Vacuum Packed

The packing continues. Scoob went on an excursion today to Best Buy and Wal Mart to see if he could get the empty boxes they use for shipping DVDs. I'm still not clear on why we need these specific boxes, but I know he'll feel more comfortable about packing them if they're going into what he sees as an approved container. I've moved once before with the man and have lived with him for nearly 8 years—I think I've learned when (and when not) to keep my opinion to myself.

Case in point, the tutorial I received this afternoon on how to use a packing tape gun. I really, really wanted to remind the man that I worked in a warehouse and know perfectly well how to use a packing tape gun. Ditto for the shrink wrap lesson. But I kept my trap shut and just smiled and nodded. It was far less painful than the ensuing discussion would have been if I had opened my mouth, and left us in exactly the same place. (I still need to work on keeping my opinion out of my eyes and off my face, though.)

Scoob also bought a tool bag while he was out. You see, he's gotten frustrated with how he can never find the tools he needs when he needs them because they never seem to be put away in the same place twice. Hmmmm. I've only been saying the same thing for YEARS and have suggested on multiple occasions that we purchase a tool box. But again, I kept that comment to myself and helped him preen about his acquisition and what a good idea it was.

While Scoob was out on his mission, I was busying myself with my latest move-related purchase—Space Bags. Before he left, Scoob pulled all his bulky winter jackets and clothes out of the closet and we used those as a test run. Apparently we're easily entertained because we vacuum packed and re-inflated the bag several times. So while he was out, I went through the linen closet, an old chest we have, and my armoire, bagging up all the extra towels, bedding, and sweaters and sucking every last puff of air from them.

The Space Bags are much heavier that I thought they'd be, so I won't be packing them into boxes like I planned. But the stuff takes up so much less space. Or it did until Madame Barf-O-Matic decided to taste test one of the bags and punctured it. Duct tape. ☺ Now the bags are in the garage where she cannot get to them.

I found a few things I had forgotten shoved to the back of the armoire, like a little plastic pig with bubble gum coins inside. But the strangest had to be the little zippy bag filled with turkey bones. Not just any turkey bones either, a very specific wing bone. Don't ask me why I thought keeping the bones in my armoire with my clothes was a good idea.

So, you might be wondering what in the heck I was doing saving turkey bones in the first place. No, I didn't start practicing some new version of Santería or Voodoo. One of my college professors, who is Shoshone, was constructing a traditional breastplate for his grandson using, you guessed it, turkey wing bones. Similar to this one made with (most likely) hairpipe bones.


Before Thanksgiving one year, he had asked all his students to save these particular bones from their birds. And since I cooked turkey fairly frequently back then, I ended up having several sets of bones. I've thrown them out now.

Scoob has been packing up his magazines and books and even moved his weight bench down to the garage, which has really opened up the living room floor again. I so should have thought that purchase through more before getting it as his Christmas gift a couple years ago. Even though I measured the footprint of the space available for the bench and double checked it against the product spec, I did not take into account the added room necessary to be able to swing weights while using the bench, and as a result it ended up in the middle of the living room floor.

That's our exciting weekend so far. We're going out for Korean food with our neighbors tonight. But I did want to tell you about lunch today. So I remade The Tomato and Snap Pea Couscous Salad recipe and added some sliced red bell pepper and about a tablespoon of cumin and used this Brown and Wild Rice with Quinoa grain mix from Safeway in place of the couscous. Super, super yummy!