2013 Missouri Trip: Day 7: Setting Up the New Home

(Tuesday, March 5):  After a good night’s sleep in our own home, we got up, fed the cats and played them to let them know we hadn’t fully abandoned them in the past week.

Then we packed up our futon and futon frame to take down to Patty so she would have something comfortable to sleep on in the new house until the final move in May.

When we arrived at the house, Patty met us at the door with the exclamation “I can’t find Rainbow!”  Apparently Rainbow the Calico cat had gone wandering in the house and found someplace to hide.

After a little bit of searching we found her on the first floor of the house, in the Utility Room, under the sink.  There was a hole in the side of the cabinet just big enough for her to squeeze into and she had curled up in a little ball to go to sleep. 

With Rainbow safely away from the main door, we began the process of unpacking the UHaul trailer.  When we were ready to leave Columbia on March 3rd, this is what the trailer looked like:

It took about 4 or 5 hours to pack it in Columbia … and about 30 minutes to unpack it in Akron.

Unfortunately, we didn’t take many pictures of the unpacking, so all we have is a couple of photos of removing the final boxes.

Walking the final box into the house …

Closing up the trailer for the day!

We used the “Dining Room” as the staging area for most of the boxes from the trailer.

Trolley caught up on her beauty sleep in the conversation pit of the house.

Her mother, Lady Bug, slept peacefully on the floor of the conversation pit.

We set up the “Great Room” of the house so Patty could watch TV.  At this point, the cable installer had shown up and was busy outside the house running wires.

Patty and the wogs relax with Flat Panda Bear in the Conversation Pit of the Great Room.

Patty tries out the Intercom System / Radio.  It takes a couple minutes for the tubes to warm up.  The cable installer is in the background.

We setup our Futon in the study so Patty would have a comfortable place to sleep for the next couple of months.  (She spent the first night sleeping on the bench of the Conversation Pit.  Definitely not a long-term option.)

The AT&T installer showed up at the appointed time and began wiring the house for phone and internet.

We sat with Patty and helped her make a list of “startup” items that would make the house habitable for the next couple of months.

Rainbow and Muse kept to themselves in the drawers of the Master Bedroom Walk-in Closet.  They really love that area.

Late in the afternoon, we took our final poses with the UHaul trailer so I could drive it to the Akron office and return it.

Bye, Bye, UHaul trailer!  The Akron UHaul terminal was only about 15 minutes away.  The Jeep sure does drive better towing an empty trailer.  For that matter … the Jeep drives better with NO trailer attached. 

As the day wound down, we went out for dinner at Five Guys in Fairlawn.  We also made a quick run to Target so Patty could stock up on a few of the items on her list.

Afterwards, back at the house, we installed a baby-gate to keep the dogs off the carpet of the Master Bedroom.

Apparently, Lady Bug can fit through that little “cat door” that Patty is trying to fit through. 

Eventually, it was time for Sue and I to leave and head back to Cleveland.

The main adventure was over at this point.  From here on out, we will be visiting Patty on weekends helping her to prepare the house for Chris and all the rest of their belongings later this Spring!

More pictures below!  (Click on any photo to enlarge)

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