Storage Problem Solved

Well, after all the excitement of Tuffy going to his new home (I still think of him as a "her"), we had to put our minds to another pressing problem - that being "where to store the items we aren't taking with us until we are ready to have them shipped"?

I found the perfect solution by following the link on an ad that kept popping up on Facebook:
604 Storage Inc.

Not only do they deliver a large storage container to our very door, they will help us load it, then take the whole thing away and store it for us in Richmond, B.C.

There's more! When we're ready to have it shipped to Costa Rica, the whole container can be shipped! In fact, there was already one other customer in the warehouse who is doing the same thing as we are. We won't have to trek back to Vancouver from Costa Rica in a year or whenever to deal with this. Whatever shipping company we decide to use will just pick it up.

And more! Their prices are excellent. The container is being dropped off on May 18th. Yikes, I need more storage bins .....

Breaking News!!!

Tuffy went to the vet today to be vaccinated, dewormed, chipped and apparently have a sex change operation.

Yes, it turns out Tuffy is really a boy and not a girl! I swear I saw nothing to indicate that. Neither did my husband or my sister (who is a nurse, she ought to know these things).

It's not like we are entirely ignorant on these matters. Our Siamese cat, Mat, had very definite, albeit, tiny gonads but they were there.

Huh, just when you think you know everything ....

Come Fly With Me

Tuffy is now an Ontario cat. The last report I had on her was yesterday and she was eating and using the litter box but, as my niece says, "Swiffering under the bed". She is being kept in a quiet room for now to get used to new people and surroundings.

She was a good girl about riding in the carrier to the airport - lots of complaining but she settled down somewhat. I felt bad leaving her with the agents but they were ooohing over her so she was in good hands. I hope the flight was smooth for her. Here's a picture of the exact moment when Tuffy touched down in Toronto:

For a stray cat with a broken fang, torn ears and fight scars, she is so fortunate to have a wonderful family right across Canada. Numerous relatives of mine offered to adopt her/considered adopting her so here's a big shout out to everyone in my family - you are champs! And thank you Steph and Dave for taking her in.

Interesting observation: our cat Genny seems happy to have the house to herself again. She was unusually active and affectionate yesterday!

Tuffy Does Toronto!!!

It's official - Tuffy, the cat who moved herself into our home, has been adopted by my niece in Toronto and will be boarding Air Canada on April 21st.

We'll miss her - and her snoring, ability to catch cheese squares in her paws, loud voice, loud purring and her pretty, pretty face. But we are very happy she is going to an excellent forever home.

We bought an airline approved carrier and it's all set up. I watched a video on You Tube about how to prepare it - layers of newspaper, covered by layers of those puppy training absorbent pads, with a final layer of a soft blanket. I'll be attaching plasticized info sheets and a bag of kibble.

We'll freeze water in one of the feeding cups the night before so it will melt slowly and she'll have water.

Tuffy appeared out of nowhere - just showed up on our patio last summer, meowing. She looked scared but hung around and gradually moved in. She has a partial ear tattoo that only tells us where she was spayed. Between my sister and me, we distributed 100 lost cat flyers in our neighborhood and nobody called. We had her scanned for a chip but she doesn't have one.

Here's some pictures of the carrier when we first brought it home, Tuffy (tabby) and Genny (our cat, black). I put catnip inside it initially to get them interested. Genny has taken to having her afternoon naps inside it.

LATEST PICTURE OF ME

This is what my countdown clock says.

This is what I look like right now.

Thank You Very Much, Tuffy

Here are three things that do not mix: water, library books and curious cats.

I always have a large plastic container of water next to my side of the bed, plus a current library book. Reading is relaxing and the water takes care of night time thirst. There is a lid on my water jug, with a hole for a straw but water can still escape.

It was inevitable, I guess - either Genny or Tuffy would one night knock the water jug over. Sure enough, that is what Tuffy did last night. Trouble is, I didn't realize it until this morning so the book was good and soaked - and ruined. I also had the pleasure of stepping in the wet carpet.

I even tried ironing the pages to flatten and dry them - does no good. So, the upshot is that I had to pay full price for a used, wrecked book plus $8.00 to cover the replacement book's preparation for the shelves.

A Good Day

Yes, today was a good day to see some more of our stuff go out the door to new homes.

Thanks, Mike, for buying my custom made model boat display case. I had it made specifically to hold the crab boat that I made from a Billings Boat kit my husband gave me. I once told him that I felt like building something, so I thought he might get me a dollhouse building kit. Smart man that he is, he gave me a Billings Boat kit. For those of you who have built Billings boats before (say that five times fast), you know it is nothing more than a box of uncut cedar, poor instructions and a fittings kit, if you're lucky enough to have one included.

But what a challenge! and I'm so glad I hung in there and labored over it for at least six years. I actually built a wooden model boat, from scratch, and it turned out just fine. I had to problem solve, create, use math, cut, glue, build, make up tools ...... one of the best gifts I've ever received. The boat is being carefully packed for storage.

And thank you, Lisa, for giving The Pine Box a new home. That's the old pine cabinet I bought at auction in 1982 with the money the Coast Guard guys at Kitsilano Base gave me as a wedding present. My working career was with the Canadian Coast Guard. That cabinet held our china and glassware for years.

Kathy, thank you for taking the storage unit I had in our kitchen. Enjoy it .... and I hope it will fit in the truck you are going to bring next week!!

Crazy, Crazy Days

I knew that, once we got our official papers to proceed, things would get fast and furious around here. Suddenly the days seem too short, I'm doing so much running around, there seems like so much still to do.

On the plus side - most of what we are putting in storage has been photographed, itemized, wrapped and packed into big plastic bins. Two bins are actually finished and sealed. Some time this month I need to find a storage place near Vancouver.

I'm just about finished donating things to charity shops. Three people are arriving tomorrow - two have bought some items and will be taking them away, and one person is looking.

And isn't this the month we have to do our income taxes? Arghhhh!!!!!