Here’s the summary with the requested annotations:
The author describes a difficult move across the Western United States in a 26-foot Penske truck during the summer with four cats. The journey, expected to take sixteen hours, stretched to over thirty due to the heavy load and challenging mountain passes. The author had to leave behind a sofa, old TV, and a Vespa, though the Vespa was traded to a mover for assistance. This move was a repeat of a similar experience 21 years prior, driving a 20-foot Penske from Austin to Boston while towing a car. The high cost of professional movers, quoted at $13,000, made doing it themselves necessary.
The author details the challenges with the cats, including a misdelivered cat carrier and the cats chewing through another, recommending hard carriers. Despite the stress, the cats behaved well in motel rooms and the author managed to prevent one from escaping the moving truck. The author transported a significant amount of belongings, including over 50 painting boxes, 120 book boxes, sixteen bicycles, four easels, a piano, and a functioning water slide (jokingly).
Following the move, the author is now living with a friend in a 1500sqft house, having previously lived alone in a 1700sqft home that was being sold. Due to the current housing market, they can no longer afford the larger space, except possibly in Wilkes Barre, PA, and had to store half their belongings in two 10x10 climate-controlled units.
The weather is described as extremely hot, with temperatures around 107 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The author contrasts this with the harsh conditions in Carson City, NV, Mark Twain’s former residence, where strong winds and wildfire smoke made driving dangerous. Upon reaching tahoe, the smoke cleared, but the descent was challenging, compounded by missing an exit due to Google’s bad directions. The author felt on the verge of a breakdown upon arrival.
Unloading the truck was another arduous task, taking eight hours even with hired help. The storage facility was an hour away, and the unloading process was described as difficult with “alligator pits” (figuratively). The author experienced extreme thirst and nearly passed out. To ensure the truck was returned by 7:30pm, the author ended up doing more loading than the professionals in the final hours.
Upon returning the truck, the author’s exhaustion was so severe that their arms were numb and hands tingled for days. The author expresses gratitude to Mike Hogan, who drove their car as backup and helped pack book boxes, stating they wouldn’t have made it without his assistance. Thanks are also given to Justin Kaysing, a mover from Taos, who charged half the price of California movers.
Despite the efforts, the author is financially strained, with maxed-out credit cards and declining donations due to not writing. They are launching a fund drive, described as a reminder to support the “web kitty.” They assure no pop-up ads or other solicitations will be used. The author is back on the computer and plans to resume writing soon, posting a guest paper and their own paper shortly. They express hope that others are faring better and that things will improve, noting that Solar Minimum is over and charge will be rising for years, signaling a new era for mankind.