Passing the Agricultural Inspection

May 18-19: Time to scrub down everything that has been outside/that we intend to ship back with us. Our "Agricultural Inspection" is on Thursday morning. We have always planned on waiting until just before this inspection, since we don't have a garage to store everything...why scrub it all down two weeks before just to have everything get dirty again? We were also waiting for the weather to get nicer. It never did. So, on Tuesday, I took a look at the heap of items that we had organized into our back yard and started taking them upstairs to be scrubbed in the bathtub and shower. Eventually, our kids' floors of their rooms were covered in towels which were then covered with random items, toys, flower pots, garden tools, totes, bikes, more toys.

James went out later on that night and did scrub down our winter tires, our patio table and chairs, and the inside and outside of our outdoor storage box. But there were still quite a few items that needed to be cleaned. I was hoping and praying for better weather.

No such luck. The weather got worse and it rained pretty much all day. Five o'clock hit and I knew I just had to go out in it...the drizzling rain had now turned heavier and it didn't matter. The work had to be done. So I went out in the rain, with my bucket and my cleaner and brushes and hose and sprayed off everything else that needed to be cleaned. I am sure I was a sight to see!

May 20: "Inspection Day", James & I had taken everything from the boys' rooms and set it back outside in neat little, shiny piles. Our inspector arrived, took one look at our items and with a big smile on his face said, "It's OK, you have passed, I wish all my customers were like you!" Our appointment literally did not last for more than five minutes! For a passing moment, I have to admit, I was a little perturbed! I worked hard to get all those items nice and shiny. But then I thought about it, and the goal at the end of this was to pass the inspection the first time around and not have to schedule a second inspection. And that was exactly how it worked out.

Until later,

Emily