Hi Folks, 17 January 2021
Still packing, seems like the more I pack, the more I find to pack. Is this a never ending project? It sure seems like it. One problem is I'm on the anal side when it comes to doing most things; in this instance the boxes, must be heavy duty, which I'll explain later. All new boxes have to be assembled (yes, new boxes are not fully assembled when you buy them) meaning, the bottom end must be closed and secured before you can put stuff in them and expect it to be there when the boxes get to their final destination.
First thing I do is glue the flaps with strong wood/carpenters glue (Titebond II or III) and then tape with good quality clear heavy duty packing tape. You will need something to weigh the flaps down so they become firmly secured to each other. Once it has cured start loading; when full, secure the top in the same manner the bottom was secured. Be sure you have something covering the goods inside so glue won't end up on things you don't want it on; this goes for the bottom before loading and the top before closing. Yesterday's news paper works well as does wax paper.
The final step is strapping the boxes, going around the top and bottom. I use poly strapping with metal poly strapping seals. Why the metal seals? This stuff isn't being mailed (metal seals not permitted by the USPS) so metal seals are OK. I'm sure you have received a package with strapping and no visible seals. Yes, that is the ideal; the overlapping ends are thermally welded together. I looked around a good bit and finally found the tool to do that task, weld poly and polyester strapping. Works very well, is easy to use and saves time. It automatically tightens the straps welds the straps together and cuts the strap on the strap supply side. This is an efficient way of doing this job and produces a very fine outcome. The down side is about $3000.00 for the device vs. about $200.00 for the manual tools and seals. Since this is a "one time" project, we didn't see an overwhelming need for the high tech tool. Yes, I'd love to have it and it would speed up our packing, but not $2800.00 worth.
Ok, it's later. I use heavy duty boxes because the low priced boxes cannot stand up to heavy loads, rough handling, stacking, and a myriad of other issues. I had packed some boxes two years ago in anticipation of this move (yes it has been a long time in coming), buying the low price standard boxes sold by Home DePot. One of them has split just sitting on top of the stack, the others that have boxes stacked on them are crushing and bulging at the seams. It was a penny wise and pound foolish mistake. If I were going a short distances and no rough handling was possible, the low priced boxes may have sufficed. In our instance Heavy Duty is key to getting our belongings safely there and minimizing the risk of damaged and/or lost personal belongings and/or household goods.
We are using a portable container from a company called "Cool Box Storage" headquartered in Tucson Arizona (kind of handy as Arizona is where our stuff is headed). The container is 20' L x 8' W x 8' H, 1280 cubic feet of storage and is sitting in our driveway. We sure hope this will suffice for the stuff we have going to Phoenix. Our cars will be shipped via an enclosed car hauler. I met a couple, wife and husband that have a huge enclosed trailer with two decks (stacks the cars) and living quarters behind the cab of the Semi Truck that pulls the load. It's as fully equipped as a fine motor home. The whole rig is over 80 feet. They haul vehicles all over the country most of the year. They seem to enjoy their profession and lifestyle.
Looks like closing date is 29 January unless the Escrow company finishes their work earlier. . . . . I hope. Everything is in place, financing has been arranged, paperwork on our side is done, so it's a waiting game. The house is vacant and will need some remediation as the owner is a smoker and that's one item Dena nor I can tolerate. I know, I'll go off on a tangent here, but I cannot understand how anyone can smoke knowing what we now know about this horrible addiction. I smoked in my younger years, quit 05 March 1969, almost 52 years ago. I and all the buddies I grew up with smoked. They didn't quit and all are gone. Why'd I quit? I smelled so bad after coming home from a long business trip, where I had been driving most of the day. Once home I tried to take a nappy and couldn't because of the strong smell of stale cigarette smoke on my clothing, not to mention my breath. That was my epiphany; haven't smoked since, not even one drag. Had I not quit when I did, I know I wouldn't be here today. When I have an "Echo Cardiogram" the damage from the approximately 10 years I smoked is still evident. Contrary to what Linde says on the Refuse site, damage from smoking does not heal, just stops from getting worse.
That's it for this edition. Back to sorting and packing our stuff. Hope all of you have remained safe and healthy. Take care all.
Best Always, Love
Christine
