Food prep, first. I was so happy with my efforts at getting
food ready and handy for the 3 days and I actually didn't even use all that I
prepped. My breakfast (read the food prep post) was ready to just open up and
splash with milk each morning as soon as I was ready to sit, ready for possible
visitors. The snacks actually lasted not only the 3 days, but into the next 3
days, so it was great. Having food prepped and ready after the fact was far
better than being hungry and tired and not feeling at all like putting
something together during one of those labor-intensive (for me) days.
Sorting, next. In the past, what I always did was carry 4 boxes
down the driveway and plop them in front of the two long tables and the two
card tables, then plop everything from one table into its box, and so on. Then
I went to the other side of the drive, and did the same with what was left on
top of the boxes I'd upended and used for "tables." The problem with
that was that I always ended up stashing 10 or 12 cartons of unsorted
"stuff" back in my shed until I got the ambition to go in and re-sort
them all.
This time, I thought I'd be smart.
I already knew I'd need a box for Safe Nest (a local
charity) and a box for a dear friend who has less than I do and her family
loves it when I drop "stuff" off and at least one box for the shed.
Along the way I also realized I had a few things that would be great for the
local homeless. I had quite a few braces and bandages (for knees, elbows, etc.)
so I tossed them in that box.
Anyhow, I labeled the boxes and walked down to the first
table, grabbed stuff, walked back to the boxes and tossed some things in one
box, some in another, and so on. I think you are probably already ahead of me
here. Wait for it - it took me 1-1/2 hours! I was too tired to realize I was
wasting energy walking back and forth and back and forth.
The good thing was that I only took 2 boxes back for the
shed instead of my usual 10. Another good thing was that the boxes on my drive
are sorted and packed and being disbursed. The bad thing was that I didn't work
"smart" and put a, say, Safe Nest box, down near the tables and just
pull off the SN stuff and fill that one, then so on. I could have put one box
per destination down there, filled it, and made it easy. I did learn from it,
and I did save my re-sorting, for sure - I am very happy about that.
But I found my feet so sore by the time I carried the last
folded table to the back, and by the time I carried the 2 2x4s back (I had them
on the ground as supports for a bunch of upended cartons which served as
"tables") and then the 3 cinder blocks (supporting the 2x4s), that I
could barely walk the 3 houses down to visitor parking to retrieve my car.
By the time I got the car back to the driveway, I gazed at
the 4 back steps and figured if I could get myself up those, and into the
shower, I could probably get myself out of the shower. I already knew what I
would have for dinner - one of my freezer meals was defrosted.
All in all, it went well until the end. I'm not sure if I'll
do the one in October. I think all I'll have left then is tons and tons of
crochet (mine) and knit (Jane's and even my mom's from the 40s!) patterns and
craft notions and perhaps Christmas stuff. Hmmm - sounds like enough for just
one more time.
Gotta at least give it a try and I have six months to heal and
to prepare.
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