I find it seems to always be a bitter sweet time when the new year is present and all the decorations seem to have lost their luster. Sometimes, in some years, there seemed to be an urgency to take all the decor down and pack it away as quickly as possible. This year it's a different story at my home...
I reside in what use to be a Senior Citizen complex and that recently changed to a family complex along with new ownership. In addition to new owners, a new community designation has come with complete renovation of the entire complex. The whole process had a slow start in mid Summer with much confusion and misinformation given out to the residents bringing an unsettled atmosphere among the residence, self included.
Today January 7 I have begun a 30 day packing process which will end February 6. On that day movers will come and remove all the boxes I've personally packed of all my belongings and my furniture and remove it all to a pod for storage. The team of renovators, that is: painters, those who will remove cabinetry and appliances. Carpenters, electricians and plumbers will begin work inside my apartment which will last approximately 8-9 days.
While the team works daily from 8 am-5 pm I will be out of my apartment with my dog. Doing what? Well Milo will stay at Petsmart's Doggie Camp for each day and I will be footloose and fancy free. At 5 pm every day Milo and I will return to the apartment and spend the night leaving the next morning by 8 am. We will sleep on an air mattress on the floor, have a chair, a lamp, a TV and personal items for showering plus food and water. There will be no curtains and possibly no window covering at all, no refrigerator or cook stove for a while.
Best case scenario is that there will be a refrigerator hooked up and a toilet plus bathtub/shower for use.
The workers will install new laminate flooring. Do not know what color it will be. Painters will paint everything bright white. New ceiling light fixtures as well as new kitchen cabinetry and appliances, new bathroom vanity and toilet will all be installed. 2" white blinds on all windows and new door hardware with new bolts and locks on the outside doors. All within 7-9 days.
Life will certainly be adventuresome from here on until I'm settled back in my apartment with all my stuff to put away. I am looking forward to re-decorating in a whole new way. That will be fun.
So for today? Packing! I make a box run to United Mkt St. for milk boxes, the best size ever if you are doing all your own packing because they are small enough for a single senior woman to handle. My little car can handle 12 boxes a trip. I also have a friend who picks up boxes for me and brings them as she can. I buy tape and shrink wrap and paper as needed along the way. So far I've spent approx $50 on packing materials. I hope to be reimbursed for money spent but I don't know about that yet. My apartment is filling up with boxes in every room and there's about half left to go. But...how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time and so everyday I pack some boxes. Some days more boxes than other days but it's gonna be done by February 6th, I have no doubt. Oh, and I have to remove all nails and curtain rods and hooks in the walls and also shelves that I've put up.
I did ask if when my things are moved back into my apartment if I can put shelving back up and the answer was yes.
Let me just say this about that!!! My take on the whole thing is this...I might as well look at it as an adventure and enjoy all the differences it's introducing into my daily living as this whole project plays out for me and look forward to the blank canvas I will have to set up a new living space with much thought and creativity this "adventure" requires of me.
"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--thing about such things." Philippians 4:8 (this is how to keep one's sanity during such adventures!!)
Until next time...I'm Judy in my red recliner writing while Milo is asleep in his crate with the door open.
May you and yours be richly blessed in this new year of 2024 through the Love of Jesus Christ. "He is the way, the truth and the life..." John 14:6
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