The Move--Part 2

Almost no pictures here--I did not have time and energy to do them!! Here is the view I'd seen before I arrived and the last ABF trailer rolling out of our new driveway.

The Move ctd.

It is probably hard for ‘normal’ people to really get a handle on our lifestyle and situation. Charlie and I grew up in a family where collecting ‘stuff’ was a big part of daily life. There were plans for using most of it, some valid and many more pie-in-the-sky, but things accumulated, heaps and piles and tons of stuff. Part of it was the Post Depression mentality in which our parents had grown up. That generation made the paradigm of reuse-recyle-repair almost a religion. You never threw anything away—worn out clothes could be woven or crocheted into rugs, become dish towels or dust rags; many things could be glued back together, various tools and machines could be refurbished or rebuilt by taking parts from some to replace worn ones in another etc. “Store bought” was almost a last resort. Oh things were, but they had to be taken great care of and used for essential applications, not frivolous or fun. There is a bit of hoarder in all of the Morgans, actually.

Okay, so give this background to a couple of people who are constantly involved in building, making, creating, tinkering and so on. Most of my toys, parts and supplies were fairly light and compact: fabric, jewelry findings and beads, computer and art supplies; well my rock collection and a few lapidary tools and machines not so much but anyway…yes, there was--still is-- a lot.

Charlie had even more weight and bulk. He builds large wood and metal things, and had piles of lumber, metal, hardware and doubles of most tools and machines he used in those assorted projects. He is also majorly into music and owns some 20-30 guitars, several pedal steel guitars, a drum set, a few other stringed instruments and all the amps, speakers, mixers, mikes and such to outfit a band or two. Most he had collected at pawn shops and ‘rehabbed’, a few he had taken to experts to do the needed work he lacked skill to do. Then we both had extensive libraries of books and music media. I could go on and on. Then too the normal household furniture, kitchen stuff and all that. To say dozens of tons was no exaggeration.

The first 28 foot semi-type trailer came about 11 July and it took two weeks to fill, everything packed as tightly and carefully as possible since it would be locked and not opened until we were ready to unload it at the new home. A second trailer came and again took two weeks. The guys in the El Paso ABF yard were awesome and cut us a lot of slack on the time frame; they only came to Alamogordo once a week to pick up and deliver trailers and we took max advantage of that! So before the trailers were done, it was August. The storage units were empty, maybe half of Charlie’s shop (a double garage detached building with lots more around outside) and most of my ‘project stuff’ was gone. But there was still more shop and a ‘normal’ three bedroom home crammed to the gunnels remained. It took two 26 foot U-Hauls to do that.

We headed out with the first one on August 25, very late in the day. That was a stupid move but we were tired, so brain dead we were hardly thinking.  I drove RHM with my two dogs up front and my house plants and quite a bit of personal stuff in the back under the shell. Charlie drove the van and carried Pattie Wagon on the car carrier. It had been in the shop—another crazy tale—and just picked up that day. So off we went. My eyes were blurry, itchy and in poor condition. I didn’t heed their warning. By the time we were through Las Cruces I was following the tail lights of the truck and trailer –several blurry red beacons leading me down the near-invisible road.

I’ve driven when I should not have before and had some scary times, a result of my extreme dry eyes and allergy issues. I’d vowed not to do it again but at least I had a pilot car this time, I hoped… However, in Deming when he pulled off the interstate about 9:00 pm to get gas and find a place to eat, Charlie mistakenly took a back road that rambled around in the truck and warehouse area, with sudden curves and blind spots. Tears streaming in stark fear and frustration, I told my dogs to help me pray my guardian angel would keep us from getting lost or crashing into something. When we finally found an I-Hop, I was very close to hysterical. Quite a bit of coffee, several face washings with cold water and some food later, I finally said I thought I could go on. Somehow I did so, managed not to let those bleary and miserable eyes fall shut as they wanted to and on down the highway we went, hour after weary hour. It was about 3:00 a.m. when I got my first sight of the new home, previously seen only in photos.

Even under those conditions,  my impression was good. I knew at once I was really “home.” We dug out the inflatable mattresses we had bought, grabbed a blanket or two, watered the dogs and let them do their business in the back courtyard and collapsed to fall asleep. But we were still racing deadlines so were up to start unloading the next morning by 9:00 or so. By the next day, a Sunday, we were done and turned in the U-Haul just an hour or two late. The lovely lady there never batted an eye and charged us no overtime. I have to say the U-Haul dealers we dealt with were truly terrific. I recommend them highly!!

We took a much needed week to set up the rudiments of an operating household and headed back to Alamoland the day after Labor Day to do it all once again. That was ‘fun’ too—we took all three dogs in the shell of RHM, still dealing with summer heat and trying to get the air conditioning to blast back there so they would not roast. Ginger had to be tied near the back as she would not stay loose in the shell with LRD and Riata but forced her way thru into the cab via the pass thru window! A few days later we headed west again, this time with Charlie’s old Ford Escort on the carrier and me again driving RHM. The house was empty and looked so strange.

This time we left about 1:00 pm so it was better but still… Charlie forgot to eat and was getting shaky so I went ahead and into Las Cruces to grab a big bag of burritos at a place we knew there while he went on with the van. Again my eyes went fuzzy abruptly and I navigated city traffic with probably 20-300 vision as I put poor Dara (my guardian angel) through another ordeal of managing to keep me safe. I caught up, we ate burritos and on we went. This time we got ‘home’ about 9:30 pm.  From then on, I have been here as have the dogs.

Again we got the truck unloaded on time but Charlie had to make two more trips back --actually three, the last just done, held for another tale--one to get his old Ford F-250 which U-Haul said was too heavy and big to go on a car carrier and one more with a 15 foot U-Haul rented here on a round trip basis. We had found we could haul things we did not think U-Haul would allow such as his oxy-acetylene welding gear and some chemicals and petroleum products in sealed containers. At least we were allowed (rules or not?) and there were no issues.

In between the big U-Hauls and the smaller one, we had the two ABF trailers delivered a week apart and got them unloaded. Things had shifted quite a bit—they must have had a few rude jerks or sharp turns—but damage was minimal. It was a happy day when we watched the last trailer head out of our driveway and knew that essentially the move was complete. Other than lousy bookkeeping on where the trailers were and when deadlines would occur and the fact their ramps were steep and very awkward, ABF/U-Pack was pretty good. The drivers and warehouse peeps were super.

To this day I am mystified as to how we actually did this. The bills of lading on the trailers gave us weights into the two digit multiple tons and I am sure the two trucks were only a little lighter, being considerably less cubic feet of space.  People–including my readers here!—must think we are crazy. I tend to agree, but we grew up in a hard environment and learned early to rely on our own means and never to pay for having anything done that we could do for ourselves. Maybe we really could not do this but somehow that message never came through and the impossible took only a bit longer. Well, quite a bit??

The physical move took most of three months. Naturally we were and are both still a bit tired. Charlie’s back finally went out after the work was done and he’s been seeing a chiropractor three times, then two a week and now down to one. It’s almost back to normal. We have both been moving very slowly through the last two months but it is also that season when the hibernation urge hits, when SAD tends to bring on some depression and the cold makes old, beat up bodies ache. This too will pass. We are here and finally have a good facsimile of the home we have wanted for a long time in a place that feels like home, peaceful, comfortable and welcoming to two weary nomads.  The Powers That Be have been very good to us. I speak my thanks aloud several times every day and think them more.

Next chapter I will give y’all a guided tour, more or less.