Unpacking Life Now Which Box Was It In
Both of us were sure we remembered seeing the shower curtain and matching rings in a box. So sure were we that we disassembled the garage of boxes already gone through and restacked against the wall.
My husband and I, having moved more than our fair share, refused to spend one more red cent on another curtain, shower or otherwise, when we had a perfectly good one somewhere. Now, which box was it in? A visitor was coming to stay; we wanted the guest bath ready for him to use, but still, it is not like he was going to pay room and board!
The Curtain Box
Then I thought of our curtain box. Yes, we have a box filled with just curtains. I actually started the concept of this box when I was a young military wife. Back then I moved a lot and within a few years I learned, "I could have used those curtains I just gave away." I became obsessed with curtains and started a box to save the extras. It is the type of box that was reserved for the trunk of a car instead of letting movers cart the contents away. At the ready, once we arrived at a new place.
At first it was an old cardboard box lined with tissue. There were curtains made of pillow cases with pink flowers, blue curtains and red curtains I used in my kitchens and my favorite lace ones, all accumulated over the years. Then the cardboard was changed to green plastic with a nice lid that easily snapped in place.
When my daughter got her own place, she came looking for the curtain box. I started giving curtains away again.
New Shower Curtain
Our guest was arriving in a day or so. Off I went to a cheap store to buy a curtain liner and rings. We had uncovered one of our cloth shower curtains, in the box, but no plastic liner we knew we had seen, somewhere. My husband and I were emphatic we had packed it in Ohio and unpacked it here in Arizona. Now, where had we seen it?
Our guest came and went. He had not felt the need to take a shower by-the-way, shower curtain dry as the desert sands, thank you very much, as he waved goodbye.
Unpacking Boxes
The shower curtain incident turned to a distance memory. We resumed our post move-in routine, which comes after the initial rush of looking for two plates, two forks and a can to water my plants with; open a few boxes, dispose of the cardboard and paper in recycling and assemble a sense of order with rediscovered trinkets.
We are down to our last 10 boxes in our office, now a walled sea of brown to look over as I am typing. Then there are 7, we are unpacking a box with the word "Radio" written on it in thick black marker. But since we actually own a stereo, we are hopeful we will find the thing we like playing all our music on, recently uncovered now lining the wall before us.
My husband cuts the tape down the middle, then along each side. I pull the cardboard flaps apart, oops one stuck; I give it a quick tug and it rips apart. The top is predictably stuffed with wads of packing paper; I grab it with one whish and toss it to our dog. The little guy has also developed a routine of unpacking, playing hide and seek in the piles of paper all the while creating itsy bitsy pieces for us to pick up later. And there it is.
We look at each other, burst out laughing and with a look of dismay wondered, how it was, we both saw what had not been there. Shower curtain and its rings unearthed. Now, where is that curtain box?
My husband and I, having moved more than our fair share, refused to spend one more red cent on another curtain, shower or otherwise, when we had a perfectly good one somewhere. Now, which box was it in? A visitor was coming to stay; we wanted the guest bath ready for him to use, but still, it is not like he was going to pay room and board!
The Curtain Box
Then I thought of our curtain box. Yes, we have a box filled with just curtains. I actually started the concept of this box when I was a young military wife. Back then I moved a lot and within a few years I learned, "I could have used those curtains I just gave away." I became obsessed with curtains and started a box to save the extras. It is the type of box that was reserved for the trunk of a car instead of letting movers cart the contents away. At the ready, once we arrived at a new place.
At first it was an old cardboard box lined with tissue. There were curtains made of pillow cases with pink flowers, blue curtains and red curtains I used in my kitchens and my favorite lace ones, all accumulated over the years. Then the cardboard was changed to green plastic with a nice lid that easily snapped in place.
When my daughter got her own place, she came looking for the curtain box. I started giving curtains away again.
New Shower Curtain
Our guest was arriving in a day or so. Off I went to a cheap store to buy a curtain liner and rings. We had uncovered one of our cloth shower curtains, in the box, but no plastic liner we knew we had seen, somewhere. My husband and I were emphatic we had packed it in Ohio and unpacked it here in Arizona. Now, where had we seen it?
Our guest came and went. He had not felt the need to take a shower by-the-way, shower curtain dry as the desert sands, thank you very much, as he waved goodbye.
Unpacking Boxes
The shower curtain incident turned to a distance memory. We resumed our post move-in routine, which comes after the initial rush of looking for two plates, two forks and a can to water my plants with; open a few boxes, dispose of the cardboard and paper in recycling and assemble a sense of order with rediscovered trinkets.
We are down to our last 10 boxes in our office, now a walled sea of brown to look over as I am typing. Then there are 7, we are unpacking a box with the word "Radio" written on it in thick black marker. But since we actually own a stereo, we are hopeful we will find the thing we like playing all our music on, recently uncovered now lining the wall before us.
My husband cuts the tape down the middle, then along each side. I pull the cardboard flaps apart, oops one stuck; I give it a quick tug and it rips apart. The top is predictably stuffed with wads of packing paper; I grab it with one whish and toss it to our dog. The little guy has also developed a routine of unpacking, playing hide and seek in the piles of paper all the while creating itsy bitsy pieces for us to pick up later. And there it is.
We look at each other, burst out laughing and with a look of dismay wondered, how it was, we both saw what had not been there. Shower curtain and its rings unearthed. Now, where is that curtain box?
Comments
Karen Lotter (not verified)
Moving house is so traumatic. This is a great, lighthearted look at a stressful situation. Once again I make a resolution that I will never move.
Helen Smeaton
Moving is fun but stressful at the same time. I could share a story or two about the move to our current house from a rental property 20 minutes away. It's a long tale but most of our belongings were in a container which almost disappeared over the edge of a cliff on it's way down the dirt track to our property. The track was uneven, the container too heavy and the the lorry too small to cope!
Luckily it made it down the hill in one piece then the real fun and games began!
Good luck in your new home Chris
Sharon Falsetto
Moving under any circumstance is stressful - the memories of last year's unplanned temporary move from our home because of a burst water pipe come flooding back! As does the search to find things for months afterwards! I hope that you enjoy life in your new Arizona home, Chris!
Shelly (not verified)
I still have the curtains in a plastic bin in the basement, just in case.
Georgene A. Bramlage
Hi Chris....neat pictures! Loved the bougainvillea outdoors. Not to discourage you...but here I am four years+ after our initial move and I am finally down to the last boxes! Like you and curtains, I find myself wondering "why did I give that (whatever that is at the moment !) away. Sometimes I feel as if there are still several boxes hidden away on various moving vans that keep moving from place to place. But modern movers are careful, aren't they :+) ?
Lots of luck...I somewhat envy you for all the neat plants and new environments you'll discover. I am still learning new plants after only moving several zones south.
G.
Mari Nicholson
Help! I'm about to make the fatal move and you've scared the daylights out of me! Should I stay put, I wonder? The final decision can be postponed for a while, but I know I shall have to move sometime. Would be nice if my buyer would take my house lock, stock and barrel, or carpets, curtains, furniture and fittings and \i could then waltz into my new place and buy all new.
Dream on, Mari, dream on.
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