We had a lot of drama this past week. We moved out of our house yesterday. We started renting the house three years ago and it was time to move. So even though we didn’t have another place secured yet, we packed it all and left. I had to put 5 of the 6 dogs in a boarding kennel. Doug and I went to Evelyn’s house to enjoy her hospitality while debating our options.
While we were packing I even got Doug to relinquish a few things. The giant assortment of mismatched storage containers in the kitchen- gone. An underbed container of expensive dress shirts that he hasn’t worn in 15 years- gone to Katy Christian Ministries. I filled 1.5 lawn and leaf bags with mis-matched socks. I could’ve made enough sock puppets for every child in Rhode Island. Perhaps I should’ve held onto them and started a sock puppet business. However, they’re gone too now- on to others that can use them. If you’re truly freezing, do you really care if your socks match?
Although he made major strides while packing, considering his hoarding, I knew Doug wasn’t truly over it when I got up yesterday at 6am and I found him in Brett’s closet pulling his ties out to pack them safely away. There was no use in arguing about it so I helped him pack. The very last thing I needed was a big fight to start the day. Doug’s ties filled two plastic storage containers 24″x18″x10″. That’s a lot of ties!
Naturally with my luck it was stormy yesterday so we couldn’t leave the dogs outside while everything was being moved. Doug was getting frustrated having to be so careful with all the doors so a dog didn’t escape so I decided to temporarily relocate our pack until we could take them to the kennel 40 miles away. Where did I take them you ask? To the local dog wash of course.
I calculated it would be closed- and it was. I took two couch cushions from the old couch I was discarding and the 6 leashed dogs and sat on the ground at the dog wash. (It’s just like a car wash, except it’s gated at the either end). It was covered so I thought I’d be protected from the weather. That part didn’t exactly work out like I thought it would.
It was decided that the dogs still had to stay on their leashes while there, so I had dogs tethered all around me as I sat on the cushions. Evelyn had come over to help get the dogs and me settled and then went home to get a blanket for me as the showers were ahead of a cold front. I wore an old jacket to go there knowing that I’d get dirty sitting on the ground surrounded by dogs. Nate and Amanda came by there about noon.
Apparently I was quite a site wearing an old jacket, wrapped in a blanket, sitting on the concrete, surrounded by an eclectic mix of canines. I think I heard the word “prisonesque”. I was miserable and so were the dogs. Amanda insisted that we return to the house. It was a good thing.
Since Doug and I share a car, taking the dogs to the kennel was the last thing to do. My friend Julie, who has an official rescue near Houston, worked a deal for me at her kennel. I’m only paying $5 per day, per dog. The twins, Blondie and Blackie are together in 1 run, my 3 little ones, Daisy, Little Bit and Gizmo are in another. I took all their bedding with me so they’d feel at home. However I still cried when I left them.
Anyway, I’ve started looking online for a new house. I’m sure I’ll find someplace soon. Someone wanting to rent to someone with a pack of pooches? Maybe not so easy. But as Gloria Gaynor says ‘I will Survive”.
