Moving, Sorting, Cleaning, Carrying...

The past two days have been ones of activity. Thursday I went out to Thelma's planning on getting caught up with assorted types of paperwork and so forth. Only, that never happened, instead we headed over to her house and there we stayed from about 11AM to almost 7PM sorting, cleaning, moving and carrying her possessions as we prepared the garage. You see she is in the process of emptying her house of 60+ years of all of its possessions, so that the workmen can renovate to some degree in prep for renting. The down side is that for 60+ years her nickname has affectinately been known as "Ms. Packrat" *smile*

Over the past year or so she has done quite a lot ... thrown a lot ... given away a lot ... and now we sort that which will be sold ... that which will go to family & friends ... that which will be kept to be appraised and that which we can't let go of just yet, and of course now we are under the gun. We need to empty the house NOW, so that the workmen can get it in shape so that hopefully it will be rented by September 1st. Thus plans for a "House Sale" in which items are left in the house have gone by the wayside, instead it will be a combine House/Garage sale in the detached two stall garage. Hopefully by Columbus Day weeknd/Apple Festival time frame.

So in addition to preparing the garage we also tried to mark items in the house that were intended to go to the garage since Travis had arranged to have a couple kids available to help him move things on Friday and Saturday and into Sunday possibly. Though originally it was only Saturday and Sunday - another change in plans inflicted on Thelma and at this point that is not an option to inflict upon her, she just can't take it - it is too much stress - the improptu change in plans etc.

So we worked on one of the hottest and humidist days of the year in the dirt of the garage and the dust of the house, with the sweat just pouring off of me, literally. Thursday's high temperature was 95 degrees, though the humidity made it feel like 100. Needless to say, since I did not plan on this I wasn't dressed appropriately nor did I have a change of clothes.

But in the end we finished, had dinner and then I tried to do some paperwork and managed to sort through things and find when we went online another problem or glitch to resolve which will require an in person visit to the Bank...sigh. I was home midnight and went to sleep thinking about the "storage" problem - i.e. where to put all of Thelma's furniture and stuff she is keeping - looking into possible self-storage facilities.

Friday morning - my day - and the intentions were to leave it at that - I awoke at 4AM, still thinking of the moving, sorting, cleaning etc activities and of course the "storage" problem to which I think I have come up with a solution, which I intended to discuss when I called Thelma that morning at 8AM, only, she dropped the phone after a very, very groggy hello and after that there was no reaching her and apparently Travis was gone as well since no one answered his phone line either. So this time appropriately dressed I headed out there once more and spent another day getting things out to the garage. Only this time I directed the activities in the house, telling Travis and his assistants (2) what could go and where to place them once there. For which they used my truck and that made the process a bit easier since it held more and I had cleaned out the back that morning. It was a good setup as we succeeded in getting most of the big items - the furniture to be sold or given away - out of the house and in the garage. And we did so without causing too much undue stress on Thelma. Now of course the house itself looks as if a cyclone blew through it with boxes everywhere.

And we solved the "storage" problem, Thelma can store her stuff here at my house in Cheri's old room - the orange room - upstairs. It will provide a secure environment and still be close by and once the boys move out and there is room the stuff can be moved to Travis's. Plus there is plenty of space, it is cost-effective, simple and it took a load of stress off of Thelma and Travis as they sought to figure out what to do with the stuff and who to hire to store it at. Plus with the kids coming back to school in September there would be a premium on secure, environmentally protected locations. Now to get the room ready here for that which she is keeping. The big items will most likely be two chests of drawers, two china cabinets, and two dressers w/mirrors and tons of boxes of china, and the ever present paper.

Today (Saturday), Linda is coming down and together she and Thelma will work inside sorting through boxes and getting stuff separated for the appraiser, keeping, and selling. While Travis and his assistants will probably work at carting what they have ready for the garage to the garage and cleaning out the cellar.

So we all have our tasks to do today.

On another note - the Aiken/Chase Family Reunion is to be held on Sunday the 21st and I need to get pictures scanned and labled into the computer, and get to my Aunt Gen's and do the same the same there, hopefully before the reunion. I talked with Marian and she impressed upon me that Thelma should attend as well, she usually does, but last year so soon after her hip surgery she did not. This time she will though and we'll bring the wheelchair, walker etc. Thelma and Marian are relatively the same age and both enjoy each other's company immensely.

Well gotta go - wash is just about finished and tim eto hang the stuff out on the line, then check email, get coffee and get to work.

Later...