The Joads are on the Road

What day is it? Lemme see... On Thursday, we rented the moving truck and unloaded all of FemmeDommi's still new, handsome, but particle board (and therefore ferociously heavy, yet brittle) office furniture out of storage, as well as what remained of my own stuff.

On Friday, we started by donating all of FemmeDommi's office furniture to the church, so that she doesn't get hit with nasty taxes, and so we don't have to deal with storing it and selling it. This meant, moving the truck, then unloading the bookshelves, credenza, file cabinet and desk into the foyer of the church next door. Then, with the invaluable help of our friend The Engineer (with only one working clavicle -- he was in a bike accident on Wednesday), and a kind (but nosy and officious) neighbor, we loaded the truck. A 16 foot truck, packed full, but comfortably.

That would make today Saturday. Ma Joad and the kids rolled out at noon, and Pa Joad followed with the truck about two hours later. They have gotten as far as Baker, Oregon tonight -- Pa had to stop and throw up about three times on the trip. He delayed leaving because he felt awful, finally left when he thought he was getting better, but he was wrong. We don't yet know if he is the first family member to get the Flu -- friends have started coming down with it -- or if this is the culmination of weeks of dawn-to-dusk work around the house, packing, moving, and a dram of a very old, very smoky Scotch whisky pressed upon him by a friend late last night. Ma Joad is feeling a bit peaked tonight, so we are considering the first alternative likely and carefully monitoring our own physiologies.

Meanwhile, The Texan and I are now outnumbered by cats, who aren't all that keen on the changes. I have moved my bed upstairs, and the cat food bowls, but nothing else (i.e., not the bureau, my desk, any clothes or books, etc.). In fact, I am typing this at my usual place in the cellar, with Winnifred curled up for the night in her usual spot on top of the wardrobe, and Harry stretched out on the floor behind me -- in the position where he usually would be lying on the bed. He doesn't seem to notice the 3 foot loss of altitude.

Many changes in store. But at least they've started happening.