Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

On Sunday, two of our friends, Agent Smith and his wife, The Costumer, gathered a small group of volunteers at their home to assist with their move to Northwestern Pennsylvania.

The Gryphon and I were the first non-family members there, just in time to help Agent Smith to move a number of heavier items onto the truck, such as the couches and various other pieces of furniture. The Costumer's father also assisted with this task.

I helped The Costumer and her mother with organizing and additional packing. We packed up the rest of the items in the kitchen, then headed up to the bedroom to pack up clothing.

A lot of smaller items had already been moved when The Costumer moved up there earlier this month. She has a new job with the state agency for which she works. Agent Smith had stayed behind to sell the house, which took a month or so.

I also made a run to the store with The Costumer to pick up some more boxes and some water for the crew. We talked along the way about her new job, the baby they're expecting, and my wedding plans.

By early afternoon, more volunteers had arrived, including The Dormouse, The Martial Artist and Batman, as well as two other friends of the couple that I'd met once before.

The men did most of the heavy lifting, while we women concentrated on packing and organizing. But even the guys got a little downtime from the heavy stuff, such as when The Dormouse helped Agent Smith stretch out a hose before rolling it up for storage.

Another fun item they found in the storage shed out back was Agent Smith's bike, which he found it was easiest to ride to the moving truck.

The guys had a knack for keeping things fun. They spent some time tossing around unusual names the couple could name their son, such as Socrates or Rasputin. Names no one would actually use, which only made it more fun.

At about 1 p.m., The Costumer ordered some pizza for us: two with mushrooms and one with mushrooms and sausage. I had two slices, which was very filling, along with a bottle of water.

The Gryphon and I could only stay so long, because we had to pick up our dog, Una, from the pet sitter, where she'd stayed overnight. Also, The Gryphon had a meeting of the Philadelphia Area Gaming Enthusiasts (PAGE).

We did have enough time to help move some boxes, chairs and other items from Agent Smith's office, which was one of the last rooms to be packed up. When everybody took a bit of a break to joke around and talk, I got a shot of The Costumer on the stairs.

We bid them good-bye and told them to come back and visit. I wish them well in their new life on the other side of the state.

Copyright 2006 by Alyce Wilson

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