We still are hoping to have the moving company here right after Labor Day in September, with plans to drive away a day or two later. Expecting the drive to take about seven days. Wow! What an adventure we are looking forward to! Our two kitties will take up the entire back seat of our car with two large carrying cases, each with their own litter boxes and food dishes. We also will use Feliway spray to try to keep them calm, along with catnip. Actually these items will help keep us calm, since they will hopefully keep the cats from yeowling. We thought about putting them in the same portable kennel, but this way, although it takes up more space, will probably be more peaceful for all concerned.
This is not like any of our previous moves. We find it necessary to relocate our belongings here into many distinct areas, just to keep sense out of it all. We have one area for things going on the moving van. One set of shelves for items for the plane in June. One closet for items to pack into the car for the drive down. One continually changing area for give away items. One area to store items to sell at some future time, if we decide the move is, indeed, permanent and our house here then to be sold. And yes, we still have what we need for our present day to day living all over the house. Those items that will be moved on the van have to be listed for Mexican customs purposes, with make/model/serial number for all electrical goods, so we have a spreadsheet listing on the netbook that's growing longer as we delve into each room and make packing decisions. A few things we can pre-pack for the movers (books, clothing) as long as we leave the boxes unsealed for inspection, so there are stacks of boxes here and there to maneuver around.
David, a friend of past 30+ years is going to rent our US house and keep it looking presentable. He was a business partner in our restaurant, and now manages every other weekend at Cap Sante Retirement Court (where Carmen was kitchen manager for 16 years). He'll have a place three blocks from his job, and his first in-town residence in many years. It will be good to have someone we trust living here. Also with him here instead of an unknown person, we can leave items we can not take, like cleaning supplies and gardening chemicals and tools, in their usual places for him to use, and not consolidated on the lower floor with our other left items. He will have the upper main living area to spread out in..
'Twill be hard to leave so much here -- nearby family, friends, the neighborhood's visiting cats, the seasonal changing cast of birds at the feeders, our yard, garden and fruit trees, and the Pacific Northwest landscape with our mountain and water views----------- We are off to new sights, new sounds and more friends!
