February 9, 1989
Dear Everyone:
Moving the rolltop desk went (almost) without a hitch! “Jeannie” came to my place Saturday morning and from there we went over to “Jeff’s” office to borrow one of his trucks. Did you know that a Toyota pickup truck won’t start if you don’t have your foot on the clutch when you turn the key? Neither did we.
We (I) drove the truck to “Jeannie’s” place to get the desk. But first, we had to clear out the drawers. “Jeannie” had prepared for this by purchasing some special boxes to hold the items from the desk. She got the boxes out of the closet and showed me the proper procedure for clearing a drawer:
1. Remove a drawer from the desk.
2. Position the drawer over the designated receiving box.
3. Turn the drawer upside down.
4. Shake the drawer firmly to dislodge any stubborn contents.
5. Put the drawer in a corner of the room.
Repeat steps 1-5 until the desk is completely emptied.
We uncovered things that hadn’t seen the light of day in years. Tapes from when “Jeannie” was learning reporting at Cañada College. Tapes that (we suspect) “Alice” used to listen to when she went jogging. The staple puller that I had bought and could never find. Another staple puller that could have come from anywhere (I took one of them with me). The cordless electric drill. And a TON of stationery.
Once we had emptied all of the drawers, and the desk area (filling 3 boxes to overflowing), we dragged the desk into the living room and went to look for “Roger”.
“Roger”, bless him, is “Jeannie’s” next door neighbor. He was home and he and “Jeannie” got the desk down the stairs while “Roger’s” wife worried about his back and I worried about “Jeannie’s” fingers and carried the hand truck that “Jeff” had loaned to us. “Roger” spent considerable time figuring the best way to position the desk in the truck. You’d have thought we were going across the country instead of the 15-20 minute drive to my place.
He was particularly concerned that the back of the desk not be placed against the truck’s back wheel well. We even tied the thing in place with a length of clothes line that I had bought years ago and which, through some miracle, “Jeannie” hadn’t thrown out when she was cleaning out the storage closet.
We thanked “Roger” and his wife profusely and set off for my place. Fortunately, we were well out of sight before the desk slipped and landed on the wheel well. I’m sure it was that extra blanket (for padding and to avoid scratches) that did it. When we arrived at my place, we righted the desk and checked the back. It was fine. Now all that was needed was for MY neighbor, “Lee”, to help us get it off the truck and into my apartment.
“Lee” wasn’t home.
“Lee” was coaching Little League tryouts.
Fortunately, “Lee’s” wife, “Lisa”, WAS Home and offered to help us. Between the three of us, we got the desk down off the truck (my fingers got VERY paranoid a couple of times). Then we used the hand truck to get it as close as the front walk where “Lisa” helped us get it in through the door. After that we could drag it across the carpet and into the second bedroom.
We returned “Jeff’s” truck, etc. (many thanks) and, it being after noon, decided to skip breakfast and go directly to lunch.
THEN… We went shopping. Naturally.
It was several hours before I got back to picking up the drawers and taking them up to my place.
I spent the rest of the weekend organizing. The desk. My storage closet. A place for everything and everything in its place. I’m just an organizing fool.
And I (sacrilege!) cut one of the schools desks away from the others. Now there are two in the library and the third is an end table by the sofa in the living room. A designer would say that this “carries the theme” and “ties the rooms together”. I say it stops me from tripping over the desks and keeps the chair from running into them when I use my big, beautiful desk.
Today a desk, tomorrow a chandelier in the dining room!
Love, as always,
Pete
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