I know I have written about Al’s 27 pound Mackinaw lake trout that has hung on our wall some 20 years.  Today I took it down and packed it.  That is probably one of the funnier things I’ve done during this process of moving.  Packing a fish.  It’s one of those things you don’t envision yourself doing when you’re seventeen.

What’s even crazier is that the fish is part of the family, having been dressed up for Christmas and Halloween over the years.  I’m a little wistful and glad she is coming with us.  We had her pretty high up on the wall the last few years and I think the next place she’ll be back where we can reach her better and have some fun again.

She is among the last things to come off the wall now.  A few clocks remain but that’s about it.  It’s getting down to bare bones here (no fish pun intended).   I am down to things I need to live – clothes, kitchen utensils, although most of the glassware was packed yesterday.  Called the piano mover today and that will happen as soon as we have a rental house in which to put it in SoCal.  The Salvation Army truck arrives this week to haul away all the donations.  Then another run to the dump and another run to the storage unit.

Then…the cleaning.  Don’t ask.  One room at a time, right?