Escape to Maine~ The Odyssey Continues.  Part 2

January 1, 2021 dawned cold and with threats of snow and bad weather coming in, so my son and daughter got back in the RV for the long drive back to Illinois to avoid having to drive through the worst of the weather. After tearful goodbyes, we waved them away and went back into the empty house that was now going to be home. 

I don't remember much about those first few nights. We had the foresight to have mattresses delivered for that first night...and son of a gun, it worked!  I also had packed sheets and blankets in my car (along with a microwave and a few other necessities) so that until the moving trailers showed up, we could at least be somewhat at "home".   

The very day after we moved "in"...it snowed.  Thankfully, it was light 

and pretty....not much shoveling was necessary, but I was still glad to 

have brought a shovel.

We thought the porch would be cold enough to use as a refrigerator

until we could buy one (more on that later). Strangely, it wasn't cold enough...

Firing up the oven for the first time, released the most acrid smell of MOUSE.

They obviously had been living here quite nicely (an empty house is perfect for them)

but it was time for them to find other accommodations.  It took hours of scrubbing, not to mention 

the door to the over almost wouldn't go back on! Every once in a while, I can still catch 

a slight scent of mouse when the oven has been on for a bit....

Having several days without anything to do really, we found several things 

decided for us. Along with the stove being mouse-ridden...we had several leaky pipes. Plumbers

and electricians are scarce up here so we had to wait a few days before we

could solve the constant leak from the tub faucet, and the upstairs sink. 

So, I decided to use the water in the tub...plug the tub and let it fill and wash the clothes there. 

Next was figuring out how to dry them. This bit of shelving was sitting out (left by the previous owners)

and worked until I could get some clothesline. 

The washer and dryer for several weeks. 

Then there were the pyrotechnics from the neighbor behind us. Evidently, 

once you get a permit for burning outside, you have to do it within 24 hours (?)

and after 5 pm. No idea why...but having this lit up after 9 pm with no insurance on my barn as of yet,

and the wind blowing, made me quite nervous. Still exhausted from the drive, seeing this 

took me in a very bad direction. Worried about troublesome neighbors, I don't think 

I slept that night.

  (Thankfully, they were gone within the year)

I was also raising my granddaughter for the foreseeable future. Therefore, 

cabinets were a great play place until the trailers came with our things.

(I screwed the other cabinets shut until I could clean them out)

With a fresh coat of snow, everything looked like a wonderland. 

We were getting to know the place and only awaited the arrival of the 

trailers. This strange honeymoon period with just lawn chairs, a microwave,

and mattresses on the floor lasted a week or so. Looking back, it was like a 

dream; scary, exciting, full of wonder and fraught with questions about life in Maine. 

We soon found out a great deal from locals. 

Part 3:  Unloading trailers, meeting neighbors, and getting the skinny on the town.