Moving, Part Six

I have pointed out that during my caregiving days much else didn't happen. While my husband had been active in home repairs before 2008, I just held on and studied how to be a caregiver, not a manager of taking care of the home. After his death there have been a lot of repairs that have needed to happen inside and outside to put the house on the market.

First off was getting rid of rust stains and installing a new water softener.

Rust on right

Drip made it worse

During my husband's illness, I was not proactive about maintaining the water softener. The result was RUST in sinks, showers, on clothes and in dishes. A whole set of dishes will probably be thrown out.


Pharis had some tricks of the trade, however, to get everything back to normal. Pharis and my brother also got hair out of the drain so the water would go down better in the shower, as I had so worried about it spilling over onto the floor when I showered.

Paris was able to clean the tub and the shower with CLR first
and then the Fast Orange.

Quite a difference from before.  

Old garage door

The garage door was repaired before the first January garage sale and now it secures the next garage sale later in February.

New garage door works like a charm and
allows easy access for garage sale set up. 

Outside in addition to yard maintenance, Pharis has been painting. The house looks fresh.

Jose and John of Admiral Carpet Cleaning

Now for the rug cleaning. According to the realtor at first, the rug had to be torn out and the concrete painted. Then we came down to a compromise.  She recommended a rug cleaner, Admiral Carpet Cleaning (813-654-1397). My main task was to clear the den so it could be cleaned by February 7th when my brother scheduled them to come to the house.

Jose and John were very efficient and were out of the house in less than two hours; Ziggy hung out at Sally and Jake's house while the rug was cleaned and dried. Jake was at the Plant City Senior Center and Sally and I enjoyed a lunch in western Tampa with a $25 gift card I had given her for her birthday--at TGIF Fridays. I thought there was a close one when I selected this gift card, but I was wrong. We talked and talked and as I drove and drove. It would have been too hard for her to use it with Jake and I thoroughly understood remembering days with my husband. Mental note: be careful when you select gift cards for people. I will really miss Sally when I move, but at least she has learned to text now!

Now my rooms are very spacious with clean carpeting because large furniture has been sold and other furniture has been moved to the garage for the garage sale or the workshop for the move.







I have boxes and newspapers! I got them from Strawberry Crest High School where I substituted in January. The cafeteria ladies regularly gave me boxes to fit into my SUV. Those boxes are ready for me in the workshop--some packed and some ready to be packed or repacked and labeled. Of all the times I have moved before, this seems to be the most complicated, but there is a saying You can eat an elephant a bite at a time.

Meanwhile I have another challenge.

Can you teach an old dog new tricks? 

Before

It turns out with my busy caregiving days Ziggy has not taken advantage of two doggie doors in the house to go outside to do his business. John and Juan got out stains and the house smells great. But by a leg of the piano he did a horrible thing. When the piano was moved, it left this.

Admiral Carpet Cleaning did a magnificent job of the other stains, but the acid went to the concrete leaving a hole to the concrete.

After: less than an inch to the concrete that I have to re-carpet. 

Admiral Carpet Cleaning Recommends Club Soda

This morning I caught Ziggy! He peed on my cleaned carpet by that chair leg! He is getting retraining so I can keep this fresh carpet smell! Used that club soda this morning. 

Stay tuned for further reports on my packing,  

retraining Ziggy and 

of course selling and moving!