Progress! (But Not Enough!)

 I am feeling better about this big move after we made some progress today.  I will wait to post this hoping that we make even more progress in the next few days.

Sandra, a consultant with Byron Movers, came today and I signed a contract for everything they offered.  They are not the movers themselves but they help plan where your furniture can go in the apartment, they pack and unpack, and dispose of boxes and wrapping (which really appealed to me!).  It was worth the money to make the move as easy as possible.

We left five bags of books at the library, the maximum they would take at one time.  Walgreens would not take expired drugs but said they have to go to the police station.  That will be a place also for used mounjaro pens.  I scheduled Green Drop for another pick up and have several items and boxes set aside for them.  

Sandra said they would keep up with Stonebridge about setting a date.  There is nothing I can do about that until my LabCorp test is done and sent to the nurse at Stonebridge.  Meanwhile, I may tackle the other forms they have sent us. No, I don’t want my birthday posted and I don’t want to share my greatest accomplishments.  I know it is meant to help us be a part of a community but that was a bit too much for me at this point.

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September 22 I woke up to the sound of can it be?  Jim going through files and getting rid of things.  Hooray!  And then going to my laptop and seeing that LabCorp has a message for me as does Montgomery Internal Medicine.  So my lab test is done and normal.  

It appears that we will have more furniture than what will fit in the dining area/ study.  We can get rid of the chest of drawers which Jim is emptying and never was in good shape.  We may have to get rid of one of the bookshelves.  Jim’s chair where he reads Hebrew every morning with a cup of coffee on the large wooden arms—that is a priority!  Byron Movers will take away furniture that we cannot use and even books if Jim cannot give his excess to students or sell it to the Brooklyn book dealer who is not responding to his emails.  (Although he had appeared to be willing to come here to buy books)

My goal for today is to get rid of clothes I don’t like.  I might lose enough weight to get into some things again, but maybe that is too optimistic.  I should go through books again.  Going through children’s books yesterday was hard.  Too many good memories of reading books to our kids—and even some I saved from my childhood.  Little Black Sambo?  Papa Small?  Susan and the Rain?  I know the phrase is to keep only the things that give you joy but these old books do give me joy! If I don’t get rid of them now, our children will have to get rid of them when we are gone. 

September 23. Not much more progress today except to add things to the Green Drop collection.  Jared, the president of Byron Movers, says he will be in contact with Stonebridge to set our date so I let that go for today at least. `I despair when I keep finding more things to get rid of—note cards that were sent to us with pleas for funds.  Some went into the waste basket; others in a plastic bag for Green Drop.  If someone wants them, great.  If not, they can throw them out. 

September 25.  After my checking in with our primary care provider and Jared at Byron Movers, Jim heard from Dawn, the nurse at Stonebridge.  They are missing some information so she is sending Jim a release form and then she will pursue what she needs to know. Meanwhile, we have an appointment with her on October 5 so we are making progress.  (Jim just took photos of the release forms and sent them to Dawn.  I hope that will facilitate the process.)

I fear this is all going to get pushed into November which will mean another month’s rent at Barclay Square.  But maybe not.  Meanwhile, every day we both find more stuff to throw into the recyclable bin or send off to Green Drop.  Or, happily, our son Dan claimed three books from his childhood, Richard Scarry, Winnie the Pooh, and a very old Hardy Boy volume.  He and Alex are also going to be given our Dr. Spock book from 1972 and a very funny book someone gave us before Jeff was born called “How to Raise Children at Home in Your Spare Time.” 

I was hoping to post this blog post when we had a move in date.  Now I know that will not even be set until after October 5.  I can’t move it any faster.  We have the rest of our lives to live at Stonebridge and I will try to be content right here today in our lovely apartment at Barclay Square.