Sounds like a great idea, but often takes time to accomplish.
Unloading the moving truck was quick and easy, but deciding where to put everything was more of a challenge and definitely more time consuming. There were still lots of Mom's things that needed to go to different siblings. There was some of her furniture I acquired that I needed to make room for. And then, there was Jean's stuff.
The snow started as we began to unload the truck. We put Mama's
table (that dad built) in the living room by the big window. It was a tight, tight
squeeze getting it through the doors, but we got it in (only denting one door frame a little). The queen mattress that had been on what is now Jean's bed (with her own mattress) was now going on the guest bed here, to replace our old mattress. It was heavier and harder to handle, but we got it and Jean's old bed frame up into Britney's old room.
This is the heron yard ornament Mom really enjoyed, which Jean put next to the memorial rock. Perfect.
Patty soon arrived and we went over ranch business and chore duties and schedule.
Patty helped with a few things and then went home.Jean and I then set to work putting Mom's trundle bed together. Our first hurdle was finding the correct parts we needed. Which box did they end up in? Our next difficulty was getting the screws to go into their 'sockets'. We persevered and made progress.
This was definitely a trickier assembly job than Jean's futon had been. Once the top frame was finished, we put the mattress on it, took the old box springs out to the garage, and stopped for lunch.
The bottom frame went together much quicker because it was lighter weight and easier to handle, and we now knew the tricks to getting parts to fit together.
We had just enough time to walk a few more things out to the garage before Polly arrived. Jean went down to the barn to learn how to care for the three boarded horses, and I fed ours and mucked up manure before driving home
I unloaded the bedside table and two lamps, along with the trash and groceries. I had bought (dead) meal worms - meant for birds and reptiles, and gave two to the little lizard (I've named Pilgrim). There was no interest in the worms. Most carnivorous reptiles only go after moving prey. I had put two barely alive lady bugs and a fruit fly in the terrarium earlier. Hope I can provide enough food for this poor hitchhiker until I figure out how to get him to a warmer climate.
Jean reported (and sent this photo) that Amiga and Zorro were being smart and staying in the loafing shed, out of the cold, wet precipitation.
Babe snuggled with Maggie to keep warm. They were on board with the day being set aside as one to rest.
My morning was off to a slow start, beginning this blog post and relaxing much of the time. But then I got busy with Christmas clean up and doing three loads of laundry - all the towels, sheets, blankets, and rugs used for packing the moving truck. I also tried feeding Pilgrim (the Anole) by putting a meal worm on a skewer stick.
I slid it under the terrarium lid, got it close to him/her, and wiggled it a little. Pilgrim didn't go for it. If you look closely, there is a lady bug looking Japanese beetle crawling near by. Pilgrim didn't go for it either. I've seen him/her lick moisture off the side of the glass, so at least he/she is getting water.
The rain/sleet finally turned to snow, for which I was thankful. It is easier to deal with and prettier than freezing rain.
A cardinal at my feeder.
We all (the locals but specifically Jean, Patty, Shirley and I) kept an eye out on the weather and reported our observations. I was also enjoying the 'Watchable Wildlife in Fairfield Glade' posts on Facebook.
And it was turning white out at the ranch.
Jean's cat (Parm) continued to get braver, exploring his new home. It probably helped that none of us 'stranger' Villhauers were there. Can you see him in this photo?
Here at home, Stevie was helping me fold laundry.
She ended up napping on these white floor rugs for hours. Speaking of naps, I read in front of the fire and caught a little shut eye too.
I woke to this view of a beautiful, white, winter wonderland outside.
By evening, Jean had done chores and was relaxing with Parm. I had gotten all of the Christmas decorations boxed and stored in their place, and all the furniture back where it belonged. I dug in the freezer and found the leftovers of Thanksgiving turkey and used that to make dinner.
I love the view of our snow covered ranch and the fog lifting from the valley in this photo Jean had sent earlier.
Jean's morning report (and photo) was that our horses were standing out in the snow. Like I have said, their thick, fuzzy coats provide great insulation. The chilly rain freezing is what can penetrate their coat and make them cold.
I sent back a photo of my view while I sat here and computerized. Stevie was bird watching with me.
Was this little bird cat watching?
I got all of my thank you notes written even though there was no mail service today.
Jean and I, along with family, continued to touch base and share photos of our day. This is Parm on his cat tower, bird watching out the sun room window. 
Cathy's cat (Goldie) was enjoying the good life and thankful to be rescued by her, from the outdoor life he had been living.
And Courtney's cats (Wash and Squeaky) were really enjoying being pampered.
We were all enjoying the beauty of the snow outside, except Britney. And Cathy (in Dayton OH) didn't get her's until later.
Jean was making great progress un-packing, and even got this large picture hung up.
I started a 1,000 piece puzzle on my 'new' table.
Jean's selfie with Amiga and Zorro. She was in a bit of shock (having come from 80° Florida a few days earlier) but enjoying the snow none-the-less.
In this photo, our two horses had gone into the loafing shed and that is Terry's two out in the snow, but they have blankets on.
I continued to 'drop in' at my computer to check on messages, enjoy the view, and play some games.
That is Stevie peering at me over the laptop. Heaven forbid I should interrupt her bird watching.
Stevie was sound asleep at the foot of our bed when I joined her at 7:30, totally unable to stay awake any later. Scheesh.
Tuesday 1/18 - This is Yvonne riding Maslo in through our front gate when we got to the ranch at noon.
Before going out there, I did some puzzle working after computerizing. Then we cleared snow and ice off the SUV so I could drive it to the gym.
Once home from the gym, we loaded some things in the SUV, including Grandma's table to go to Chris, and drove to the ranch. I was glad I wasn't driving my car because Chestnut Hill was slick in all the shady places. We were unloading furniture into the garage when Yvonne rode by.
Jean had made a pot of chili and invited Joe and I to lunch. Karen and Patty dropped in to say hi, and then Jean and I got to work on the kitchen while Joe neatened up his work bench down at the machine shed.
We pretty much finished in the kitchen, with Jean doing the bulk of the work because she needed to decide where she wanted to put things in her cupboards and drawers. She has a lot of kitchen stuff and we basically filled all of the spaces, and still had two thrift store boxes.
Wednesday 1/19 - It had been another early (7:15) bed time the night before, so I was up and at-um at 2am. No wonder I can't get back to sleep when I wake in the middle of the night. I'd had over six hours of slumber. But then I can't stay awake after dinner because I have been up since 2am. It is a vicious cycle. This time I read my mystery novel and got sleepy enough to go back to bed for 90 more minutes of shut eye.
Jean sent this photo of her Breyer Horses in the window and said she had added another Bay (my Amiga) to the collection. LOL
I took our three trash bags (two more than usual) to Patty's by 8am because our Monday garbage pick-up had been cancelled because of snow. Patty's trash day is Wednesday. I hit Food City and then worked out on the elliptical and rowing machine for a total of an hour. I showered at the gym, came home to eat an early lunch and worked on the jig-saw puzzle a few hours.
It was my night for chores, so I went to the ranch early and met with Jean to coordinate our calendars. We also fixed the closet door in the guest bedroom and enjoyed pumpkin bread she had baked. We went out together to take some things to the garden shed and garage, followed by a trip down to the machine shed to get hay which we took to the barn (seen in this photo). I finished up care for our horses on my own and then came home to do pet chores here.
Poker Joe was 'at work' so I had a quiet evening at home, although it had started raining and the wind had picked up.
We are going to have to haul water here from the outdoor faucet by the laundry room.
I was feeling extremely lazy and unmotivated, and couldn't even bring myself to go for my routine morning gym workout. It was so cold outside I just wanted to hibernate. I even went back to bed after lunch and napped an hour.
It's hard to see Babe, but she squeezed herself into the dog bed, back behind Maggie.
I did make it to the gym but had to keep pushing myself to get through my regular workout.
Puzzle working, reading, and watching a movie finished off my day.
Friday 1/21 - It was freezing out! I saw these ice crystals when taking corn down to the deer. They form when water freezes as it is pushed up out of the ground.
The deer were soon to show up. Some foraged next door behind Carole and Allen's house.
I finished here at my computer and then got busy in the kitchen. I did the chopping needed to get ham and bean soup started. Then made a double batch of corn bread. And I only had time to vacuum the kitchen/dinning area before Jean arrived.
She brought Joe a case of beer and me these cheery, pretty flowers. I had to put them up on the mantel, otherwise the cats eat them.
The purpose of Jean's visit was to help me (actually I helped her) assemble her former queen bed frame for up in Britney's old room. 
We stopped for lunch once we had the frame finished. Later Joe helped me put the slats, box springs, and mattress on. Now we are ready for guests.
Next I hit the pet shop that is outside of town and picked up some baby crickets for Pilgrim. The lizard remains energetic, but is looking quite skinny. I have to get it to eat something.
I hit a few thrift stores looking for fireplace tools for the ranch and ended at Walmart to get cat food and a few other items.
I got home at feeding time and took care of the cats and dog and then gave Pilgrim a few crickets. The darn bugs burrowed down in the moss and dirt so I did not see him eat any.
I made a better cat bed for Rose because she had stopped using her box of straw. She actually got in it shortly after I set it up for her.
At my bedtime, (try telling the cats this) Monita enjoyed playing with her newly found cat toy, which had been misplaced. Too bad I can't get the cats to put their toys away (in its place) when done playing with them.
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