Jun. 1st, 2014

We have definitely gotten more done this morning than most people do all day.

Yesterday was mainly about assessing what was in the space and what we would be able to pack, versus what we would leave for estate sale/thrift shop purposes. We simply can't take everything, and honestly, there's a lot we don't want outside of the paintings, kitchenware, and some small furniture items.

Anyway, we didn't know what we'd need until we saw everything, so last night I sat down with the Home Depot website and bought the supplies -- boxes, tape, rope, dust masks, plate foam, et cetera -- and this morning we drove over to pick them up. I will say this, Home Depot was spectacular; we ordered it online, it was ready for us to pick up at the store, and they had everything we needed except mirror cases for the paintings (we're improvising on that, but I am confident we'll do our best by them). Home Depot: A+ Not Sucking today.

I'm feeling much calmer now that we have packing supplies and a plan, and that we've sorted the treasures from the rest. We get four hours today and nine hours tomorrow to get everything packed and stowed, and then we're done. So I'm going to spend most of today photographing and cataloguing as many paintings as I can pack.

When I was a kid, all the paintings she'd done and hung around the house were just there, set dressing to the presence of my grandparents, who were the main show. As an adult, with arts training and years of art appreciation under my belt, I'm amazed by the variety of her work -- not just style and subject but quality, as well. I don't think one can quite trace her progression in direct terms; I think sometimes she just did a kind of crap painting because she wanted to paint and didn't want to dick around with perfectionism.

Anyway, the next two days will be pretty intense, but I feel like the worst is behind us -- from here on it's just elbow grease, there's no planning or logistics we have to work out.

Thirteen hours of elbow grease, but still.
Documented, wrapped, and packed sixty-six paintings between eight inches square and 20"x40", documented a further eleven (too large to pack, will wrap tomorrow), and only stabbed myself with a framing nail once.

For me, that's a pretty good ratio of action to injury. I didn't fall down any stairs, either, and while "didn't fall down any stairs" is a default way of life for some people, for me it is an active accomplishment.

Tomorrow, having completed my "gallery work", I'm helping Mum pack china and knicknacks. It'll be a push, but we'll get it all done, I think. Fortunately we have helpers coming for a few hours in the afteroon, to actually move the boxes and deal with the piano.

You have to picture me saying the piano the way a Southern preacher would say Satan.

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