Despite cool weather and windy conditions, Kay and I witnessed our first-ever Monarch butterfly migration on Sunday. After leaving Early Church service, we saw many Monarchs flying in “formation”, then we saw the same thing at Walmart, and then again near our house during a delayed morning walk. We must have seen hundreds. Though new to observing butterflies, this is the first migration we have ever witnessed, and it was very special. We also saw several other different species that have been absent the last few weeks.
Today, Monday, marks Karyn’s 3? birthday; happy birthday!  She spent the day working from home as Ridge was a bit under the weather.  Today, October 6, also marks the day hummingbirds typically leave our area migrating south; only 2 of the last 10 years have we observed hummingbirds at a feeder later—one year October 7 was the last day and another year the hummingbirds appeared into November.  As for packing, we have decided to take a break for a few days, but we’re almost finished anyway.  Also, we decided to delay our physical move south for a week; we’ll pack the moving truck on October 16, and move on October 18, a day after the real estate transaction closes.  I was supposed to fish with Ed Richmond, his daughter Mary, and grandson Simon, but near constant generation on the Norfork prevented our wading.  Instead, twelve-year old Simon fished Dry Run Creek and had a blast, as did all the adults watching.  An excellent fly caster and fisher, he caught upwards of 30 trout, including a couple of behemoths.  Of course, grandfather Ed was all grins.  It was a hoot.
Tuesday was uneventful for us, except for having a new compressor installed for the house air conditioning, but since we’re selling the house we would rather it go on the blink while we can have it repaired than have new buyers have to deal with it.  We did have a hummingbird visit one of the feeders!  Does this portend unusual weather this winter?  
After our morning walk and breakfast, I fulfilled an appointment Wednesday morning with the cardiologist regarding my July heart attack and implant of stints.  Everything checked out okay, he removed baby aspirin (81 mg) from my daily meds—now, it is just Plavix and a senior vitamin—and sent me on the way without another appointment until July 2015!  Kay remained home for the repair of the ice maker; it was producing crushed ice, but not ice cubes.  Seems like a switch had stuck in the back of the ice maker, and the repairman “unstuck” the switch for $60+; oh well!  We rewarded ourselves for all the hard work the last couple of weeks by hitting a bucket of golf balls and working briefly on our short game.  We had lunch at a new Mexican restaurant (okay, but not great), then picked up absentee ballots for the November election, and then shopped for groceries.
Selling the house has been a roller coaster ride for us, with lots of ups and downs.  The break from packing this week has helped us cope with some of the consequent stress.  I resumed packing today, Thursday, trying to bring some sense of organization to the shop/hobby room, the mobilization area for packing and the move.  Kay drove into town for a “beauty shop” appointment and to take care of other business; while there she learned that the last potential obstacle to “closing” the real estate deal had been resolved.  Consequently, we will be closing on the Norfork house on Friday, October 17.  We will move the motorhome to Quarry Park on Wednesday, October 15, and then pick up a U+Haul truck on Thursday, October 16; with the help of two hired men, our meager belongings will be loaded on the truck that day.  After loaded, the U+Haul truck will be parked until after closing.  On Saturday, October 18, we will drive the U+Haul truck and one of our cars to Hot Springs Village and meet two workers who will unload the boxes into two storage units in the Village.  We will then drive back to Norfork and stay in the motorhome.  On Sunday, October 19, we will drive the motorhome, tow vehicle (Honda CR V), and Expedition down to the Corps of Engineers Maumelle Park near Little Rock.  We will be there for approximately 8 days to visit with Harper and family in Memphis, and Ridge and family and Ron in central Arkansas before departing for the winter in Texas.  While in Little Rock, we will finalize building plans, execute a construction loan and building contract, sign required permit requests, and arrange for mail forwarding from our HSV P.O. box.  Please pray for travel mercies for us.
We have begun saying our goodbyes to friends in Baxter County.  Today, Friday, we had lunch with some of our dearest and “oldest” friends in this area, Dick and Carolyn Todd.  We met them at our first church in Mountain Home, and I took an instant liking to Dick.  He has proved to be as smart and handy as first suspected, and loyal as can be.  And Carolyn is as good a person—compassionate, caring—as one will ever meet.  We took many short trips together, had a lot of fun nights playing cards, enjoyed a bunch of Dirty Santa Christmas parties, and both Dick and I suffered from some severe health issues.  They are the only members of the “in Betweeners” from Twin Lakes Baptist Church that have remained in touch. We will miss them, but will stay in touch.  Both before and after lunch, we moved a few more things into the motorhome.  We are nearing the end of packing, and are having to check lists 2 and 3 times.  We ’re down to almost nothing left in the house.  We saw a couple of hummingbirds again today, marking the second “latest of the season” sightings since we’ve lived hear.
We still have hummingbird(s) coming to the feeder today, Saturday, though some look pretty bedraggled.  Early this morning, with a break in the rainy weather, I dumped the fresh water tank in the motorhome, and refilled the tank half full with soft water from the house which I chlorinated, adding a teaspoon and a half for the half tank.  This should allow us to make it for several days without water, should the need arise.  The ice maker was turned on, but alas, no ice, even after several hours.  There is a secondary filter under the sink for the ice maker and potable water outlet that essentially removes odors; I couldn’t remember which way the valve was supposed to be turned, but given the “no ice” situation, turned it opposite the way it was and after a few more hours, ice appeared—one little hurdle at a time.  On a sad note, we received word today that our part-time next door neighbor, Charlie DuVall, passed away this morning.  Charlie played basketball and was on the 1973 Final Four Memphis State team.  He had a heart of gold and will be greatly missed; our prayers go out to his wonderful wife, Rima.

With guests leaving early, Kay and I went to church and Sunday school, and ate lunch at Chen’s with Bruce and Joan.  We resumed packing Sunday afternoon.

Kay received a call Monday morning from the buyer’s bank to schedule a time for their appraisal of the house; the appraisal was scheduled for Wednesday morning.  We continued packing Monday and Tuesday, but our enthusiasm is quickly subsiding.  

The appraiser came, did his job, and left Wednesday morning while we packed.  We took off several hours to drive into Mountain Home for high dose flu shots, “13” pneumonia shots, and a tetnus, etc. shot for me—what a circus.  Walgreens did not have the high dose flu vaccine, but Fred’s Dollar Store did, but when we drove there, the computer link to Medicare was down and they could not fill any prescriptions.  We run errands until 1 PM, returned to Fred’s and managed to get the flu shots and my tetnus, etc. shot, but they did not have the “13” vaccine, so it was back to Walgreen’s for that.  Some 30 minutes later, about 2:30 PM, we were finally on our way home, exhausted by all the convoluted system.  We packed like crazy for the rest of the day and early evening, and moved the boxes to the lower garage, our staging area, to make loading the moving truck easier.  For us, at our age and in this time of our lives, it has been “packing hell.”

By Thursday noon we were about 98% complete with packing, with only odds and ends remaining.  With temperatures in the mid-90s, the air conditioner had been on all week, and had been making a grinding and grating noise when starting up.  An inspection by Custom Heating and Air Conditioning revealed that the compressor would need replaced very soon.  Of course, we gave the go ahead to replace it—another $2,000 gone in a flash!  George and Nan arrived shortly before 6:30 PM for a visit.  Kay searched the near empty freezer and found some frozen soups, thawed and heated them, and made a large skillet of cornbread—after a tiring day for all, we thoroughly enjoyed the food—um um good!

Friday was family day, and we enjoyed George and Nan’s company.  George and I walked and visited with Wayne, while Kay and Nan treated each other to pedicures.  We all went into town for dinner at Chen’s, and upon returning to the house, laughed a bunch late into the evening with stories of kids, parents, and each other.

Geroge and Nan were up early, at least for them, Saturday morning as they had an almost 600-mile drive to Cincinnati.  We hated to see them go as we visit so rarely, but bid our farewell as they departed.  I drove to the feed store to buy corn for the deer and turkey feeders.  Kay filled bird feeders, and we filled the deer and turkey feeders.  As an aside, we’re making videos of the various systems around the house for the buyers, and Kay video-recorded the process of filling the feeder, replacing the battery, setting the program, and testing to make sure it works.  Kay packed a few things from the kitchen and her bedside table.  We’re keeping our fingers crossed—actually, saying a lot of prayers—that nothing will go wrong with the move, sale, and relocation
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After an early morning walk on Friday, we continued packing for a couple of hours before taking an extended break for a family visit.  Ron arrived first, followed a couple hours later by Jenny, Brian, and Harper.  She had grown since the last time we saw her in July, and of course, gets prettier each day that passes.  We all hung out on the patio for the afternoon, and then Jenny, Brian, Harper, and I drove to the Quarry Park campground below Norfork Dam.  The little kids’ playground did not offer much of a challenge for the ever-climbing 2-year old Harper, but the big kids’ playground was just about right.  She is strong, well coordinated, and ever active!  Back at the house Kay and Ron completed dinner—shrimp creole on rice, salad, and broccoli for most of us, and shrimp creole on pasta and broccoli for Jenny.  Jenny and Brian put Harper to bed, but couldn’t stay awake themselves; the others of us went to bed early with Kay and me sleeping in the motorhome.

Kay and I slept in the motorhome last night, and awoke early to greet family members as they arose.  First was Ron, then Harper, then Jenny followed by Brian.  Harper is a very active 2-year old, and loves to run and climb; she’ll get away from who’s watching her in a heart beat!  We played and walked a good portion of the morning.  Ron didn’t sleep well as his dog kept pacing about the bedroom, so he packed up, taking a lot of our frozen food and a few of our winter clothes with him (we’ll wear them when we return to Arkansas from the Rio Grande Valle during the holidays).  Jenny did not feel well when she woke up, and felt worse as the morning wore on.  Finally, having enough of nausea, etc. she asked to cut their visit short and return home; of course, we understood, and felt sorry for her as we could tell she was very uncomfortable.  Consequently, we were all alone again just after lunch.  Kay packed a few items, and we moved some things from the upper garage and storage building to the small lower garage.  With unscheduled time on our hands, we searched and dug and dug, looking for the St. Joseph statue buried when we put the house on the market in April.  Finally, after digging about 10 holes we retrieved it, washed it off, and will carry it to the new house.  God is good, all the time, and all the time, God is good.  Otherwise, we just chilled.

Tuesday marked Kay’s birthday; she sure is growing older gracefully, and gets more beautiful every day!  After our early morning walk, I washed and vacuumed the Honda while Kay prepared breakfast.  With a moving date of October 10 and 3 sets of guests visiting before the move, we began packing clothes and personal things in earnest, finding that we work better together than working separately.  We took a timeout to go into Mountain Home for a Happy Birthday lunch at the Thai restaurant, resuming packing upon returning home.  And, oh by the way, we’re seeing a few butterflies, though nowhere the numbers or species we observed last year.

We continued packing Wednesday and Thursday (we are now about 75% complete), and to make it a bit easier, began loading our “Winter Texan” clothes in the motorhome.  We drove into “town” Thursday to get flu shots, but Walgreens was out of the high dose serum.  After lunch at Chen’s, Kay dropped me off at Big Creek to hit balls while she ran errands and grocery shopped for our weekend guests.  After returning home, I took a nap while Kay continued packing—we sure have a lot of clothes and stuff; thank goodness we’re leaving the furniture and household goods!

Kay remained in central Arkansas on Monday to attend an office visit (OB/GYN) with expectant parents Karyn and Matt—please keep Baby Acker and her parents, Karyn and Matt, in your prayers.  Kay arrived home just after dark, ready for some rest and relaxation.  After an early morning walk, I took advantage of the incredibly great weather to inflate the motorhome tires to the proper pressure, extend the slides, and wash the behemoth, followed by washing and vacuuming the Expedition.  Finishing at 11 AM, I was pooped after several hours of hard labor.

After church, we drove to Maumelle, changed clothes, and then drove to meet Ridge and his other grandparents at Soccer Field #13 in North Little Rock for 3 year old soccer practice.  It was a hoot.  They had kept him since Friday, so the switch was made, and he went back to his house with us after practice.  He was so elated to be at home with his things that I gave him a hug and kiss and drove to Norfork, readying for a busy week.

It’s 27 days to closing on our house of 10 years.  Thinking we had an appointment for 10 AM to look at a few houses with our realtor, we took our time getting out of the efficiency apartment Saturday morning.  We headed out the door at 8:35 AM to have a leisurely breakfast when Kay received a call that we were late for an 8:30 AM appointment.  We took a different route, missing breakfast, and met the realtor for the first house viewing.  The houses we looked at today covered a large spectrum from big, outdated, small, shabby, overpriced, etc.  We found a couple we could easily live in, but neither really stood out.  We also met with a builder, but he doesn’t seem to be a good fit for us as he builds smaller spec houses.  Finally, I told Kay that I was on overload and had reached a point of saturation—time to quit for now.  Consequently, we could be homeless and living in our motorhome full time  come October 17!

With upset tummies, we skipped breakfast and drove a roundabout route to Magellan Golf Course to hit a few balls and work on our short games. Kay finished her small bucket of balls, and was working on her short game when I spotted her on the phone near the clubhouse Giving a thumbs up.  I thought it was in reference to a call to the “potential” builder of a “possible” new house in Hot Springs Village.  Seeing and hearing her, I asked what was going on, and she said we were all clear for an October 17 closing date; no appraisal and no inspection—that makes today S-28 (selling date minus 28 days).  While the inspection part didn’t bother us, we were both concerned about the appraisal given the history of low appraisals in the area.  Once again this miracle can only be explained by God’s intervention; God has intervened in every facet of this move, including the timing of each step. Both Kay and I are blown away by this, and to say that our faith has been strengthened exponentially would be an understatement. Now, we can relax a couple of days before getting serious about packing, moving, and finding a permanent place to live; it appears that we’ll be living in the motorhome for a minimum of 6 months–fulltimers, so to speak.  I played golf–not too well–while Kay hung out with girlfriends.  That’s how our day went, how about yours?

I drove straight to the Village (Hot Springs Village) on Sunday, arriving at the storage facility shortly after lunch, and unpacking the Expedition; it really held a lot of stuff.  Kay arrived, after a couple of stops in central Arkansas, just as I finished unpacking and was pulling the door down—her timing was impeccable.  After leaving the storage facility, we moved into our rental efficiency apartment for the upcoming week.  Jim and Ginny Passe invited us for cocktails and soup, and especially to view their new luxury motor coach.  It was spectacular, with all the bells and whistles one could want, including a bath and a half, a dishwasher, and many other luxury options.  After the viewing, we enjoyed a bowl of Ginny’s fabulous tortilla soup, followed by a boat ride around Lake Balboa.  We had a busy day!

Even though the Village is a bit isolated, it is not nearly so much as is where we live in Norfork.  Consequently, we take advantage of the shopping and dining while in the Village.  Over the course of the next few days—Monday through Thursday—we practiced golf, played golf, read, and visited with friends, taking as much a break from our hectic lives as our situation would allow.  My golf game started out decently, and progressively got worse over the course of the week; Kay has labeled golf “the devil’s game”.  Speaking of the “devil”, Pam’s gonna kill me for the last photo; it’s Kay’s fault, she took the picture.

We continued packing on Friday, with a goal of completing the hobby room/shop, and succeeded in getting everything packable into boxes, and labeled, including whether for climate controlled or non-climate controlled storage.  As you might imagine, our lives have been taken over by the “move”.  Of course, all the packing is being done on faith, as “it ain’t over until the fat lady sings”.  We also took a break from packing to put the cover on the pontoon, perhaps for the last time—weather and schedule will dictate. 

On Saturday we began packing power tools (table saw, drill press, band saw, router and router table) one-person pontoon boats, paddles, hiking staffs, PFDs, extra bicycle, gun cases, and kayaks into and onto the Expedition, for the trip to storage facilities in Hot Springs Village, while guns and other ammunition, a few personal things, golf clubs, and our clothes and toiletries were packed in the Honda CR V for storage in Matt’s gun safe in central Arkansas and for our week in the Village, respectively.  Dave and CJ Reece from the Memphis area dropped by, accompanied by their neighbors, to say hello.  They are here for a few days’ fly fishing and relaxing.  Dave and I worked together in New Orleans in the late 1970s, and again in Memphis in the late 1990s before I moved to Little Rock in 1999.  It was good to visit with them, if only briefly.