gassed and ready

The troops are moving on the Western Front.

I have been waiting for one event to start moving my stuff to The House.  Re-keying the locks.  With new keys in hand, I completed part one of that action-packed thriller: "The Move to Barra." 

My choice on Tuesday morning was to either drive to Manzanillo to buy some items before Darrel arrives or to schedule a fill-up for the new propane tank.  Because we will need propane this weekend, I opted to stay in town.

While I waited for the gas truck to arrive, I sampled the full depths of the new pool.  Whoever is responsible for designing this pool got it absolutely correct -- in both aesthetics and practicalities.  An hour in the cool water made me forget all about air conditioning.  (Of course, some unplanned expenses have also played a part in stalling consideration of that project.)

I wish I could tell you if I have been able to comply with the Escape Rule, but I can't.  I decided it would be simplest to move my few goods in room-size bites.  Because I have no furniture, most of what I have are mere nibbles.

And I have tossed quite a few items.  Most of my white clothes have managed to contract a farther nasty red mildew.  I have tried bleaching the stains out to no avail.  But I have a lot of new cleaning rags.

Then there was the bag of canned goods that have hurtled well past their pull dates.  Most of them four years past. 

That alone would not have been enough for me to dump them.  But the rust covering both the top and bottom of the cans was.  I will eat old food.  But I am leery of eating anything that may have been exposed to the nasty vagaries of an unsealed can.

Moving out always seems to be far easier than moving in.  For some reason, items that once looked appropriate in the living room no longer have that same allure.

To avoid the inevitable piles-to-be-sorted later that start accumulating in houses, I decided anything that is not immediately put away will be placed nowhere but my bed.  That way, when Wednesday or Thursday night come, I will not have a place to sleep until I have found a home for everything.

I say "Wednesday or Thursday" because I will be completely moved out of my rental on one of those days, and Dora will prepare it for a new tenant.  I hope he enjoys the place as much as I have.

But that still leaves at least one more trip to Manzanillo to top off my shopping list.

On Friday, my new life as a Mexican property owner will begin.