Susan (who isn't writing well. Feel free to send edits.)
The photos I don't have are of snow covered driveways, both at our duplex and the storage unit. They both have vehicles stuck in them. The temperature hoovers around 15 degrees in both, with strong wind chill dropping it further. And to my amazement, in both people are not frustrated, but good-naturedly figuring their way out of the problem.
Saturday December 14 we loaded up the rest of our earthly goods at the Orrville house. The family buying it on land contract is eager to more in; they've been living with five people in a one bedroom apartment. Snow during the night made a few roads bad, but the worst didn't come until after we were loaded up. I thought most of the house was already packed and moved--after all, Dennis had brought loads out each time he came to Goshen and Maynard Miller had earlier brought his truck out with many things--but the odds and ends (very odd, for the most part, at the end) took up the entire 25-foot truck yet again. In fact, we left a few things behind for another trip.
We weren't completely packed into boxes when the Oak Grove crew showed up. They worked hard and fast, especially when Art Neuenschwander held a gun to their heads . Linda Jaquet did her amazing cleaning of the house, except for the last of the living space where we still had things stacked when she left. Bob Krabill, Bob Amstutz, Dennis Ramseyer, Dan Jaquet, Paul Miller and Cheryl Neuenschwander got everything cleared out and on the truck by 12:30. Welma Mast came to check how things were going. We still had some clean up to do. She kicked us out of the house so we could make the trip back to Indiana mostly in the light and did the final four hours of cleaning herself. The new owners are moving into a clean house, thanks to our many friends.
As Dennis ate a bit of lunch before we left for Indiana, he mused that we wouldn't be able to fit all this load into our Goshen storage unit. I called around and found the last rental place still open post-noon on Saturday. The owner promised, beyond kindness, to have the place plowed out and meet us to do the paperwork Sunday afternoon.
The trip from Orrville to New Paris is typically 4-4.5 hours. This one took about 6 because of snowy roads. As we got closer to the duplex, and knowing that Kauffmans were out of town and our shovels were on the truck, we began wondering about the driveway. Turned out, it had 5" of snow on it. Dennis gunned the motor and made it halfway up the drive. It's modestly long. While he, with boots on, walked to the house to consider next steps, I looked at the beautiful snow in the dark of early night and wondered where my boots were. The over-stuffed trunk? The unorganized back seat? To my unexpected joy, I found them while rooting around for my purse. See, there is always SOMETHING good that happens.
Unbeknownst to me, Jim had told Dennis where the snow blower was and taught him the trick to start it. An hour later we rocked the car out of its stuckness and drove into the garage.
Sunday Dennis blew the drive clear again and we left to meet the owner at the second place in Goshen where we are renting a storage unit. When we arrived, it was very obvious that the place had not been plowed out, even though the plowing contract said it would be by 7:00 am. Maynard decided he could get the truck in and Rich and Brenda Hostetler Meyer drove John Weaver Glick, Michael Miller and us back in their SUV. Cold temperatures kept us moving and in less than 1.5 hours the truck was unloaded and the door carefully closed on the stuffed storage unit.
But the empty truck couldn't make it out. (Agreed. Yet another awkwardly phrased sentence. But Maynard COULD make it out, just not with the truck.) The group went to Weaver Glicks to warm up and enjoy the soup Sally had made. The mood was problem solving rather than frustration, calling numerous people for ideas. Finally someone rumored that the storage place was being plowed out, so the guys jumped in a car and drove back. Hooray! The truck was freed!
We now have earthly items stored at two different storage places, the HM farm, my mother's, and here at the duplex. We're realizing we won't be digging a foundation soon. (No, we don't yet own the land.) But we are very thankful for the treasure of friends these past days, who have sheltered us from the storms of snow, cold, too many things to pack and carry, and the emotional upheaval of moving. Thank you. Thank you!
