Like So Many Others, I Had Become a Slave to the IKEA Nesting Instinct

And what will you do in Yuriatin? Just live!

Part of our motivation to live in Samara, Costa Rica is:

• To live, insofar as possible, off the grid.
• To end the verbal bombardment by Republican and Democrat pundits. Somebody make it stop! Rusty and I remain almost total opposites, politically . . . so we cancel-out each other and can leave the U.S. without fear of drastically tipping the scales of American politics. Whew! 
• To lower our cost of living while increasing our quality of life (yeah, everyone says this -- I know).
• To wake-up every single morning and ask ourselves, what do you want to do today? Do you want to built a snowman . . . whoops, wrong movie.
• And (this is the big one) to simplify most aspects of day-to-day life, which is why we're packing at least four or five pallets of goods . . . at about 450-plus pounds each! So what's the key to this paradox? As previously stated, I like my things and need (or at least want) said things in order to be comfortable and serene. Not too much, you know - just more than enough. Incidentally, when was the last time anyone described me as serene? 

The good new is that Rusty and I are in almost complete agreement about what to take for the inside of our home. Almost. As for the outside . . . that's the Horse of a Different Color you've heard tell about. If we don't get a garage built within a few months of our move-in, I'll go stark raving mad.

Our Texas home is 90% packed, except for the items that will remain for staging when the home is officially listed for sale in about three weeks. This doesn't mean that the boxes have been removed and placed into storage, but at least packing is almost complete. 

Some of the things I managed to bring with me . . . little pieces of wreckage. 

Of course some furniture must remain until the home is sold and closed . . . such as a bed. But the den television might be sold . . . and sold quickly before Rusty notices. I smile when I think of the Craig's List listing: Snag this 50-inch television now, quickly before my husband comes home. 

Yes, there's a reason I've told Rusty that this blog is full of nonsense and not worthy of his time. As anyone wedded for any length of time will tell you, a happy marriage is made-up of little white lies, lies by omission, misleading statements, and, oh . . . true love. And a big dose of willfulness, humor, and the patience of Job. So I'm making true packing progress . . . and, golly, the ring and necklace that I sold on eBay will certainly lighten my load. Progress -- this is true except for Rusty's domain: the garage. Don't get me started.

This is the part where I complain and express my more-than-usual sarcasm. Isn't eBay the greatest thing since sliced bread? Doesn't Craig's List confirm your belief in humanity's goodness? I awaken every morning wishing that I could have just one more garage sale. Not so much.

Saturday we sold our 250 pound wood-burning pizza oven, on Craig's List, to a very nice couple. Very nice, truly. Though I must say that for every honest person I deal with on Craig's List, there are 100 who want to scam me. No joke. I should write a blog called Craig's List for Dummies: How to Spot a Scam a Mile Away. 

Yesterday we bid adieu to the barbecue grill, also with Craig's List to a very nice gentlemen. But as with the pizza oven, I dealt with about 95,000 nuts before I found a nice buyer. Rusty sold a few motorcycle parts on eBay and is prepared to list several motorcycles . . . though I'm not holding my breath. This morning at the Post he got a lesson on How shipping that $2 item on eBay is far more trouble than it's worth. Throw-away that crap! Honestly, honey, at this rate the garage won't be emptied until 2016. If we could get just once decent Friday, weather wise, I'd have another garage sale. Until then, it's eBay and Craig's List. 

Now here's the real irony of this situation. As we're doing our best to eliminate unneeded or unwanted possessions, one of us still has an eye on patio & poolside furniture. I refuse to let it go . . . and this is my bargaining chip when Rusty announces that the tools from the garage will take-up two pallets. Here's the magic of our moving company: I can order anything on the Internet (IKEA, Wayfair, Amazon, Lowe's) and have it shipped directly to our mover's warehouse in Miami, where it will be placed on a pallet and shipped to Samara. You see where I'm going with this, right? Golly, darling, I can't imagine how those crates of outdoor furniture got here. Elves?

And so the update on our move to Samara. Now raise your hand if you can count the number of movies from which I've taken quotes in this post. Anyone? Is it sad that my life and thoughts pour forth in movie quotes? Ah, well . . . lo que hay.