The Wonderful Spouse is starting to get stuff together for a trip he is taking next weekend. He will be leaving Friday night and returning Monday night. Sounds great doesn't it? Except, it's not a pleasure trip and it will be a grueling one at that.
He is hightailing his way to Kansas (in reality, he is driving - I just wanted to use the word hightailing), to pick up some stuff from his Mother, and then he will be driving straight back. That is a 1,300 mile trip - 1 way.
Last fall his mother was moved from an assisted living apartment complex to a nursing home. Her memory is failing so badly that she can't be trusted to take medications correctly (even when put into "pill packs", and family members checking on her daily) and she was also forgetting to eat. It was a hard decision for her and the family, but one that had to be made.
Her belongings were distributed according to what was in her will (with her full knowledge and approval). The Wonderful Spouse's part of the distribution is an old "Secretary" hutch/desk. Although it could be shipped, WS doesn't want to trust it to a shipping company, and I can't say I blame him. He will also be delivering an old computer to his sister, who wants one just to be able to email family members. I still have Harry's old computer, that he gave to me last year because it wasn't working (and which I reformated in order to get working again), and figured that would be fine for the light duties that would be expected of it.
So, he will be driving down to drop off the computer and pick up the hutch as well as picking up some items for his brother - the one who lives here in NH. WS has a buddy that will help him drive the distance so that he can drive straight thru. Unfortunately just having 3 1/2 days to make the trip means that he won't have much time to visit family, but he will see his mother for a while and get a night's sleep at another brother's house.
We actually discussed him taking my new vehicle since the items will fit in the back and he won't have to worry about rain. However, he decided that they will be travelling at high rates of speed, and that would not be particularly good for the truck during the break-in period. So he will be taking his pickup with lots of tarps and some Rubbermaid totes to put his Brother's stuff in.
Hopefully they will have good weather and traffic won't be too bad next weekend (wishfull thinking, but one can always hope!).
I don't blame him for the "truck it yourself" mentality. I have an old dresser that my sister and neice have been using. Every time it gets moved from point "A" to point "B", another part of it vanishes. Last time, it was one of the mirror mounting posts. Without it, no mirror.
When I finally get it to Kansas, I plan on taking the matching part to one of the Amish areas and see if they can create a new one. The posts were hand carved about a hundred years ago so I doubt any "mass market" furniture repair place can recreate it. It may even be too much for the Amish. Who knows.
Tell WS to have a quick and safe trip.
Posted by: Wichi Dude | June 27, 2004 at 02:05 PM
I hope his trip goes smoothly. The tarps are a good idea....we have weather building up here tonight.
Posted by: Buffy | June 27, 2004 at 10:57 PM