It is HOT out here

Check out the high temps in Portland over the last few days:
103
106 (just missed the all-time record by 1 degree)
106 again
98 (forecast for today)

But it's a dry heat (kind of like an oven). Should be 'cooling down' to the low 90s for the weekend and then into the low 80s next week. That's good news for our buyer, as we're doing our best to keep the backyard plants alive for her.

Quick update on our move status

Once we get settled in our new home, we should be able to provide more frequent updates (and hopefully about more interesting stuff than moving).

Last week was challenging at times, but we did close on the Portland house Thursday and the Greenville house Friday as planned. "Highlights" of the week included:
* Our funding from the sale of the Portland house arriving 3 hours later than we planned. It ended up not being a big deal, but caused a little last-minute squirming.
* Cleaning the house with no AC. The thermostat in the front room read as high as 88- perfect temp for scrubbing on your hands and knees! (The seller included a home warranty, so our realtor is getting it fixed with no cost to us between now and the time we get back.)
* Not being able to get our stackable washer/dryer installation finished because the dryer outlet's at floor level and the power cord won't reach. (Silver lining- The contractor who worked on the house stopped by to drop off keys and offered to move the outlet for free when we get back.)

On a more positive note:
* We can walk to the heart of downtown in ~25 minutes.
* We found a few pretty good restaurants, and it sounds like there are a lot more (I will definitely post some restaurant reviews in the future).
* We seem to have a very friendly neighborhood.

Next steps:
* Pack, pack pack!
* Vehicles and stuff will be picked up by the movers 8/10 or 8/11 and should arrive in Greenville the week of 8/17. We'll be flying down there again to babysit the movers and do some painting before heading back to Portland for the last week of August and the first few days of September.

OK, this is a little better

Still kinda messy, but everything left is hitting the road with us. Finished up in time to avoid a heat stroke, too! Already been to Goodwill, off to the dump now...

How are we celebrating Independence Day?

Well, Rhonda's working until 6:00 p.m., but I think she got the better end of the deal. My mission is to channel the spirit of the day into cleaning out the garage (Freedom From Clutter!). We plan on using the garage to stage some of our packed boxes, so my goal is to have nothing in the garage that isn't going to Greenville by the end of the day. A tall order, to be sure. Take a look at what I'm dealing with:

Oh, and it's supposed to 94 degrees today! Don't worry, though, I have lots of frosty American-made beverages onhand to keep me cool.