Moving Experience

Well, it’s done. Well I mean mostly done. I’m left with one overriding thought after the past weekend – WE HAVE ENTIRELY TOO MUCH JUNK!!!! According to my well informed wife – this opinion is flawed. We completed the move over the weekend and I cannot go any further without a huge and heartfelt shout out to my sister and brother in law to whom fell the onerous task of transporting not only my wife’s exorbitant and extremely heavy collection of outdoor plants but my DVD collection as well. We’re talking significant weight here! They were troopers well into Saturday night – can’t thank them enough.

The House Emptying Out

The biggest shout out though goes to the other two members of my moving team: my favorite son and the Keene Friend. I could not have done the move without them and they were a source of boundless energy if not enthusiasm throughout the weekend. They made no less than seven round trips crowded in the front seat of my trusty U-Haul truck with me and the last run on Saturday didn’t arrive in Worcester until midnight – a long day. I am left in awe of my son who passed up one of his best friend’s 30^th birthday party to help his dad move the entire house. He even went to the wall to defend his mother’s indoor plants from my semi-ruinous packing plans. I can never repay the debt I owe them both.

Everything went according to plan although my initial estimate of the number of trips it would take was wildly inaccurate. We’ve been giving away things for the past month but that didn’t seem to make a dent in the amount of junk we had to move. Ten years in one, overly large house is a true recipe for conspicuous consumption. The smartest thing I did was invest in some professional help for the heaviest items. Renting the truck from U-Haul offered the opportunity to contract some muscle at the same time. They arrived on time and they took care of the truly heavy items. I really didn’t want them to leave when their time ran out.

Although highly motivated (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it) the team’s loading efforts seem to fade a bit as the sun headed west. My wife, who was at our new house supervising the unpacking effort, provided us all with a handful of ibuprofen at the end of one trip. That stuff really does work because all three of us remarked how much easier the next couple trips went. Damned stuff does wear out though in the face of the seven tons of “stuff” we ended up moving.

My Son - the True Superstar

We made the last trip back to Worcester late Saturday night and decided to forego unloading until Sunday morning as we were well past my son’s and Keene Friend’s normal bedtimes. Again, I’m left in wonder that they hung with me for so long – they are the absolute best. Buddy made the last trip back with us after ably supervising the Charlton loading phase all day. It was heartbreaking to see the expression on his face each time as we left the house without him.

Sunday brought its own challenges, namely in the form of water. The remnants of Tropical Storm Bob arrived to make the unloading of that last Saturday load a waterlogged mess. My Cali-Daughter called to wish me a happy Father’s Day only to find me sweat soaked in a dripping raincoat. It was a hurried call because I didn’t want the rest of the unloading gang to think I was trying to get out of work.

The other Sunday morning aquatic adventure was the upstairs hallway, of all places. Keene Friend reported the carpet seemed wet but there were no obvious leaks in the ceiling. The landlord had the carpets professionally cleaned before we moved in and I initially thought that accounted for the moisture. When I went up to check it out, water was literally splashing over my feet – “uh oh” was a phrase that immediately leapt to mind.

The Upstairs Hallway in the New House

My stalwart next door neighbor and proud member of the Panamanian Mafia came over to help. We tracked the water down to the master bedroom toilet where a water intake pipe had a busted  seal and leaked overnight. My neighbor brought over some plumber’s tape which he used to stop the leak and then supplied a water vacuum which we used to suck more than three gallons out of the hallway carpet. You can imagine that I now view my neighbor as a hero as well. We’ve had a fan blowing up there over overnight and this morning is was pretty well dried out and no immediate signs of ceiling stains on the first floor – bullet dodged.

The ABFA and Favorite Son With Their Dads After a Great Dinner

Bob left the area around noon time, just in time for the last ride of the terrible trio. We loaded the vast, and extensive collection of my wife’s indoor plants which are now officially recognized as the bane of my existence. The Charlton next door neighbor showed up to help load along with his four and five year old daughters which was just about the cutest thing I’ve seen in a very long time. As our possessions vacated the old homestead it felt less and less like our home. Now it seems like a cavernous, strangely distant, empty abode – it really is the people that make a place a home.

My Wife Said She Would Hold Her Hanging Clothes Until I Installed Her Shoe Trees
She Was Overcome by the Sheer Amount and Ended up Sitting on the Floor Completely Buried

The ABFA and her parents showed up Sunday afternoon to insure we spent at least part of the day recognizing Father’s Day. They helped unload that onerous last load as my wife’s plants ended up in the basement, which is officially Buddy’s room. I think he kind of likes having a faux jungle surrounding him. The “kids” took us all out to dinner and I had what has to be the best beer I’ve ever tasted, it truly approached religious experience levels. The best part was the company I was keeping though, something I could say about the entire weekend. I was blessed to be surrounded by heroes all weekend long.

My Wife Wanted to Wish Her Most Excellent Father Heartfelt Best Wishes in the Midst of Our Move

I’m actually looking forward to this next phase of organizing the new house. Its soul redeeming to see our home emerge out of the required chaos of the move. I hope someone is well invested in ibuprofen as there had to be a run on it this past weekend. I’m paying for a professional packer the next time.