Carry and Tote

Wednesday's photos were a trip down memory lane for me, from my visit to Victoria in October 2009, to visit my godmother Gladys. I believe the houseboat photo was take on our walk along the seawall, and I know the other photos were taken at Butchart Gardens. Another story about Gladys, her full name was Cecilia Gladys and when she lived in Victoria, she used Cecilia as her name. Of course, I was expected to call her that too - it wasn't easy. As for the gardens, they were created at the direction of Jennie Butchart, in a former limestone quarry. The development began in 1912 and continues to this day. According to their website, the gardens are spread over 55 acres, employs 50 fulltime gardeners, and is open year-round. It is definitely a place to visit in Victoria.

As Patsy would say, the jello jiggled for me on Monday. The original plan was to start moving boxes from the kitchen/spare bedroom to the garage. However, as the temperature was expected to drop overnight Monday to -18C (0F), I didn't want to leave the car out on the driveway if I didn't have to. Warmer temps were in the forecast with highs near freezing and lows around -5C (23F). In addition, it would have been colder to be working in the garage and while there are heaters, they are electric and expensive to run.

So instead, I did more packing and made lists...lots of lists. What cupboards still need to be emptied, and which box the stuff is to go in (kitchen and bathroom), what boxes/bags and other items are to be sent to the house in my son's car, and what will go in mine. 

Halloween was both busy and fun. It warmed up quite a bit by mid-morning, so I pulled the car out of the garage and started moving boxes. The spare bedroom was cleared out and a good portion of the kitchen boxes were moved, as well as the boxes/bins from the sunroom. I also got the rugs from the sunroom rolled up, taped up and moved to the garage. This all took several hours, with breaks including lunch in between. It's tiring moving boxes.

The first child arrived at the door about 5:30, and after a bit of lull, they began appearing in earnest from about 5:45 to 6:30. It quieted down again before the hordes started arriving again just before 7. I ran out of potato chips (40 bags) and was left with a couple dozen small chocolate bars by 7:30. There were some fun and interesting costumes including one that looked like a cross between a one eyed fly and a demon, as well as a wee elephant, and several princesses and super heroes. I asked about the fly/demon costume and was told by the wearer that they are creating a cartoon so the creature was of their own invention. 

Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't add a photo of our very own astronaut. He had a wonderful day at school where they were able to wear their costumes throughout the day, and then into the early evening trick or treating with his mom. She said the wind had died down, and the -2C temperature was perfect for walking. I'm sure they both slept well that night.

Wednesday saw me carrying more boxes and bins from the basement to the garage, doing laundry, and running a few errands before meeting S at Stitch and Chat. There was a whole lot more chatting than stitching. In the morning, I met with my insurance agent to arrange the cancellation of the house insurance. It amused me that this has to be done in-person, while starting a new policy or making changes to an existing one can be done on-line or by e-mail. 

I finally got a sense that my son is getting excited about the move on Thursday morning. His first words to me were, "four more sleeps." I replied, I thought I was the only one counting. :) It was a wee bit cooler -5C (23F) that morning so I wasted watched some curling before heading down to the basement. My goal was to get the rest of the boxes/bins into the garage. That was accomplished in relatively short order between curling games. There are just a few pieces of furniture left in the basement for the movers. 

I was also able to contact the garbage haulers. I'd used their services back in 2019, when the house did not sell, and hoped they would still be in service. They are, and have been scheduled to make the pick-up on Tuesday at 10. I'm expecting the cleaners at 8:30 (now changed to 12:30 due to the long weekend) and this will give me time to check for any items left behind and to sweep out the garage. 

The curling continued through Thursday afternoon and early evening, and again on Friday. In between draws, I moved some boxes* that were on the shelves in the garage to the pile to be moved, and then did some housecleaning. With my trips back and forth to the garage with the boxes, I've been bringing in leaves and debris that has been blown in or come in on the tires of the cars. (I did put down plastic on the floor of the garage before I started piling the boxes.)

Today I'll finish packing a few more boxes and moving them to the garage. The last ones with the remaining dishes, glassware, and cutlerly will go out sometime Sunday evening. There is no more cooking happening for the weekend, we'll eat any leftovers from earlier in the week, sandwiches, or take-out pizza.

*The boxes are kitchen items that C moved home from his two years in Lethbridge in 2008. The boxes haven't been opened since. It will be interesting to see what they hold and if he wants to keep any of it in his new home.

Have a great weekend everyone!