Change the Goal and Declare Victory

Today was the second big push day, or at least it was supposed to be. I have to tell you I can't even tell anymore if we're getting anyplace. I mean, I know that 2 of three bedrooms are complete, both bathrooms are complete, the living room is 90%, the dining room is 90%, the kitchen is 90%, the basement is 80%, and the third bedroom is 50%. The family room and the garage are a different story.

Actually the garage *might* be fairly far along too, it's just too hard to tell. If there was a clockface on the roof with 12:00 pointing down the driveway, then I have done all the way to 9:00, so that would be 75%. Except that the middle of the space is choked with other crap.

In the face of all the work left to do today we moved the goalpost some and decided that anything that counted toward "memorabilia" we would leave until after the contractors do their work. That let my sister go tomorrow without feeling like she's leaving me underwater as well as (almost) giving me a list for the near term. I need to finish the third bedroom, finish the garage, and get the place ready for the crew before Monday.

If I do that, I can take a week off ( to go back to work :-/ )

Today's biggest kryptonite was a box of Niles West yearbooks from my Dad's first several years of teaching. He must have gotten a book each year and his students signed it like I remember signing other kids yearbooks in High School. Right, we'll put that right in the trash... not.

I did feel today already like I was throwing away my Dad's life work. Binder after binder of lesson outlines and transparencies into trash bags. I've been cross that nobody wanted them, but after looking more closely I understand why. The outlines are dated, nobody uses overheads anymore, everything would have to be updated and scanned - it'd be a full time job for quite a while. Still, it was an interesting reality check as a teacher. My lesson plans are nowhere as fleshed out as my Dad's were. Something to strive for I guess.

To did:

1. Called the accountant.
2. Made up some boxes
   
3. Ran another load of books to the library.
4. More moving/sorting/saving/purging.
5. Set up an appointment with another estate person, I'm probably wasting her time.
6. Went to the bank to wind up something actually related to my Mom.
   
7. (I didn't do it but) Jess took some pieces to a consignment store.
8. Consolidated some of my "save" items.
9. Boxed up some papers for storage.
10. Made a run to Goodwill - I was hoping to skip this today, but there was bulky stuff in my way again.
11. Started to break down some of the sorting operation in the garage.
12. Consolidated memorabilia items for later sorting.

Jess really pushed hard to the end of her trip. I hope I can kick as hard for the rest of the week.