I'm Done with that Side of the House

For all the miles that Ed and I traveled in the month of August, we could have been well on our way through Central America. Ed had driven a box truck from Houston, TX to Canton, NY to assist his son Andrew and daughter-in-law Cindy move to their new home. And, I packed the Dodge truck with Suzie’s stuff to move her from Whitehouse, TX into the dorm at William Woods University in Fulton, MO. Now, we hope that with the kids settled, we can focus on what we need to do to make our commitment to travel happen.

These moves emptied half of the house with Andrew and Cindy taking a complete bedroom set and Suzie gathering what’s important to a college sophomore – TV, computer, a closet and dresser full of clothes, and everything else a girl needs. Only mementos remain: some high school yearbooks, Rodeo ticket stubs, cross country race numbers, ribbons from winning in hunter/jumper equestrian events, and tattered Dover catalogs. I’ve asked Ed to order some heavy-duty trunks to store these keepsakes.

That is part of our plan – to store mementos in trunks, give away or sell the contents of our home. Friday, I pointed at the empty guest room and Suzie’s room and announced, “I’m done with that side of the house!”

Living in only half of our 2,000 square foot home might somehow condition us to living in our bus conversion a mere 320 square feet. Goodwill, the Whitehouse Library, and people who frequent yard sales will benefit from the next wave of downsizing. We’ll also put some items on eBay and Craig’s List. And, I intend to be aggressive in carting things to the trash.

The items that we will take in the motor home must have a practical or recreational use, be wearable or edible. These criteria should make decisions of what to place in cabinets or storage bays easy when we move into "Patty's Charm."