Leaving the western world

Getting ready to go is proving to be a harder task than I thought.

Here's a pic of what happens when you start REALLY cleaning out.

This is cleaning out just "a few things" in my storage place. The helpers are my sister Bobbe and my friend Tom. My sister Chery has been here since Saturday and thru this afternoon helping with the massive clean and declutter the house effort.

Here's another pic of trying to shove 10 pounds in a 5 pound

bag. My friend Susanne and I are trying to put my sleeping bag in what is laughingly called a stuff sack. Susanne is also helping with the monster declutter effort. Friends have taken away boxes of food, condiments, etc from the kitchen and there is still more to go.

Today I take my dog to her new home in Durham. That should be a pretty traumatic event.

My house still is a wreck right now because so many things are in "staging" - not quite ready yet. By Sunday night, whatever is not done will either remain undone or be completed by someone else.

I'm frazzled from overthinking all the things that have to occur to make this happen. Lots of lists, which I lose and have to make more.

The first suitcase is packed and weighed in at 45 pounds. I have one more suitcase to go and it has to be 50 pounds of less. Anything leftover is going to get mailed to me. Susanne and Chery and toting stuff out of the house to who knows where. I must join the process.