Move Day Two - 11pm

Last night we headed back to Sweetwater around 11pm with a couple more car loads of boxes, and were ready to leave again when I discovered that Beth's car had a flat tire. Rats. The good news is it was parked on our own driveway, so at least we weren't stranded on the highway, but it put a slight kink in our move plans. So be it, for now we headed home in my car, and so to bed.

In the morning we drove back again, to pick up the van and do a couple of collections together. First the four padded kitchen chairs from Paradise Oaks, then seven folding tables for my den from Office Depot. Onwards to the apartment to fill the rest of the van with recliners, bedframes and mattresses, Beth's bicycle, a cat tree, and various odds and ends. By now Elbie and Ghost were certain something was up, and Ghost took the opportunity to slip out for the day. Elbie stayed in, but with nothing left to sit in or on, lay on the carpet.

Back to Sweetwater in the loaded van. Beth had the duty of waiting in for a variety of deliveries, while I had to nip back to the apartment to collect our TV so the Direct TV installer could set us up. I left the full van in the driveway while I drove my car back to collect the TV and a few extra boxes. Back to Sweetwater within the hour, where Beth and I unloaded the van together.

I took the now empty van back to the rental agency, via Fred Meyer's gas station, then walked from the rental agency to the apartment via Little Caesar's Pizza for some nourishment. Elbie was waiting patiently, clearly aware that all was not normal, but as I had nowhere to sit except the floor I quickly scoffed a couple of pizza slices and downed a soda, then got out my bike to cycle back to Sweetwater. As Beth had to wait in on the deliveries we hatched the plan that I would cycle back to Sweetwater after dumping the van, to collect my car and continue collecting boxes from the apartment.

Six and a half miles later I arrive back at Sweetwater, and deliveries are in full swing. The TV guy is installing, and Sleep Country have brought our Tempur-Pedic bed. Unfortunately one half of the split king bed is the wrong size mattress (in the right size box), but the installers realize this immediately, and they are coming back on Sunday to change that. While the TV guy is explaining the recording and programming system, two guys from Riley's Real Wood Furniture arrive with our biggest load of furniture. Beth explains where everything goes and they get to work unloading. Unfortunately the extending dining table does not join properly in the middle, either when open or closed, and so we record our dissatisfaction, and will be doing an exchange. For now they leave the table, as the only other one in the city is their shop display model. The bedroom set is fully satisfactory, side tables, coffee tables, and dining chairs are all fine.

At last all the deliveries are done, and we can see to getting the loveseats and sofas in place, with Chris and Jane's help. By now Beth and I are running on fumes, but we struggle manfully and womanfully, and after removing some doors, moving a fridge, and quite a bit of shoving and squeezing, Chris and I are able to get everything in the right place. Phew.

Chris & Jane head home (four doors down) while Beth takes my car to the apartment to fetch Ghost. I start to unwrap the sofas, and reattach the feet which we removed to get them in. Two sofas and one loveseat later Beth returns with Ghost, who as expected had returned at dusk for his evening scoff, and was promptly fed and boxed. Previous car trips with Ghost in his travel box have been noisy, but this time he settled down and watched the lights rushing past.

At the end of a whirlwind day, two humans and two cats are left to take stock of their new surroundings.