Better than expected

I can’t go into minutia about the move as there is a lot of blurring of timelines, so much has transpired in the last 5 days or so. Those of you that like to skip to the end, let’s just say it went well.

Thursday and Friday were a dash to get as many things ready to go as possible, both at my old house and the new one. All week I had been making shuttle runs with the truck getting smaller items that filled spaces like the kitchen, the bathrooms, and the closet already staged and ready to go. Friday all remaining tech was pulled down including the TV’s, the house was ready to go.

The plumbing was also fixed on Friday but I still had a big hole in the wall to fix. I talked to my neighbor about the repair, he has more drywall fixing experience than I did. The other issue was almost all of my tools were packed so we used a combination of my stuff, what I had left, and stuff I bought from the local hardware store AND Home Depot.

I used measurements to cut a piece that was approximately the right size and shape. I had to get the drywall from Home Depot. I was thrilled to see they sold 2′ x 2′ sections just for repairs instead of my having to buy a big huge sheet of drywall. Walt did the taping and mudding of the joint, which he did a total of three times. I did the finish work, sanding it down and eventually painting it. Because of some shitty things the builder did, the piece had a bit of a bow to it but we managed to hide it pretty well. The fact that it’s behind the washer makes it even less significant.

Walt also helped me get the washer and dryer from the old house in place. The dryer was actually wider than my Samsung dryer, requiring us to remove the laundry room door to squeeze in place. We eventually got it all in, reconnected, and tested, thank goodness.

I set my alarm for 6AM Saturday. The movers were supposed to arrive between 8:30 and 9:30. I zipped around the house, stripping the bed and grabbing the few remaining items I could see. As I walked around I paused for a few moments and tried to wrap my head around the idea that I would never sleep in this house again. The reality felt strange.

I heard the big truck pull up somewhere close to 9. Three guys hopped out, the crew lead Dante with two younger guys, Anthony and “A”. I took them around the house, showing them what was staying and going. They seemed pleased that a lot of the stuff was staying put, I didn’t blame them. They got busy, prior to moving a piece they enclosed it in a blanket and then used plastic wrap to seal it in which was nice. While they moved furniture I resumed my quest to button up anything that was left to do.

I assumed they would have a lift gate on the truck but they did not. Instead they just had a long ramp that they carted everything on, it seemed to work out well. The crew worked fast and in less than two hours the truck was loaded and ready to go. They said they would meet me there.

On the way to the new house I stopped at an ATM to grab cash to tip them which I assumed was customary. When I got to my house they were already there, setting up the ramp to unload. Once again I played traffic cop showing them where each piece was going as it came off. Unloading took less time than loading which was great. The other great thing is because things went so quickly my bill came in more than a third less than I was originally quoted, awesome.

Right as the movers were winding up Don showed up. He was going to drive me back to the old house so I could pick up my truck, I drove the Tesla to meet the movers. He did a quick walk through of the new place and understood why I like it. I told him I would buy him lunch for the favor so we stopped at Tacos and Tequilla on the way to the old house. It was a well needed break in the action. While we were at the house we loaded another set of smaller boxes into the back of Don’s Jeep which left enough stuff that I could grab in one more visit.

We unloaded at the new house and I told Don I was good to go, only I could really do the unpacking and make the decisions of what went where. I thanked him for his help and told him I will have him back over to hang once I am all settled in.

The next few days were just a constant stream of tasks. I tried to be somewhat focused, trying to handle one space at a time. The bathrooms and bedrooms were pretty straightforward. The garage was the staging ground where all of the boxes went, I just started pulling and emptying.

The most challenging room was the new hobby room/office. Not only was I combining functionality that was split across two rooms at the old house, I was putting it all into a room that is a smaller than either of those rooms at the old place, quite the challenge. It took some trial and error but eventually I came up with what you see in the picture and I am quite happy with it. I have one left over 6 foot workbench that I will wind up giving away but I should be able to do what I need to do.

I ran to Ace Hardware multiple times to grab things, it’s amazing to have it less than a mile from the house. This is a theme that has repeated itself many, many times over since I have been here, the joy of having everything I need in my nearby proximity. My first night sleeping here on Saturday went well, really well. I didn’t wake up until 8:30 from a combination of exhaustion and Unisom.

The work has continued at a steady but not frantic pace. The consistent effort has resulted in my being much further ahead in the task than I expected. Even the garage is looking pretty damn good at this point. I hung pegboard yesterday and cleaned up the rolling chest.

To charge the Tesla I am using a splitter cord off the dryer outlet for now until I get a permanent solution installed, it works which is all that matters, for now.

I even found the time to go out on a brief ride on my Sherman S. I had a ton of comments from viewers saying they can tell how happy I am. I’m glad it shows.

Yesterday I met my buddy at lunch to play pickleball, it took me 5 minutes to get there. I then played volleyball last night, it took less than 15 minutes to get there. You see the pattern. Tomorrow I am signing the papers for the sale of my house and then that’s that. It’s time to close the book on one two decade long chapter and begin a new one. 2023 is going to be great.