6 Weeks to Move

After 3 fairly comfortable flights which took 15 hours including short layovers, we are in Hilo, Hawaii  to visit friends and attend the Merrie Monarch festival. Almost slipped the surly bonds of moving (with apologies to John Gillespie Magee, Jr.), but apartment realtor Nick emailed needing more papers signed and the securities deposit wired to the escrow account. Rain Coming I will follow up as soon as I finish at least one cup of Kona coffee while sitting on the deck, watching for whales. Since they likely migrated to Alaska earlier this month, I probably won’t spot one. Certainly more interesting than the latest paper work which I think is the only thing I need to do to finish all the apartment rental nits. Then it’s two weeks of relaxation before the final eight days of all out push. Aloha. I hope.

My sons, daughter-in-law, and her sister plus my daughter and granddaughter came this weekend to move boxes to storage and large items to bulk pickup. And have a last Easter egg hunt at the house. My Granddaughter’s Loot. I’m Still Finding Eggs She Missed. Saturday they loaded middle son's pickup truck and created a Tetras game in my little storage unit. I have not dared go see it, however I am assured that I will be able to get to the camping equipment and holiday decorations without problem. All the while, my husband cooked Easter dinner with a minimum of help and supervision. Three of us had bought asparagus. It seemed a mountain, but it all disappeared, spear by spear. Dinner was bitter sweet. Nice to have so much of our family there; sad to have it be the last. Where will we be next Easter? Jeep Being Used For Bulk Pickup Hauling  The final project was to carry the non-desirable furniture out to the road for bulk pickup. Desk, nightstands, file cabinet, bed, sl...

The inspection period has passed for our house sale. Now we wait for financing to be approved. And worry that the buyer won't freak out again about termites. He had a second roofing company come and look. It's Florida. There have been termites. We did have the house tented a few years ago. Probably more than a few. That got rid of any termites at that moment. As soon as the tents came off, new ones could have moved in. Subterranean Termite Bait Holder For a few years, we have participated in a University of Florida experiment that tests the latest bait for subterranean termites. PhD candidate Ben placed bait holders throughout the yard. They are about 8" in diameter and 6" deep. He had to dig a hole for each one. He learned much about how to repair sprinkler pipes when you break one with a shovel. Part of his training program. The leader of the experiment and the company reps came last week to check on the baits and proclaimed that it was working well. No sig...

My Father’s Navy Uniform  I've given into reality and admitted we will need a storage unit for the next year. Even though I have been ruthless in getting rid of things we don't want any more, there are still boxes of stuff we will, no, make that could want in our next home. China, charcoal and gas grills, outdoor clothesline, art, etc. No furniture. That will either go to the apartment, or go to charity. Need a desk? Bureau? Me neither. I found a near-by, climate-controlled storage facility for $88/month with a month-to-month contract. Not bad. 7' x 10'. I can move our steel storage shelves in to put boxes on, shove in the big stuff, and store the camping equipment by the door. This will work. The facility is near major highways so easy to get to and near my son so he can use it if there is extra room. Or he can bring me something if I don't want to drive. This will definitely work.

I took two days off to go to Orlando to visit my daughter and granddaughter and see the Trocaderos  with them. I should have stayed home packing, however we bought the tickets months ago. I had such a good time visiting that it was worth the extra push when I get back. Matching Sofa and Dog On the way, I stayed with son and daughter-in-law and met the new granddog, Emma. Half chocolate lab, half Shar Pei from an abandoned litter of 9. Who let's their un-neutered dogs run around? Who even has un-neutered dogs? Today is house and seawall inspection. The house was listed AS IS.  I do believe the seawall is in great shape. We've never had a leak. The rest: meh. It's 57 years old. What do you expect? The inspector is here, running water, opening closets, testing sliding doors. Who knows. Yesterday we went through the tools. Those our sons don't want are going to Faith Farm today. I'm not being sexist. Our daughters already have all the tools they want. I can...

That’s Merriam-Webster’s word of the day when I started this post. Difficult, strenuous, hard to achieve.  A slog. That is what I am doing: a slog. Not an impossible task, not a life-threatening job, just a slog. But like all forced marchs, there is an end. Not even like hiking in the mountains where you see the top and when you get there, you realize there is still a higher peak farther ahead. Painting By My Grandfather Edgar Otis Spaulding The more I pack, the less I want to keep. Just put it all in storage, people have suggested. Then, when we move back to a bigger house in a year, we can get it all out again. A thought. But what if we get to liking the slimmed down lifestyle? Then I’m just delaying making the decisions I am avoiding now. I’m going to continue to err on the side of less. We can always find more. The slog continues.

We have another offer. Actually a better offer of more money than the last one. That's the upside. Is there are downside? Is there? Only that we would have to be out in 36 days after the contract is signed this Friday. Even that would not be a downside, except we are visiting friends in Hawaii for 2 of the weeks between now and then. I know, I know, first world problem. Bottom line is that my bottom has to get back into high gear. I'd been slacking along for the past couple of weeks. Nap time is over. Perhaps My Grandmother Ethel Worthly Spaulding If Only It Were Labeled Ribbons and Awards from Broward Fern Society One More Box Just Kept as a Picture Today I'm staying on track to complete packing the boxes of nostalgia junk/stuff//collectibles that I"m not going to go through before moving. Or maybe I'll put them in the driveway and set them on fire. I probably should do the latter. Our Bureau Empty and Ready For Pickup I am also transferring...