RoughCollie Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 (edited) After many 12 hour days of unrelenting physical labor, the bookstore is en route to PA. DS2 volunteered to go with DH because someone has to help DH unpack all those books. That will take forever, and I just hope that all 186 bookcases DH took with him will fit into his new office space. He was given a floor plan which does not jibe with his memory, but I did the best I could to lay out the bookcase placement with what I had to work with. I could fit in only 145 bookcases. I won't be in PA with the rest of the kids for a few weeks, so there is nothing I can do about this latest wrinkle. Brag alert! I am real proud of DS2. He worked very hard and steadily to help us cull, delete and dispose of thousands of books, and then to help pack the remaining 32,500 books. This was his first (and hopefully last, for awhile) experience with working 12 hour days, and it was exhausting. Certainly, he is not looking forward to the many hours it will take to unpack and shelve the books, but he cheerfully volunteered to help DH because he was the only one in the family who was able to do so. It helps that DS2 volunteered at the library, so he is well-versed in how to properly shelve books. He also voluntarily gave up the vast majority of his book collection to lighten our load for moving. When I packed his belongings on Sunday, excluding clothing, they fit into two fairly small boxes (15 x 10 x 12). DS2 stepped up to the plate when we desperately needed him. He has always been like that, friendly, helpful, good attitude about hard work. The other kids helped us a lot too, but DS2's output was pretty darned close to the combined efforts of his siblings. He is an amazing kid ... a bright star at an otherwise dreary and exhausting time in our lives. RC Edited June 9, 2009 by RoughCollie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 :grouphug: You all have my best wishes! I am so sorry your family is struggling. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 One more step on the way to your new home! That's great that ds2 is stepping up to the plate so well. Praying for you all. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 That is awesome for your ds. We will continue to pray for you and your family. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted June 9, 2009 Author Share Posted June 9, 2009 (edited) Oh, boy. DS2 just called. They are at our new house (it won't be a home until I get there and turn it into one). He is kind of freaked out. He said there is no crime rate there, because there are no people, and if he does anything wrong, he alone will be the one and only perpetrator of a crime wave. There are cows across the road, all you can see are fields. A farmer and his wife live "back there somewhere, beyond the fields". The landlord's father was there to give them the keys. This guy is so nice, he would give you the shirt off his back. DS2 confirmed that: The man (who is in his 70s) was wearing a vest with no shirt. I asked if DS2 could see his stomach: "Yes, Mom, otherwise how do you think I could tell he wasn't wearing a shirt?" Call me old and not clued in, but even I have never seen a guy wearing a vest with no shirt. I've never seen a guy shirtless in public unless he was at a beach or the pool, for that matter. I don't think my kids understand what "the country" is. They had in mind something like the mountains in western Mass, where we've gone for vacations. Frankly, so did I (I've never seen this place). This town is in the flatlands, which in western PA, probably means hilly. I reassured DS2 that there is a town there -- it's 10 miles away and he'll see it soon because DH will have to drive there for supplies and food. Right there are 30,000 people for DS2 to get to know. :001_smile: DS2 had culture shock when he went to Atlanta last summer, and now he's having it again in a different way. He is definitely a Yankee. Imagine that! I, a Southerner, have Yankee kids! :001_smile: RC PS What do I do if the kids hate it there? Edited June 9, 2009 by RoughCollie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 He'll start having fun and love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in MD Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 ......He is kind of freaked out. He said there is no crime rate there, because there are no people, and if he does anything wrong, he alone will be the one and only perpetrator of a crime wave. My 15yo was just complaining about being an only child. One of the problems was that if anything went wrong or was damaged, we knew who the culprit was without even asking :D He decided to try to blame the dog, but we aren't buying that the dog drew on the wall with a ball point pen. :D:D .......PS What do I do if the kids hate it there? It will take time for them to adjust, but the more enthusiastic you are, the easier time they'll have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted June 10, 2009 Author Share Posted June 10, 2009 I am Mrs. Enthusiastic. I am starting to feel like the lone prophet, though. Kathy, tell your 15 yo that mine would each like to be an only child. They wrote on walls with ballpoints and sharpies in their day, but they signed their work with each other's names. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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