In the morning, Jordie met our buddy Tom Saucier and he took the canoe, and helped Jordie haul away an old reclining chair (gave it to a hospice patient who Jordie is volunteering with).
We had some stuff to get rid of...Jordie took a van-load of recycling to the Bethel Lane center. We are leaving the bins for recycling for Nicole and Dan, because, here, in the city, all we need are the two red recycling containers -- one for all papers, one for everything else.
And Jordie took a couple of van-loads to the trash, too. Abby and I cleaned. Dust-mopped the ceilings and corners, dusted all shelves, everywhere -- ran the sweeper, mopped the floors in Jordie's office, etc. And Abby even used the dust-mop on the ceiling of the back porch, and we cleaned off the table and the counter back there really well, and vacuumed! At the very end of the day, Jordie, Abby and I worked together to fix the screen door (do NOT buy one where the screen slides up and down in the door -- not easy to fix!) Abby had to stand for ages in her stocking feet on the cold front porch, holding the glass in place. I helped for some of the time, holding the door while Jordie worked, swearing and fixing...(rare for Jordie to swear!) Anyway, at the end of the day, Abby and I went into town, stopped at the house to get some shoes for her (hers had gotten really muddy) and went to Sunny Palace and ate, ate, ate! Hot and sour soup, veggie rolls, hot tea, and entrees, too! We brought home shrimp-fried rice for Jordie. He had stayed behind to put some closet doors on in the family room -- they needed to be planed down after the new carpet was installed last year.
So, this morning, Jordie is out at the house, getting the last few things, and, I imagine, taking a last quiet look at the home where we lived for 16 years, where our children grew up.
Below, I'm posting some photos of Pumpkin Ridge, because they are things we want to remember. And then, way, below, some useful information for living there!
When I saw these beautiful, huge living room windows, I knew the house was right for us. The light is beautiful, and the view....and the all-around-the-door shelves that Jordie made in the dining room -- those were great, and held so much stuff that the small kitchen just didn't have room for...
Jordie made these shelves for my birthday one year, working with Craig Benson -- this was our bedroom, and at each side of the bed, a little light -- plus, the shelves even curved around the corner, floor to ceiling. They are beautiful, and one of the best birthday presents ever.
Fixing the screen door, with Abby patiently standing on the cold porch (she could see her breath!), working together -- was one of those I'm glad we did it and it is good to work together but I am so glad it is finished! kind of experiences! Shelves to the left, built by Jordie, were great for shoes, mail, gardening gloves, flashlights, kippot -- and even space to sit on to put on one's shoes! And books to take back to the library, and stuff waiting till we figured out what to do with it...
The little TV room, in the bedroom-formerly-known-as-Adam's, with a couch under the loft, was a cozy place to curl up. And the view out the windows was very good for day-dreaming! And this was the room where Amalia always stayed when she came home for visits, seeking a little privacy....and where Adam would still go up to the loft and take a nap!
We gave this room to the girls to share after Abby was born. The wallpaper had little blue flowers in it, and Jordie painted one wall this incredibly beautiful blue!
Jordie made this really clever under-the-cabinet shelf for cutting boards, because in the kitchen, storage space was valuable!
Big bathroom, scene of many small girls dressing up, etc.! With more built-in shelves, made by Jordie! And that great walk-in shower...
Now, to business. Here are some handy hints for living at 4420 N. Benton Court!
---The little store (formally known as "Lakeside IGA" although it is not near to Lake Lemon) is open at 6 or 6:30 a.m., seven days a week. It closes at 8, except on Sunday, when it closes at 6. Most holidays, it's open in the morning. It has Ben and Jerry's ice cream, and you can order sandwiches at the back counter. The chicken is good there, and in the summer, you can buy LOCALLY-GROWN tomatoes and corn!
---The Bethel Lane dump/recycling center is open at 7 a.m. on Saturday, Monday and Wednesday. They close at 6.
---Best way to get to the Indy airport: From east Ind. 45, turn right on Bethel Lane (just past the little store). Turn right on Boltinghouse Road (think that's the second road off Bethel). Go to the end of Boltinghouse and turn right on old Ind. 37. Go until you reach Sample Road on the left (there's a red barn in the field just past Sample Road, so you can spot it easily). Go on Sample Road until you get to Hwy. 37,and turn north.
Just before Martinsville, turn right on Ind. 39. Take 39 through town to Ind. 67. Take 67 north to 465 West. When you get on 465, it's just a couple of minutes until you take the airport exit.
---I always told everyone to be careful exiting the Danny Smith Addition onto Ind. 45 -- you cannot see well if traffic is coming from the left and need to be careful! (Of course, in 16 years, nobody ever had an accident there, but still, it's good to be careful!)
---If you hear feet walking through the woods at night, it's probably deer.
---You will see lots of deer, and hummingbirds. A hummingbird sounds like a VERY LOUD bumblebee, so don't be startled!
---In 16 years, I only saw a black snake twice -- both times in the front yard. They are harmless.
---If you leave the house, walk down the street, all the way down Benton Drive to the end, turning right on Viking Ridge Road to the end and then even down the little extension past that cul-de-sac, and back home, it's two miles. So, a good half-an-hour walk.
---You can hear the tornado sirens when they go off -- they are situated at that church near the little store.
---If you turn right on Ind. 45 you can drive all the way to where it comes to an end -- at Bean Blossom, Hwy 135. You can turn right and go to Nashville, or left and go to Morgantown, Bargersville, Trafalgar, Greenwood...It's a very pretty, but wind-y, drive.
---If you put out suet, you will attract pileated woodpeckers.
---If you ever hear a sound as if a jackhammer is pounding on the house, it's a pileated woodpecker.
---You can sometimes hear coyotes howling.
---That tree just behind the little room is a male holly tree. I always wondered if a female tree were added, would it bloom? But never got around to looking it up.
---You can take a short-cut to get to North high school/Cascades Park/Old 37 by going all the way to the end of Bethel Lane.
---Lake Lemon is about 10 minutes away, driving. Off east 45, turn left on Tunnel Road.
---Oh, and Jordie can give you some safety tips about using the woodstove. When you have a fire in there, once in awhile the stove will make a loud "clang!" This is normal! It's from the metal expanding, or contracting...and the wood stove will warm the whole house, really well, especially if you use that fan in the wall to the left of the woodstove...
As we cleaned yesterday, the house was full of memories -- the bat mitzvah for Amalia when we rented three huge tents and covered the whole yard...and had a band and dancing...the high school graduation party for Amalia when we rented tables and O2R set up in the driveway and we danced...graduation open houses for Amalia and then for Adam....Jordie's dad, who finally came to live with us near the end of his life, sittng on the front porch and telling us that it was, indeed, paradise out there...setting up a borrowed crib in the big bedroom, changing it over from our bedroom to a room for the girls to share....the baby-naming ceremony for Abby, held in the living room, packed full of friends, reading poetry, blessings, etc. and Abby sleeping peacefully through the whole thing! Many happy evenings with friends around the dining room table...
I must stop and go to get cleaned up, to have dinner with my mom up in Greenwood.
Many happy years to Dan and Nicole in the house at 4420 N. Benton Court!
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