So...any packing, staging, selling tips/ideas more than welcome, and how DO you decide which plants to take when you're moving 900km??

Verena
(Who's suffering from verbal diarrhea, brought on by extreme excitement!)

Advice, only take those plants that are dearly loved or expensive, regular-popular perennials can be purchased or started from seed again. It's just too much work to dig and replant each and every perennial in my experience anyway.

Post photos when you get them in.

Sharon

What area in Saskatchewan will you be moving to, and when is the big day? I keep reading/hearing about how Saskatchewan is gonna be the next boom province. Two years ago our little town had so many houses for sale it was almost ridiculous, and they were selling for way below value. It's a different story now - not that much for sale and the prices have come up a bit. The vast majority of the newcomers are from Alberta or BC.

As for plants, I agree with Sharon's comments above. You will have so much to do with a move anyway, and you have to get the feel of your new yard, plus as you said you don't know what's already there.

Good luck with your move, and welcome to Saskatchewan!

Anyway, let us know when you're going. Hopefully, I will be in RD before you go and we can meet for coffee. I'll probably be heading down there in April or May. Didn't work out last year but I'd love to meet you face to face before you get further away.

Shauna

Pudge, we're moving to Endeavour (just north west) if you know the area, about 89km north west of Yorkton. We're going on Thursday to see it (it's pretty much an all day drive...so we'll actually go out to the farm on Friday) and then looping up to Hudson Bay to see the BIL and SIL, Melfort to see GrandmaIL, then PA to see SIL and nieces, and finally Battleford to DH's friend's, before heading back home (it'll be about a 5 day trip). We'll be scoping out the towns and school/etc on Friday too...I'll likely wind up working p/t in Preeceville for the first while until DH can get his business established.

Shauna, we likely won't take possession until mid/late Aug. so we should have plenty of time for that coffee! It's all still to be negotiated, the official possession date will be March 18th or something like that, but we won't even be listing our house until likely May (give time for the flowers to start blooming so it shows at its best) and they have 200 head that will be calving out in a bit, and overall it sounds like they'd really like to stay until then. We'll likely ask if they'd be willing to plant an extra row of potatoes for us, and see if we can get a steer from them, and then if need be, we can stay with Mom and Dad for a month between places.

Verena

Verena

I had a little chuckle - the red barn is identical to the one my dad built (on now my brother's farm).

I'm also near Yorkton, due west tho so you're a ways north of me.

I can sure see why you are excited about the big move.

Ang

Can't wait myself to see what perennials are in there!

Sharon

Shelley

Preeceville seems to be a nice little community. Everyone we talked to was very friendly, and seemed to think there will be a huge market for Hubby's taxidermy business (which is reassuring!) We went out to the farm on Friday morning (apparently it was the coldest day they'd had yet this winter) and ahad a look around. The barn we were going to convert to DH's shop won't work which was a little disappointing, but the garage will work until we can build him something larger (and that will be nice for him to have something nice and new to work out of).

The house was even better than I was hoping. The kitchen is very bright and inviting, the bedrooms are a really good size, and there are closets everywhere! (Coming from a house without any closets...that is going to be a major plus!!) The basement is in really good shape and already has a small cold room with a large built in potato bin. Oh...those sheds are a LOT bigger than the pictures make them look...just one will hold all my gardening goodies!!

The lady we're buying from is really nice (her hubby was away working so we didn't get to meet him), and they're going to put in a large garden, which we'll split, so that we'll both have some veggies/potatoes for the winter, and they're going to sell us 2 cow/calf pairs (one heifer calf and one steer for next years butcher) and a 2 year old heifer for butcher, to start our mini-herd and get us our beef for the next two years.

Anyway...we're really excited and it will be June or so when we move in. Can't wait!!!

Shelley

I've been lurking around on here, but I feel so out of the loop, because I'm not starting seeds or buying plants even though I have spring fever...it seems really strange. Next year!

There have been some big developments though. Our house is now officially conditionally sold...We should hopefully know in the next two weeks if the two conditions have been met. And they're going to do all the finishing work, so we don't have to do anything but pack. (Which we've been doing :o) Mom and Dad had to go out there anyway so they took our 5th wheel and boat loaded with stuff this weekend.

Verena

Here's our new house

The barns

Behind the barns (I keep telling Larry that I'm claiming the big soft top quonset in the back as my new indoor riding arena ;o)

This is the picture I'm probably most excited about...it's the view from my new kitchen sink...instead of the peeling pink painted wall I currently get to stare at.

This is the old log cabin at the corner of our driveway...we're going to turn it into a major feature with a bunch of heritage plants

And finally, a couple of pictures of the existing flowerbeds

:o)
Verena

Shelley

Marcia, we were thinking guest cottage. ;o) Kidding...sort of. There are actually two old cabins in the yard, and once we get out there we'll see if it's possible to turn one into a summer guest house. It likely won't work, but they're still a cool feature. It's amazing to think that way back when someone actually lived there.

We're officially at the 2 month countdown now. :oD

Looks like you're going to be busy figuring out whats already in the flower beds this spring, so you'll be back in action in the Gallery in no time, I'm certain! Good luck with everything :)

I'm definitely looking forward to the spring discovery...and I'll be bringing some of my favorites with me.