I SEE REST IN FOUR SHORT WEEKS, I HOPE.

In four weeks, Ray and I will sleeping in this house for the last time.  Or we would have already disassembled our bed (my sister has bought my bedroom furniture), and we will be sleeping on ?  Besides the snow that doesn't seem to stop, our packing and donating, loading and unloading isn't stopping either.  Not until four weeks from now that is.  And here's hoping that by April 5th, we won't have anymore snow or wintry mixes.  This past Monday we had more of this:

It won't stop.

Shoveling again.

The forecasts showed that my area (Southeast of Washington, DC) would be getting 6-10 or maybe 7-11 inches of snow early Monday morning throughout the day.  What a difference an inch or two can make here! Sunday night Ray got word that his office was opening late Monday morning, and I hadn't received any word from mine.  I didn't expect to hear anything until the precipitation had started falling.  At four am Monday Ray woke up, turned the TV on, looked outside, saw ice and decided he would not be going to work that day.  He got word at 5:30 am that his office was closed for the day.  The Federal Government also closed again.  Now the forecast was on the high side of possibly a foot of snow in some areas, or maybe just seven inches.  I woke up at six am (I did see the TV on at four am as well), looked out the window, and I made an executive decision that I wouldn't be making it to the office either.  It wasn't where I wanted to be stuck if we did get the snowfall amounts the forecasters were predicting.  At 6:30 am, my office manager texted "the office is closed".  I slept a little while longer.  Then I thought "not again".  I can't be cooped up close to another two days!  I am running out of Personal Time Off.  (Not that I care.)  The plows won't come for four days if we get a foot of snow.  Ray and I shoveled.  We watched the heavy snow.  We saw the weathermen reiterate their forecast.  We shoveled again.  We also got more cleaning done.  Kitchen cabinets were consolidated and wiped down.   More boxes for Goodwill were grouped together.  We took a nap.  And shoveled once more.  Our area had a "dry slot".  While it snowed fast, hard and heavy the first few waking hours of the morning, it tapered off by three pm.  We had a whopping four inches of snow when all was said and done.  Nice day to have off!  We wouldn't be cooped up a second or third day.  School though didn't reopen for three days.  And then yesterday morning, there was the prediction of a wintry mix.  I woke up to nothing (I had errands to run).  School was delayed two hours here.  There wasn't a drop of rain, sleet, or snow to be seen.  The high was forty degrees. Today, it is supposed to be sixty degrees.  Stop the madness.

Ray was in Tazewell, VA yesterday morning.  He left the house at his normal three am time (I think) and drove to his mom's house with a Mini-Cooper (mind you the Extended Cab version so tons of room!) loaded down with an antique sewing machine and bags and bags of clothing, accessories, computers, hair dryers (okay, I hoarded a few of those--never want one to die on me!), books and so much more.  He stopped at Waffle House for breakfast, and it was snowing.  Then he arrived to his mom's over the mountain where there wasn't any snow, and it was a sunny fifty plus degree day.  Busy day.  He set his mom's house up with a router and made it wireless.  We face-timed tonight, so she could get the concept.  When we visit this summer, we will get her a smart phone for easier access to us.  Ray was only there for an overnight stay.  Today it was back to loading and unloading again.  I surprised him, and while we were chatting over the computer, I showed him an even more empty dining room.  I had loaded my car up to its fullest potential and drove to the lake house yesterday afternoon.  I fit four Rubbermaid Totes in the car, china, three bags of shoes (I need to give some of these shoes up, I think, but I have to figure out which one's once we get to the lake house--can't decide now!), a sucked down bag of sweaters, a basket filled with music CD's, pictures and clothes into the car.  How will I get nine dresser drawers and a walk-in closet full of clothing into half a closet I will be sharing with Ray at the lake house and three dresser drawers?  Again, I couldn't decide what more to give away, so it will be a task to take on once at the lake house.  Just get me out of one house and into the next!  

This past week I had several patients that I was able to share my retirement to Panama story.  They are patients that "only see Allison for cleanings".  We exchanged emails, and I jotted my blogsite down on their appointment cards.  I also had a chat with my, stay with me here now, parents previous neighbor.  My sister owns my parents house.  Our next door neighbors growing up are now divorced. Mrs. X still lives next door, and Dr. X (a dentist) lives around the corner.  Dr. X has been dating a Panamanian woman for twenty years.  Mrs. X told me that they were considering renting a house they owned in Panama.  She gave me their phone numbers.  I spoke with Dr. X, and he told me his partner was taking an online class, but she would call me back.  He also asked if I knew what that meant with her being Panamanian.  He said it could be in an hour or two.  I also said it could be tomorrow or next week.  He was interested to hear why I chose to retire to Panama.  He has only been to the country five times or so.  He doesn't speak the language and felt a bit alone when traveling there.  I told him he wouldn't feel alone now with the many expat communities that have formed in the past ten years (he last visited eight years).  The next night I spoke with his partner about the house she had to rent.  She has owned a house in Gorgona for eighteen years.  Her family uses it often.  They tend to it.  I understand it to be a three bedroom, two bathroom house.  She is going to send pictures (we spoke on Tuesday).  Pictures will be of great value.  I told Ray wouldn't that be a kick in the pants if we ended up renting my old next door neighbors Panamanian house!  Meanwhile, our friends, Clyde and Terry, toured a condominium (too small) and a duplex (still unsure) for us.  It has been wonderful getting their feedback and opinions on these houses.  I feel like Goldilocks (too small, too big, just right?--I don't expect to find everything in a house like the people on House Hunter's International!  Open floor plan, room for the family and so on?  Really?)

 Also, this past week I became acclimated to my hearing aids, had them adjusted to a slightly higher level yesterda (Ray could hear the TV just a little bit better than I could at my normal level, so I asked that my normal level be raised.  Technology is amazing!),  I had my computer adjusted only to find that it might have hardware issues (back to the store I go), and gave my car a good washing (okay, the machines with the big rags on them did it for me, but I had a free coupon!).  I have been to Goodwill three times this week, I loaded more totes up yesterday, cleaned out my linen closets, threw in a load of laundry, chatted with the nice people at Apple support where it was determined I get to go back to the store for hardware issues, and then called it a day!  April 6th is going to be a good day.  

Ray showed up this morning just as I as getting ready to run to the dry cleaner.  He left his mom's house at 2:00 am.  Home by 7:30 am.  Wow.  It's all I can say.  We loaded up his amazing Mini-Cooper with a firesafe, a metal cabinet, one huge and long tote, four boxes, a Crockpot and roasting pan on my lap along with bags of baking items from our pantry.  Off to the lake house we went.  And then you know what we did?  We unloaded.  We tried fitting the rocking chair we bought from the country restaurant and store Cracker Barrel into the back of his car, but alas, it was too wide.  We will have to sell that from the lake house.  Back to this house where we found the FO's (Future owners) unloading bags and bags of clothing.  Down to the basement they went with their "stuff".  We cleaned all the windows except the two in our bedroom.  We vacuumed.  We emptied our things out of the dining room and into an unused hallway.  We posted pictures to Craigslist.  I really should bring all those beanie babies to Panama!  Why didn't I do this before?  Waiting on someone to come and buy a tall mirror and take it away.  Below is what is remaining to go to the lake house as far as bins (one of them is still our daughters and that Russian tea pot Samovar thingy needs to find a home--I am working on it and looking at antique shop in few weeks to see if the owners will take the bait and take it off my hands haha).  And the Easter basket will soon be filled with goodies for our daughter :)

Just a few bins remaining!

I think once April comes around, I will get to the lake house and collapse.  Oh yeah, and go to work for some rest!  I will say that on Facebook there is a movement going on called "40 bags in 40 days" for Lent.  It is inspiring to see others starting to clean up their homes, donating unused items and getting rid of clutter.  I am just thrilled I am almost at the end of my 40 days!