We’ve been working all week towards a Thursday move. We made lists, checked off various tasks, started moving some of the things we packed over the weekend. Hung clothes in our closets, brought over the medicine box, packed up my art supplies. Steady on.
All the while a typhoon has been blowing up towards Japan. These big storms are hard to predict. A couple days ago, the forecast showed a lot of rain on Thursday and then it didn’t. It was unnerving, since Thursday was the day the Monaka guys were scheduled to come help us do the heavy lifting.
So when Fujii-san contacted me this morning to see if we were ready, I understood why. The weather was cloudy but dry today. Who knows what tomorrow might bring?
We weren’t ready. A deep clean of the fridge was on today’s To Do list. And so was taking apart the bed, and my desk which will be our dining room table. We hadn’t cleared out the stuff in the genkan or packed the winter coats.
I still agreed to move today. The guys came over at 9 and I directed them to all the things that needed to go to the dump and to the incinerator. While that happened, Tod & I emptied and deep cleaned the fridge. He sat himself in the shower and scrubbed all the shelves and bins while I scraped with q-tips at filth inside the fridge.
By lunch time, we were getting close. I had to meet the roofer to discuss the guttering we want so I loaded up a bunch of small things into the Cow and Tod stayed back to get all the furniture on the truck.
By 3:00 everything was here! The fridge, the desk, and bed. Smaller furniture. A lot of boxes. After we unloaded everything, I made tea like a proper hostess.
The final trip today was to get the cats. I had a plan. I executed the plan. Three cats in carriers. All their bedding and food in the car. A roundabout route to the house (just in case we can confuse their sense of direction towards the old house). Release into the bedroom while we stayed with them. Then slowly open the house to them.
Everyone reacted with dramatic howls for a hour or so, then calmed down and found hiding spots. In three days, they will be less stressed. And then things will be easier for all of us.
As I write this, the rain has begun. It’s running in rivers off the corrugated steel roof. I love the gentle sound of it.
(P.S. it is the anniversary of my father’s birthday. I am happy we moved today. I believe he would have liked this house; I sure have thought of him often as we made it.)
