What a relief!

The four of us (me and Ken, brother-in-law Randy and his wife Michele) worked really hard today and got the truck unloaded! (Except for garage sale items which we will unload and store at our place.) While Ken and Randy worked on arranging things in the garage, Michele and I worked on putting together and making the beds and getting the shower curtain up in the bathroom. There is still much unpacking to be done, and I'll be helping with that tomorrow, but we definitely kicked ass today, if I do say so myself. By the time Ken's mom and stepdad got there later in the afternoon, the four of us were sitting at the patio table under the umbrella, having cool amber beverages.

When Ken's mom came in and started looking around...how to describe it? Keep in mind that we rented it without her ever seeing it except for pictures that we took. She walked through each room, saying "I love it!" She was so happy that we'd made the beds so she didn't have to worry about that tonight, she loved where we'd put almost all of the furniture, she loved the big trees all over the property, and when she saw that we'd set up their patio table and chairs and umbrella, she said again, "I love it!...and then she started to cry. Awww! This was happy crying, not sad crying. I think the tension of worrying about this move for the past six months was really rough on them, and I can't begin to tell you how pleased we were that she liked the place so much. It made me well up a little bit, you know? Believe me, it was also a relief to know how much they both liked it...as I told Ken, it's a little nerve-wracking to know that you're picking out the place where someone is going to live for the next several years!

Oh, and early in the afternoon, the nice neighbor lady poked her head out the door when Ken and I were setting up the patio table and asked us if we'd like a cold drink. We were fine, but went over to meet her. She and her husband were so nice! When Ken's mom got there, she and I went over so she could meet them. Turns out the nice neighbor lady is also a cancer survivor (as is Ken's mom), and her husband also has back problems (as does Ken's stepdad). It's a small world when it comes to illnesses and injuries, and while I hope that's not all they find to talk about, perhaps it will be a start to a friendship.

The weather? Today they were calling for showers in the morning and thunderstorms in the afternoon. The morning showers happened before we started unloading, and the afternoon thunderstorms happened after we were finished. Is that awesome, or what?! No major injuries to report--just some general bumps and bruises. My arms look like a Rorschach test. I had an iron garden hook with rabbits on it fall on my back, and that will probably leave a bruise--good thing it didn't hit me in the head, or it could have been Death By Bunny! (That one was for you, David!) Ken had the base of a floor lamp fall on his wrist, but we iced it for a few minutes and I think it will be okay. The patio umbrella bit him in the thumb, and Ken and Randy told me that I made a very dangerous move when I closed Randy's pocket knife, almost slicing into my thumb. I don't know what they saw, because that's how I always close a pocket knife: press the dull edge of the knife against the surface and let it snap back up into the body. Seems to me that using both hands to close a knife is exactly how I would hurt myself. We've both taken some Advil, Ken is already in bed, and I'm on my way soon. I'm hoping that our current aches and pains will fade with the blessed balm of slumber!

As for their "stuff," another whew. As we were unloading, it became pretty obvious that they have too much of it! Ken and I have talked about how we know it's hard for them to downsize, but while the storage space there is limited, the living space is a very good size for any couple. I told Ken that he might have to have a chat with his Mom about it, but he said he wouldn't have to...they'd see the limitations and make adjustments. Sure enough, after the dust settled, they started talking about making more room in the garage, and Ken's stepdad agreed that his bigass, freakin' heavy tool cabinet that was falling apart (the one that got called a few expletives over the course of the past few days and holds power tools that are no longer used, a car waxer that they haven't used for years, and a trailer hitch that they used to tow the pontoon boat they no longer have) has to go. The offer was made that Ken could have it, and I swear, he has grown to hate that thing so much that he said that he'd be happy if he never saw it again in his life!

I won't ponder about this too much tonight--I'm just way too pooped for philosophy--but it made me want to weed through things a little more closely and resolve not to accumulate too much "stuff." Someone, Mary I think, wondered if they have a lot of kitschy stuff that they're having a hard time saying goodbye to. Not so much. They have a lot of western motif decor, and a lot of it is pretty neat, but it can be a little bulky. I'm probably more of a "kitschy" person than a lot of people! I think it's just a matter of them going from having a 5-acre ranch in rural Missouri to a smaller place in Oregon, then to a smaller place back in Missouri, and now into a place that doesn't have plenty of storage. It's definitely an adjustment, but my initial impression is that they are so pleased with the actual living space that they are okay with saying adios to more things. We shall see.

I will eventually defend my collections, but that is a story for another day. I'm almost dizzy from being tired, so I'd better head off to bed and sleeeeeep.