the doors for an 8 PM closing. (I later learned they used to close at 9 PM, but just started this Saturday closing one hour earlier.)
I went up to the glass doors, looked through, straight into her eyes, put on my biggest Puss-In-Boots wide-eyed helpless look, and held up the bolt I needed a copy of, indicating I just needed this "one tiny thing". She let us in, and gave directions to the hardware section where they would be, urging us to hurry.
It took a few minutes to locate the right size, but we eventually got a small package of bolts and headed for the checkout.
Later, on the drive back, we stopped at the A&W and got three meals to bring back.
Once back, Jennifer and I finished our meals off on the front porch, with her calling to her dad every five minutes or so to come eat. He kept replying "just one more thing to finish!" Eventually, he did come around, but long after we had finished our meals, and his was cold. To each their own...
But he did finish replacing the thermostat on the engine, and when we tested it, it did kick in at the right temperature and keep the temperature gauge from redlining.
Finally, that day's work was done, and I drove the truck home.
As I parked in front of my place, on the street, I noticed I could hear water hissing out of the engine. I walked around to the front of the vehicle, and yup, coolant leaking out of the engine all over the road.
Now what?
Next morning, Sunday Aug. 8, Barry came over to my place mid-day, and looked at the engine. He discovered that the main rad hose had developed a crack next to the clamp, and that was where the coolant was leaking from. So, we hopped into my car and started a prolonged search around town for a new hose, and some other parts and things needed.
Our travels took us to the Sherwood Park CTC (Canadian Tire Corp.), Part Source on Fort Rd., another CTC on Fort Rd., and finally the NAPA shop on 75 St. at 118 Ave. The CTCs had a rad hose that was very close to, but not exactly the same as, mine. Also, it looked a bit thin. NAPA had the exact part.
Finally, about 4 PM, we got back to my place, got the hose exchanged and other minor work done, and tested the engine. It ran beautifully, with no immediate leaking visible from the short test run we gave it.
Today was the day my In-Transit Permit expired, so the truck was not going to get any more driving for the next few days. Any further work would be done in the parking lot.
And, oh yeah, still got a ton of PACKING to do...
Monday, Aug. 9, I drove my car to Barry's; he'd offered to try and find the source of a rattle that was coming from under the right side, mid-way somewhere in the vehicle. Got there about 10 AM. He looked awhile, we checked out everything visible, and couldn't find a thing.
He did give me another transportation idea to check up on, though... he noted that over by the railroad yards, there was a SEARAIL office that you could book train passage for, for your vehicle.
...
Drove down to the SEARAIL yard about 11:40 AM. Learned that if your vehicle is over seven feet high, they can't help you... only smaller, regular cars can go this way. My truck is about eight feet...
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday August 10-13, went by in a hazy blaze of packing, getting more boxes at the local KFC box-bin, packing, quick trips to Dollar stores for more packing supplies, one quick trip to the local laundromat, packing, etc. All of this accompanied by the deep-acid burning anxiety welling up about the upcoming deadline for moving-day, currently scheduled for Monday August 23.
Worst case of long-term nerves & tension I've had in my life, I think.... probably because it's all gotta get done by me. No one to help, no one to assist, no one's shoulder to cry on in exhaustion, blah, blah, blah...
Oh well... that which does not kill me......
.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Getting the Truck - - - Late July & Aug. 5-6
In mid-July, 2010, I got an answer to a Kijiji ad I posted earlier, seeking an inexpensive, large-capacity truck I wanted to buy for a one-way trip to Ontario. Actually, I received several answers, but finally one that had a truck that had the required cubic volume space. When I moved out here, we towed a U-Haul trailer, the biggest one they had for my van: 5' x 12' x 5' high. That was just large enough....
This truck has internal dimensions of 6' x 12' x 5'10" high... a little extra space. Although my intent is to go back with just the stuff that I came out here with, there's always a few souvenirs and extra paperwork to carry back.
Considering a rental truck was going to cost over $4,500 for the one way trip, this truck seemed a bargain, as it was going for $800, plus $50 for a certification.
I was under no delusions that it was going to need some fixing up to the tune of a few more bucks, but at least I would still have the vehicle after the trip. I could use it for a workshop as I complete reconstruction of the cottage on WilderHaven once I'm back there.
I drove out to Al's place, just outside Camrose, to see the truck. It's a 1973 Ford Econoline 300, like a big van with a box on the back instead of your usual van shape. The seller needed a couple weeks to get it into certifiable shape, and so I left a deposit and came back home.
Over the next couple weeks, I got updates on the work getting done.... more, apparently, than the seller had planned on. He said the engine had some seals leaking, and gas had gotten into the oil. After replacing the oil, there was some internal damage, so he just replaced the engine. The rear tires needed replacing; he had some better ones he replaced them with. The exhaust system had damaged piping and ended only half way along the length of the vehicle... he said he'd add some pipe to that. He also said they'd add a hitch onto the steel platform extending out the back so I could tow my car behind.
Finally, the day came when they felt it was finished. Fortunately, even after all the extra work Al did for the truck, he held to the original $800 price, plus a $50 fee for certification to another mechanic.
On Thursday, August 5, Catherine, a friend of mine, drove me out to Al's to pick up the vehicle. Once there, I got the sales receipt and we drove into Camrose to get a plate for the truck. First snag... the VIN was not recognized by their system... whether due to the extreme age of the vehicle or the fact their system only goes back a maximum of twenty years, they couldn't find a VIN for it. Two options were now open:
1) get an out-of-province inspection done (about $130) and be prepared to spend about $3,500 in additional repairs, or
2) get a $24.55 "in-transit" sticker for the windshield which gave me three days' driving time to take it wherever it needed to go.
I went for the sticker. We drove back, closed up the deal, and I got into the truck with Catherine following behind for the trip back.
Now, I knew the truck ran a bit noisy during a couple test drives 'round the yard at Al's, but I did NOT realize how bad it was until I was on the highway. There was a banging explosion out the right side of the engine with every revolution; like a constant backfiring. I got into Camrose, put gas in it, and continued home. The smell of exhaust filled the van; I attributed part of that to the open vents in the back of the truck box that were probably pulling some of the exhaust back in. The racket I endured for the hour it took to get back. Almost $30 of gas was used just on the one hour drive. I think my face was partially numb, and my speech was a bit slurred, from lack of oxygen (carbon monoxide poisoning) endured during the hour-long drive home.
No doubt about it, the truck still had issues....
Friday, August 6, I took the truck into Economy Muffler & Brake Shop here in Edmonton. I was fortunate in that they had a guy who understood old-time carburetion engines. But first, that muffler system still needed replacing. Although Al had extended the pipe, it wasn't in very good shape, and the muffler itself had damage.
Thinking back to the last time I had a muffler system replaced (for about $175), I asked the Economy people what it would cost to replace with new from the Y-pipe all the way to the back.
When he said "over $500", I was mildly shocked. Not entirely, but mildly... after all, this is Oil Country, where some people are making three times as much money, so the retail businesses charge everybody three times as much for everything.
Anyway, with a few tweaks, they got the price down to just under $500, and then they started on the engine.
Among several issues there, they discovered (while replacing the plugs, points, wires, etc.... all of which were old and decrepit) that the distributor cap was turned about 30 degrees off of where it should have been!
That the engine ran at all is some sort of testament to the toughness of that particular truck. Additionally, at least one, and possibly a second, spark plug was not even firing. Hence the bad smell and lousy gas mileage. I continue to be amazed the truck made it from Camrose to Edmonton in that condition.
Anyway, after a major work-over of the engine, a minor check-up on the brakes, and a couple other small things being checked over and touched up, the final bill came to just over $1,500. Yee-owtch.
But!... the engine now purred much more quietly, and a whole lot more smoothly. Brakes felt better. No exhaust filled the truck.
It was now a few minutes after 5pm when I paid them, and the truck was out in their yard, idling peacefully, waiting for me to drive home. As I approached it, the engine stopped. Figuring the idle speed was still a shade low, I went to start it again. It turned and turned, but wouldn't catch. The technician finally figured out it had run out of gas, from the on-again, off-again running during the course of the day.
It was quarter after five, the shop was closed, and the employees wanted to go home. One, however, offered to drive me a couple blocks to a local Hughes gas station to get some gas in a large jerry can the owner had brought out. We zipped down there, I filled the can, brought it back, poured it into the truck, and went to start it again. It would start, but slowly idle down to zero and die.
The symptoms were exactly like a fuel filter that's getting clogged and letting gas go too slowly to the engine. However, the workers were all gone now, and I was sitting in the truck, in the yard, somewhat outta luck.
Fortunately, a friend from work, Barry, was available on the cellphone when I called. Barry has an aptitude for things mechanical, and had an hour and a half to come over and help before he had to drive his daughter to work. After he arrived, he dug right in and discovered not one, but two fuel filters on either side of the fuel pump. Both were partially clogged, one badly. So, he loaned me his car to drive a couple blocks down to PartSource, where I was able to buy replacements. Got them back, and we reassembled everything, and the engine ran beautifully! Paid him for his time and drove the truck home... cautiously. I find I'm driving it like I'm expecting something else to break or let go, but it got home without any further problems.
So far.
.
This truck has internal dimensions of 6' x 12' x 5'10" high... a little extra space. Although my intent is to go back with just the stuff that I came out here with, there's always a few souvenirs and extra paperwork to carry back.
Considering a rental truck was going to cost over $4,500 for the one way trip, this truck seemed a bargain, as it was going for $800, plus $50 for a certification.
I was under no delusions that it was going to need some fixing up to the tune of a few more bucks, but at least I would still have the vehicle after the trip. I could use it for a workshop as I complete reconstruction of the cottage on WilderHaven once I'm back there.
I drove out to Al's place, just outside Camrose, to see the truck. It's a 1973 Ford Econoline 300, like a big van with a box on the back instead of your usual van shape. The seller needed a couple weeks to get it into certifiable shape, and so I left a deposit and came back home.
Over the next couple weeks, I got updates on the work getting done.... more, apparently, than the seller had planned on. He said the engine had some seals leaking, and gas had gotten into the oil. After replacing the oil, there was some internal damage, so he just replaced the engine. The rear tires needed replacing; he had some better ones he replaced them with. The exhaust system had damaged piping and ended only half way along the length of the vehicle... he said he'd add some pipe to that. He also said they'd add a hitch onto the steel platform extending out the back so I could tow my car behind.
Finally, the day came when they felt it was finished. Fortunately, even after all the extra work Al did for the truck, he held to the original $800 price, plus a $50 fee for certification to another mechanic.
On Thursday, August 5, Catherine, a friend of mine, drove me out to Al's to pick up the vehicle. Once there, I got the sales receipt and we drove into Camrose to get a plate for the truck. First snag... the VIN was not recognized by their system... whether due to the extreme age of the vehicle or the fact their system only goes back a maximum of twenty years, they couldn't find a VIN for it. Two options were now open:
1) get an out-of-province inspection done (about $130) and be prepared to spend about $3,500 in additional repairs, or
2) get a $24.55 "in-transit" sticker for the windshield which gave me three days' driving time to take it wherever it needed to go.
I went for the sticker. We drove back, closed up the deal, and I got into the truck with Catherine following behind for the trip back.
Now, I knew the truck ran a bit noisy during a couple test drives 'round the yard at Al's, but I did NOT realize how bad it was until I was on the highway. There was a banging explosion out the right side of the engine with every revolution; like a constant backfiring. I got into Camrose, put gas in it, and continued home. The smell of exhaust filled the van; I attributed part of that to the open vents in the back of the truck box that were probably pulling some of the exhaust back in. The racket I endured for the hour it took to get back. Almost $30 of gas was used just on the one hour drive. I think my face was partially numb, and my speech was a bit slurred, from lack of oxygen (carbon monoxide poisoning) endured during the hour-long drive home.
No doubt about it, the truck still had issues....
Friday, August 6, I took the truck into Economy Muffler & Brake Shop here in Edmonton. I was fortunate in that they had a guy who understood old-time carburetion engines. But first, that muffler system still needed replacing. Although Al had extended the pipe, it wasn't in very good shape, and the muffler itself had damage.
Thinking back to the last time I had a muffler system replaced (for about $175), I asked the Economy people what it would cost to replace with new from the Y-pipe all the way to the back.
When he said "over $500", I was mildly shocked. Not entirely, but mildly... after all, this is Oil Country, where some people are making three times as much money, so the retail businesses charge everybody three times as much for everything.
Anyway, with a few tweaks, they got the price down to just under $500, and then they started on the engine.
Among several issues there, they discovered (while replacing the plugs, points, wires, etc.... all of which were old and decrepit) that the distributor cap was turned about 30 degrees off of where it should have been!
That the engine ran at all is some sort of testament to the toughness of that particular truck. Additionally, at least one, and possibly a second, spark plug was not even firing. Hence the bad smell and lousy gas mileage. I continue to be amazed the truck made it from Camrose to Edmonton in that condition.
Anyway, after a major work-over of the engine, a minor check-up on the brakes, and a couple other small things being checked over and touched up, the final bill came to just over $1,500. Yee-owtch.
But!... the engine now purred much more quietly, and a whole lot more smoothly. Brakes felt better. No exhaust filled the truck.
It was now a few minutes after 5pm when I paid them, and the truck was out in their yard, idling peacefully, waiting for me to drive home. As I approached it, the engine stopped. Figuring the idle speed was still a shade low, I went to start it again. It turned and turned, but wouldn't catch. The technician finally figured out it had run out of gas, from the on-again, off-again running during the course of the day.
It was quarter after five, the shop was closed, and the employees wanted to go home. One, however, offered to drive me a couple blocks to a local Hughes gas station to get some gas in a large jerry can the owner had brought out. We zipped down there, I filled the can, brought it back, poured it into the truck, and went to start it again. It would start, but slowly idle down to zero and die.
The symptoms were exactly like a fuel filter that's getting clogged and letting gas go too slowly to the engine. However, the workers were all gone now, and I was sitting in the truck, in the yard, somewhat outta luck.
Fortunately, a friend from work, Barry, was available on the cellphone when I called. Barry has an aptitude for things mechanical, and had an hour and a half to come over and help before he had to drive his daughter to work. After he arrived, he dug right in and discovered not one, but two fuel filters on either side of the fuel pump. Both were partially clogged, one badly. So, he loaned me his car to drive a couple blocks down to PartSource, where I was able to buy replacements. Got them back, and we reassembled everything, and the engine ran beautifully! Paid him for his time and drove the truck home... cautiously. I find I'm driving it like I'm expecting something else to break or let go, but it got home without any further problems.
So far.
.
Monday, August 16, 2010
How It All Started - - - Mid-July 2010
Two and a half years ago (March 2008, specifically), I came out here to Edmonton, Alberta from my home province of Ontario for work with a coach company. That's BUS coach, not sports. Not the kind of work I had planned in my life, but it looked like an interesting break from my two main career courses thus far. The work was challenging, eye-opening, steady and added a few more skills and credentials to the ol' résumé.
This spring, after much time away from home, I decided the time was right to start heading back. Additionally, the company was experiencing downsizing and layoffs, due to diminishing demand from the company's clients. We drove workers out to the huge refinery they are adding on to just outside of Fort Saskatchewan, and the project went for several years. However, main construction was winding down, and workloads were getting much lighter.
Worse yet, I was seriously beginning to miss my family. My sister and brother-in-law are still in Stayner, ON. Mom died in 2001. Up until last year, my father was in a retirement home, where he grew increasing dissatisfied with such living conditions. My daughter, now 22, is still living in the Hamilton/Burlington area.
Earlier this year, I'd scheduled a plane flight out to see Dad when I heard that his health had begun failing. A couple weeks before the flight date, I got word from my sister that he had died. So, now I was never going to see him again... I came down later for the memorial service after his cremation.
I have a hundred-acre property in the Muskoka area that my wife and I had purchased about 24 years ago. Sadly, she passed away unexpectedly about two years after we bought it. I've held onto it ever since, envisioning a time I could finish a small cottage there, and live a helluva lot less expensively on a property that was bought for cash and requires only about $450 a year in taxes.
So, all of these factors have come together: my work in Edmonton has wrapped up, I'm homesick for Ontario and family, there is little to keep me here (prices keep going up even as work opportunities are diminishing), and I am ready to go.
However... just a few obstacles have to be overcome:
1) Renting a U-Haul truck to mid-Ontario is going to cost over $4500, plus about $1,000 in gas.
2) I have pets. Two cats (Max and Tommy Jr.) and four birds (Jasper, Jimmy, Dixie & DeeJay).
3) This has gotta be done before the weather turns... preferably in August, no later than September.
4) I gotta do this all by myself.
Nothing like a challenge.
.
This spring, after much time away from home, I decided the time was right to start heading back. Additionally, the company was experiencing downsizing and layoffs, due to diminishing demand from the company's clients. We drove workers out to the huge refinery they are adding on to just outside of Fort Saskatchewan, and the project went for several years. However, main construction was winding down, and workloads were getting much lighter.
Worse yet, I was seriously beginning to miss my family. My sister and brother-in-law are still in Stayner, ON. Mom died in 2001. Up until last year, my father was in a retirement home, where he grew increasing dissatisfied with such living conditions. My daughter, now 22, is still living in the Hamilton/Burlington area.
Earlier this year, I'd scheduled a plane flight out to see Dad when I heard that his health had begun failing. A couple weeks before the flight date, I got word from my sister that he had died. So, now I was never going to see him again... I came down later for the memorial service after his cremation.
I have a hundred-acre property in the Muskoka area that my wife and I had purchased about 24 years ago. Sadly, she passed away unexpectedly about two years after we bought it. I've held onto it ever since, envisioning a time I could finish a small cottage there, and live a helluva lot less expensively on a property that was bought for cash and requires only about $450 a year in taxes.
So, all of these factors have come together: my work in Edmonton has wrapped up, I'm homesick for Ontario and family, there is little to keep me here (prices keep going up even as work opportunities are diminishing), and I am ready to go.
However... just a few obstacles have to be overcome:
1) Renting a U-Haul truck to mid-Ontario is going to cost over $4500, plus about $1,000 in gas.
2) I have pets. Two cats (Max and Tommy Jr.) and four birds (Jasper, Jimmy, Dixie & DeeJay).
3) This has gotta be done before the weather turns... preferably in August, no later than September.
4) I gotta do this all by myself.
Nothing like a challenge.
.
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