Happy Valentine's Day!

Wow - February is nearly half over! How did that happen? How did the year get six weeks along without another post? Quite simply - I didn't have a good computer situation at home. I was using an old laptop with a mouse and monitor because the track pad and screen were broken. Then Ree brought home her father's old computer and it died. I may have done it when I got upset when she wouldn't get off of it when I told her to and cut the power to it off in a fit of mom anger.

Now I have a new inexpensive, but nice computer. It has media readers so I will be able to put pictures up easily, barely lifting a finger. The better computer has three times the RAM than my original computer's hard drive.

Perhaps you are wondering how the unpacking is going? Slow, but still going. I will soon be posting some pictures. These days I am trying to work on the shelves that should just be holding craft and sewing supplies. It is going to look fabulous when I'm done.

Others of you may be wondering about the kitties? They are still having fun, and we have discovered that one of them has a fondness for breads and pastries - especially corn muffins - and we have to be careful not to leave any food on the table, or on the counter where she can get to it. All corn muffins go in the refrigerator now. Our "babies" are probably full-sized, but still act very kittenish, perhaps because they each have a built-in playmate.

I'll post again after the weekend's unpacking; I don't have any Valentine's Day plans, but maybe you do?

No Box of the Week Yet, But....

Today have unpacked several boxes, and when I've gotten to the middle of each one I have thought, "This box would have been a good container of the week." What would make them good candidates? Each box had an odd assortment of items as if the stuff was just thrown in there willy-nilly. It's not surprising because many of my boxes were packed in a hurry, either while I was moving, or just before some event such as company coming when I was just trying to get stuff out of the way.

Some things I've found today:

• photographs which I've put in a box of photos
• a playbill and tickets from a 2004 production of the Nutcracker, most of which I've put in the recycling bin
• a satiny sleeping cap which I think came from my friend Rose's stuff which has gone into my box of clothing for a yard sale or donation
• a manual for Sims people program from several years ago
• a box of junk and costume jewelry
• a music box which smells a little musty inside and has some costume jewelry inside
• a pair of cream color tights which I think nobody will miss when they go in the trash
• two 33 cent stamps

Some other unpacking news:

• I finally figured out how to utilize a file cabinet that the not-so-brilliant movers blocked with an air conditioner: I moved my bureau over a couple of inches and then angled the file cabinet since I can't really move it myself. I cannot move the air conditioner, but hope to have someone help me put it under the window where it will go next summer. Then I will cover the box with a tablecloth or pretty piece of fabric.
• A friend of mine has offered to help me put together a bookcase so I just have to go buy one.
• I found the cord to plus my printer in, and now just need the cord that goes to the computer and I will be able to print at my house again! I can, however, print photos from memory cards now!
• The kittens continue to enjoy the empty boxes that I hav given them.
• The kittens have become more and more attached to Ree; I seem to be nothing other than the one that feeds them, scoops their litter, and gives them treats.

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.

A New Look & More Unpacking!

Ree suggested that I change my blog to brown to match the millions of boxes it seems we have in the house. I hope you like it!

I now have about 20 more tins to sell, including some duplicates. I have been hard at work on the Elfa shelves - they are now a mix of tins, crafts supplies, a few odds and ends, and some boxes that just happen to fit in the right place for now. Many of the craft boxes are too tall so I will be transferring things to shorter boxes as I have them available. Others, as you may imagine, lay underneath big piles of other boxes. I figured that it was better to have well-packed shelves as I can finish the organizing later. Making more floor space is one of my goals after all.

We have been doing well in the kitchen despite too many boxes; success is being measured by the fact that we actually eat most meals at the kitchen table instead of on TV tables in the living room which we mostly did at our last apartment.

The kitties are enjoying the boxes still, and we have been opening windows for them in most rooms, except the bathroom and den which they are never allowed in. The black tiger, Jettkit, has begun to fetch toys. Starkit has found a deep hiding space down amongst the boxes. She likes to dive in there. (Those are their Warrior names.)

Back to Business!

It's been quite a few days since I posted. The heat was terrible last week. Even though I don't think it hit 90 degrees, it was miserably humid. One night I had gotten enough windows open and had the place almost cooled off when a familiar smell wafted through the windows - skunk!

I took my younger daughter to a model horse competition last Saturday - a two hour drive stretched to more than three in a traffic jam on the way out, and since there was other stuff going on the same day we didn't get home to long after midnight. It does seem lengthy to keep saying my younger daughter so I will give her a name - Ree. It's not her real name, but a nickname she likes.

The kitties are well. They are the only ones enjoying the boxes. When we finish unpacking we will have to buy one of those big cat towers; it's too bad that they are so expensive. It's not enough that they eat one of the most expensive kitten foods around - Wellness - and that they have one of the most expensive litters on the planet - Kitten Attract - we will have to get them an expensive tower. I guess the food is a good investment as they are healthy and growing well. The kitty litter is worth every penny because one of the kitties confused the bathtub with the litter box for a couple of weeks. She uses the litter box now, but we keep the bathroom door closed so she doesn't get confused again.

As to the unpacking, perhaps your interested? Slow and tedious, due to the heat last week, the long, long drive, and just generally being busy. Yesterday I started going through all the tins that are out on the Elfa shelves that are supposed to hold craft items. I am taking some to the flea market, I have put some small ones inside others, and put things in some others. As I make room on the shelves I put boxes of craft items up there. I can make a lot of room this way; I have a large collection of tins.

It's going to be very hot today, but we have some new fans so I will do my best to work on unpacking today. I have to get to the flea market Sunday, because the drive Saturday killed the whole idea of getting up at 5:30 AM the next morning and getting on the road by 6:15.

Too Hot Here to Do Anything!

The bedroms are 87 degrees. There is no unpacking going on. Today's priority will be getting to more windows and getting more fans set up.

Hopefully I will get some boxes unpacked soon.

Just Plain Hot!

Nobody has moved around much today - it's just plain hot! The kitties haven't even chased each other much today; they are hot, too.

We don't have central air conditioning, and we didn't have a chance to get the window air conditioners installed before we moved in. There are boxes in front of most of the outlets, and I have a feeling we'll be without AC the whole summer. I have tried to get windows open in most of the rooms to get a cross-breeze going; it has made it slightly more tolerable.

Despite the heat, I did some unpacking today, including the promised "Baking Essentials" box. I'm not sure what was so essential about it as much of the stuff in there wasn't even for baking! A punch bowl, another nice glass bowl, a deviled egg serving plate, ice cube bags, sandwich bags, a Pyrex casserole dish! The baking essentials were some cookie cutters, some measuring cups I've never used, and a sifter.

I also went through some tins today, earmarking a few for the flea market. All in all it was a slow day, but still somewhat productive. It seems the kitties have missed their playtime, and now that it is a little cooler, they are coming "alive". How fun.

Where Did Monday Go?

I woke up early because I had to go somewhere. I thought I would be back early enough to do a lot of unpacking. Boy, was I ever wrong! One errand turned into several, and a couple of those were at least three hours long. I came back a couple of times during the day, mostly to marvel at the kittens' energy levels.

I'm not sure what the kitties did for entertainment while they were alone, but tonight they have been wild. They have been running, wrestling, running, wresting, and sneaking into rooms they are not invited into as soon as doors are open a crack.

• Unpacked: not much! Not even the "Baking Essentials" box
• Unpacked: a bag of my younger daughter's books, a crate of tins, separated into keep and sell, some of my younger daughter's accessories & a pair of shorts I was wondering about
• Unleashed: kitten power

Where Were the Torrential Downpours?

Today I spent more time trying to declutter the photo files on my computer than anything else. I know that I was supposed to be decluttering my house by selling items at the flea market, and I did drive there with that intent. But, the weather report called for a terrible storm, and it was raining pretty badly when my mother and I arrived. We nearly stayed, and we are now paid for next week.

After giving up on the flea market, we went to Walmart, and had coffee and breakfast at Subway which I didn't even know had such things. I had a hard time not filling the shopping cart - I just got a couple of more SD memory cards for the camera, a pair of pants for my elderly friend who is in a nursing home, cereal and juice.

• Unpacked: a box of spices and other assorted stuff, including some tubes of frosting which I discarded because I don't know how many years old they were
• A bag of towels which my mother had taken to her house to wash when we were moving, and which I was curious as to their whereabouts
• Found: a box marked "Baking Essentials" which the movers never considered putting in the kitchen, and which will be the first box unpacked tomorrow
• Brought back: my big recycling bin from my mother's back yard, which I started filling with paper and boxes
• Well-behaved today: two kitties, unless they've done something I haven't yet discovered
• Never arrived: the big storm!

Some Success Today!

Today was better than yesterday as far as getting boxes unpacked. I completely emptied a couple of boxes, and partially emptied more so that I could consolidate some items. The kitties have been having fun, and my little black tiger (yes, black tiger) got shut in the den for about an hour today. She knows how to find the darkest shadows.

Whoops! I just heard boxes go tumbling in the dining room. This can't be good.

Luckily the kitties are okay, and the stuff is as well, although now I have another box that's a jumble inside. Back to today's unpacking....

• Found: a couple of boxes of my younger daughter's model horses, model horse accessories and stuffed horses (amazingly bringing a smile to her face)
• Unpacked: some tins, an odd assortment of comic books, & small vintage items
• Unpacked: a pair of pants & a t-shirt that should have been in the laundry long ago
• Unpacked: videos & controversy as my younger daughter resists selling anything
• Packed: tins to sell at the flea market tomorrow, although I had to take out a couple when I found them on eBay for a lot of money ($43.99 for one of them)
• Packed: my car for the flea market, mostly with stuff I have in my mother's garage

It's late; time to hit the hay!

Not Much Unpacked Today

This morning I awoke with the intent of unpacking several boxes, some more of my kitchen, and putting aside some items to sell at the flea market. As you may have guessed, I didn't do much unpacking. I did do some investigating in the front room (den, I guess) and took a few things out of a couple of boxes. I found one of my younger daughter's model horses, so she was happy about that. I have cleared a path to her saddle rack, which is good because she has a riding lesson tomorrow and she needs to bring a saddle with her.

Here are today's items:

• an unopened bag of cat food - not for our kitties, but for some nearby feral cats we feed
• paper napkins that I have been looking for
• sandwich and storage bags, plus aluminum foil
• a sheet I needed to make a set

While I didn't bring much out of the front room, I feel like I accomplished a little. The kitties enjoyed watching me from outside the room. There are French doors so I was like a side show for them. Well, maybe they just wanted to join me, but there are too many places for them to get lost in there still.

What's a Pack Rat to Do?

Let me introduce myself - my name is Joanne and I am a packrat. I am a bon-fide, genuine, dyed-in-the-wool, third-generation packrat. Being a packrat is emabarrassing enough, being one and moving is mortifying. From the looks of it moving's not much of an accomplishment; there are dozens of boxes here and two portable storage units with more of my stuff. I am going to unpack at least one box a day. This blog will be about what I've unpacked, and where it goes next. Please join me as I try to unpack, and hopefully unload some of my stuff.

:-)
Joanne