Friday, June 20, 2008

Preparing For The Move

Our house in Kansas has been rented. Phew. That is one less thing to have to worry about.

After several trips to Springfield, and having gone inside many, many, many houses for sale, we were able to decide on an older home very near the university. Phew. One less thing to worry about. Now, I just have to worry about the packers.

Our preliminary moving inspection went very well. We have nothing out of the ordinary that should cause our packers any troubles. We sold lots of extra stuff at a garage sale. Not only does that limit that amount we have to move, but also the weight. I'm not for sure exactly what our weight was, but I suspect we were pushing the authorized amount. Our next move should not even come close to weight allowance as we will be down another kid's possessions.

I am hoping to make this next house a bit more organized than our current house. Instead of cardboard boxes in the basement, I had some cupboards built specifically to house all the linens left over from my mother's Bed and Breakfast. Not having been able to seen them over the last year, I forgot what I had. Talk about "Out of sight, our of mind." Not anymore.

My wonderful husband is still talking about when we move back to Kansas. So, unless something spectacular comes out of Springfield, we'll be returning to our current digs. With that said, I'll keep the landscaping endeavors to a minimum. It's a bummer because I really wanted to jump into the garden society. I have amazing ideas, but I don't want to put all the effort and money into a garden that will be abandoned in three years. Of course, I say that now, but you never know. I could easily change my mind.

In preparation for the move, I have done the whole space bag thing to my extra towels and blankets. Man, it really makes a HUGE difference. If only I could space bag my dishes. That would be something cool.

I also washed the outside furniture and sun-umbrella. Yuck. They were very dirty. Not anymore, which will make it nice to unpack on the other end.

With my husband on leave and school out for the summer, we do have some free time. So, my fabulous husband suggested a trip to the Omaha Zoo. Woo Hoo! I love the zoo. But first, we stopped at the Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City, NE. That place is way cool. There were some very tall, yellow flowers.





Anybody know what kind of flowers these are?

After the nature walk, we went into the nursery where we were given two Blue Spruce seedlings to plant. My grandpa Bob highly recommended planting trees. Unfortunately, I don't care for Blue Spruce as they have very sharp needles, but I'll plant them anyway. Naturally, I haven't decided where to plant them, yet. Maybe here in Kansas, maybe there in Springfield. That's a decision I'll make later.

The Zoo was great.



I asked several employees what kind of background and education they had. I think it would be terrific to work at a zoo. I'm all about animal health, welfare and enrichment. I can't think of a more wonderful job.

So, once we get to Springfield, I'll apply for work at the Springfield Zoo. I also plan to apply for a position at Animal Paradise. That place is a wild animal safari park. Of course, I'm not ruling out the Rutledge-Wilson Farm. I would love to work there. Those folks really need my experience and expertise and they don't even know it. Hopefully, the city will approve funding for another full-time position and I can help them create an amazing agritourism place. Wherever I end up working, be it a pet shop, dog kennel, zoo, animal safari place or even the public school department as a substitute teacher, Red Barn Farm will always be the NUMBER 1 place for me.





I love that place. If we do end up returning to Kansas, I'll be back there, giving tours and doing chores.