My Big Move To Boston – Snowed Out!

December 15, 2020
83 Comments
Posted in: Laurel Home

Hi Guys,

OMG!!!

Well, as many of you already know, the highest concentration of ~~idiots~~ people (about 45 million) in the US are about to get hammered with up to 18″ of snow.

They say.

I say, “they say” because “they” have been wrong more times than I can count. And, it’s usually in favor of less snow than they predict. However, I can recall one time where we got hammered with more than two feet. Remember the early January blizzard of ’96?

For my southern readers who aren’t familiar with how snow operates. If there are windy conditions, and usually there are, the snow doesn’t just fall in an even blanket.

No. You can have a few inches in some spots and then drifts measuring in feet, not inches.

Major snowstorms over 12″ deep are not terribly common in the New York City metro area. Oh, we do get them. But, not every year. However, the legendary areas south and east of the great lakes are known for their massive dumps of “lake effect” snow, measuring in feet, not inches.

Bottom line.

I’m not moving tomorrow, the 16th.

Here’s the problem. There shouldn’t be a problem moving to Boston and unpacking my stuff inside my apartment. However, the guys have to drive back, and they probably won’t be on their way back until about 4:00 PM, at the earliest. They will be driving straight into the storm and may also hit some ice, plus 45 mile an hour winds, higher gusts, crazy drivers, poor visibility.

It’s not safe. There will be accidents on all of the highways. Or, at the very least, vehicles getting stranded for hours.

Of course, the storm could track 50 miles further south or north, and we might get only a few inches. And, it could start at 8:00 PM, not 4:00 PM.

One of my favorite posts describes pretty much how I feel about winter and a glimpse of what it looks like some years in late MARCH.

Here’s how my living room looks right now.

Oh man, you have no idea how much stuff I’ve gotten rid of. And I didn’t have a lot, to begin with, thanks to Done and Done, who carted away about 20 bags of refuse and donations 2.5 years ago. But, I had another 20 bags of refuse and donations this time.

However, there have been some wonderful moments during preparations for my big move to Boston.

The other day, the most amazing thing happened. A soft-spoken, friendly, young man stopped by to drop off some special mover’s paper. This stuff is amazing, by the way. I asked him if he could put together the remaining five small boxes. No problem. He was on the task. It took him about 5 minutes to do them. It would’ve taken me 50, along with a lot of swearing. Haha.

And, then he asked me if I was giving anything away.

Was I giving anything away?

So smart. Of course, I’m giving stuff away!!!

I said, “Yes, over there,” pointing to a pile of clothes, shoes, etc. A few of them still had the tags on! (mistakes). Some I had only worn once or twice. “That’s the pile for Goodwill. Please help yourself. In fact, I’d be thrilled if you took it all. Would you like a large garbage bag to put it all in?”

I went to grab his tip and met him in the entry of my apartment.

(yes, we both were wearing masks the entire time.) I handed him 20 bucks for his trouble. And, he said “thank you” as if I had just handed him the keys to a new car. Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration; however, the look in his eyes of gratitude as he sheepishly told me he took everything was something I’ll never forget.

We both scored. He got a bagful of things he can give as gifts or to people who sorely need those things. And, I got all of that taken off my hands. It was a huge relief!

Alas, my brief delay in the move to Boston is really nothing in the scheme of things.

Sure. I’d love to get a pic of the CommAve Mall lights through the snowfall– a slice of heaven on earth if there ever was one. But, the lights will still be there next week and so will the snow, probably. I’m just hoping that wherever I am on Monday the 21st, it’ll be clear enough at 5:00 PM to see the infrequent occurrence of Jupiter and Saturn appearing almost on top of each other. They say the two planets haven’t appeared this close together at a time of good visibility since 1226!

You know. I haven’t moved a lot in my lifetime. Well, not since I moved to New York in 1979. And, I’ve never done it alone.

So, what have I learned from this exercise, getting ready to move to Boston?

We have more things than we realize we have.
There are things we don’t know what to do with or where to put when packing.
We find things we thought we’d never see again.
We find things we weren’t looking for and didn’t know we had. haha
I DID need the really big boxes for lamps and pillows.
I appreciate all of my soft down and feather throw pillows and soft fluffy clothes more than ever.

Now what? When am I moving?

At 5:00 PM, after not hearing from the movers since 9:00 AM, I contacted them, and they had no answer. However, the guy called me back 15 minutes later and said they could do it on the 26th, 29th, or 30th.

Well, that won’t work.

So, I found a different moving company. They were going to pick my stuff up on Friday and deliver it on Saturday. But, yesterday, I got nervous about the snow forecast, so now it’s Monday, they will pick up my stuff and Tuesday, deliver it to my new apartment.

I realize that this is kind of a non-post, but I didn’t want anyone to worry or wonder what’s going on.

In closing, I do have THE best news ever!

There is a parking spot for me directly behind my building. Yes, I have to pay extra for it, but it’s less than the cheapest parking garage, which is a 10-minute walk away.

Boston – Comm Ave snow early December 2020 – photo via @skibbleyd83 on Instagram

I can’t wait to take my own photos. Very soon!

I hope all are doing well and will stay safe in the storm.

xo,

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