Garage Sale

The Weather Gods shone down upon us yesterday (Saturday, September 25) and we went ahead and held our first ever garage sale. At this time of year in the Pacific Northwest, you don't want to plan too far ahead for sunny weekends as, likely as not, it will be pouring rain. It was a perfect day - sunny and warm.

I'm pretty sure I'll never hold another garage sale - it's a lot of work. On the other hand, quite a few things went away with new owners and we made a few bucks. The main goal for me was to get rid of our things without abusing our local landfill - I'm a big fan of reuse and recycle - and, of course, lighten our load on the road to Costa Rica. The things that are left I will be hauling to the different charity outlets over the next few weeks. When you see your stuff laid out like that, it hits home just how many things have been accumulated and so much of it we hardly use. I cannot remember the last time I made lasagne and, yet, I have a big lasagne pan.

Enjoy the photos - I hope I can post them in an orderly manner. Actually, I hope I can just post them.

Where is everyone?

Desperate times

Like anyone will take this away willingly.

Me and my moola

Sticker Shock

I'm having a lot of fun going around the house pasting bright green stickers on stuff, then writing a price on the stickers. Target date for my garage sale is Saturday, September 25. I've never held a garage sale before so this will be an interesting exercise. What if everything sells and we are left with the bare minimum for the next six months? I think that will not be much of a hardship - how many times was the "Delux Drinkmaster" used anyway? We North Americans have too much stuff.

Sold To the First Caller

Sold my 20 ton wood drafting table today - it is on its way to Sechelt, B.C., on the Sunshine Coast. Well, okay, it doesn't really weigh 20 tons but it certainly is a solid piece of furniture. It is going to a lady who paints watercolors so I hope she enjoys it as much as I did - the large six foot long tabletop was just grand for laying out canvas, paper, etc.  Oh yes, have I mentioned I am a painter of cattle and racehorses - see here: www.dianamiskell.com.

Kitty Packs Her Bags

Yesterday, I hauled our two huge pieces of luggage out of the garage and into the house, with the intention of cleaning the cobwebs off them and storing them in the storage area under the stairs.

I bought this luggage back when one could haul tons of luggage on a plane and when I used to pack all my  clothes and shoes for a ten day trip to Ottawa. Those days are over but they will be perfect for our move to Costa Rica.

Genny agrees with me too - here she is examining them and wondering if there is room for her. There will be room for her, of course, but in her airline approved carrier - something else I will be looking into during the coming months.

Shredding

What does one do on a rainy Sunday afternoon on the West Coast? Shred their old papers, of course. This is actually a necessary chore to get done before moving and why I did not do it years ago, I do not know. I got right into the rhythm of it - shredder on the left, old documents in front of me, really huge clear plastic bag on my right and a glass of wine within easy reach.

When the shredded documents filled up the container, into the plastic bag they went. I'm assuming this can go out with the recyclables on garbage day. What was rather shocking to me was that I have kept ALL my pay stubs from the day I started working. They spanned historical eras. All these years, and all our moves, they have travelled along with me. It's ridiculous.

So I'm almost finished shredding. Just a few more years of income tax forms to go through - we are required to retain receipts for the previous seven years.  It's really a relief to get rid of stuff like this - I think this move to Costa Rica will be our lightest move yet......no winter clothes to bring!

Labor Day Weekend

What to do on this long weekend? Labor! I have my old, wood drafting table on Craigs List and a couple of people have expressed interest. So I spent what seemed like too much time dismantling it, carrying it down from my studio on the second floor, then putting it together again and storing in the garage. I can paint anywhere so can get along without a table for the next few months.

We now have a lawyer in San Jose to deal with Immigration for us, give us advice, and move our paperwork along. He was recommended to us by an American couple who moved to Costa Rica a couple of years ago.