December 29, 2008

December 29, 2008

If we needed a reminder of why we spent the last three winters in Tucson, we got it when we made the ride up to Chicagoland. We were greeted with blasts of subzero temperatures and daily additions to the snow total. Don’t get me wrong, I actually like snow; I like to watch it come down, I like to walk in it, and ski over it. I just detest driving in it, and with the stressed local economies cutting back on salt and plowing, it was downright treacherous venturing out.

With that extra motivation we hired a couple brawny movers today to lug all our household goods out of storage and into a rented moving truck. We had gone back and forth on towing the car versus driving separately. Finally deciding it would be more convenient having Aimee with me “guiding” me along, we opted for the added car trailer. Unfortunately after we got the truck loaded and returned to Budget, the trailer had yet to show and the "last day” manager wasn’t sure of its ETA. So we punted and left without it. Secretly I was relieved. I wasn’t looking forward to driving an unwieldy and very long “train” 1800 miles cross-country.

Leaving Chicago in a blustery biting wind we headed south back to my parents home in central Illinois. It was an uncomfortable ride. The rental truck was very Spartan. No CD player and no cruise control. My right leg was almost numb holding the pedal down for five hours. Plus all I could think about was what piece of furniture was getting nicked every time I went over a giant pothole. And there are plenty this winter!!