ALL SPACED OUT

After nearly 27 years, I am about to experience 'Empty nest' syndrome.  My little girl, (who has towered above me for the best part of ten years,) is moving out.  I am sure that I will miss her terribly, but at the moment, my focus is on what I can do with the extra space.

It is very true, I will be unable to gauge whether my television is too loud, and I will not know what to do with the extra time I gain, not having to find the 'other' sock.  Nor will I have to refrain from making 'far too much noise' in the kitchen, at the unearthly hour of ten in the morning! 

The current house rule is 'she who gets out the ironing board, does the ironing'.  Amazingly enough, Samantha's washing day has been reduced to one day a week; or more to the point, one evening, namely Thursday.  This generally means that the clothes are completely dry, and aired, by Saturday, which coincidentally is the day I have opted to 'go to press'.  I am sure that the extra time will be absorbed into something that I will not be able to account for, but I have a strange feeling that there will be less of a loss of cups, mugs and glasses, which mysteriously disappear over a period of time, and then reappear in my sink, or if I am really fortunate, in the dishwasher.  The list goes on, and I have a new found sympathy for my mother. 

However, I digress.  Samantha has a new place to live, and Saturday was 'mother's inspection' day.  After the morning's chores, which included an inordinate amount of ironing, as many items of formerly lost apparel, appeared once the packing had started, we headed out to the new abode.  The car had been loaded with more boxes of DVDs and books, clothes and cookware.  Passing several blocks, all of which had apparently been viewed, and discarded, reasons for which I was given along the way, we reached our destination and as I drove in, Samantha pressed the slim gadget on her sunshade, and a garage door opened. 

Mother was suitably impressed!  Mother was further rather envious at the very spacious laundry room, yet moderately amused when considering how long Samantha will be spending in her super new facility.  After the guided tour, we left to go and buy the essentials that were not already provided.  Attempting to house her shoes and clothes was going to need an additional apartment.  Unable to resist a 'freebie', she has collected enough t-shirts to clothe Texas, and then go on to the surrounding states.  The feet of an army of centipedes could be shod with her shoes.  Finding storage features was not going to be particularly easy. 

Our first stop was 'Ross, Dress for less'.  Having never actually bought any items of clothing in this store, I have spent many a happy hour browsing their houseware section, which always seems to have the most interesting and diverse equipment.  Unfortunately, storage was not their strong point, although I did not leave empty handed.  I was strong; I did resist; my propensity for buying unusual articles for the kitchen had to be quelled, as I had budgeted specifically for my daughter.  I consider stores such as these to be my 'casino's'.  I take what I have to 'lose' and do not allow myself to
'win' more than I can afford.  I convinced myself that I needed some new towels for my half bathroom, (which bright spark thought that one up - it's a toilet!)  and avoided the temptation to buy more beautifully crafted artistic mugs.  Samantha was less successful and left with nothing. 

Stop two was TJ Max, (the English equivalent being TK Max).  Although we didn't have success in the storage department, we did find some totally useless object, all of which could not be left behind.  Bed, Bath and Beyond, and Kohl's did not satisfy our demands, but we left far from empty handed.  You can never have too many oven-to-table casserole dishes! 

Our next stop perhaps should have been the first.  The fact that the store is called 'Home Depot' should have been a big enough clue, but we were not being as astute as perhaps we might.  A large warehouse, with bright orange and white letters just screams, 'do it yourself', but is somewhere that I visit when my 'half bathroom' is blocked, or I need a key cut.  Much as I enjoy the challenge of doing it myself, the store means necessity rather than fun. However, the depot for all things housey was the answer to our predicament, and we left with the perfect piece of furniture. 

The mini was holding up very well as it transported us and our wares back to the apartment, and I backed into the garage, as the electronic door slid up overhead.  Back inside, we dropped off the articles that were going to stay.  We put the new towels on the new free standing towel-holder, and the strawberry cruet set in the kitchen.  'You need to get rid of all these empty boxes, before you move any more things in.  Start the way you mean to go on'.  My mother's words emitted from my mouth with such ease, I frightened myself.  I think Samantha was both amused, and concerned.  If I was turning into my mother, did that mean that, in time, she would become me?  Oh the horror.  We both dismissed the moment and moved on! 

Before going to Walmart, we took a walk around the complex.  The swimming pool was quite large, and surrounded by lounge chairs.  The gym was locked, and as Samantha did not have a pass-code to hand, we were unable to inspect the rather gruesome looking apparatus.  I waved at all the passing cars, pointing to Samantha and mouthing the words, 'new tenant', as we took the boxes to the 'trash compactor'.  I was more and more impressed with this complex.  The dog park was just a little further on.

Walmart was, as always, interesting.  A woman whom I assumed was talking on a 'hand's free', broke out like an unwanted blemish, stating that she could not find the all purpose cleaner that was advertised on the television.  Continuing, she commented that she had looked along the aisle and it did not seem to be there.  Still unable to find what she was looking for, she directed her question at me. 'Do you know what I am looking for?'  I resisted the answers, 'love'; 'a man'; 'sanity'.  I smiled and waited for another question to be posed.  'She wants the cleaner you see on the TV.  Cleans everything from the sink to the curtains'. (I think she said curtains, perhaps it was 'half-bathroom'!)  Unsure as to whom 'she' was, I pointed her in the direction of the cleaning aisle, and as we turned the corner, we saw 'she', sitting in her wheel chair, waving a bottle of bright coloured liquid, and shouting; 'This is it!'  On espying the original lady once again, looking confused, by the toothpaste, we retreated hastily! 

Having purchased a few more items for the new place, we returned to our current home, where Dana had been watching television with the dog.  Dana admits that he will miss the dog!   I am trying very hard to be depressed, and sad at the end of an era, but every cloud has a silver lining.  The list of things I can do with two extra rooms, and time gained from not searching for lost kitchenware, is endless.  I am not sure what plans I have for Samantha's room, but it shall be put to good use.  The spare room will once again become 'spare', once the overflow from the former bedroom has been removed. 

The old saying is true, when your offspring flies the nest; you don't lose a daughter, you gain a tremendous amount of space, and a good deal of sanity.  I will try not to smile too hard, each time another box is removed.

As the official move date is not for a few weeks, we are going to have some quality mother-daughter time tomorrow, as it is a public holiday.  We may make a few unscheduled trips with more boxes, for my own amusement, but we plan to take advantage of 'ladies day' at the gun range, before making a quick trip to the mall...just because.  With another four day week looming, I am sure I can find enough strength to write.....another story.