September 30, 2023
I know it must have seemed I fell off the face of
the earth after my last blog post late in May. It felt that way to me too. Although
I have moved several times in my life, this time was much more difficult for
me than any other move i have experienced. Perhaps it was my injured vertebrae that slowed me down, or perhaps, gasp,
my age.
No matter the reason, I was overwhelmed. I had
already started decluttering for my 3-year cruise, so you would think that
would have given me a head start, but there was still far more to do than any one
person should do alone. Eventually, the day came, but I wasn’t ready.
I had yet to tackle my office. I saved it for
last, knowing if push came to shove, the movers could pack up the room for me. They
did. They also packed my kitchen, but I had planned all along for them to do it. I learned that lesson eons ago. Life lesson. Let the pros do the kitchen. They do a
better job and can handle the boxes with ease.
I found the movers I hired to be especially kind and helpful. They frequently sent me to sit on the couch while they moved things about. I put several bottles of cooled water on the kitchen counter for them, and when they broke midday, I handed each of them $20 and told them to enjoy their lunch. We met later at my new condo.
It took hours to
unpack. It helped that I had labeled all the boxes by room. I had also put sticky
notes in the rooms to show where I wanted the boxes to be stacked. These guys
weren’t happy until I was pleased with where rugs, lamps, furniture, and boxes
were placed. Once they were finished, I paid my bill and gave each another $20.
After they left, I made my bed, and collapsed on
it. I had stacked food in the fridge the day before my move-in, so I was able
to eat after I rested. The next day, I went back to the house, and waited for
Habitat for Humanity to come pickup items too large for me to take to Goodwill by
myself. They were quite accommodating, taking everything I wanted to donate. Then
1-800-Got-Junk arrived and took the rest.
The bulk of the potted plants and flower boxes I
had on my patio and in my courtyard were collected by neighbors. What was left was
put in my driveway and labeled “FREE”. They disappeared quickly. I felt
relieved. I didn’t want to put them in the trash. They were my friends, and are now
making other people happy.
It’s taken three months to arrange things in my
condo. The local Internet and television people came and went. I also hired my own television experts to come make sense of the wires that had been left a mess. Several
pieces of furniture, drapes and a huge area run were ordered, and arrived. I
paid extra for “white glove” delivery for the massive area rug. Life lesson. So glad I did. The
deliverymen were not only professional, but friendly as well. In fact, all the people
involved with my move were great.
Eventually I hired a handyman recommended by a friend
who lives nearby. He put up drapes and hung a heavy mirror and several large
pictures. He’s good at what he does. I’m planning on calling him to do more
work next month. I’m going to hire him to come every other month to replace the
filters on my HVAC system, CLICK HERE (ad). The air intake is in the ceiling. I gave away my
ladder, so I wouldn't use it. I’m no longer in the demographic that
should be climbing ladders or lifting furniture.
Although most of my new home feels settled, my
office does not. It still contains a mountain of big boxes filled with
supplies, equipment and who knows what. Since I didn’t do the packing,
unpacking is happening much slower than it did with the other boxes. However, I
decided to give myself a break, and unpack one box at a time. I’ve already
emptied three boxes using this method. The rest will happen eventually.
While doing all of this, I’ve been neglecting my
blogs, Road to Free College and Enjoy the View Touring. I wasn’t doing much
in my Etsy shop, Enjoy the View Totes either. Plus, I didn’t even look at my Instagram Account. I was still active on Twitter, @ElizaWallace27 though. My number of followers even grew during this time. That
was a pleasant surprise.
Recently two friends sent me new articles about
the 3-Year Cruise I was going to take this coming November. The first article bragged about the cruise becoming “forever” and not stopping after three
years. I found that disturbing, as Maritime Law requires cruise ships to go
into drydock for maintenance on a set schedule. They are not allowed to just
cruise on without going into drydock, it’s unsafe.
The second article they forwarded had a few other bits of misinformation. One was about guests not needing health insurance, since there will be a doctor onboard. I can see how this might seem appealing, but unless medical care (major and minor) is written into the cruise contract, it would be foolish to go without insurance.
I stumbled across a health insurance policy
that could solve the problem of health insurance while traveling. It’s called
Cigna Global. Since I’m no longer in communication with those who decided to go
on the cruise despite the issues that led me to cancel my trip, I hope they
read this blog, and see there is a company that will insure them while out of
the U.S.
Next week, I’ll go back to giving tips on solo
travel, including both short trips and long ones, like the 3-year cruise I
signed up for last March. Thanks for being patient as I moved house. It wasn’t
fun, but my current setting is much better for me.
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