Unpacking -- No, LITERALLY

Since we moved in -- well, I lost count, but I think it was less than five days, we did a really terrible job of labeling boxes. So now we are unpacking like it's a treasure hunt. "I'm sure I didn't put the coffee maker in the box to be donated. I mean, I hope I didn't..."

"It's in one of these boxes." (Said bravely.)

The coffee maker has turned up. So has my checkbook. But not my phone. I still have hope! This has been a very lucky move. As I said in the comments to one of these posts, it really feels as though our luck has changed. Our movers were wonderful.

The fact of the movers was wonderful! I was filled with panic over how we were going to get everything moved out of the house in three days, including our refrigerator and our washer-dryer and two immense solid wooden bookcase, I saw a link on U-Haul that let us hire guys to load and unload the truck for you, for a ridiculously tiny sum.

This was a guy named Mike, who had started this business, We Move it Mike's. Other guys work for him. It is not a job I would like to do, let me tell you, but they were great at it. Despite the fact that they work by the hour, they were fast. We could not have done it without them. If you're moving in Fort Smith or anywhere around Fort Smith, I highly recommend.

Yesterday afternoon the internet was connected. Also, I discovered the dryer outlet did not work. So I facebooked my new landlord (yes, we are FB friends) and he sent someone over 20 minutes later and 20 minutes after that it was fixed.

In contrast, I would have had to call my old landlord, leave a message, call him again, have him call me back, have him interrogate me about what I did wrong to break the outlet, have him complain about everything I had willfully broken in the last six month, and then have him tell me he would "see" if he could find someone to come fix it. Then he would demand to know when I would be home. "You're never home," he would inform me. "I can't get anyone in there to fix things when you're not home."

"Mark and I both work," I would point out, for like the 600th time. "But I work at home on (whatever days it was that semester). If you can schedule it for --"

"I'll see what I can do."

Only he wouldn't. So a week later I'd have to call back.

Also. Also. Also. This house is so beautiful. It's true it's smaller, but it's just so lovely.

I promised you pictures, and as soon as I find my phone, you will have some! Right now, imagine me in my chair, drinking coffee, surrounded by stacks of books still in boxes, upturned chairs, and golden mid-morningsunlight pouring through tall many-paned windows. The cats love these windows, by the way -- they run floor to ceiling, so the cats can sit by them and stare out at the wide back yard, filled with trees and birds right now, though Darin (our landlord) promises deer and bunnies later on.

More later!




*three days, because once I told our landlord that we would not accept his 'terms,' which were frankly ludicrous, he said we had to 'vacate the property,' and while technically in Arkansas that means we are supposed to have five days, he was going to change us a ridiculous amount of rent for the other two days -- did I mention that I think this landlord is suffering from dementia?