Settling In

After my last post (seems so long ago) much has happened. Wednesday, Young Son and I moved all the heavy stuff from the storage unit to the apartment. By the time I turned in the truck, I was too done to go back to the unit and prepare to sleep there. So I returned to my hotel room and spent one last night there.

Thursday morning I packed my gear, loaded the rig, and drove over to the apartment. I dropped my gear, got the Girl out for a short walk/play, then returned to assemble a computer and participate in a conference call for one of my projects.

By noon I was able to get started on my place. The bed slats were tired, so I attempted a fix but elected to reject them and build some new ones. But that was too late for the day, so I decided to sleep on the sofa. That old leather sofa sleeps well, as my kids and many friends can attest. The Girl slept on her small bed on the Ottoman.

It was strange to sleep in my own space again. But it is good!

Friday morning I got my invoices out and was going to walk the Girl, but I had a morning webinar (to keep my certifications active) that cramped my time. So I grabbed a bite of breakfast and learned that I do not care for Jack-in-the-Box breakfast burritos. So the Girl played at the park while I nibbled my breakfast. Then the webinar happened and I was able to get back on task.

I built new slats for the foundation, assembled my bed, broke open the boxes labeled “bedding,” and then had a place to sleep. I started work on the kitchen, but made little progress. So that would be the Saturday task.

I was surprised when I started breaking boxes and came across some things Wife bought/gave me. There were some wine glasses we shared. There is a China teapot and Chinese cups for tea. There is a set of whiskey glasses that are fun. These things made me pause for a moment and reflect on Wife, the years we shared, the things, times, and places we shared, and her death. I still miss you, Old Girl!

That’s when I discovered I needed the drawer above. The guide rail was broken and the drawer unstable. The landlord mentioned it when I met her to get a key. I figured they’d get to it, but the lack of a drawer was impeding my progress. So I spent a little time on YouTube, learned how to replace the rail, and drove over to Lowe’s for parts. (I also needed some no-slip drawer/shelf lining and a new lampshade to replace one that died in transit.)

The repair was simple, but I’m unskilled so it took me an hour. But it works now and we’re good to go. When that was done, it was time to quit, go walk the Girl, and figure out some supper.

My best friend dropped by to visit and was ecstatic about my place. I will enjoy entertaining a few people again. I plan to cook for Christmas and have my friend and Young Son over to celebrate the birth of the Christ.

I should finish the kitchen today. The next task will be to tackle my workroom/office. I have a floorplan in mind that will give me good use of space and decent Feng Shui.

But I have to find the pins to my bookshelves! I have a ton of books (literally) and the job will not be complete until I stow my books.

Therefore, once the kitchen is workable (and I have a number of things to make go away), then I’ll start breaking boxes to search for my bookshelf pins.

There are still a few boxes in my last unit to bring over to the house. I might make a run at them today so I can get a sense for what remains to be dealt with.

I should be settled in after a few more days. My place won’t be like I want it (I’ll still have to figure out where wall hangings go and how to organize everything). But I’ll have made the first pass through my things. I’ll have a workable setup. Then I can begin on the next phase, which will be to continue eliminating things I don’t want/need until I get down to my essentials.

I could live with less (and might choose to). We will see…