FINISHING THE WORK WEEK

Taken Monday, May 13

Remember Mother’s funnel cake pan that I discarded the other day? I couldn’t do it. I removed it from the donation pile and put it back in the cupboard where it belongs.

Hallie planned to leave at 9:30 Friday morning but just kept working and working, cleaning the living room floor on her hands and knees. I came up with a set of glass casters, now collector items, and we positioned the dining room table and set those casters under the rollers. I like it!

The pear tree in spring finery

Hallie left before 11:00, and then Mike went to the attic. He vacuumed up a year’s accumulation of the awful stuff that gathers there. Then he pushed the old Xmas tree out and handed down his Dracula Halloween costume. “Do we have to do this now,” I screeched. I guess there’s something to be said for getting rid of stuff while we’re making trips to the transfer station and other donation centers. He says we need the space.

One tired puppy

Mike did all he could to eliminate boxes in the den, most stuff going back into the closet. Now we will have to deal with the big box of pictures removed from the walls. We have no place to store them, so we will have to re-hang them soon. The sun porch is now his priority, and before Hallie left, he had her help him move the bookcase into the den. He has questions as he goes along, which means he needs me in close proximity. Late in the afternoon, I finally replaced the books on the upstairs bookcase, emptying three big boxes. As I worked, I eliminated a dozen books and will probably eliminate more.

In the evening, Hallie sent a message that she was home and that it was 80 degrees in Seattle. That may mean that we’re in for some hot days here.

Saturday, we again discussed the fact that the key is missing from the master bedroom door. You see, the doors here are the original solid wood with brass knobs. Each door has its own key. Also, the knob on the stairwell door had corroded, so Mike replaced it with an extra.

The goal today was to empty as many boxes as we could. I finally tackled those in the master bath, sorting and putting away toiletries and linens. Mike has the sun porch in pretty good shape now, and he worked along at various chores until late morning when he began to collapse boxes and load them into the Dakota. He crammed a lot in there, including most of the trash. Then he and Bess made a trip to the transfer station. She made a bid for the driver’s seat, but Mike insisted on driving.

Hallie sent a message that Primo’s spots are not ringworm but a bacterial infection for which the vet prescribed a shampoo. We are relieved.

The scene as we left on Saturday

After lunch, Mike packed more cardboard, trash, and the old Christmas tree into the Dakota along with a few things for our brief stay in town. As we left, Farmer Kyle’s equipment was parked on June’s place at the top of Plank’s Pitch. I was disappointed that he will likely plant our fields while we’re gone, but Mike was more philosophical. “We’ll miss a lot of dust,” he said. “Except for that which settles in the house,” I said to myself.

We stopped at the transfer station in Orofino and dropped off the old Christmas tree and the remains of our trash. We arrived in town about 3:00, and it was 91 degrees. I exchanged my winter pajamas for a lighter set. But – this is Idaho. It could be cool again. In fact, it’s predicted. KW