Sofa in Waiting
2. Sofa on its end, almost ready to go up! 
At the Ready
1. Sofa at the base of the ladder, ready to be hoisted
Sofas on Rooftops
So I’m here in Nashville helping my friend Aaron move. Yesterday we emptied a massive Penske truck. He’d hired two guys to help with the move. This very competent mover was determined to get Aaron’s off-white, suede(ish), MASSIVE sofa inside. We tried everything. It had to go around a tight corner and up a set of stairs at the same time. We removed the fronts of several steps, we took the door off of its frame, we took down the thermostat, and we dug a little hole in the wall, and even with two professional movers, Aaron and I, it was a total failure! This mover seemed upset. He said that although he had been a mover for many years, this was his hardest item/house combo yet. He seemed truly disappointed in himself! (Oh, and incidentally, the mover also said I was way more helpful than most men he knew. I can carry a lot, and I’m really good at assembly! He said if I was in Nashville and wanted a job, I should look him up!)
A little while later, the downstairs neighbor and owner of the house showed up, SURE he could hoist it up over the roof, so just now, WE DID IT! The guy downstairs and I pushed the ladder up on to the ladder, Aaron pulled from the top of a VERY high roof. Once the sofa was high enough, the neighbor put it ON HIS HEAD and walked up the ladder, as I raced upstairs and helped Aaron to pull it the rest of the way up. We then had to all get it over to the door in the kitchen, take THAT door off of the hinges. it is finally sitting in the living room.
I am SO glad that my massive crappy sofa isn’t coming with me on my move. Instead, I’m’ getting a moderately-sized, FAR more stylish sofa from my parents’ house. The timing has been great.
Oh, and those of you who know me well may be wondering if I took pictures. You bet your ass I did. I’m like the postman. I take pictures constantly whether rain or sleet or snow, or sofas on rooftops! I’ll post a few just as soon as I get home.
One more thing. My view counter seems to have started over. It was about 270 last I checked. I hate that! I was really enjoying watching it go up. Silly technology. 🙁
Bye Bye, House
Last night I returned from 4 days in Georgia. Saturday was spent at Flint Hill, the Lipscomb’s Farm. Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday were spent going through approximately 150 boxes in the basement of the house in which I grew up. These were boxes of stuff gathered from all around the house that had been put into storage units during the time the house was on the market. These boxes contained antique cameras, pictures, birth certificates, moldy old clothes, actual trash, albums, jewelry, appliances, etc. Priceless antiques were in boxes with moldy old shoes.
I made the mistake of writing “Crap” on the top of several boxes, which was apparently offputting to the estate sale ladies. My mother is currently in a bit of a quandry regarding the estate sale, as this company is the only one that will do estate sales when there isn’t a lot of furniture, and they have no dates available before the house closing on August 18th. I don’t know what will happen now, but I’m sure it will all work itself out somehow.
My parents bought our house in 1980. My mother is a pack rat. My father is a bit of a slob. I have a little of both of those qualities in me, too. So the sorting wasn’t easy. 150 boxes, four thousand square feet, two and a half days, and 25 years of detritus. My mother and I had quite a time of it. We found fascinating letters, photographs, and items. I heard a story about every piece of furniture, every painting, every item. I want to remember them all, but I think the only way I can manage that is if I get my mother to start writing now!
I am taking 15 boxes when I move next month. I’m also getting some library bookcases, a lovely sofa and chair, a hall tree, an Oriental rug, a copper coal bucket, a bedside table, mostly antiques. My mother and father talked me into taking more than I wanted, but I think they were actually right in doing that. It’s hard to imagine me with a family in a house right now, but if that ever does happen, I do think there are some things that I will want. So to that end, some other items of furniture are being put into a storage facility for me. The most important of these items are my great-grandmother’s upright piano (or was it great great grandmother?!), a 1922 roll top desk, and several brass rubbings done by my parents when we lived in England in the very early 70s.
After all of that sorting, I think that I will have a much easier time getting rid of things in my own apartment! I kept feeling like each item I took with me was an encumberment that would keep me from being able to move freely through my apartment and freely through my life.
