The move happened last weekend. And happened. And happened. And happened. You don’t move twenty years of your life from one place to another without a good deal of angst, pain, tears, sore muscles, and feet that ache up past the ankles!
Some of the boxes
To make the move more interesting, the AC at the lakehouse went out. Yes, it’s still spring in Texas and we’re not having heat in the nineties yet, but even at 86 degrees with high humidity, doing hard physical labor (which is what moving is, unless you pay someone else to pack for you) is brutal.
Charley wanted to make sure we didn’t leave him.
Last week I wrote about how hot and miserable I got on our trip to Fort Davis & Marfa, Texas. Well, that was nothing! I wasn’t lifting, shoving, carrying like I did this past weekend and in fact this whole week.
And all the decisions! Oh my gosh. Do you give it away, sell it, for how much, keep it and if so where? This move is about downsizing and some of us get that better than others of us. And to be fair, some of us don’t have as much time to make those decisions as others of us.
Unpacking at the lakehouse
Technology! You know this is not my strong suit. We haven’t had TV since Thursday only getting Direct TV reconnected yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon. (Somehow my workers covered up all the connections. I didn’t notice it until the TV was being set up on the hearth!) The Hot Spot is working, but the big computer isn’t connected yet. Lots of my pics are there. There won’t be any call to action at the end of this post. That is saved on the hard drive of the Dell.
Poor Bob spent more than 2 hours on Tuesday talking to AT & T in various parts of the country. He just wanted to end the connections at our city house. Doesn’t seem like it should take so long. And I’ve still got to contact the security folks who’ve done the cameras on our house. We’re leaving them at the house, but don’t need them on our phones any longer. It was so fun when we were in Fort Davis to check on the house to see our nephew and son-in-law were moving Auntie’s china cabinet out of the house.
Basically, we’ve still got too much stuff for our smaller house. Hopefully, the garage will get fixed quickly and we can move “stuff” out of storage to the garage. Or we can get rid of even more of it.
Salvation Army came to the city house Wednesday morning. What super people. The dining room was packed with boxes, plus a desk and two tall bookcases. Later this week, our SIL Kevin will help us move the garage stuff to the lakehouse, storage, Goodwill, or the dump.
All of our kids have been incredibly helpful through all of this, and we couldn’t have pulled it off without them.
Charley has been a trouper, too. His way of dealing with the chaos is to hunker down.
Last night it was awfully nice to drop my hot, tired, aching feet into the lake
Marsha R. West, Author 
Your new home looks perfect. I love the picture of your feet in the water and my other favorite is your dog making sure he didn’t get left behind. I love this post.
Best Wishes
Jo-Ann
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Hey, Jo-Ann. Hope this posts this time. Having tech issues! LOL Of course I am. The move has sure been an experience. Any time I get discouraged, I cast my eyes toward the lake view and my blood pressure lowers. The wonder AC guys are here now as I write. I’ll get the desk think figured out. Charley is on the sofa next to me while I write on the table behind. Glad you liked the post. Thanks so much for stopping by. 🙂
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Oh, I feel your pain, both in giving up your old home with lots of memories AND the back breaking job of the actual move. Wait, why didn’t you just sit down with a glass of lemonade on the deck and let the guys do it?? HUH? I doubt they’ll be around when you unpack and put away all the stuff. I remember moves when I put things away and then couldn’t remember where they were–checking every drawer and cabinet to find a pair of scissors! I still don’t know which switch turns on the outside lights, the hallway light, the basement light, the closet light, etc. in this house. LOL. Now you’re in. Breathe.
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Hey, JQ. Boy do you know! I spend hours wandering around looking for what I did with whatever. It’s maddening. I have a place for my purse and keys and Charley’s stuff. After that? It’s open every drawer and cabinet. LOL I know it will get better. And the view is more than worth it, but still it’s crazy. And the lights? You’ve got that, too. Now how long have you been there? Seriously, it’s a small house. We will get it sorted out. Thanks so much for stopping by.
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Great post, Marsha! Wishing you much happiness in your new lake home. Soon all the work will be completed and you can relax and enjoy your beautiful surroundings.
Loved the photo of Charley packing himself, so as to not be left behind.
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Hey, Susan. Yes, we chuckled when Charley climbed into the storage bench. We think he was lost or put out during a move. He’s been pretty stressed during some parts of the move. Doing better now. Thanks so much for stopping by. 🙂
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Great post. I could feel your pain! Good news is sleeping at your new home and knowing the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter each day. Jim and I are still looking to downsize…but not in any hurry. 😉
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Hey, Jerrie. Every morning when we wake up and take in that view, we chuckle at our good fortune. The whole move would’ve been easier if we’d been able to do the garage at the same time, but there were issues with the city. We decided to get the house done first. The right thing to do, but there are consequences. Even if you don’t plan to downsize for 10 years, I’d start now getting rid of stuff. Gosh, we still have toooo much. Thanks for stopping by. After we get straightened out, you can come out for lunch. 🙂
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Anybody have any ideas why I’ve lost my picture on my own blog? Only me, right! LOL
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I’m glad the toughest part is over, and as a moving veteran, I know it just gets easier every day! Naps like Charlie, or just taking a minute to get your feet in the lake are awesome ways to remind yourself how what a wonderful new life you’re going t have there. I’m so happy for you!
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Hey, Kathryn. You’re right. The worst is behind us. And we will ultimately find a place for everything we really want to keep and get rid of the rest. I will find the right desk configuration. In the meantime, I’m making do on my laptop. Not such a bad thing.:) Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing in our adventure. 🙂 BTW, Loved your latest book, ALL SHE WANTED.
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Beautiful place! We moved/downsized three years ago from a 4-bedroom house to a 2-bedroom empty-nesters condo. I’m the opposite of a packrat but we still had to give away lots of stuff! After two years in the condo, we were JUST SO DONE with the overnight noise so we bought a house near North Hi Mount. And then two of our kids moved back in, my mother fell ill, the house across the street went up for sale, and my parents are now living across the street (my dad *attended* North Hi Mount 75 years ago and he threw papers in the neighborhood where we live now). So much for our empty nest! Life is just full of surprises!! 🙂 I hope you guys love the new place once all the unpacking is done. I’m sure Charley will be lots of help.
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Hey, Tamarra. Loved hearing your story. North Hi Mount area is so nice. Sweet school. I used to serve on the school board eons ago, and that school was in my area. I remember a teacher who put on a neon shiny wig because one of her kids had lice and the parents completely shaved her head. (before this was cool) They both wore these shiny milar things. Thought it was the most considerate thing I’d ever seen. I understand the care of parents thing. It’s a blessing and it’s tough. Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing. 🙂
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