As predicted

Yesterday was pretty interesting. It began with me getting up at six, checking email, feeding the dogs, etc. All the usual stuff. Dan got up about 7, so that he'd be ready to go when i got back from a work related errand i had hoped to make earlier, but that part didn't work out. i found the location i was meeting a coworker without too much fuss, but was briefly misled by faulty MapQuest directions. Got the equipment and paperwork i need for today and headed back home, whereupon Dan and i hopped in the truck and set out. We picked up his friend Bob and got on the road. Traffic was only bad on our detour to his house, though, so i managed to get to the U Haul place in South Carolina pretty much right on time. The gentleman there and his computer were not getting along that day, so it took a bit of time to get the information in, but such is life. Bob hopped back in with me, Dan took the U Haul, and we cruised easily to his Pa's house. Jan and Kristen weren't there yet, but they turned up soon, and we set to work.

While we worked on the house, their cousin's husband Brad and his father took care of moving equipment and tools stored in the seed house and Wing barn.
A neighbor and longtime friend showed up; his wife joined us later, and another cousin's wife came and helped clean.

Jan and a couple of the above listed personnel had already gotten most of the closets and cabinets taken care of, but we still took three pickup truck loads to the dump, filled a 17 foot U Haul truck, stored enough more to fill another of the same, and filled a pickup truck bed twice. 70 or so years is a long time to accumulate stuff. Ma wasn't in any shape toward the end to do anything about it and Pa resisted changing anything once she died, but they hadn't done any redecorating or anything like it since well before i came along twenty years ago.

Now, so as not to mislead anyone, all we've gotten done so far is the main floor of the house. There's an upper level to do as well, with three dressers, three cedar chests, and five or six closet/ storage spaces. The general consensus is that much of that will go straight to the dump.

We made our way to an italian place, had a delicious supper, and headed out our separate ways. Dan and i split up so i could drop Bob, who is coming over later today to offload a couch, love seat, dining table and chairs, buffet sideboard, china cabinet, two slider type chairs, sewing machine, and side table. Oh, i think Dan snuck a box of unknown stuff on at the last minute. i had a few breakable things like a portrait of him as a child and the doors to the china cabinet in the cab of the truck. We unloaded those last night.
While we were there, we dug up some peonies and one fig rooting, they rode in the bed of the truck with the dolly, all of which seem to have traveled just fine. i left some of the peonies with Bob, whose mother will enjoy them.

i got home, fed the dogs, we unloaded the pickup, watched TV for a few, and crashed. Actually, Dan crashed before then. i had to wake him for bed. But that's not unusual around here, and he was wiped out.
harmony, keith