March 3, 1989
Dear Everyone:
What a week!!!
It started last Thursday when “Diana” arrived for her conference. My timing was perfect; I pulled into a parking space right in front of the terminal at the exact time that her plane was scheduled to touch down.
However, I got slightly hung up at security because my purse is big enough to carry a bomb in it. Actually, my purse is big enough to carry several bombs, plus the kitchen sink. They x-rayed it twice before letting me through. I’ve even had a security agent want to go through it by hand in the past (brave of her!). I should remember to leave it in the car unless I actually need it. Of course, my usual trick is to place the purse on the conveyor and then sail through the metal detector with my keys in my pocket. That sets off every alarm in the place.
Anyway, I met “Diana” coming up from the gate. Since she only had carry on, we went straight to the car and out. Parking only cost 75¢; pretty good for an airport trip. We spent the ride home trying to recall the names of the teams that play ball for Oakland and San Francisco, a hopeless endeavor.
Friday morning, I overslept, a fact which I blame on the radio station which seemed to be transmitting on about ¼ power. I could barely hear it when I did wake up, half-an-hour behind schedule. I remembered about “Diana” sleeping in the living room, so I didn’t turn on the hall light as I ran towards the kitchen.
I forgot about the coffee table, which was right around the corner. I ran (not bumped, mind you, RAN) right into it, thus waking “Diana” and everyone else within a 3 mile radius. I now have a nice, big bruise on my right knee.
It’s not true, as “Jeannie” contends, that my being a neat freak is a matter of compulsion. It’s a matter of self preservation.
After work on Friday, “Diana” took us out to dinner. “Jeannie” picked the restaurant, based on a recommendation from one of her friends at work. When we got to the parking lot, it occurred to us that a reservation might have been a good idea. But we decided to chance it; and, for some reason, everybody and his brother decided not to go to “The Hungry” that night. We were seated immediately. And the prime rib dinner was superb.
Saturday morning I drove “Diana” into San Francisco for her conference. Traffic was light and we got there in excellent time, only taking the wrong off-ramp once. Then back to “Jeannie’s” to help pack.
I took “Jeannie” to the hairdresser for her haircut, went back to her place and started making numbered labels for all of the boxes. (Her car was in the shop for a check-up before driving up to Portland.) I figured 70 labels would do for a start. After “Jeannie’s” hair cut, we went shopping and then back to the apartment for more packing.
“Jeannie” packed and I labeled and inventoried boxes. We had to stop around 6:00 because we’d packed most of the lamps and it was getting dark. Sunday morning, early, I went back to “Jeannie’s” and ran some laundry so we could pack the linen while it was clean. More packing, labeling and inventory until it got dark again. Then we packed “Jeannie’s” idea of essentials, plus the cat and went back to my place.
On Monday, “Jeannie” had to take her car back to Honda because they forgot to do the tune-up part of the check up she’d had done on Saturday. Fortunately, she could use my care to run all of her errands and get to the apartment to do more packing.
There was a slight problem with the newspapers on top of the stove igniting, set off by one of the burners, but “Jeannie” managed to cope with it before the moving company estimator came by. He said that the van would arrive Wednesday morning.
Tuesday, after work, we took some lamps from my place down to the apartment and did the final packing, labeling and inventory. When we got back to my place, I tangled with the coffee table again, trying to get the cat off the kitchen counter. I now have a nice, big bruise on my left knee. This hasn’t been my year for knees.
I took Wednesday off as a vacation day (subtracting one day from next August) and drove down early to the apartment. While we waited for the movers, I color-coded the boxes for when “Jeannie” is ready to move into a house, or whatever. These boxes are label-heaven. They have number labels, color labels and moving company labels.
The movers arrived, wrapped all the furniture in blankets, fitted ALL 143 boxes (good estimate on my part – only off by half) into the van (barely made it) and finally left at 3:45. Then we had breakfast. Well, dinner actually. It was a long day.
Thursday (yesterday) I had a couple of killer meetings lined up, so I didn’t try to write The Letter until today. Also, it’s the first of the month which means that last month’s status reports have to be in by today. Which they will be.
Tomorrow, “Jeannie” (and her cat) will head for Canby. The movers are expected to arrive next Tuesday or Wednesday, after a trip to Seattle.
I’m not just losing a sister, you know; I’m losing a major source of amusing anecdotes. These letters could start to get pretty dull.
Let me know if you want to get off the distribution list.
Love, as always,
Pete
PS. I forgot to mention. It rained Wednesday. All these months we’ve been praying for rain and nothing. Then, on the day that all of “Jeannie’s” worldly possessions are out in the yard, it decides to start raining. Go figure it. P.
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