More Problems Fixed

When the not-so-brilliant movers took apart my bed at the old apartment they took the bed off the risers I had, then put them aside. For some strange reason they neglected to bring them to my new place and I ended up bringing them a day or two later. Not only did the movers not put the bed on the risers, they put the bed a little over a foot away from the closet door. It's pretty hard to organize a closet when you can only open it a little over a foot, as you may imagine.

I finally put the risers under my bed today. It might not sound like a big undertaking, but I can't really do heavy lifting, and Ree was busy with a history project that I wanted her to finish. I like the bed higher so I'm glad I finished. Ree almost finished her history project.

In order to move the bed:

• I finished unpacking a box of media, and neatened a rolling cart of drawers so all of the DVDs, audio tapes, video tapes, and computer games fit almost perfectly.


• I moved boxes around in the bedroom so I had room to work.


• Swept around the bed.


• Unmade the bed.


• Stood the mattress up in front of the closet.


• Yelled for Ree to come get the kitten who was now on the box spring.


• Stood the box spring up against my bureau.


• Swept all the cat toys and small items from under the bed.


• Put the risers where I wanted the bed.


• Moved the metal frame.


• Put the box spring back.


• Put the mattress back.


• Made the bed with the "help" of a couple of kitties.

After that I was able to move one of those plastic under-bed boxes of wrapping paper out of the way in the living room and under the bed. I'm looking forward to organizing the presently under-utilized closet, and finding more boxes to put under the bed. I'm going to have Ree go through the media in the rolling cart to take out what she doesn't want anymore, and then I will do the same. Then we'll have more room for media that we do want.

Looking for Homes for My Stuff

There's no way to know what's going to happen when I open up a box, even if I know what's in it. Everything needs a home, whether it's on a shelf, in a drawer, in the box to go to the flea market, in the recycling bin, to a friend or relative, in the trash, or off to be donated to the thrift shop. When I open the box I need to assess what's in there, and figure out how to get it out of the box. Since this blog is about unpacking the boxes, you may be wondering how it's going, or you may not really care, and just be awaiting news of the kittens' antics.

If you care about the boxes, let me tell you that this is a tedious process. Right now I can see dozens of video tapes on a shelf of a small bookcase. The bookcase isn't really the proper home, as this particular bookcase should be holding books, but there are clothes in a large armoire. True, the armoire was originally built for clothing, but in the last apartment it housed - you guessed it - most of the video tapes we own. Also it contained DVDs, audio tapes, and a few assorted items. The clothes in there now mostly come from my elderly friend. Some of them are vintage and my hope is that they will be sold at auction, or to a vintage shop. Some of them need to go to Rose, but her wardrobe at the nursing home is packed full.

This process is like playing one of those little plastic games that are usually used as party favors - the ones where there is one tile missing and you have to slide around the little pieces to solve the puzzle. So I'm just going to try to convince myself that all this angst over where to put things is just good exercise for my brain.

The apartment is getting better for the kitties, too. I don't worry so much now that they can no longer get into the chandelier. The piles are slowly getting smaller, and in a couple of months I will have to make good on that promise to get the cats a cat tree. I don't know how I'll get it home as the large ones are very heavy, but I will have to because they like to perch high up, especially Starkit. The picture of Jettkit that I have posted was taken by Ree. We have several memory cards and I cannot locate the picture that I took to post here. Sounds familiar.

Watch for flea market news. Since I first posted this I have found out that there is a flea market Sunday. I am signed up and will pack tomorrow.

Hercules I Am Not!

Yesterday I made a potentially dangerous discovery lurking above eye level - a box. "A box," you might ask, "isn't what this is all about?" Yes, this blog is all how there are too many boxes because I am too much of a pack rat. This one box was scary because I had to reach above my head to get it, and, un-beknownst to me, it weighed about 30 pounds.


Who would do such a thing? Who would put a 30 pound box that high with a weakling and a child in a house? I don't know, but I have a likely suspect - one of the movers. I had some not-so-brilliant movers who may very well have put that box up high. I did have some other helpers, including some movers to finish the job when the first ones mucked up the packing of the storage units, but they didn't really bring more than a couple of things into the house. Not only was it too high for a heavy item, since there were many light tins on the bottom shelves, heavy things should have been put on the bottom shelves or on the floor. This should have been a no-brainer.


My advice to anyone planning on hiring some not-so-brilliant movers - don't! My advice to not-so-brilliant movers - wise up and don't put heavy items high up where people can get hurt getting them. Just imagine what would have happened if little kittens had been lurking when the darn container of doom dropped to dining room floor! If I had not been careful, this could have turned into "Disaster in the Dining Room", and made this a gloomy post that even Hercules wouldn't be able to fix.

• Flea Market Report: I have more than 4 boxes full of tins for Sunday
• Found: most of my silverware and my large frying pan
• Unpacked: a box of books, kitchen items
• Nearly Full: the Elfa shelves
• Still Curious: Starkit and Jettkit