Once we made it down to the basement, we attempted to move around and take photos, but everything is cluttered and messy. We had two garbage bins by the desks, and a big garbage can down their - and of course, because they're tall and narrow, they didn't just float as the water rose, they tipped over, spreading garbage all over. The plastic buckets and containers I'd been saving for winter sowing floated away from the sink and all over the place. The dozen or so laundry baskets full of clothes are now all across the basement. It looks like something you'd expect to see out of an episode of Hoarders. After about twenty minutes in the basement, Tony said he was feeling lightheaded, and we decided to leave. He is going to try to get time off to be able to photograph things as the basement gets cleaned out. I have no idea how that will work with his current schedule of 50-60 hours this week.
On a better note, we did hear back from the real estate agent. The sellers have agreed to spot-repair the damage to the roof and hope to have it done before the appraiser comes out. I guess that's a good thing. It sounds like we're still lined up for closing May 19th (24 more days). We're crossing our fingers and knocking on wood hoping that everything goes off without any more hiccups. But at the same time, we're spending a lot more on food now that we have no way to prepare it outside of the microwave. The mini fridge doesn't have space for a gallon of milk or a big jug of juice, so we're relying on bottled water and pop (something we don't usually buy). Eating out is wreaking havoc on my digestive system. I need to get back to good home-cooked meals as soon as possible!
Life in a hotel is both fun and exhausting. I love that I don't have to make breakfast, and I don't have to wash the dishes from making and eating breakfast... but I don't like having so much waste with paper plates and plastic silverware all the time. I love that I don't have to clean the bathroom, or wash bed sheets and towels, and the housekeeping staff have been really great so far. I don't like having a random stranger knock on the door every day to come and clean though. Moose had a little bit on an issue Friday when he wouldn't stop barking at the housekeeper (very out of sorts for him, he loves everyone), but beyond that we've been alright. I hate having to take him out on leash - down the hallway, into the elevator, across the lobby, out the doors, across the parking lot to the grass... every 6-8 hours. I'm so used to just putting him out the door, he does his business, and then he comes right back in. He gets his business done right away, I don't have to go outside. Picking up after him isn't such a big deal - just part of life having a dog in a city I guess. With a vet clinic just across the parking lot, they have a doggy bag dispenser and garbage right there. I've been bringing my own bags, it seems only fair not to use up their resources if we are not paying customers. It's good exercise if nothing else. It gets me out of the hotel, even for just a few minutes at a time. For this I am appreciative.
Here's our view every morning.
Tony asked if I was worried that I'd lose the seedlings coming up in my winter sown containers. I told him that I panicked the first year, I worried the second year, and this year I know they'll be just fine. The containers keep them well insulated unless they're big enough to touch the plastic, in which case they wilt or may lose the leaves that touch the edges, but they all bounce back. And since all my seedlings are still pretty tiny, I'm not worried at all. This is what winter sowing is about - the seeds and seedlings are comfortable and safe out there, even in the snow and cold, and they'll be accustomed to the temperature and sunlight levels by the time they're ready to open up and get transplanted. I just wish I had more time and space to get more containers out. I guess I'm officially done winter sowing this year with 70 containers. Less than I had planned, but hey, that's life for ya. I am going to guess these 70 containers will keep me more than busy trying to find places for all of them when we move. It's probably a hidden blessing that I didn't go all-in and plant way more.