We survived helping Karen move yesterday. I arrived at her place a little after 9 in the morning and immediately started packing boxes. This woman, whom we love dearly, just can't seem to get rid of anything and collects everything. It took 4 good sized boxes and about 1 1/2 hours for me just to empty 4 shelves full of figurines, decorative dishes, vases etc.
The 4 shelves were so full of stuff that you couldn't really just focus on one thing - it was more a blur of colors and shapes. The plates and platters in the back of the cabinet were not even visible thru all the stuff in front of them. Every one of those items was fragile so had to be wrapped well to prevent breakage. And that was just one small section of the stuff that needed to be moved.
The Wonderful Spouse showed up an hour or so later (he had gone to the dump and bought some tarps to cover the trailer). Karen was not expecting anyone but us to help her move so I was delighted when not only WS showed up, but he also managed to bribe Chris, our neighbor, to come along for the fun. Yipee! All the heavy lifting was not just going to be done by myself and the Wonderful Spouse!
As I was finishing packing up the cabinet I was working on, two other people showed up wtih a pickup truck and an attitude of not being afraid to work. We all set-to with a will and managed to keep on track with packing and loading. We all had pretty much the same plan in mind on how to get the move accomplished in the most efficient way (a miracle compared to the last two moves).
The couple had to leave after the unloading the second trip and we all thanked them profusely for dropping by to help. Chris and WS set up her bed, dresser and hope chest were she wanted them along with the futon (couch), quilting table and the rest of the major furniture. She still had a bit left to get out of her old place, plants and a few dishes, but she had to empty some boxes first and she only needs to make one or two trips with her car.
We made two trips with 4 vehicles and the trailer and managed to have her pretty well set by 2:30 - that would be PM not AM. That is a record out of the 3 times we have moved her - and she collects more stuff each time.
Isn't that so much fun. An old bud of mine moved so frequently that the cast and crew of friends got to the point that from tear-down to set-up could be done in 3 hours. And yeah, he had a lot of ssss--treasures.
Posted by: Wichi Dude | January 01, 2005 at 11:39 AM
My grandmother and step-grandfather were congenitally unable to stay in one place more than 6-10 weeks (well, it seemed that short!) I was never around to help them, since I never lived within 200 miles of them, but each time I got a card or letter it was from a different address. Maybe Karen has a congenital condition, too?
Posted by: Cop Car | January 01, 2005 at 11:58 AM
Oops! Looks like you'll have to edit the HTML. Sorry.
Posted by: Cop Car | January 01, 2005 at 12:00 PM
Ohhhhhhh....you moved a quilter!
I don't have a huge amount of nicknacks, but my china, books and quilting stash are gonna make for some snide comments when I finally have to move. I've been thinking for some time that I should take Mother to the basement to organize HER belongings.
When we moved in 15 years ago, the house seemed enormous! Now, I wonder where we will put one more thing. Maybe it's time to join Compulsive Collectors Anonymous.
It sounds to me as though you have moving Karen down to a science. Have you thought about that type of thing as a side job?? *G*
Posted by: Buffy | January 01, 2005 at 02:59 PM
Cop Car - HTML edited, not a problem. I don't think the moving is congenital, but maybe the collecting is!
WD - I'm hoping that this will be the last move in a while! To be fair, she did stay at one apartment for 3 years until she just couldn't take the neighbors anymore. And she only moved out of her house after her kids grew up and she no longer got child support (so couldn't afford the house payment). Then the last apartment she couldn't afford to heat (her landlord deceived her about how much that would take - $70-$90 a week to keep a place at 60, in the warm spots, is a bit much)
Buffy - we've decided if we ever move, all our stuff stays with the house (WS even says the animals too, but we would probably have to drop the price too much for that to happen - LOL).
Posted by: bogie | January 01, 2005 at 04:15 PM