Tuesday-8am

Good Morning!  This is a shot from my garage door yesterday.  Was so glad to see actual clouds and some blue sky peeking around them instead of the solid grey smoke-haze from Canada.  Those had to be some monstrous forest fires!

I was out in the garage yesterday afternoon because Lois from the bird rescue place came to pick up the cage, playpen, and aquarium.  They just got calls on a Military and an Amazon, too.  So that made me even happier to see them go.  And Lois remembered me from years ago when she came to take poor, miserable, nasty-tempered Gracie (cockatiel) if any of you have been around long enough to remember poor Gracie.  Anyways, this spot is now empty in the garage.

Then Dagan came by after work and hauled boxes and bags to the garage for me.  (You'll see why I couldn't lift anything anymore and couldn't even walk out there with him.)

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First of all, I took a couple days off completely (Fri-Sat) until I felt well enough to continue packing. 

Miss Karma...

...well, don't let her calm demeanor fool you.  There are new barf spots every other day and she is in need of much more cuddle time than this aloof roommate normally requires--LOL! 

Oh--do you think somebody may have celebrated the 4th a little too much?  Despite the crowded parking lot in the evenings nobody parked on either side of this car--and in the morning, as you can see, still no one near it--LOL! 

Sunday I started packing away the paper bookcase.  No purging to do there, so it went slick as can be into boxes.  Got all done except for the satchels at the bottom.  I didn't have any boxes in here large enough to hold any of my many satchels. 

Then I emptied the art wall shelf unit.  So much less colorful without all the paints and sprays lined up in there.  Really feels like I am moving now that the art and craft supplies are disappearing. 

I finally had to move the folding table into the bedroom to make room for more packed boxes. 

Karma had to investigate the empty art bookcase, of course.  That was taken with the flash... 

...because it was actually dusk.  I worked into the evening...

...with black coffee keeping me going (and many breaks).   

Yes, I remembered to take a picture of my red thermos cup this time for T Stand For Tuesday over at Elizabeth's.  

Hi, Ladies!! 

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The pile kept growing.  Many of the boxes were packed right on the spot over there because I knew they'd be heavy--but I did miscalculate a couple times.

I also went through and purged all my clothes and coats!  Half my wardrobe is now gone to the donation pile in the garage.  (I wasn't actually wearing half that wardrobe--so out it went.)

Finally, I had used every box I had inside here except for one really small one.  Dagan came over last night and made three trips to the garage with their huge cart--whoohoo! 

I'm surprised I got that much done--still dusty, but paper bookcase emptied and packed... 

...wall shelves and art bookshelves empty and packed.  Except for all the satchels, of course, but they just go in boxes as is. 

Next on my list is the craft bookcase.

Dagan brought me in a whole bunch of boxes from the garage that Caroline brought over for me when she went grocery shopping on the 3rd.  They just moved into their new house last month so she has a lot of boxes I can use.  Nice!  And I think I can say now...Caroline is expecting!!  So happy for her!!  :) 

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    So many changes this past year.  

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Mr. Ian has been sick again for a couple days-fever this time.  Leah had a touch of it, too.  If he's not better he might be going in to the doctor today.   Dagan will drop off some more packing tape for me in the next couple days before they are supposed to leave for Canada on Thursday.  I'll just keep packing in my little sessions.  

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I work for 20-30 minutes at a time (depending on the old bod) and then take a break for a good hour (or whatever I need) and repeat...till I can't do any more that day.  I am really proud of what I have been able to get done!  True--the sciatica has been behaving darn well (knock on wood) and that makes a huge difference as to how long I can stand and walk...and I bought up a freezer full of entrees I can nuke so that I don't have to cook...and, believe it or not, I am in waaaay better shape (exhaustion and pain-wise) than I was the last two times I moved.  Plus--I've had ten years of being able to self-regulate my activity and get used to having all these various cranky-body flare ups.  I know I have to stay calm and move slowly--even put on my new age instrumental music if I need to--because any body tension adds to the pain.  My body is the (vindictive) boss of me and I have learned to pay close attention to it.  ;)  If I have to take a couple days off...I just have to.    

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In two weeks--Monday the 20th--we will be getting ahold of Linda the moving lady and make arrangements for them to start coming over to start packing whatever is left to pack.  So I plan to do very little that week before I move.  Being able to have some recovery time before the actual move--priceless!  Three weeks from today folks!  :):)

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Well, my mom is doing better.  At least she sounds better, anyways, and I am getting her on the phone almost every day now.  I have not heard from my brother or sister since they arrived in Florida last Wednesday other than last week my sister texted me to tell me that Mom's roommate wanted to talk to me about fibro.  (I haven't yet, but plan to one of these times when I call mom and her roommate isn't busy with company or nurses.)  Renee did say this rehab place was a lot better (which I figured because they often take Mom twice a day for physical therapy and she is up several times sitting in her wheelchair every day).  I did tell Renee I wanted her to call me, but she hasn't.  Apparently my family is getting back to our normal.  Can never accuse us of being close--LOL!  I'm taking it as a positive sign that Mom is improving.  And I'd like to think that they know I am in worse shape with all the packing and they've decided to not bother me because of that or something more positive than they just never even think to call--LOL!  ;)

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Anyways, that's about it from Fargo.  Karma is relaxing in the sun on the porch.  It suddenly cooled way down yesterday (upper 60s) and I've been able to have the place opened up.  I love it!  Was down in the 40s last night, I believe.  Ahhh!  Supposed to be in the low to mid 70s for a couple of days and 50s at night.  Perfect weather!!  And we even have had sunshine again.  Good packing weather, eh?

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I'll be slogging my way through the mess of boxes and bags...will continue to discover spots that have dust bunnies the size of hippos...and that haven't known the touch of a human hand for years...LOL!  My home has to be dismantled before it can be reassembled, right?  When you move your life is gradually torn down to the bare dusty bones...everything you own looks like a cluster of chaos.  And then you haul it away to build a new nest.  ;)

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Have a scintillating week!  :):)

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"There is a hard truth to be told: before spring becomes beautiful, it is plug ugly, nothing but mud and muck. I have walked in the early spring through fields that will suck your boots off, a world so wet and woeful it makes you yearn for the return of ice. But in that muddy mess, the conditions for rebirth are being created."

Parker Palmer