Every increased possession loads us with new weariness. – John Ruskin
Soaking up that New Mexico Sun
We took off late Saturday last week and drove to Oklahoma to get our shit out of storage. Eighteen hours out, and oddly enough fourteen back with the kayak tied on top of the little red car.
Weeeehooooo – I have my kayak, I have my sewing machine, I have all of my surviving art and craft supplies, I have the rest of our music, I have the cannot do without books and references, and last but hardly least I have the rest of my fucking clothes! And let us not forget – the gators made the trip.
In the process we released five carloads of STUFF. One entire carload of nothing but books. They went in such a serendipitous way that I have no doubt there is some lucky beneficiary standing around today with a book they desperately needed just dropped into their hands. Love it how that works.
The big stuffies are now lounging around on the back porch airing in some hot New Mexico sun. Wow – Oklahoma and Texas were COLD. I don’t miss that knife like freezing wind. Most of the clothes are hung on the yard fence, airing out after a long confinement. There’s a herd of plastic gators sprawling on the floor trying to intimidate their old pal Pearlie. She just climbed on a chair and went to sleep. The art supplies, some of them, are piled on the chest that I have here. More sorting and releasing is in order.
The good news is I have all my art supplies, the bad news is the trip might make some of the swaps I’m in arrive a wee bit late. Maybe. Nothing is due out until Monday. I can do it.
Also, after conversation with the Brown family, the Vintage British Motorcycle Parts website is back up. Look for a few revisions over the next few days as the family looks it over and lets me know what has sold. I thought only one motorcycle had sold in years. Turns out that I was wrong and quite a bit is actually gone. So we’re going to try and move the rest of it.
We got home early Wednesday morning, and spent most of the rest of the day dragging everything out of the car and packing it into a storage building here, then having a nice soak in those wonderful healing hot springs. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH it is so good to be home!
Now I’m busy unpacking this and that, catching up ranch work that got neglected, catching up laundry, and trying to catch up some sleep, too. I’m tired, but I am so happy 1)to have our most important stuff, and 2)to be home in warm, sunny New Mexico. I am happy, too, to be done with those fuckers at our storage in Oklahoma. Everytime I called it was a different story about how much we owed, or how much credit we had, or … I’m just glad to be done with them, have our shit here, and one less worry – and bill.
I, personally surmounted quite a mountain on releasing stuff. Eight tall bookcases full of books has been reduced to about two boxes of books. I had so many references – but anymore if I want to know something, I look it up on the Internet and get more up to date information. As for the novels, there are very few novels I ever actually reread. The ones I do are “comfort food” for the eyes and mind, Urusula K. LeGuinns Always Coming Home, Tolkein (okay – I have three sets of LOTR), and now the Harry Potter books. I almost kept the Dick Francis books, but any library has a selection of them if I want one to reread. Hubby released a great number of books, too – especially tough for him since he is a packrat of the first order. So am I. I feel like if we can learn to release stuff ANYBODY can – LOL.
I will admit that much of the stuff we released was easier to let go because we have replaced it with cyber-stuff. I finally let go of the last of my model horses. I have plenty of cyber horses between Sandbox Farm and Bella Sara, and they don’t require dusting. Of course, I’ve already mentioned the references, and the ever weighty artists morgue went the same way (again, any time I want a reference photo or ten of something I find it online).
The highlight of the trip was a long visit with David Brown, and the next evening a long visit with Shaun and Rachel during which we got to explore P-whisker Hollow (quite a charming home). Socializing ran us over a bit on our available time, but it sure was a pleasure to see everyone else doing well and get to chat and catch up.
Well, I better get back to work.
Blessedbe
Summer
