PARCEL LOCKER 25
Having worked ten hours a day for the past four days, I was glad to have today free from work. Though I would have preferred to spend a day lounging about and enjoying that free time, I knew there were many more things which needed to be done in order to get this move behind us. Reading and everything else will have to continue waiting for now.
Never has a move been more stressful and drawn out as this one. Even after I hand in the keys to the old place on Wednesday, I know that it will take time to sort, organise, and clean everything affected by the mold. I’ve already had two mattresses taken away by a disposal company as placing them by the bin area at the apartment complex would have resulted in a fine. Therefore, I paid two young guys $35 to haul them away earlier in the week. As a result, I had to replace those two mattresses.
Yesterday after work, I drove to Costco and purchased one twin mattress for my son. I was glad to hear that a sale had just started for the mattresses but was able to purchase only one at a time as I needed to make the payment on my card immediately due to my credit limit being close to its maximum. When I got home, I carried the mattress up the first flight of stairs on my own until Cinnamon came to help me get it up the final two flights. This then went into the larger of the two bedrooms where I covered the mattress with a clean sheet but left the original plastic packaging. I would take care of setting everything up properly in the upcoming weeks.
This morning I intended to buy the second mattress as soon as Costco opened its doors, but first went to Home Depot. Cinnamon was awake and wanted to come along. Sage was awake but Saffron was asleep. She tends to sleep in the longest of the three of them. Though Cinnamon was not particularly interested in going to Home Depot, I enjoyed it as it always reminds me of going to home improvement stores as a child. Growing up as a child of a contractor, I often went to such stores and enjoyed spending time on construction sites watching homes being built and sometimes helping build wooden fences.
After about half an hour, we moved on to the drive to Costco but not before we stopped at Target for a few things. As soon as we pulled into the almost full parking lot of Costco, I knew this would not be a good idea. At 10,00h, the place was already full of people wanting to stock up on items for the holiday weekend. The lack of a queue outside was deceiving as it had shifted to the inside. After seeing people with carts waiting at the opposite end of the warehouse store, I decided the mattress would have to wait until later in the day.
Once home, Cinnamon helped prepare breakfast. She made scrambled eggs and I made sunnyside up eggs. We also had avocado and bread which we set up on the coffee table we had used as our dining table years before. I prefer sitting on the floor but cushions we did not have this time. Still, it was better that last week and things will get better. Eventually. At one point, Saffron was playing with the tall blue salt container and spilled some salt on the floor. Her footprint in the salt made for an interesting impression before she cleaned it up.
After breakfast I reluctantly went to the old apartment and tried to do as much as I could with the little energy I had for this prolonged chore. I packaged up three small boxes, wrapped one of the glass doors of the tall red shelf to carry it to the new place, and put all eight sofa cushions into a plastic twin mattress cover which ended up being as heavy as a mattress. Though there was still a lot more to do, that was all my battered body and mind could handle for now. The sofa cushions went in the larger bedroom which was becoming filled with more and more items. Even in the midst of chaos, Sage found enjoyment in learning to play the guitar with YouTube videos. The guitar app he downloaded requires a paid membership which will have to wait until next month.
Cinnamon accompanied me to Costco once more later in the afternoon. The queue was smaller this time and we were successful in buying the mattress, putting it into the minivan, and then returning for and some other items, to include more Oreo cookies, potatoes, and fish. On the way home, we stopped by the spice shop for a large bag of Urfa chilies and then to one final stop for more ice cream. After this week, we return to eating ice cream, cookies, and snacks less frequently as this summer has truly been an exception.
As we pulled into the apartment complex, I stopped by the mailboxes and found a key for parcel locker 25. I wondered what that could be and was happy when I opened up the locker and found three packages from Book Depository. I smiled as I walked back to the car, waving my three packages to my daughter who was probably rolling her eyes. Somehow the children do not understand how happy it makes me to get more new books in the mail. After two weeks, the three books I ordered from Martin Granger had arrived. But it would not be until later this week that I could enjoy reading them.
After Cinnamon and I carried the second mattress up the stairs and into the girls’ room, moving was done for the day. I prepared the baby potatoes for roasting and placed the frozen breaded cod into the oven. Whilst waiting, we watched one episode of Bob’s Burgers. When the potatoes and fish were done, we ate them with the buffalo wing sauce and ranch dressing. Dessert was ice cream and Oreos. Then we watched one more episode of the cartoon before going to sleep.
With so much that has happened these past few weeks, I look forward to the time where things can return to a more relaxed state and I can enjoy lounging on the sofa and reading many of the new books which have been waiting for me to unpack them and uncover their stories.
