May 6, 2013
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A Moving Experience
Yesterday we got up and had a rather leisurely breakfast before hitching up the trailer and heading out in the van for Dallas. All of us except for Mercy went. We ate lunch in the van on the way and arrived at Flynn’s apartment early in the afternoon.
While the manly men moved furniture from Flynn’s second-story apartment to the trailer, I packed up Flynn’s kitchen. Once the trailer was full, we drove all of 300 yards down the road to Flynn’s new apartment complex. Now everything had to be carried up to Flynn’s new second-story apartment. I stayed in the new apartment and started setting up the kitchen while others made two more trips to bring all of Flynn’s furniture and appliances to his new place.
Walter set up Flynn’s bed in his new bedroom. The new place has a little loft which he has already set up as an office with his computer desk and chair. The new apartment is probably about the same size as the old one, but it feels more spacious because of the cathedral ceiling in the living area.
It certainly does not have a spacious kitchen. In fact, I have a strong suspicion that the architects who design apartment kitchens have never so much as boiled a pot of water in an actual kitchen, let alone had to make a sandwich or chop some vegetables. There are a few inches of counter space on either side of the stove–enough to hold a coffee maker on one side and a blender on the other. There is an actual counter beside the sink–just big enough to hold the microwave but not big enough to also hold a dish drainer. The toaster oven has to be stacked on top of the microwave. There are two miniscule drawers, neither one of which is actually large enough to hold a standard silverware organizer. This is not a kitchen for someone who likes to cook, and neither is any other kitchen I’ve seen in an apartment. Good thing I don’t live in an apartment!
We have a family tradition, dating back to our first night in our “old” house, which is that we must have hot dogs for the first meal in a new house, because on that night in 1994, that was the easiest meal I could think of to make with what I had on hand. The kids insisted on hot dogs when we moved into this house of course, and Flynn had hot dogs on his first night in his first, second, and third apartments.
So last night there was no question about what to eat for supper. Flynn had already laid in a supply of hot dogs and buns, and there was chili and chips also. It was a convivial meal as we perched wherever we could find a spot to sit (Flynn has a lovely dining table but does not use it for eating at).
We left soon after supper, satisfied that we had helped him get most of his moving done. He still has a few odds and ends at his old place, and of course will need to clean there, but he has all week to do that.
Today Mercy and Spencer both started working full time for the summer. Spencer is working on the paint crew on campus, and Mercy is working at the library during the mornings and on the paint crew in the afternoon. They are both carrying on a family tradition too. I worked on the paint crew the summer I got married and have always been grateful–knowing how to paint a room is a valuable skill to know!
I could delay no longer–I ordered the fabric for Mary’s wedding dress today, not having been able to find what I wanted here in town. Like it or not, I will have to use it!
Comments (1)
I absolutely agree with you about apartment architects, that is one of the many reasons I am so happy to be out of apartments. In the first apartment we were in, the kitchen was similar to what you say about Flynn’s, but the bathroom had two sinks and probably 4′ of counter space between them. If it had been anywhere besides the bathroom I would have been tempted to cook on it. Also, I understand there isn’t much space, but couldn’t they at least combine the little scraps of counter top they have instead of chopping them up on either side of the stove and sink?
I often ended up using the dining table when I needed to bake or roll something out. I kept as many appliances off my counter tops as possible and the one almost decent sized amount of counter top I called “sacred”. In my little house I now have more kitchen than most mid-sized houses. I love it very much.