Where did the week go?! It went by as quickly as all of our stuff as been flying out the door, and as easily as the new owners of our house moved their stuff into our basement. Ray and I had a four day weekend together, because of the snowstorm. On Friday morning, his office opened at nine am (but his car couldn't make it out of the court), and I wasn't scheduled to work. It was Valentine's Day. We were cooped up here together (24/7 for four days). I can't even remember what I did in the morning, but I do know that by noon, we were taking a walk trying to figure out how we would get one of our cars to the main road. There were a lot of high, crunchy mounds of snow with ruts made from the 4 wheel drive cars that had driven out of the court. Would we get stuck? Our new next door neighbor managed to get his sedan into the neighborhood stopping just shy at his driveway. We asked our other neighbor to get his Toyota FJ Cruiser into the court to break the snow up (he did). After we talked to another neighbor that reassured us we would be fine breaking free, and another that told us to knock on his door if we got stuck and needed a push back into the driveway, we decided to give it a try. I told Ray, while getting myself all dolled up to get some lunch at Chili's, that I would attempt it only if he didn't yell at me if it didn't work. Easy breezy. The sun had warmed up the snow and made it slushy. My shoveling out to the court helped immensely as well haha Did I say I was determined to get out into the world? Once out of my neighborhood, I took note that all the developments around ours were beautifully plowed. The asphalt was shining brightly back at me. What the heck? The plows couldn't give our neighborhood one lousy pass? We had lunch at Chili's and then hit the grocery store for junk food. We didn't have anything we liked in the house. Bored with pretzels. Ray wanted something else. I bought my usual rice cakes (but mixed it up a bit with caramel flavor), some apples since I had one left, and Ray had Friendly's Butter Crunch ice cream, BBQ potato chips, Wheat Thins and Ranch Dip on the belt. When he would eat it all was something I asked. He would find time around shoveling and tv surfing. THIS I think just knowing that we weren't tied to the house and that we could shop, set something off. Automatically, hunger sets in. We had shoveled and built up our appetite. Or so we tell ourselves. Once home, I called the Department of Transportation to ask where the plow was, and when I could expect my street to be plowed. We were having more snow that night and freezing rain, so I wanted my street clear before the new stuff. Like I had any authority. The nice lady on the phone asked me if I wanted to put in a request to have my road plowed. "Yes, please." This isn't Panama obviously, so maybe it will get done. Ninety minutes later, the plows showed up. Oh yeah!
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| Mailman makes it on the first day of snow. |
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| Too bad our 4 wheel drive car was hit by a tractor. |
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| I shovel to the asphalt and beyond! |
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| So much more to shovel. |
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| Looking out of the neighborhood to the main road. |
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| Looking back at my house--last one on the right. |
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| Glorious plow |
The following day was rainy and gray. We loaded up Ray's car for Goodwill, and we made one trip. Then we looked at storage facilities. It is now a law that they charge a monthly insurance fee (for the amount of space we needed, it would cost $10/month). Once home, I made phone calls. I found facilities costing anywhere from $700-850 for 12 or 13 months. Then I found one south of our house (a little more inconvenient for our daughter), but for 14 months, it would cost about $500. I'll take it!
That night I had bought tickets to see a show called "Always Patsy Cline". I thought Ray would enjoy it since he grew up listening and loving country music. It was being held at The University of Mary Washington, and before the show, we ate at a fantastic Mexican restaurant called Pueblos. So good! My one Lake Anna roommate and her sister ate dinner with us and saw the play as well. It was a good time, and we decided we should try and see some more plays/shows at this venue (a very cozy, clean, and bright theater. After the show, the four of us came back to the house so they could now see how empty it was, and I managed to give away a large, framed picture. One more thing out the door.
Sunday came along with Ray asking me if I was going out anywhere that day. Nope. I hadn't planned on it. I mean, I had been out quite a bit since Friday (not really, but where did I need to go--my belly was full, and I could always eat his chips and ice cream). He thought I might want to go to Goodwill with a car load of Christmas stuff. Really? Didn't I ask yesterday "hey, do you want to make another run to Goodwill?" in my most sweet and loving voice (since we had all day to do it). But alas, we loaded the car up (his Mini Cooper is amazing with carrying all of these bins and bags). Since it wasn't raining, I could go to the one that is just five minutes from the house (it is a parked trailer) as opposed to the one all the way down the road a total of fifteen minutes away (unsure why time was of the essence here). While I was gone, the huge wall unit was being carried away. The man picking up the piano couldn't come because two of his movers were sick (he ended up canceling out altogether this week, because he just can't get any help to move it). Someone else came for the tables in the sunroom, and I re-arranged some Rubbermaid bins to fill them up more efficiently. The new owners stated they may re-carpet the upstairs so we may not need to get the carpets cleaned. Her dad builds primitive furniture. He came over and took the remaining tools that her husband didn't want (this is so great because they are going to someone who will use every single tool and appreciates the old one's of my grandfather's and my Uncle Bob and Ray's dad). It was decided at dinner the night before that we wouldn't get a storage unit. We can put some of the bins in the shed at the lake house (things that we can keep an eye on, like dishes and Christmas decorations, to make sure mice don't go after them or chew through them), and we can store some in our bedroom. Once we leave, we can move it all to our bedroom, because we won't be there. We won't have to move around them. Our emptying rooms are pictured here...
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| Used to have two chairs in this corner of our bedroom. |
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| This was the Guest room (large box old tv anyone?) |
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| Carly's old room |
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| A washstand and pie safe were on walls in this landing upstairs |
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| Our dining room with odds and ends (Carly's bins, a desk and washstand now gone, anyone want a recliner?) |
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| Our living room with my mom's old Asian "stuff"--now gone |
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| Sunroom with tables gone and baskets gone |
On Presidents Day, Ray and I both had to go back to that place called work. The new owners of the house moved their unfinished basement things into our basement. WOW! We were impressed! They got a lot moved in. This is a wonderful thing! And after work each night, someone stopped by to pick up baskets or villages, and even at work Monday, I had someone meet me there to sell two purses. Ca-ching, Ca-ching! Someone just picked up the washstand to display her pottery, and a man is coming to look at the piano within the house. And our large desk might be sold as well. I do still have a couch to sit on, for now. After Saturday, the one above (in the sunroom picture) will get used for a change. I think Ray has napped on it a handful of times, but other than that, it sits alone. Also, the buyer's broker will be calling with information about the appraiser coming to the house, as well. Hope it all works!
I found out today, my boss has a pool going to see how long I will last in Panama. If I make it there! I needed to go back to work on Monday, to get away from my house and the work there! But alas, it is Thursday night, and tomorrow I leave for the weekend with my three best girlfriends to go for our annual spa weekend! Ray will enjoy his time alone, and I say "let the fun and games begin"! Woo hoo! Here's hoping I can somehow keep this tradition going when in Panama, but I don't even want to think about the logistics just yet. I will enjoy the weekend with the girls continuing to daydream about Panama while the masseuse breaks up all of those knots from packing, moving, shoveling, scaling teeth--the usual.
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