We have now filled the recycling bin for the second time and are eagerly awaiting the next opportunity to open up a bit more floor space. Having moved too many books, again, many are still in boxes stacked against one wall. Storage space is at a premium until we can replace much of the furniture we left behind. In the interim, we’re using stacked boxes as tv stands, dressers, bedside tables and blockades against the early morning sunshine that insists upon streaming through our rather large bedroom window. Not that the windows aren’t beautifully done here and much appreciated aesthetically; just that I need to be 7 feet tall with a ladder to get the curtains up.

The actual trip across was amazingly uneventful. No vehicles broke down and once we figured out how to make the cat a bit more comfortable, he was actually climbing back into his carrier of his own volition when it was time to stop for the day. I’m sure he would have thrown up no matter what we did on the first day because of the stress, but he definitely looked a lot better on the second day when I figured out how to orient his carrier properly to minimize the sideways rocking sensation. By the third day, when we started giving him a creamer spiked with Rescue Remedy in the morning and gave him the run of the car, he was acting like himself again.

No, the trouble started when we arrived at our new apartment. It wasn’t ready and would likely not be for several more days. At first, the nice folks in the management office offered to put us up in a hotel. Then they got smart and stashed us in another unit down the hall from ours that wasn’t yet occupied. Since the majority of our belongings were scheduled to arrive four days later, we piled up a doubled over sleeping bag, two picnic blankets and one very small camping air mat to sleep on. The cat found a sunbeam.

Curious about the differences between units, we decided early one morning upon finding the door unlocked to take a peek at ours. We wandered in to discover ye olde apartment tan carpeting instead of the much more pleasing blue of our temporary home. We would also be losing the stainless steel kitchen sink in favor of enamel (bleh). On the upside, our light fixtures were nicer and the ever present hissing of water behind the wall of my bathroom was absent. There was also the advantage of being in an end unit which, although much less important in the mid-west where the walls are more insulated, did mean a shorter walk from the outside.

As luck would have it, our unit was completed just in time for the delivery of the furnishings bright and early Thursday morning. (One of the perks of moving to a smaller city is that services tend to arrive at the beginning of the time bracket agreed upon rather than an hour and a half after the end of it.) The front office generously lent us the use of one very tricked out dolly which made the whole operation go much more smoothly, what with navigating a steep, spiked ramp, a brick piller set in front of the exterior door, and two interior doors. In compensation for this terrible convenience, it began to rain an hour later.

Day 1: We’re packed nearly to the gills and already behind schedule. Fortunately, we have a little flexibility on the timing this trip. The cat has thrown up twice and refuses to take the Rescue Remedy we bought to help keep him calm. I had to wrap him up in a towel to force a useful amount into his mouth. He’s a little less freaked now, but he still hates me.