Please, Let Me Out!!
A Synopsis of Our Final Days in El Dorado Hills
January 9th thru January 10th, 2023~
Day 940 to 941
We left around 6:00 a.m. on January 9th from Wayne and Katie’s. Thankfully, even though we were surrounded by snow for miles, at least it wasn’t snowing, allowing good visibility and dry roads, enough to get back over the pass from the valley.
As we headed west, we knew we were in for some pretty nasty weather as California continues to get pummeled by storm after storm. With about 600 miles of driving to El Dorado Hills, it would be a long day.
We just took it slow. We had some dicey spots when it started to snow pretty good (while it was my turn driving). But the section we were most nervous about was Hwy. 80 at Donner Pass. We kept checking road closures since they’ve had to close the highway numerous times in the last month from these relentless storms (California is 600% of normal so far this season). Our timing was perfect as we’d later find out, Highway 80 was shut down the following day. We had made it!
After 10 hours of heavily concentrated driving, we were exhausted and ready to get out of the car, hoping for a little relaxation. But with only 1 full day left at my mom’s before hitting the road with the trailer, there was still just too much to be done. From the moment we arrived, we hit the ground running. While mom worked on dinner, Jeff got things organized for the trailer while I worked on emptying unwanted garden pots that I hoped my mom’s yard guys would take while we were gone. I had them lined up on the side of the house, but not one taken. The plan is to donate this truckload of garden stuff tomorrow. There is one potted plant I couldn’t destroy…..my mom’s olive tree, so we’re hoping my mom’s neighbor Jerry will find interest in it.
The following day went exactly as I had anticipated…..hectic and stressful. In order to repack our truck to get back on the road tomorrow, we still had a truckload of gardening stuff to take to Goodwill with a multitude of other errands to run. When we drove up to the Goodwill Express, only 5 minutes from my mom’s, had a sign on the door that read, “We’re sorry for the inconvenience, but we are full at this time. Please check back tomorrow.” Tomorrow doesn’t work. So on to the next one about 15 minutes away. They were full as well. After 2 additional stops, we were about to give up until one in west Sacramento was accepting donations. In the end, it was an extra 40 minute drive, but so worth being able to empty the truck. I really didn’t want my mom to have to worry about it all, nor did we want to unload everything back into the garage.
The delays set us back a bit, where we didn’t get home until 3:00 which didn’t allow Jeff enough time to take care of the projects he had planned at the trailer storage. The remainder of the day was spent packing up, measuring furniture for my mom’s move, making to-do lists and staging the whole house for my mom.
I think she’s happy with how it all turned out, and I’m certainly pleased with how much we accomplished in 2 months. We got everything done we planned on, except having a little more time to visit. Mission accomplished and what teamwork!!
I think it’s safe to say that she’s ready to list her home any time.