I’m happy to inform you that there is a GLIMMER of hope, a very small light at the end of the tunnel.  Someone at the end of what has been a very long tunnel lit a match yesterday, and Ole and I both snapped to attention to look at it.  Thank heavens, because the other day when I got in my SUV and looked at all the boxes that were piled high in the back so that I couldn’t see out my rearview mirror, and all the “treasurers” that were piled into the passenger seat alongside me so that I couldn’t see out that side mirror – I just about broke down in tears.  It seems like we’ve been doing this forever and don’t have a life anymore other than packing, loading, unloading and unpacking.

Now, mind you, this has most definitely NOT been a normal move.  Not the type of move that a person moving from one house to another would have.  Yeah, I know, there are lots of folks out there that have lived in their homes as long or even longer than we have.  But most of them aren’t dismantling parts and pieces and moving those parts and pieces along with them.  The contract with the county stated that we could take all the shelves and cabinets out of the basement, along with the gas fireplace.  We could remove everything from the basement with the exception of the furnace, hot water heater and water softner.  So – of course – we did.

This, of course, included all the shelving and wine racks that Ole had installed in his wine room.  Now, I’ve written about Ole and all his wine making previously, along with a few other things that he does with the wine that doesn’t turn out (snicker).  A few years ago Mrs. FarmerNeighbor discovered that she had wild grapes growing down along the river on their property.  So being a “lover of wine” and wanting to learn how to make it, she called Ole and together they put together some of the best wine that Ole says he’s ever made.  So last fall Mrs. FarmerNeighbor had a bumper crop of wild grapes, and Ole’s two vines produced three 5-gallon buckets of domestic grapes.  The wine was started, and now at moving time it was time to bottle it.  So one Sunday afternoon recently, Mrs. FarmerNeighbor came over, helped Ole bottle the wine, and also helped him pack up all the wine that was sitting in the wine racks.  And, of course, with all the bottling and packing came a bit of imbibing!!  They absolutely had to sample to make sure it was safe for human consumption!!  And it was!  BTW, these wine racks are 4 feet wide and go from floor to ceiling.  I think we hauled 5 or 6 of those racks out of the basement, and they were all FULL.  So Mrs. FarmerNeighbor and I boxed up all the wine, she hauled it out to the garage, and Ole put it in the back of his pickup.  He loaded the pickup box full, 3 boxes deep and still didn’t get all the wine into the back.  Had to make a second trip to get it all.  I told them they didn’t have to make anymore wine in their entire lifetime – now they could just sit back and enjoy the “fruits of their labor.”  I was quickly informed that it’s not just the consumption, it’s the “joy” in being able to produce!!  Okay – okay – not being a lover of wine, I’ll believe them.

And then there’s Percy – short for Mr. Perserverence.  We have this friend that comes to our rescue quite regularly.  Percy is a man of great determination and in cases where HE should call on friends to do a job that takes two people, he perservers and manages to get it done on his own.  Ole has told him many times to call when he needs help, but Percy just doesn’t do that very often.  So we called on Percy the other day to assist in getting all the heavy things out of the basement – an 8 foot davenport, several dressers, bookcases, you know the drill.  Now Percy is “substantially” older than Ole (snicker – just joking Percy, just joking), but you’d never know it judging from his energy level.  He’s definitely not overweight, not quite as tall as Ole, but the man just doesn’t get tired.  He was up and down the steps carrying stuff, loading stuff, and then up and down the steps unloading and placing, etc.  Ole ran out of gas (energy) a couple of times that day and had to take a break – but not Percy.  I asked Mrs. Percy one day if he is comatose at the end of the day the way he works – but apparently not.  Thanks for all the assistance the other day, Percy.  Couldn’t have done it without your muscle power.  I’m sure we’ll be calling on you again before it’s all over.

And then there’s the backbone of the operation – The Box Man.  Without him I don’t know what we would have done.  The Box Man works in a location where he has access to all kinds of boxes when freight comes in.  Do you know how many boxes it takes to move?  Well, someone at his office has been keeping track and informed him that he has hauled home more than 300 boxes.  And that’s not counting the ones that we’ve recycled (emptied and reloaded).  He gets boxes that have handles – openings in the sides – so when you pick up the box you’ve got someplace to grab.  I have no idea where we would have gotten that many boxes if we hadn’t had The Box Man on our side.  And Mrs. Box Man – she’s been busy feeding us off and on.  She wants to make sure that we get a decent meal so we can survive.  Not only does she invite us for supper frequently, but every time we stop over she sends something home with us.  The other night she sent homemade potato soup and banana cream pie.  Had it for supper the other night – mmm, mmm, good.  So many times I’m just to tired to cook when we get home as many nights it’s going on 8 o’clock before we get home.  Who wants to cook then?

Mrs. Computer Lady works in a location where computer parts come in for assembly and they come wrapped in the most wonderful packing material.  Kind of a light foam-type stuff, some in sheets and some that look like pockets.  This was a god send when I was packing dishes and fragile things (which I still haven’t gotten all unpacked).  She would get her crew to save up all this material, stick it in a big bag and deliver it to my house.  I went through 3 huge bags of this material.  It’s so much better than wrapping with newspaper – getting your fingers and clothes all black from the ink, then smearing it all over everything you touch.  Ick.

So as I said, there’s a glimmer at the end of the tunnel today.  The upstairs in empty and clean, the basement is empty and almost completely clean and there are still a couple of things in the garage that Ole will need help in loading on the trailer.  Then I can sweep that out and call it good.

Today Ole has help lined up to move his heavy tools and equipment from his shop.  So that will take a couple of flatbed trailers I’m sure.  We can see the end.

I’m taking the day off from moving today.  I need to in order to maintain my sanity.  Unfortunately I’m attending the funeral of my friend’s husband.  She’s having what’s called a memorial gathering at the funeral home.  No church service, no service at the funeral home, just a gathering of friends.  I don’t know this for sure, but I’m suspecting that he was cremated.

All for now

Love, Lena