I’m a serial piler. I’ve been that way ever since I was wee.
The good news is that in recent years, my piles have made their way onto shelves or tables. Off the floor. Grown-up piles, right?
Thankfully, that meant almost everything we owned was just fine when the contractors’ plastic sheeting that was hanging over our apartment complex tore Sunday night, dumping two days’ worth of rain onto the walkway outside our unit. Also thankfully, Toby was working from home, so he was able to get everything out of the back bedrooms before the water reached much.
YES, the cats are OK. YES, the books are OK. YES, my vintage clothes and hats are OK. YES, the electronics are OK. We’re tremendously fortunate, in both a personal sense and a material way. I’ll be totally honest, it kind of really feels nice to not have to be all virtuous and say things like “our possessions don’t define us.” Here’s what things looked like at the end of last week.
There are holes in our walls. Clothes and books are in bags and boxes allllll over the family room. Poor Toby is staying at home in the dusty dampness, sleeping on the couch with the cats. Drywall is being replaced tomorrow. The whole apartment smells like dampness and terribleness.
The good news is that the Laird ladies let us stay at their place. The other good news is that things are kind of so awful that we might finally get out of our basement apartment that I contend has contributed to Toby’s substantial allergies / perpetual illness.
We’ve been cleaning and dusting and packing and purging. I’m thankful for friends who have been giving us their moral support. I’m thankful that we are able to recognize what we need and what we don’t need in our lives any more.
This isn’t classroom related, except that I did have to take a day off last week to manage everything… But some of you have asked, so I figured I’d fill you in. More scholarly stuff tomorrow.