5/26/10 Lawnmower, sold on craigslist for $15; (and thrown in as a bonus: shelving, three saw horses, huge mirror, iron plant hangers, and three random metal posts)
I thought vacating our house was going to be a piece of cake. I really did. I was wrong.
Still, a little bit of karma came my way today to make things a little easier.
While we continue to scramble to get the house cleaned out and tidy, I had arranged for a last-minute craigslist sale of our old lawn mower. I told the woman who wanted to buy it that I needed to mow one final time, so we arranged to have her come by tonight. Last night was a marathon as I need to mow and weed-whack before packing the final Denver-bound items into the POD -- including the afore mentioned weed-whacker. It turns out that POD-loading deal is much harder to do without the assistance of Mr. Frank.
I managed to get the lawn done as the last rays of sunlight faded away and then donned my headlamp to slide those final POD puzzle pieces into place. It all ended shortly before midnight, and looked something like this:
Thus, after a 5:30 wake-up this morning and a long day at work in temperatures that made many teachers act as if we were in the midst of Dante's Inferno, I didn't have much left in the tank for housework this evening.And then Tammy saved my evening.
First, she actually showed up, which is not a given with craigslisters. Next, she called to let me know that she was running late, a courtesy very rare among craigslisters. Most importantly, after loading the lawnmower into her truck, she eagerly accepted every other useful item (read: junk) that I offered her.
Three big ol' saw horses? Sure!
Giant plate-glass mirror? Love it!
Two iron plant hangers? Perfect!
Wobbly, spray-painted aluminum shelves I found beside the road? Definitely!
Some metal piping? Why not!
Please understand, Dear Readers, that I was out of options with those things. If Tammy had said no, they would all be heading to the dump tomorrow. And it would have taken several trips.
So, the house is not ready, I'm completely exhausted, and every time I try to find some vital tool or cleaning equipment, I realize it got shipped away in the POD earlier today.
But, for once, a craigslist exchange far exceeded expectations and lightened the load a little bit.
Less than forty-eight hours left until the house closing and there's so much to do. Think I could get Tammy to swing by tomorrow to lend a hand?
Quite possibly the coolest mail ever received...not only was it 90 degrees (and so we were fat and happy stuffing our faces with gelato) but we got to make cool Dagobah system fog effects with the dry ice from the shipping container.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, though, it is going to be very hard when you move even farther away. Being able to spend the weekend visiting and helping somehow makes it slightly more bearable, so we really were grateful for the opportunity.
Hang in there, Reed...you're almost there. This transition will be over before you know it.
Peace out, Lukes Road.
I only wish I could jump in and lend a hand during this push to the finish line. Afraid my kids are sick and I am still a gimp.....I'll be thinking of you though! Hope the heat eases up today - it will make everything seem simpler.
ReplyDeleteCRM - there's no way we could repay all you've done for us, even if we don't count the packing of the POD! We should send you gelato ever week.
ReplyDeleteAmy - Knowing that you are out there reading the blog each day helps me keep going to the finish line. Thanks!