Gotta get a move on

I still don't feel right but realize I'm going to just have to deal with it and start getting ready to move. My s-i-l picked me up this morning and we looked at two local places that have climate controlled storage. The one I think I'm going with is the one that I couldn't get in to last week when I stopped, but there were two people on duty today and one of them showed us several different units. The one I think I will take is an easy shot from outside - we can park by the door and the elevator is very close, as is the unit when we get off on the 4th floor. The building is on a hillside so that there are four levels that are sort of terraced, and very easy to get to. Also, we can drive in one gate and continue straight to the door, then swing around the building and out on Sunrise Blvd again - no need for parking, turning around in tight spots, etc. They will hold the unit for me for one month, and then the first month is free, although I will have to pay a $30 move-in charge - not bad for the 1st month's rent. They also offer free use of a uHaul truck for only the cost of the gas I would use. I think I can do it with my truck, which is how everything was moved over to begin with.

I'm glad Don was with me because he and my youngest son (Joe) will be doing the bulk of heavy lifting and moving for me, and he agreed that I could go with a smaller unit than the one I first thought I would need.

Now I've started to pack my belongings and have boxes sitting everywhere! This is a small apartment, and I believe I will have to move some of the boxes over to the storage at least a week before the furniture is moved, just to get it out of my way. I might even get everything cleared out by the last week in April so that I can systematically clean the place before vacating. I could run into a problem since Wes, the manager, has been replaced by a no-nonsense, by-the-book woman. Wes had told me I could stay an extra month, no problem and no extra $100 for the month-to-month fee. If she gives me any problems I will tell her I'm going to the County to see if there was ever an inspection for the mold and plumbing leak repair. If that doesn't give them pause to reflect, then I will certainly pay the county a visit. I hate to do something like that and I really hate to threaten, but in this case I've more than put up with crap - literally!

After we looked at storage units we then drove to the RV lot where my TC is stored. Donald had never seen it or been inside, and we had a good laugh when he stepped in to the bathroom and had to duck his head. I believe he's about 6'2" and he couldn't stand up straight! We looked at the window that needs repair and I explained what the Happy Daze RV folks had told me about re-setting the window. We ended up agreeing that I would try to sell the camper with the stipulation that I will reduce the price to generously cover the repair work needed. If I can't sell it and have to go to NY with it, then Don and Joe will get together one weekend and do the work.

We will mount the camper on my truck as soon as I move out of the apartment, and then I can clean and stock it leisurely while I'm at Jeannie & Donald's until May 13th. The one thing I worry about is squirrels finding their way into the camper, and all the trees around their house have what seem to be thousands of squirrels (of course I'm exaggerating a bit). I'm already starting to worry about what my hummingbirds will do when I'm gone. I've faithfully kept them in nectar all winter, and now there are a lot of new ones showing up. I am really looking forward to seeing the birds of the east again.

I was upset with Lady this morning when we went for our walk - she has a habit of crossing over in front of me with no warning, and would cross back and forth constantly if I let her have enough leash. Usually I make her stay on my left side and draw the leash up to where she can't go very far, but this morning she very nearly tripped me, and I had to struggle to regain my balance. My shins on both legs are scarred from when she tripped me a couple of years back, and if she ever does that again I'm not sure if I will keep her. I know the dog lovers out there don't like to hear that, but if I break a leg I'm not going to be able to take care of her anyway. She is so gentle and mellow that I cant imagine her driving me to that point, but it's her size that she seems to be unaware of. I got her when she was two years old, and for the next four years she was mostly off leash up in the wooded mountains, so she's never been a city dog, and I'm too laid back myself to make her stick to a rigid way of doing things. It's one reason we get along so well, but I hope it doesn't amount to her downfall.

I have enough to do this coming week and should probably start taking the iron supplements again, at least a couple times a week. I really dislike them, but I did notice an increase in energy and appetite when I started using them. Of course I was so down I had nowhere to go but up.