The packing has begun. I’m not 100% sure I’m moving yet. We’re in that due diligence period where the buyer and seller have to argue about who is paying for what. But I am beginning to organize just in case.
We moved Julie out of her house in March. She’s in an apartment temporarily while we figure out our next step. What we’ve discovered in the process is that we have A LOT of stuff.
Mattresses, we have mattresses for days! Most of hers are younger than mine, so I’m tossing mine out. The one in my guest room was in my grandmother’s guest room. She moved out of her house and into a retirement community in 1996. She built that house, oh, I’d say in the mid 70’s. My best guess is that the bed was purchased upon arrival. Although, come to think of it, perhaps she moved that one from the house my dad grew up in. The queen set is somewhere between 46 and 83 years old. Who cares? My guests never stay that long.
The bed in Michelle’s room, which all of my kids have lived in at some point, is much younger. It was purchased in 1993.
I have a difficult time throwing things out. When a pair of boxers no longer has enough elastic to stay up, I synch them for as long as possible. One day I was jogging and I felt something around my knees. My boxers had fallen on either side and the waistband was dangling below my thighs.
I was a sad day when I tossed those little guys. They had been through so much with me.
For the second time, I cleaned out my koozie drawer in the kitchen.
Julie: “Honey, why do you have a drawer full of koozies?”
Me: “I might need them.”
Julie: “Why would you ever need 35 koozies?”
Me: “Well sometimes Brad and Tim come over for a beer on the porch.”
Julie: “So maybe keep three?”
We don’t even use koozies when they come over. But I hate to see them go.
Julie has about 25% of the cabinet space in her apartment that she had at the house. And yet, somehow, a popcorn maker the size of a Volkswagen avoided storage and made it to the new place.
Me: “Why are you taking this enormous popcorn maker to the apartment? Shouldn’t it go into storage?”
Julie: “I think I might need it.”
Me: “We have microwave popcorn.”
Julie: “I need it.”
It’s ok. This past weekend as I was packing, some people in my family were trying to toss the massive popcorn tub I won at the movie theater several years ago. I told them I needed to hold onto it for all of the popcorn Julie was gonna make in our future life.
Together we have 6 hatchets and four axes. There will be no shortage of firewood at our house. We’re like a Boy Scout troop.
We’re gonna have to buy a big house. Or maybe a mini-storage business. Goodwill, here we come!
