We took the new RV to Indiana in early April to meet the buyers and enjoy our friends and a final work session on the house. The early April weather is very changeable and there was a late snow across Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. It was not the most pleasant driving but the new RV performed well on the road. And the extra bed in the back made for a comfy trip with plenty of napping to keep on the road for a long haul. We drove 12 hours the first day and 8 the second.
We arrived at the house just before the snow started. It was amazing. The house was warm and none of the plumbing leaked. We were able to turn on the refrigerator and water and make the bed and get a nice long rest.
Indiana is gorgeous in April. The redbuds and dogwoods were in bloom and the green was bursting from the woods and meadows. The snow came and dulled it for a little while but it melted and didn’t even destroy the flowering trees.
Our biggest project was replacing windows. We had purchased the windows during our last visit but ran out of time to install them. So the window area was blocked with old insulation and drywall and left for the winter. The new windows were about a half inch taller than the old so the side trim did not fit well. Did not have time to get new boards so the new owners will fix that. Also didn’t finish some trim. There are always unfinished projects there.
Friends came to visit us since it was a goodbye to the homestead for the last time. We hiked up past the pond to the corner mark on the property. These marks were redone by the loggers just a few years ago. Of course we had to apply a good coating of DEET insect repellent for the hike to ward off the many ticks and chiggers and other nasty bugs in the woods.
We spent two weeks going through the last of our possessions there and recycling lots of memories, discarding trash, and sending some items to Goodwill. We sanded drywall, painted and fixed a problem with the new furnace drainage. And had lovely visits with our Indiana friends, promising that we would visit again even without the farm to return to. Then it was over and time to come home. I stuffed the RV with items I wanted to keep. We took it a bit easier on the way home. Stopped to see my second cousin and visited Hermann, MO a very pretty town on the Missouri river and stopped near Kansas City for a visit with a high school friend who I had not seen in 30 years. Then we booked it home in 8 hours. It was a great trip despite its rather sad goodbyes. The two weeks in Indiana had added lots more green to the landscape.
So ends the chapter of all the wonderful years building that house and developing that homestead. It’s time. We are entering our 7th decade and have to be able to let go of some things. Our mini homestead in Colorado provides us plenty of projects. And we have grandchildren nearby to watch as they grow. We are so fortunate.