When we booked our trip back last year, we started a countdown of days, hours, and minutes until we’d be on the plane headed to a much warmer destination.
In the beginning, the days, hours, and minutes just seemed so far off. And the excitement was a distant thought. One to warm us up when we were blue in between the months of waiting for takeoff day to arrive.
We never really know what things will be like until the day of departure. Still, don’t. So, in the meantime, we continue to wait for the weather to happen. And watch the skies for predictions. Because that’s really the only true predictor of what we’ll actually experience on that day.
At this time of year, we can have drastic weather, both in precipitation and in temperatures. In 2004 we had weather with temps reaching 70 degrees. Last two days/nights it’s been in the low teens. We’re expected to have daily temps in the 30’s while we’re gone, so hopefully, the slow melting will continue.
We’ve had record-breaking snowfalls already, with more accumulations on the way, both will affect the outcome of the trip in some manner. It’s like packing too many items in one piece of luggage. The anticipation of TSA pulling your luggage out to be inspected is an embarrassing mess just waiting to happen.
Before we leave, another storm is predicted to bring us 6-12″ of wet heavy snow. What we’ll get depends upon the final course of the storm.
We’re thankful our travel plans won’t be affected by the storm, but, still, we’ve had enough snow already, thank you Mother Nature. A re-route of the course off in a direction where the precipitation is needed would be a welcome sight. We don’t know where to put more snow…?
We’re enjoying tiny peeks at Spring. The rabbits took their first post-snow excursion around the yard yesterday. That’s a sign they’re ready like the clock to spring ahead to Spring, too.
Even if in body, mind, and soul, I’m ready to hop on a plane and get the hell outta here, there are things to attend to before departure day. I’ve still gotta pack. Yeah, haven’t done that yet. I’m apparently into the last-minute thing, I guess. Even though I’ve been preparing for two months now, I should be done packing by now?
That’s beside the point. Sort of…
Back to the snow thing…which keeps popping into my mind. What can I say, it’s blocking my view everywhere I look? It’s hard to get my job done when there’s so much of it.
I’m counting on the slow melting effect this year. As I’ve aged, I warm up to new ideas at a slow pace. Sudden changes in things, kind of freaks me out a bit. Huge dumping of snow this late in the game is worrisome, yet there’s nothing I can do about it. So why worry?
But…we have acres of snow to deal with, and once it all starts melting, things in the yard tend to get consumed with water until the frost rises and the water can soak in. It’s a tricky time of year, but with this much snow…I just don’t know. The closer the trip gets, the more I’ve been worrying.
Then my mind flashes back to the packing I haven’t completed yet. Why? I dunno…’cuz I’ve still got time to change my mind about things. I don’t think it’s just a woman thing. I may be the only one in the family with the problem, though?
Yesterday, after talking with one of our travel companions, (a 30 year younger version of Me and Mr., aka, daughter #2) I have my doubts about what to, or what not to, pack for the trip.
“Mom, you should watch YouTube videos to learn how to fold.”
I listened intently to how daughter #2 condensed her travel items into a backpack and a shared duffel bag with her significant other.
Huh…Mr. and I have plans for one checked monster (recently purchased), two carryons, and two personal bags.
Yikes…we thought a shared checked bag was a major lightening of the normal travel load.
All I’ve got going for me so far, (after watching the helpfully suggested KonMari folding videos, for a decent rabbit hole timeframe, including the actual act of folding everything a couple of times), is a pile affectionately named, ‘you’re probably taking too much stuff’ options, folded tightly as possible.
I’m sure they’d fit in the suitcase, ‘cuz it’s bigger than the clothes basket full of items queued up to be placed into the luggage. But, I haven’t calculated the weight of said items. Do too many optional swimming suits weigh that much? Crap…maybe I should’ve kept the bikini?
It’s like I’m living in a time-warp weathering (whether or not to) experiment that might go bad. No matter how pretty it looks on the outside, there’s a packing storm of some kind brewing inside. At least I can count on needing lighter clothing, it just has to be warmer than it is here, once we get past this storm…
In the meantime, in just 24 hours we shall see what kind of storm we’ll actually get. And then I’ll start packing. Maybe…we’ll see…if I don’t do it soon though, there will be a whole different kind of storm to deal with. I can just hear it now…
Post Inspiration – Sick of winter, worrying about what is out of my control instead of what is in my control.
PS – When you travel, do you worry about your home and the weather you’re leaving behind? How far in advance do you have your luggage packed? Do you use KonMari’s folding method? What is the first sign of Spring that you’ve seen in your parts of the world?
Great post 😄
Thank you!!
Fingers crossed you get to your sunny destination with no weather-related hiccups–or hiccups of any kind. Hope you have a wonderful time, and take lots of pics!
Thank you, Rebecca! I plan on taking lots of photos, and doing lots of chillaxing in between! 🙂
Big Marie Kondo fan here. Her folding methods are genius. That said, I haven’t packed either…we have the last minute packing thing in common. 🙂 Today I’ve decided it’s time to lay out clothes and get organized. We need hiking clothes and warm weather city clothes, so it’s going to be a challenge, as we are carry on only people (2 weeks in Europe with DH trained me). We’ll see how that goes. Ha! I hate wearing hiking boots on the plane, but they’re kinda bulky. No good option there.
The only real sign of spring would be longer days. Single digits here, too, and more snow approaching. I do worry about home while traveling. We have crappy well water, and our water system rivals a small municipality. I think we need to try cutting electricity to the whole thing, but I’m not sure what the side effects of that are, so we have a bit of investigation to do. Hoping there is a lot less snow when we return.
I fell in love with her folding method after trying it. Now I don’t want to mess up the items that are neatly folded. I’m tempted to see if we can fit it all in the carryons. We just looked at the cost of the parking at the airport…so returning the luggage could pay for that! 2 weeks…only carryon…you’ve inspired me to fight with myself harder about what I’m taking or not!? I don’t have boots to worry about, just flip-flops and sandals and running shoes… Dang…
This weather and preparing for aftermath is concerning here, too.
We’ve got so much in common, I’m so thankful you share your thoughts with me!!
Hmmm. DH just informed me that trekking poles aren’t allowed in carry ons. This could be a game changer. Ugh. I hate checked luggage. But he’s insisting the poles come along…
Oh, no! Dang rules! Are they cheap to buy and/or resellable or rentable?
He has a set from his time doing Search & Rescue, and he just bought me a new pair. I think I’m stuck using them. Ha!
Yep, you’re stuck. Now you can take an extra outfit though… ;-)!
I also put everything in laundry baskets ahead of time. It looks like less that way. It is really hard to NOT take something you feel is important. Sometimes I have to ask myself…”what’s the worse that would happen if I need this and don’t have it?” The answer helps me decide. TSA will sometimes go through your checked luggage for whatever reason. When they (randomly) inspected ours recently, the first thing they reached into was dirty laundry!! Ha!
I pack the day before – late. When we owned a house, I had concerns about the weather – especially going away in March – just like you do. Now living in a 2nd floor condo, not so much!
LOL – that’s exactly what I’m asking myself right now…what’s the worse that could happen if I didn’t have ____!? That’s awesome that they had to go through dirty laundry…I guess that adds to the reason the TSA wear gloves! I’ve been packing and re-packing and still negotiating with Mr. We’re gonna get down to just carryons one way or another. So we hope! 2nd floor condo sounds very comforting about now!
I use the rolling method myself – I couldn’t watch the Marie Kondo video for more than a few seconds, as I don’t have the inclination to do the love-giving thing on clothes. I tend to drastically over-pack, unlike my sister who is a minimalist in all ways. She creates outfits and rolls them all together – pants/shirt/cami/undies. We normally stay in places that have laundry facilities, so she takes the bare minimum. The most luggage she ever takes is a carryon suitcase and a tote bag. She is my travel mentor lol.
LOL – yeah, I sped past the ‘love-giving’ aspect and just took technical points. I’m a dubious minimalist former girl-scout kind of packing traveller. Everyone appreciates what I remembered to bring. At the same time enjoying that they didn’t have to carry it. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, I love hearing perspectives!!
Enjoy your trip, Shelley. I’m not looking forward to my upcoming trip to Miami. (https://theceaselessreaderwrites.wordpress.com/2019/03/08/lost-in-the-fog/)
I don’t worry when I travel usually, but in this case I do ’cause I’m leaving the family behind. I pack the day I leave & fold my own kind of way. The Boss plans and packs ahead. First signs of spring here: the hated Bradford Pear trees in our neighborhood are beginning to bud. Soon they’ll be stinkin’ up the ‘hood then shedding their dinky little white petals everywhere. I hate, hate, hate Bradford Pears. If I’d known how horrid they are when I bought my house in 2004, I never would’ve bought it.
Safe travels!
Thank you, Denny – thanks for your link to your plans too. Bummer that you’re not heading somewhere fun with you family! If I’ve ever seen a Bradford Pear Tree I wouldn’t recognize it again? Sorry they are so messy – we have some kind of tree that spreads white fluff in the spring, not sure what it is, but it’s a messy tree too. Safe travels to you, too! See you on the otherside of the beach when I get back!
When left unmolested, Bradford Pears, which produce a small, round, persimmonlike but as far as I know inedible, fruit, will produce a pear-shaped canopy, hence the name. They have an overabundance of roundish, thick, waxy green leaves and a very dense canopy that prevents sunlight sufficient for grass to grow beneath them. Oh, and if not trimmed periodically, their trunks have a tendency to split and fall on houses & fences. My neighbor has two in her yard bordering my property that she has NEVER trimmed, both of which are in imminent danger of falling onto my house & fence within the next few years and that have completely destroyed my lawn on that side of the house. Grrr…
Your distain is palpable. I shall never.ever.ever get one of those trees! 😉
Heck, don’t take my word for it, see what the good folks at Southern Living have to say about ’em: https://www.southernliving.com/garden/grumpy-gardener/i-just-hate-bradford-pear
LOL that’s awesome!!
Trees from hell…
Oh yes, I always worry about my residence when away. I suppose your going to get what Denver has recently been hit with recently. How do you do it! 😮🌴🌵
Yes, the joys of home ownership! I guess we’re getting something from your direction. It’s crazy…we’re going crazy too…but hopefully real Vitamin D will help with that!
I doubt you’re going to have a flash thaw while you’re gone. Go and enjoy. The weather will be there when you return.
I’m counting on your expertise on this! We had one year where it rained on top of the snow and flooded our basement. That was fun. And we were gone when it happened. But, I’m not thinking about that, right!?!
Seriously, woman. Stop thinking about stuff like that. You’re going to step your toes into warm saltwater in a few days – that’s all that matters.
I need to keep hearing that I guess! My daughter scolded me yesterday, “Mom, stop worrying!” I’m getting close to ‘no worries mon!’
I take too much with me and I refuse to be cowered into packing less. Your new luggage looks incredible and durable. May it hold all that you want and then some! Tender mercies…
Thank you, Ally! The luggage is very durable. The decision has yet to be made about if we’re taking it or not. The mental challenge of going lighter is getting more and more attractive after all of the snow shoveling that Mr. has been doing. If it comes down to me lifting it, we’re going lighter. If he’s lifting it, we’ll see. 😉
I can’t deal with loving up my clothes. It just looks like ironing with my hands. Hope everything fits and you get on your way effortlessly. Have a marvelous trip!
LOL – I’ll find out if that loving thing is necessary or not, I skipped that part…! Thank you!!
Eeek! That is a lot of snow. Can’t wait till you get to warmer lands. Hopefully it’s all melted by time you’re back.
Yes, lots of snow. I will enjoy warmer climate for a bit. While I’d love it to be gone before we get back, I’m okay with a slow melt to avoid flooding! Thank you for stopping by to share your thoughts!!
I’m a “pack early” sort of gal. Paid off last trip when our local flights to Sydney were cancelled and we had to leave in one hour for a flight that day!! I’m a big fan of vaccuum seal bags. You get so much more in them!
Thank you for sharing your tips, Lesley! Oh, my, if our plan suddenly had to leave early, I’d be waving at it fly by…! I better pack today!
I don’t have TV and yesterday a fellow blogger mentioned Marie Kondo and showed a video of her in conjunction with Spring cleaning – today it is you and packing. I dunno but she is a millionaire with her methods – so there’s a little bit of madness for you. Have a wonderful trip Shelley!
Thank you, Linda. Yeah, she made millions on people who can’t get organized on their own. Once I get back from my trip, I’m going on a self-organization mission to prove something and then I’ll contact Tostitos for a marketing deal and then I’ll be a millionaire too. LOL!
Sounds like a plan to me, especially the last one. Might be better than playing the Lotto. I have abysmal luck with even winning four numbers and forget about scratch-offs either.
LOL! Me too, I have yet to win, and yet to buy a scratch-off…what are those odds? 100% right?
The odds are so pitiful and the worse your day has gone before you go somewhere where there is a Lotto counter and the bigger your odds, you’ll buy one. I do lousy on the scratch-offs too. A boss was leaving the Firm and I bought him a card and put a scratch-off inside and he won $100.00 – well I got lunch of that ticket at any rate.