If we were spending money...

...I would have hired movers. I would have had people come in, pack us up, put everything in a truck, take it to North Carolina and unpack it nicely. Then I would arrive in NC via airplane, fresh as new-mown hay.

...I would have hired cleaning people. A nice group of professionals would clean our windows, the bathroom, the carpet, the fridge, and I would stand around haughtily, making sure they missed nothing. Then I'd hire another crew in NC. And I'd do the same to them.

...I would have purchased a big slew of boxes instead of haunting R (the convenience store on our corner that only has the letter "R" left on its sign) every half hour for more FIJI Water and Tide boxes.

...I would have flown the cats to our new home. I would have one of those cute pet carriers that you take on a plane, and they would have ridden with me. First class. "Oh, stewardess, another Iams cocktail for Ruby, here."

...I would buy buy buy new things for our new home. New things that as of yet I do not know that I need, but as soon as I get there I will think that I desperately need.

...I would be taking myself out to lunch every day. This house is a mess, who wants to eat something here? Besides, all our cooking utensils are packed. Hello, Boston Market!

...I would treat myself to a day at the spa. Moving is stressful. Where is my masseuse?

If we were spending money and I did all of the above, I would seem like a real ass.

Of course, if we were spending money, we wouldn't have had the cash to purchase any of the above. Also, we probably wouldn't have had the nerve to get rid of Marvin's horrid job, thinking we couldn't live on my income alone for even a month. So therefore we wouldn't even be MOVING to North Carolina.

So. There it is. We have packed most of the house, I have taken down the curtains and washed them, washed the curtains that came with the house, ironed them and put them back up (navy blue and peach curtains. That's what this house came with. Does that depress you as much as it does me?). I have taken a big mop and gotten the cobwebs off the outside of the house. Soon I will scrub and clean every surface, knowing I will never get it as perfect as my tidy landlord gave it to us. All of it for free, all of it done by yours truly.

I keep reminding myself that this was all much harder for Ma Ingalls, although she didn't have to worry about security deposits.