This Wouldn't Be the First Time

I had to chuckle when this truck drove by as we were heading into WalMart for a few last minute supplies for the big move.

It mostly fits our situation, although we have yet to help all of our sons move--David seems to have not needed us, and I can't exactly remember why that was so. Nevertheless, some of you may remember when we flew to Chicago to help Jon and Alissa move to Austin, TX.  (click on link for a refresher)

Then too, it was before I was writing this blog that Bruce not only helped Matt move to Atlanta, he also shared driving duties during Matt's move to Chicago. Now that move was a bear as there was no elevator in the building (!),  and everything had to be carried up four flights of stairs!

Yesterday during the move, Bruce was feeling his age, leaving some of the heavier lifting to the younger guys. During the second trip over to the new house, he stayed behind with me to help with the cleaning, and thank God for that. He is the only one with the tenacity to have gotten the shower doors clean!

I would have given up, that's for sure!

But I digress.....

Tuesday I thought it would be best to at least get the majority of the dust off the floors before the furniture arrived. I figured, how hard could it be with my trusty Oreck vacuum cleaner and the super-duper Enviro-steamer? I was to soon find out how hard it could be.

I swept and swept, followed by the vacuuming. Looking better, except, and that's a big except, once I started using the steamer, all I did was smear the floors like nobodies business. My goodness, what a mess! I kept thinking if I just kept at it eventually they would look good. Not so my friends, not so. In fact, I'm pretty confident they looked worse than when I started!

I took a trip to Publix, looking for anything to use, and what I ended up with was a "Cuban T-Mop." What's that you say? Basically it is two wooden poles that form the letter "T" and somehow you are to flop this cleaner pad thing on it, and push. While I was standing in line, a woman the next line over, tried explaining it to me, but it fell on deaf ears. On my drive back, I had to stop for a little photo at the Lake Underhill park...

Just what I needed after spending the day fighting the floor. My spirits sank once I tried to use the mop, but after some Google searching on it's use, along with how the heck to get the floor clean of the plaster haze, I went to sleep happy.

Here's the secret--white vinegar and water!!! Plus, I got the mop thing to work using an old towel that I'd put in the bucket, and squeezed the heck out of, to remove the excess water. The secret to the mop was just not picking it up--push, push, and more pushing! In a few spots where there were scratches I used a trusty friend--Old English scratch cover. Well now, this is more like it!

Believe it or not, I did have a little fun this week, joining the ladies for wine at Pat's house over in Southern Oaks. She'd assembled a wonderfully diverse group of ladies whom I enjoyed meeting immensely. Don't you just love it when coincidences pop up? Get this: a friend of Pam's, visiting from Portland, is heading to Amsterdam in mid April. If you can imagine, one of the ladies Pat invited brought along her Dutch friend, who is a tour guide at the major tulip garden in Amsterdam which Pam's friend will be visiting!! This beautiful world of ours is small, don't you agree?

So, I said it wasn't the first time we helped with moving, and neither is it the first time we've helped with remodeling. Almost eight years to the date, Bill moved into his first place, the condo which was in pretty rough shape. At first it was hard to go over there as it was in the same complex Mom lived in for sixteen years, and of course then it was only two years following her death. But then I decided it made me happy he was going to live where she'd lived. Anyway, we pretty much did for him what we are doing now, except then he was not nearly as solvent, so it was an even bigger help on the cash front. Bruce had a stainless steel company make the edging for the counter tops, as well as removing part of the ceiling where the old fluorescent bulbs used to be.

Bill has a thing for stone and through the years added it to most every surface he could cover, including the ceiling! The magnificent ceilings we saw in England would make him very happy.

In any case, we were a bunch younger then, as I don't need to remind you. That said, we enjoy doing it and wouldn't help him if we did not. Furthermore, the timing could not be any better for Bruce who has one more week to go. The restaurant opens next Thursday night, and that will be that.

Before moving day, Bruce reminded Bill that his place would need a thorough cleaning, and boy was he right! In Bill's defense he'd been ignoring the condo for the last seven weeks, mostly stopping by to change out of his suit, and heading to the new place. Once the furniture went onto the truck, it became apparent that it would have to be cleaned and pronto, as the tenant was to move in today. You know who did the honors, with Bruce helping when he could. Bill and two others did most of the actual moving, and all I can say is, I'm glad it is a one bedroom!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the azaleas keep getting prettier by the day...so interesting how some of the blooms are white.

And talk about flowers co-mingling on the same plant--this one has the red striped blooms, and now this lovely magenta shade with a little yellow piping.

How's that for a lovely image to close with?