The Hartley Sentinel-The Everly/Royal News - Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties

August typically provides a rude awakening from the summer slumber here at the newspaper. Activity on the news front picks up with increased activities like town celebrations and other happenings, and internal items like our fair results and fall sports preview tabs keep us on our toes.

Admittedly, my mind has been elsewhere. We finally got our 105-year-old Ocheyedan home sold and have entered the chaotic phase of the moving period. We officially close Sept. 6, but there’s so much to do before then.

First on the list is crossing off last-minute house updates prior to closing. We had to replace the electrical panel in the basement and tweak some wiring, and thanks to the timely efforts of P & S Electric, that was done in short order.

Our basement and garage windows are another story. We ordered them before we put our house on the market and they were finally manufactured on Aug. 8. With any luck, they’ll be installed by the weekend. Their completion will mark quite a milestone – we will have replaced all 42 windows in this house from the time we took ownership to the time we moved.

The task of actually packing seems more monumental than renovation projects that I have no real part in. Show me someone who says they like moving, and I’ll show you a liar. We’re starting the process this weekend and I am by no means looking forward to it. With accumulated items of the two children in our household, I know this is going to stink.

We have tried to stay ahead of things over the years by utilizing Ocheyedan’s fall and spring junk days to the fullest. The garbage company no doubt resents us, because during our massive renovation project five years ago they changed the rules about certain items. I have no clear-cut evidence our heaping mounds of old carpet and towering pillars of ancient windows were to blame for the rule tweaks, but I have a hunch.

All that construction junk is long gone, but what remains are the typical remnants of a growing household. Sorting through that is not going to make my year-end highlight list of 2022.

I find myself internally repeating corny motivational phrases in the lead up to the big move: “The only way is through”; “no pain, no gain”; “the juice is worth the squeeze.” Unfortunately, these idioms are having a nominal effect on my psyche and I’m reverting back to one overriding truism: Moving sucks.

Still, we’re excited to move to Hartley and get acquainted with our new digs. We put a lot of work into our Ocheyedan home, but we’re ready to move on to the next place. It’s an exciting time in our household and we just have to remember to enjoy it from time to time.

Something tells me it will be a lot more enjoyable a month from now, though.

Nick Pedley is the news editor and ad manager of The Hartley Sentinel-The Everly/Royal News.