Day 5

Wake up late, as promised, but with my herniated disc giving me hell. Throw a cup of old coffee in the microwave and grab a cold pack from freezer. Lie down on my stomach and ice my back until it stops shouting at me.

Still experiencing twinges, I walk up to Tim Hortons for some coffee. A walk and a coffee usually help.

Return home and tackle remainder of stuff in the bedrooms. Pack several boxes, disassemble D's baker's rack (which we used as a change table) and Liam's Thomas the Tank Engine play table.

Start on attic. Much more full of crap than anticipated. Still, I approach it methodically and gut the boxes of stuff (mostly mine) that is useless and keep things only of some use or sentimental value. Pause in the midst of this to run down to the NSLSC, grab another coffee and check out the price of the train to Toronto for when I am finally in a position to head out to Ontario.

Price seems acceptable, especially as I get a discount through work. I think that's how I will go.

Head home, return to purging attic. 10-12 boxes become 4 (two of them packed with newspapers containing D's old articles that I would be eviscerated for getting rid of) and I get these, the disassembled furniture, and a host of blankets, scarves and etc into the POD.

Then I break down the recycling and gather up the garbage upstairs into appropriate bags. I cart some stuff I have no interest in keeping but which may be of use to others to the curb. Much if it goes instantly. This pleases me.

I spend a moment upstairs in all but empty rooms. My footsteps echo. I miss the sounds of my family. I pause and look around and I wonder at how easy it was to turn a living home into a tablet onto which another family will scribe their own lives. I feel like a wizard, alone on a mountaintop engaged in the art of transformation, taking what was alive and making it inert.

I spend some time relaxing before I tackle the basement. For all the clutter there is actually little to do down there, but I do it anyway. I change over the laundry and pack a few things and get the boxes and bins in the POD

By my rough estimates there remains about 2% of our stuff in the house, mostly dishes and cooking implements that will probably be packed second to last. I'm pleased by this progress.

Haven't heard from D today. Going to spend the evening not doing much at all. My back is hurting again after several hours of feeling fine, probably because of the intensity of the work I've been doing. Time to ease off, I think.

Back to work tomorrow.

Good weekend.