La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
As I was unpacking yesterday (18 boxes remaining, books and framed pictures) I pulled out something wrapped in paper and the paper started flapping in my hand. Whatever it was, it was frantically trying to escape. Although my heart was racing, I didn’t throw it across the room in panic (which might really have been the wiser thing to do). Had a small animal hitched a ride? Had it survived in the box for more than 2 weeks? A rat?!? Yeah, I definitely should have thrown it across the room. Instead, I pulled back the paper to discover the cats’ two flapping fish toys (click here) demanding release. I don’t know why I even kept those. I’ve had more play time with them than the cats.
Although the apartment is still a tremendous mess, we’re beginning to see the end and (once our backs will allow it) we’ll be able to move the living room and dining room furniture into position. We need to buy one or two sofas for the living room having given away our big sofa (bed) and divan before we moved. But we want to get a better sense of the space before we shop.
Still, it felt a lot more like home yesterday when I unpacked Olivia. Our friend Judyshannon (click here) bought Olivia for her parents’s cabin on Lopez Island in the Puget Sound. When her parents sold the cabin, Judy brought Olivia to us for our about-to-open hotel in Palm Springs, California, in 2000. Since then, Olivia has traveled with us from Palm Springs to Santa Barbara to Las Vegas to Irvine to Sevilla to Fuengirola and now here to Córdoba. We can’t wait to find her prime spot in our new place.
Also unpacked yesterday were our Beauty and Beast coffee mugs gifted to us by my adored friend Susan (click here). She lived in Portland, Oregon, and had them shipped to my hotel in Brooklyn one year when I was visiting The Kid Brother. We love the mugs, but we especially cherish them because they came from Susan, who died in 2022. I also found a tenderly wrapped dried yellow rose that I had saved from flowers she sent me once in Fuengirola. I told the packer what it was and he wrapped it so carefully, appreciating its value.
On my desk is a photo of my sister, Dale, and the little statuette she gave me before I left for university in December of 1971. So, this is now truly home. Messy. But home.
I tried to do a load of laundry yesterday. We have a fairly new Maytag washing machine. Very nice. The owner might have been the worst housekeeper we’ve ever followed behind (and we’ve had some bad ones). I slid out the detergent drawer and couldn’t believe the filth. I scrubbed. I scalded. I scrubbed some more. I left it to soak, and did it all over again. I finally left it soaking overnight. It looks like new. I’ll do a load of laundry today. But I can’t help but worry about what sort of cooties I was exposed to.
Mientras desempacaba ayer (quedaban 18 cajas, con libros y cuadros enmarcados), saqué algo envuelto en papel y el papel comenzó a agitarse en mi mano. Algo estaba tratando de escapar frenéticamente. Aunque mi corazón latía aceleradamente, no lo arrojé al otro lado de la habitación en pánico (lo que realmente podría haber sido lo más sensato). ¿Se había subido a bordo un animal pequeño? ¿Había sobrevivido en la caja durante más de dos semanas? ¿Una rata? Sí, definitivamente debería haberlo arrojado al otro lado de la habitación. En cambio, retiré el papel y descubrí los dos juguetes de peces que aleteaban de los gatos (haz clic aquí) exigiendo que los soltara. No sé por qué los conservé. He jugado más con ellos que con los gatos.
Aunque el apartamento sigue siendo un desastre tremendo, estamos empezando a ver el final y (cuando nuestras espaldas lo permitan) podremos mover los muebles de la sala de estar y el comedor a su lugar. Necesitamos comprar uno o dos sofás para la sala de estar, ya que regalamos nuestro sofá-cama-diván grande antes de mudarnos. Pero queremos tener una mejor idea del espacio antes de ir de compras.
Aun así, ayer me sentí mucho más como en casa cuando desempaqué a Olivia. Nuestra amiga Judyshannon (haz clic aquí) compró a Olivia para la cabaña de sus padres en Lopez Island en Puget Sound. Cuando sus padres vendieron la cabaña, Judy nos trajo a Olivia para nuestro hotel que estaba a punto de abrir en Palm Springs, California, en 2000. Desde entonces, Olivia ha viajado con nosotros desde Palm Springs a Santa Bárbara, a Las Vegas, a Irvine, a Sevilla, a Fuengirola y ahora aquí, a Córdoba. Estamos ansiosos por encontrar su lugar privilegiado en nuestro nuevo hogar.
También desempaqué ayer nuestras tazas de café de La Bella y la Bestia que nos regaló mi adorada amiga Susan (haz clic aquí). Ella vivía en Portland, Oregón, y las envió a mi hotel en Brooklyn un año cuando visité a The Kid Brother. Nos encantan las tazas, pero las apreciamos especialmente porque vinieron de Susan, que murió en 2022. También encontré una rosa amarilla seca envuelta con ternura que había guardado de unas flores que me envió una vez en Fuengirola. Le dije al empaquetador qué era y la envolvió con mucho cuidado, apreciando su valor.
En mi escritorio hay una foto de mi hermana, Dale, y la pequeña estatuilla que me dio antes de irme a la universidad en diciembre de 1971. Entonces, esto ahora es realmente nuestro hogar. Desordenado. Pero nuestro hogar.
Ayer intenté lavar una carga de ropa. Tenemos una lavadora Maytag bastante nueva. Muy bonita. La dueña puede haber sido la peor ama de llaves que hemos tenido (y hemos tenido algunas malas). Saqué el cajón del detergente y no podía creer la suciedad. Fregué. Me escaldé. Fregué un poco más. La dejé en remojo y lo hice todo de nuevo. Finalmente la dejé en remojo durante la noche. Parece nueva. Lavaré una carga de ropa hoy. Pero no puedo evitar preocuparme por el tipo de piojos a los que me expuse.
Click the thumbnails from the neighborhood to enlarge.
Haz clic en las miniaturas del barrio para ampliar.
My house is always a mess. The wife and kids just can’t help themselves 🙃
Adam:
What does the wife say about that I wonder.
Sounds like a finish line is in sight.
And while I hate moving, packing and unpacking is like Christmas when you find those things you really treasure.
That said, had a package started moving I’d have instantly thrown it across the room and screamed.
Bob:
Major progress yesterday. A finish line is too much to hope for, but we’re actually able to have breakfast at home this morning.
Slowly but surely, it’s all coming together… Jx
Jon:
I can finally look around and appreciate that.
Unpacking memories and love.
David:
The most important things to unpack.
Oh, the beloved little treasures which make a house a home! (Not those damn fish)
Debra She Who Seeks:
Those fish will be leaving home soon. Another waste of money for two cats currently running around the house with a shoe lace.
My heart was racing a little with the fish story. So who’s the beauty and who’s the beast? 😉
Kelly:
San Geraldo insisted I use the Beauty mug. Groan! Of course, Beast does often suit him better.
I was wondering if a stray cat had attached himself and stowed away with you. And, yes, those significant objects. I have dried roses from the last birthday bouquet my late sister sent.
You’ve got plenty of time to unpack, as long as you have somewhere to sit and sleep.
Signed Boud
Boud:
We’ve got places to sit and sleep and this morning we’ve even eaten breakfast at home!
Oh, all the good things are surrounding you!
I would have DEFINITELY thrown whatever was in my hands, if the paper had started flipping and flopping at me… HILARIOUS! (One time, arriving home from Thanksgiving dinner, I got out of the car, holding the remains of my delicious apple pie, in its pretty glass pie plate, and waited for my husband to finish putting the car in our tiny, old garage. As I was standing there, I felt something soft flitter around my ankles, and I SCREAMED BLOODY MURDER, and THREW the apple pie up into the air…. it landed with a BIG crash… I looked down and saw that my pretty, soft, big scarf had fallen off of my shoulders, and settled down at my feet, brushing against my ankles on the way down. I thought it had been an opossum [we often saw them around our garage]. I do wonder why NO ONE even looked out the window in my neighborhood, and why my husband only barely looked at me, when I screamed bloody murder, but… that’s what happens when you live in the city… no one pays attention to women screaming bloody murder…. kind of like right now, in our country, now that I think about it.)
Judy C:
I can’t believe even your husband wasn’t concerned! I had a colleague who was walking to work one morning when she felt someone touching her leg. Washington DC. She didn’t slow. Didn’t look. Just kept walking. Finally the hands on her legs were getting very agressive. She still didn’t stop and no one did anything. Finally they were at her ankles. She looked down and realized the elastic on her slip had died and the slip was around her ankles. She stepped out of it, kicked it aside, and kept walking.
I finally mustered enough to come out of my hole after this week! I bet it’s nice to see a light at the end of the tunnel huh? I think that you’re going to be happy there, at least till the next move?!?!? I’m a fountain person, and that one is a beauty. I could see myself sitting there often, just people watching or reading.
It is amazing how people live, and the dirt they leave behind. I have never moved from a place before giving it the Joan Crawford treatment. And yes, it is just as bad on a daily basis for me. I ‘d hate to see in some homes. It’s terrible people leave such a mess behind like such. Now back to the packing…
Mistress Borghese:
If you’re a fountain person, Córdoba is for you. They’re everywhere. I’ll be sharing lots of photos. Our last apartment was awful when we moved in. We left it immaculate.
Laundry cooties are the worse, Scoot! That is all. Brain has shut down again.
Deedles:
I did laundry yesterday and it came out great. But I can’t get the image of those cooties out of my head. Sending you hugs!
It’s amazing how a few sentimental and/or treasured items can make a new, strange place feel like home! I take it that Dudo and Moose haven’t spent the last two weeks crying for their fish toys?
Tundra Bunny:
They weren’t missing the fish toys, but when I found their two cords (taken from old sweat pants), they were ecstatic.
We moved 3 months ago and bit by bit getting our apartment up to our standard, we had in the last 2 weeks lots of problem with the washing machine. Had the pump replaced and the machine reset. Looks like the previous tenant was not big on maintenance.
larrymuffin:
I did a load of laundry yesterday and spent the entire time checking for leaks. I’m stunned there were none.
Unpacking and setting up a new home is one of my favorite things to do. Nothing transforms a space into a new home like personal belongings. Go slow, have fun, and make sure to get a pull out sofa bed…you never know who could come to visit 🙂
Sassybear:
The only reason for a sofa bed here is when San Geraldo gets kicked in bed one too many times. It happens. I think our days of overnight guests are over. We’d need a third bathroom! But we have lots of affordable hotels to recommend!
The fish are cute! I’m glad you didn’t filet them.
Walt the Fourth:
I’m going to give them to someone else to filet. They’re just a waste of space with these cats.
I found that removing the hard movement parts of those fishes, and filling their bellies with dried catnip made my cat very happy.
Julie
Julie:
That’s a great idea!
I love that night photo of the guy on the scooter. I can imagine your surprise at the twitching fish toys! I’m glad you’re settling in. 🙂
Steve:
I’m hoping to look a lot more settled today. Back be damned.
So the other night I was sitting here on my back porch and thought I felt something crawling over my foot. I kicked my foot out and looked down and guess what? IT WAS A BIG OLD ROACH!
See, we live in Florida and when we think we feel creatures, we generally do.
Sigh.
I’m glad you’re getting the things unpacked that have y’all’s memories and emotions all bound to them.
moonsigh
Ms. Moonsigh:
I would have kicked my leg right out of joint! Please no roaches here. After more than 11 years in our apartment in Fuengirola, where those big roaches are very common, we for the first time had roaches in our building during the summer (and after). Dudo would catch them and knock their legs off. It was disgusting.
Despite the work it sounds like you are creating a home; good for you !
Urspo:
It’s improving little by little. But we already love living here.
Mementoes of loved ones make the apartment home. I’m glad you’re getting settled. My back hurts, too. It must be because I empathize with you.
Love,
Janie
janiejunebug:
Thanks for the empathy. Now get better!