more complaining

I was getting discouraged by all the work I have to do here, all the stuff I have to go through. But I realized that this is stuff I have been carrying most of my life. The last time I moved I didn't have time to go through anything, just threw it in the u-haul and moved to Warren. Also I figure that the girls have most of the stuff from their life saved; say half with me and half with their mom. So add up my age, plus 1/2 the girls' ages, and I've got over 65 years of stuff here.

Another weekend at the beach

Day 51

Here is the last chair in a set of 4 given to me by a guy I worked with when I first moved here (1999!). These have been great porch sitting chairs but I am afraid every time I sit now that I will end up on the cement. So it's goodbye and time for a folding camp chair. Those chairs are not as loyal as this one, they will last one season at best.

BTW, the green armchair at the top is just temporary, waiting for the guy next door to come and get it, if he doesn't soon it will go in the trash too. Proud to say that the round table was trash-picked, so total cost for everything on the porch and ten years of use was zero dollars.

Day 50

Here's the basement. I'm slowly going through things and getting boxes upstairs and stuff to the trash. I counted 47 plastic bins full of stuff throughout the house.

The sad story of the screen house

After I set up the screen house in the backyard, I decided to leave it up for a couple of hours to air it out. But I didn't stake it down. THe wind picked it uP and crashed it down sideways, breaking one of the poles. SO much for that.

Day 48

When moving, every little thing has to be dealt with. This screen house has been in it's bag for a year. Tommorow I'm going to sell it at a garage sale. I had to set it all up, take a picture to show that it is complete, then take it down and put it back in the bag to take over to the sale.

Day 47

This

This is my friend Big Jim; Memorial Day, 2008. He works as a security guard at different sites around Metro Detroit. This site is at the corner of W. Jefferson and Dragoon St. in Detroit, about a mile from the Ambassador Bridge to Canada. Once a thriving neighborhood, with people employed at local industrial sites or in supporting businesses like restaurants or bars, now mostly home to folks on assistance; Section 8 rentals and food stamps. Most nights there are a few cars flying by at 60+ mph on the 30 mph street, and four or five people on bicycles, bound for rendezvous unknown. We set up our Memorial Day barbeque at 2 am right on the sidewalk. No one cares or notices.

I added the above as an explanation as to why on day 47, I yet again got nothing done. I went to Jim's house after the dentist this morning at 11:30 am to bring him my fish tank. But HE's the kind of person who won't let you leave. After an hour or so, I said, "what time do you have to go to bed?" Jim works 11pm to 7 am so has to sleep during the day. He says " In about an hour." Perfect, I've got a couple things to do, so we'll hang out and drink coffee till 12:30, then I'll take off. But no it doesn't ever work that way. At 2:30, two hours later, I make a move to get going. "Hey where are you going?" OK, fine. Now it's 3:30, better get going..., OK says Jim, just let me lock up the back porch then I'll walk out with you to your car. 1/2 hour later at 4 pm I'm driving away. He has to get up at 9:00 pm to get ready for work so now he's got 5 hours to sleep, I dont know how he does it.

Anyway the above is my perfect excuse for getting nothing done on day 47.

day 46

Nothing accomplished this weekend. I went to see my kids in Ann Arbor. We went to the beach, cold and overcast but no one else there it was fun. Then we bought some movies from a going out of business rental place and watched a couple of them Monday afternoon. Sure beats house cleaning.

Day 43

Today's dilemma. I want to keep my computer up till the last. But I want to sell the table it is on. So now must go through everything on the table to the right of the computer, then switch computer to that one. Upside is I still haven't filed my state taxes and they are somewhere on that table, when found I will finish them.

Day 42

This is a blog about my attempt to move from Michigan to New York.

I named this site "notwithoutmystuff", but I really do want to go without my stuff. I want to chuck it all but I can't seem to do it. I always watch that show Hoarders, but now who's laughing.