OT.............Move complete......

[Su Lawrence]

... to have you back RAMWolff! Yep moving is a pain, I'm a self confessed hoarder (hate to throw anything away) so that makes the whole thing even more fraught with hassle. My other half is the exact opposite but I think he has finally given up getting me to be more organised ... at least I hope so!

Yikes Maya a 4 foot iguana, how far was the drive from NY to Washington State? The furthest I had to move stuff was from here (Hampshire down to Wales which was about 150 miles or so).

Regards

Su

[Crow Haven]

Glad to hear from you!!! You've no doubt been really busy! Well, I don't have the exact mileage figures right at hand, but I think our route was over 2,300 miles---NY and WA being completely across the country from each other. It took us about 5 days really hurrying along and no real sightseeing stops except where we stopped overnight. It was neat to see the changes in the countryside, towns and cities as we drove through them. We took off and left NY about noon, drove through Pennsylvania and made it to Ohio I think it was that first day. Great time made and beat the traffic rush hours somehow!!! It was a struggle in Chicago---we hit the "windy city" during rush hour and it was an awful mess----lots of toll booth stops in the early parts of the trip which slow things down---over $20 in tolls!
In Wisconsin I was impressed with the rolling green valleys (dells---as in a children's song "The Farmer In The Dell") and all the farmland was dotted with great trees, it was very picturesque/pastoral incredibly green and pretty---they have a lot of lakes there too---winters are very snowy there. Then as the terrain changes going west we raced against storms brewing---even saw tornados forming! We drove on in pouring rain until we made it to Montana where the temperature soared and driving without air conditioning was no fun.
"Bert" the iguana did amazingly well on the trip, the road vibration he got used to and was a happy camper after a day or so. He wasn't much of a conversationalist though!!! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] He was my son's pet, but mostly I took care of him [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img] . I had a very weird feeling while driving through the BadLands of S. Dakota---awful battles were fought there---it just was so quiet and seemed haunted somehow, it almost felt like that feeling you get when you think you're being watched. Feels very spooky almost...but also somehow spiritual and like if you could listen long enough, in the wind you might hear those voices of those who once were there. It's hard to describe the feeling...maybe what some might experience if they visited a site like Stonehenge perhaps.
---As The Crow Flies!---
Maya [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]

[Crow Haven]

I think the area I was remembering was through S. Dakota and actually more into Big Horn or Little Big Horn area of Montana---it all sort of blurred together traveling quickly through there.
---As The Crow Flies!---
Maya [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]

[RAMWolff44]

[img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

Thanks Sue for the warm welcome back [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Actually today was the worst of the whole thing!!! You think your organized and working on NOT being such a pack rat and with my health situation, cleaner than most people!!

Well today was the day I had to clean the old place, and O M G!! What a flippin mess that was to do. Talk about over worked with NO pay!!! I hope that I can stay here for a little while (the new place) because I don't want to go through this again any time soon!!! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif[/img]

One last thing to do........pray that I get my cleaning deposit back and then the whole mass is done [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif[/img] So say a prayer or something, I need the cash to pay back a moving loan [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif[/img]

Nighty night...........ZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......

RAMWolff [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]

[Su Lawrence]

Thanks, yes things have been pretty hectic here recently. But mainly this week and a half or so I've been down with flu, which has sort of slowed me down quite a bit, couldn't really concentrate on anything very much. Been sleeping mostly. However felt a bit better yesterday and today.

Wow sounds like an amazing journey there, 2,300 miles a long way to drive! Thanks for the description. The Badlands in/through S Dakota sounds spooky. I've visited Stonehenge, and driven past it on numerous occasions, it's just down the road from here. I didn't find it real spooky though, I got more of a sense/feeling of history, although I expect it may be a different matter at night or alone!

Just down in the valley here there is a place called Basing House which is pretty atmospheric! It was under seige in the English Civil War and there were several battles fought there.

RAMWolff - sounds like you've been working hard there. Hope you get your deposit back. BTW what is an etagere? Sounds like some sort of cupboard.

Regards

Su

[This message was edited by Su Lawrence on May 31, 2002 at 04:43.]

[This message was edited by Su Lawrence on May 31, 2002 at 04:44.]

[This message was edited by Su Lawrence on May 31, 2002 at 05:10.]

[RAMWolff44]

I hope I get my deposit back too [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

A bathroom etagere is an over the toilet stand that has shelves, or a mixture of shelves, drawers, a towel rack.... Some have doors to enlclose the shelves, some are ratan, some are wire and some are wood and nicely done!! Just depends on who makes it and as I said, NOT TO MANY!! They sell really ugly cheap versions in Target and KMart and places like that. No way, to ugly for my tastes. Wood all the way baby [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

Have a good day [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

RAMWolff [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]

[Crow Haven]

I hope you're feeling better, Su!!! Getting plenty of rest is soooo important with the flu bug. Wow, you live near Stonehenge!!! Oh I'd love to visit that area some day, as well as the beautiful countryside and historic places---I'd have to go see those ravens cared for at the Tower of London, too, of course!!! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] From what I've heard, they have a special "Raven Keeper" and I'd love to hear what he had to say about the differences in the individual birds' personalities, etc...it would be fascinating!!! Well, maybe someday... [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]

"Bert"??? [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] Yes, well my son named him---but then there was also "Larry" the ferret!!! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] Famous for stealing slippers and bits of clothing and jamming them under the refrigerator...he's another story!!! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

I know all about the cleaning job you must have had to tackle---with the military, you also had to contend with "inspectors" [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif[/img] [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img] who would make the decision as to whether you got it spotless, etc...oh man, what a hassel and what a huge job with the move itself too.
Take it easy!!! Don't work too hard!!! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]
---As The Crow Flies!---
Maya

[Su Lawrence]

... I did a quick search and found a couple of sites which supply over the toilet etageres:

http://www.bostonwood.com/nuindex.html either do a search for 'etagere' or go to furniture-household-etagere plus. They are in Boston so you will still get a shipping fee.

... and ...

http://www.zenith-interiors.com/styl...to/fulhrto.htm, which looks quite nice. Couldn't find an address though but their opening times are in EST so I presume they are somewhere in the east US.

Maya - Thanks I am feeling a bit better now. Yes Stonehenge is near to Salisbury which is about 40 miles from here give or take. The Tower of London is definately worth a visit if you're ever in London. I used to be a member of the Sealed Knot and a historical re-enactment society, so I've camped out in the grounds of quite a few historical places. Spent a week at Wardour Castle (which is where they filmed part of Robin Hood Prince of Thieves), it is a beautiful place surrounded by woods with a lake.

Larry the ferret sounds like a real personality. I had to baby sit a white rat once, he would just curl up sort of round the back of my neck and occasionally poke his nose through my hair to startle passers by!

Regards

Su

[This message was edited by Su Lawrence on May 31, 2002 at 10:00.]

[This message was edited by Su Lawrence on May 31, 2002 at 10:02.]

[Crow Haven]

So Glad you're feeling better!!! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] That must have been so fun to be a part of a historical reenactment group and spend real time in those places---I would just love that!!! The opportunity to enjoy the history, see the sites, and try to capture on film and in art the "atmosphere" of such areas would just be fabulous. I know if I lived close to Stonehenge I'd bee trying to capture pictures of it with differences in weather, mists, moonlight, sunrises and sunsets, special alignments of these with the stones, etc...it has a great and ancient look to it...so many mysteries too, which I'm always intrigued by...I'd also love to see the ancient ruins of many other cultures around the world. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] I'd be a real globe-trotter if I had the money and time! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

Rats as pets---yes, some people may cringe at the idea, but I have found, also, that they are very smart and affectionate pets! (Richard, don't freak out!!!)haha
---As The Crow Flies!---
Maya [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

[dalel]

I haven't moved for 16 years, and get the shakes just thinking about it. The longer you stay, the easier it is to accumulate stuff. After awhile, you get so entrenched, it's painful to pull up stakes.

Ivan, if you haven't moved since birth, does that mean you are still living with your parents, or did you inherit the family home or some other living arrangement with siblings? In the "old days", it was common to live like "The Waltons", with several generations in the same home. That sort of living arrangement is rare in the U.S. now.

I have been in South Dakota, too, and I agree there is a feeling there, expecially in the Black Hills. I felt sort of a sacredness, as if the ancestors of all the Native Americans were still there to protect their hallowed ground. I also got a feeling of isolation, nestled in the valleys. Contrast that with the odd tourist attractions such as Reptile Gardens, dinosaur statues, optical illusion houses, Mount Rushmore, and the Crazy Horse work-in-progress, and it gives you a strange feeling of the old meeting the new. North and South Dakota are some of the least populous states, I believe, and there are thousands and thousands of acres that are uninhabited, and still retain their wildness. Most of these acres are not usable for agriculture, so they remain as they have been for thousands of years. North Dakota is REALLY wild, and mostly untouched. I loved Montana. It is mostly ranching country rather than agricultural, and the vast acres of grasslands, with horses and cattle are gorgeous. They used to have no speed limits posted, and you could drive fast! We got stopped by police because my brother was driving over 100 mph. He only got a warning! I think the signs said "Use Good Judgement." (This was back in the 60's)

I have had several pets throughout the years, some pretty exotic. My brother and I raised snakes, and had to raise mice and rats to feed them. We had some pretty big snakes; a few very large boas and a Blue Indigo from the Everglades area, plus assorted rat snakes and smaller boas. You don't want to put the smaller snakes in the same cage with the big ones, especially when the large snake needs a meal! Where's my little green rat snake? Oops! Snakes aren't very good pets, but we both enjoyed the white rats immensely, and they make good pets if you don't let them breed (They get vicious and protective of their young, and bite.)

Mice are cute, but they stink, and their living arrangements smell worse. The rats are much cleaner, and spend 1/2 their time grooming. "Domestic" white rats, and many other colors of rats including black ones, have had the typical "brown" rat tendencies bred out of them, so they are not vicious. Fun fact: brown rat hairs are not brown, they are a mixture of white and black. Breeding either hair color out changes the new rat's disposition markedly.

I eventually sold my snakes and just kept a few rats. My cat and the rats got along great, but I would occasionally see the hunt-and-kill instinct suddenly flash in my cat's eyes, and I'd have to jump into the fray to prevent disaster.

While living in Corpus Christie, Texas, which is on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, we had two tropical iguanas, about 2 1/2 feet long. These reptiles are much more interesting than snakes. They are primarily plant eaters, so they have to eat more often, and consequently roam around far more than snakes. They were a striking bright green, and had distinct personalities. They were pretty mellow, but would hiss and threaten when frightened, and could back you off pretty quickly! I made the mistake of leaving them unattended in the back yard, and they escaped. I told all the neighbors, but nobody had seen them. (They said.) I never took them on a long trip, and couldn't imagine traveling with an iguana, especially a four-footer! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] I took my cat from Denver to LA once(24 hours), and she spent the entire time under the seat. Poor kitty!

BTW, if you've ever seen squirrels walk along power lines or telepone lines, imagine wild rats doing the same. Along the coast is Texas, you had to have those disc things like they use on the tether lines of ships to keep rats out, or some way to keep the rats from getting into your house while walking along the power lines. Yuck! I had never lived anywhere where there were wild rats, and that plus the cockroaches, convinced me to never live in a place like that again. I liked Corpus Christi for the access to the ocean and great seafood, but I'll take Colorado anyday! Besides, the humidity makes my hair all frizzy!

When I was growing up, it seemed that everyone had a parakeet. My grandmother's parakeet talked quite a bit, and my grandfather had taught it some naughty things to say; she would just shake her head when he induced the bird to curse or say off-color remarks. The bird would only swear for him, because she worked with the bird most of the time, getting him to say cute stuff for us kids, like "Pretty bird", and "What's your name?" I could never get our parakeet to talk. I was never patient enough to train an animal to do anything.

Finally, my neighbor keeps about 12 cats in a one bedroom apartment. She keeps an immaculate apartment, and pet control visits frequently, so that she doesn't become the local "cat lady". A few of her cats visit me now and then, and I give them catnip, which she doesn't like to give them. I am the local "dealer"! She mentions her cats come home sometimes acting all frisky and goofy, and I just smile at the thought of one more "corrupted" feline! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

Dale

Why, I’m afraid I can’t explain myself, sir, because I’m not myself, you know...
- Lewis Carroll