The move is nearly done. A few more things to sort out at the old place and lots of sorting at the new, but most of the hard labor is complete. I finished putting up shelves this evening, and now I have to figure out how to organize them.

Already, the back yard is looking better with just a few or our plants stuffed out there.

My little toe is slowly getting better. It is all black and blue, as is its mate, but it no longer hurts much except when I try to walk.

I am going to shut down for the night and relax a little before going to bed. It has been a long exhausting weekend. I do not enjoy moving.

We spent the night at the new place. It is a lot quieter than the old place though I don't know why. We are one block away from a semi-busy street and three blocks away from a highway/main road through town. We are further away from the interstate and L288 so that may explain the quietness. We must have become acclimated to the noise to notice the silence when we arrived here last night.

All our big stuff is here now. We have some small things, a few plants, and the lawn equipment to bring over. I was going to mow the lawn at the old place this morning, but won't be able to. Last night around 6 it started raining and was still raining when I passed out at 9:30. Awesome rain.

The big tragedy of the night was me breaking my little toe on an easy chair that I was too dumb to avoid. So, now I hobble around whining a lot about it. Can't do much about broken toes except whine, so I am making the best of the opportunity and working on being the whinging champion.

I was able to find the coffee stuffs this morning and will take that as a sign that I might have a successful unpacking day.

Today's to do list:

1. Dig up a few plants at the old place and move them here. Haul over the potted plants as well.
2. Clean up the old places back yard.
3. Set up my office desk.
4. Wash some clothes. I need to think about what I will wear to work next week. 
5. Cook a great Channa Masala. Harder than it sounds as I will need to find all the requisite spices.
6. Remove the shelves at the other place and install them over here. Installation includes a few more steps due to the new landlord wanting slats put in place.
7. Set up my computer

I likely have forgotten/missed a whole whack of stuff that needs doing, but that will get me started.

It is a beautiful morning. If I was not half crippled and unwilling to put on footwear, I would be sitting out back enjoying the morning.

One final note: We are closer to the train now. One just ripped through town and reminded me of how close we really are. Kind of nice to hear it so clearly.

Life is crazy.

Just when I thought everything was safe and sane, Carol demands we relocate our stuff. So, relocate we do. :)

Today we should mostly finish moving across town. We have a new house that is smaller and older. It is 2 blocks from where Carol works. This should save us a great deal of money over time which is important seeing as how student loans will be coming due. While the new place is much smaller, it does have a larger back yard for me to play in.

The temperature plummeted yesterday. Earlier in the week it was over 100, yesterday I left work and the temp was 76. I was wishing I had a jacket on. I have become acclimated to the warmth and I am not looking forward to the cold weather that is on its way.

I am enjoying my part time job. Students are always fun and it has been interesting to observe the different teaching styles.

If anyone has a free couple of hours, you are welcome to come move stuff. Or better yet, come clean!!

I have a part-time job. I will be working in a library and getting paid, so even though the job is not ideal, it is still great. I start in just a few days, and I am a little bit excited!

I have also volunteered at the local public library for a few hours. That will start next week as well. Both of these will get me out of the house and mingling with real people. I have been feeling a bit isolated lately, too much time locked inside.

Given the lateness of sunrise one might assume summer is nearly over. The forecast high for today suggests otherwise. 107. In my short, three year residence here, this is the hottest and driest summer. Most residents have given up on keeping their lawns green, though there are the occasional spots where the watering continues. It gets expensive quickly though. Especially if you factor in the high cost of AC which becomes a neccesity not a luxury at 107. I often wonder how the old timers managed before AC when cooking required the use of wood/coal stoves. Misery.

I am actually sitting outside this morning, enjoying the weather. It won't be long before the sun rises and it becomes necessary to move inside, but for now it is pleasant to sit out here.

A few crickets are cricketing, one bird has begun its morning cry, though it sounds like it needs coffee more than I do.

I need to rake the back yard again (4 bags of leaves last week). They are dropping leaves to try to help conserve water. Kinda like us humans lose excess clothing in the heat.

Some good news: Carol passed her dissertation defense. She has some changes to make before final submission to the grad school, but she is essentially a PhDer now. She resists the title Dr. claiming it is not official just yet, but she really is a Dr.

I woke u this morning to discover that we were getting some rain. Not sure how much we got, but it was a refreshing break from the monotony of heat. The real bonus, of course, is that I did not have to water plants for the first time in two months. It was not enough to break the drought, but it sure is welcome.