A Brief Visit To The Ranch: November Edition

This weekend at The Ranch was a mixed bag.

On the bright side, I believe we now have everything that we intend to keep packed up and in boxes.  The last remaining outstanding item is the file cabinet - and even with that, the initial sorting has been completed.  What remains is to analyze everything I set aside in the "shred" and "get rid of" piles to make sure I agree with that assessment (and then shred them, of course).  That said, we now are in a position to actually try and visualize how all the rest of everything is going to be removed from the house (literally, we have no idea).  

Also, my mouse problem of two months ago seems to have resolved itself via some baited food and a trap which last month apparently got the last inhabitant in the attic.  No sounds nor sight this month.

On the less bright side, the roof leak reappeared - although fortunately just before my arrival (as with the initial time), so it appears that there is limited if any damage to the floor.  The Cowboy mentioned they had significant rain and wind just before my arrival.  Wind seems to be the main factor, as there were no leaks last year at all.  I dried everything off, replaced the container in the attic, and put a large plastic container on the floor to catch any water.  The Cowboy has offered to look in on it from time to time until my next return in January.

The visit with my Aunt and Uncle went well.

She is tired (unsurprisingly) but seemed in good spirits and was up and engaged during my visit with my Uncle and my cousin, even if she did not have a lot to say.  The visit was 30 minutes or more, and she was awake and listening the whole time.

They have placed a hospital bed in the upstairs living room, although she has not used it as she prefers the couch, saying it is more comfortable.  This is not the first time I have heard such a complaint about a hospital bed; they are hoping a new mattress will resolve the issue - the hospital bed does allow them to raise her feet, which helps with swelling.

Any thoughts or discussion about timelines was not broached during my visit.  I hesitated to ask; no-one asked the unspoken question.  I have every hope to see her again in January.

Traveling there and back again has become less and less of an enjoyable experience.

The problem, of course, is that unlike my last two jobs (and my stint at unemployment) I cannot take a week off at a time to stay there.  As a result, my visits are wedged into a 24 to 30 hour period.  Within that period - exclusive of rising (often very early), preparing and driving to the airport, and flying - I have to get from the airport (whether by family or friends, and often with a breakfast to visit), pick up the truck, do whatever business I have to do in town, drive to the Ranch, make sure I visit with my Aunt and Uncle and The Cowboy, have dinner with Uisdean Ruadh (as is the custom) - and ensure I have enough time to do some packing and organizing, sleep, shower, eat breakfast, prepare the house for my departure, and then get back on the road to drop the truck back off and then get to the airport.

When I took the job at New Home 2.0, I knew that I would have to be onsite for the work - people occasionally work from home, but at this site there is no accommodation for weekly work from home sorts of thing.  It is a manufacturing site; we manufacture things.  I do not think I had anticipated the impact it would have on my visits back to The Ranch.  It has made such visits much less things of anticipation and much more things of inconvenience, more of a chore than a pleasure. 

It is nice to see family and friends of course, and always seeing the property is a joy - but now it always a joy tinged with sorrow and a certain exhaustion knowing that as soon as I see it I will be swiftly departing in less than a day.