Deadline Approaches

Once again we find ourselves with too little time and too much to do.  Tomorrow is our packing day, and we must have everything ready to go by 8:00 p.m. We plan to be up at 3:00 a.m. on Friday with the hope of getting out of the Tampa area before 4:30 a.m.  If we can get on the road early, then we will be able to make our way at least to Tennessee before we stop for the day.

We have SO much to do yet!  We ran out of time, so we will not be able to put together our bathroom vanity. That will have to wait until next summer.  We must pack food, medications, clothes, and tools before tomorrow night.  We have to pack all of this into the truck so that when the alarm goes off at 3:00 a.m., we can be out the door by 4:00 a.m. at the latest.

I just plugged in the cooler so that will be ready for our food.  Before I go to bed tonight, I want to stage my medication and clothes for trip home.  Laundry is at the top of my list tomorrow, and then just deciding what goes and what stays.

This summer has taught me that I did not pack enough "good" clothes, I packed too many pairs of shoes, and I need to pack less shirts next time around.  I plan to leave most of my "work" and "paint" clothes for the summer here.  If Lindsay and Chris get their new house, I will need my winter work clothes anyway to help them with whatever task they need assistance to complete. 

We still need to measure and put in insulation boards in the windows.  We also want to measure all of the rooms so we have accurate figures to work with during our time in Wisconsin. We wanted to replace two boards under the walls before we leave, but that may not happen this year.  Then preparing is just a matter of getting everything into the truck, getting the bikes into the house, and making sure that everything else is covered and ready to rest until we return.

This may be the last time I write in this blog from Florida.  I will try to add at least one more post as we complete our journey home.  Home.  What a complex word that had become.  Wisconsin always has been and always will be home, but we are leaving a part of our hearts and minds here in our southern home, too.  Gladys has come a long way, and I have a feeling that we will be happy to come back next summer to enjoy her more genteel ways as we continue to make her a grand old lady.