0031 - Organized

Yesterday we had to move to another spot at the RV park. There is a guy who has been coming to this place for the past eleven years, and we were in *his* spot. Not having met him, he sounds like a total douche... he owns an RV, but flies someone in to park it and set it up, then she comes in once a week to clean it for him. I admit Mike does the lion's share of the work when it comes to the RV, but that's because I don't know how to do them yet. I have been trying to help as much as I can because I want to know how to do it. I'm starting to get the hang of it... of course now we're not moving around as much so I'll probably start to forget.

After that we went to see Mark, to pay him for the temporary electric pole he built for us. Finally got to see it, it was a beaut. We're going to keep it so that we can use it when we get settled, no point in selling it with the land, it's $800 that we won't have to worry about in the future. He told us about some property that was nearby, for sale, but not publicly, then he took us on a tour of it. It's close to 80 acres for around $3k/acre, but the guy trades too, so he may be willing to take our land as a downpayment and then owner finance the rest. The road going back to that area is good... two lanes with a center stripe. Mark brings his heavy equipment in and out all the time, so an RV should work. The road going into the land would need to be cleared and graveled, but the land itself is amazing. As Mark was talking about what he'd do with it if it was his, I could clearly see the pond, the clearings, etc., and there are footers for a cabin already in place. It needs some cleanup, but there is also marketable timber that we may be able to sell to offset some of that.

Mark owns most of the property around it and is like us, he wants to keep people at a distance, so he was explaining that with the hollers around it, and him owning land around it, no one is going to come in and build and it will stay secluded. There are several springs on the property, and a waterfall supposedly. And the best part, other than having a kickass neighbor and everything else I've just said, is that it's on the Cookeville side of Gainesboro, so it's only about 15-20 mins to a larger town if we need something, or want to eat at a restaurant like we're used to.

Speaking of which, we went back to Char for my birthday. We'd gone there last time we were here but Mike had just had gallbladder surgery and we ended up in the ER. We were both looking forward to going back because the leftovers we got were amazing. We weren't disappointed. I had ribeye with bleu cheese and a baked potato. Mike had a seafood pasta with a lemon cream sauce. Both were delicious and enough for leftovers today.

Then we went to Verizon to get Mike a phone that might at least work sporadically around here. AT&T just wasn't cutting it. They claim to have a 'moderate service area' around here... bullshit, they have no service whatsoever. The representative I spoke to - before I even mentioned cancelling - told me that I had a contract and I couldn't just cancel without paying a termination fee. The supervisor said almost the same thing, except he offered to split it with us. So it cost us around $85 to cancel and it was the first time I have ever been disappointed with AT&T. Up until now, everyone has been awesome and I have sung their praises, so I know it's just the one guy and not the company, but I'm still a little miffed. Part of the contract is that they provide us service, not feed us bullshit and tell us to get a signal booster for the house that will "help." I don't feel like we should have to pay anything to cancel.

This afternoon we emptied out the belly of the beast and finally organized our things. We'd just sort of shoved everything in there when we moved because we were short on time, and ever since we've been on the move or busy doing something. Now food is with food, RV stuff is in its own bin, electronics have their own box, etc. It's much better now, and I was able to clear the space around the dining room table because I could move stuff into storage. Tonight we'll sort through clothes and figure out what we can swap out, room is tight in the closet and drawers so we need to make choices.

One of our neighbors is in the process of packing up and leaving. I don't know details and don't need to know, but I have enough info to realize it wasn't their choice. They were cool people and we enjoyed talking to them, they had a campfire this weekend and invited us over to sit around and talk to everyone. The guy was a spitfire and liked to joke, he'd always say something to me that was sexist (jokingly), and I'd flip him off, and he'd laugh. Good people, I wish them well.

Dinner tonight is sauerkraut and sausage (jalapeno cheese sausage from Froberg that we had in our freezer). Then more organizing. I'm losing track of the days but I think it's Wednesday. We don't really have plans until Monday except that our building will arrive sometime soon. Mark is letting us keep it at his place until we sort things out. That's another reason why that property would be nice... it's nearby, hahaha. He's also going to ask around to see if anyone wants to buy it. If we can sell it, we can put that money into a pole barn, which would actually work better for us anyway. Can you tell I hate that building? Well I do. I would love to be rid of it. I've seen several farmers storing their hay in that type of building, so maybe we can find someone wants it and it will be a win-win situation for both of us. Here's hoping.