I think this week’s countdown can be described as “sleep-deprived zombieland.”

The end of our fourth countdown week saw us taking away our dogs’ big wire crate where they’ve happily slept at night for several years, and putting them in their spacious travel kennels to sleep. It wasn’t a happy experience, for them or for us.

To put it mildly.

Week of November 27th

House Repair

Hallelujah, the bathroom tile job is done! The final tiles are in place, grouted, cleaned, and looking great. Just a little touch-up paint needed around the edges and we’re in business. That was a project that — as with many such — took on a life of its own and became far more time- and labor-intensive than we ever anticipated.

We have an appointment with the rental agent this week to come and actually list the house. Now we just need to keep it clean, clean, clean for showing while we continue the packing and sorting.

Packing and Organizing

My husband has started going through his clothes, books and other personal items, sorting, discarding and making decisions.

We have another bag of clothing at the door ready to take to Goodwill. Where is it all coming from? I didn’t think we had that much. . .

I also spent some time at our credit union, arranging for automatic bill payment and discussing the recommendation letter we’ll need from them in order to open a local bank account in Panama.

My big task this week has been sorting through files. I’ve pulled out the documents we need to take with us, and have another stack of documents to photocopy or scan. For example, our life insurance policies can stay in storage, but I want to have the information for paying the premium or making a claim.

Selling Stuff

The items I listed on eBay didn’t sell, so now I have to figure out another way to dispose of them. I’ve decided not to attempt to sell any more individual items. Instead, we’ll save it all for the big sale at the end.

Moving the Pets

I thought the whole sleeping-in-the-new-kennels thing would go smoothly. The dogs have had a couple of weeks to get used to having them around, they’ve been happily going in and out for treats and toys, they’ve spent brief periods inside when I’ve had errands to do during the day.

So yesterday we took out their familiar wire crate and moved the kennels into its old spot. (Well, its old spot plus quite a lot more floor area.) At bedtime, the dogs cheerfully entered, got their treats, and I headed off down the hall for bed.

Then one of them started whining. Then crying. Then yipping. Then barking. He kept it up, with short breaks for water, all night long. Of course, the one who was carrying on was the one in the kennel by himself. Remember, the airlines absolutely won’t let us crate three of them together, which is what they’re used to. . .

So today my husband and I are stumbling around like zombies. Remember that newborn baby in the house feeling?

The oldest of the three dogs seems to like the smaller kennel (he’s gone into it several times on his own), so maybe tonight we’ll try him by himself and put the whiner together with the youngest in the larger kennel. . . I’ll let you know how that goes.

Maintaining Our Lives

This is getting trickier.

Now that the end is in sight, my husband’s getting much more impatient with his job. And I’m finding it harder to focus on my writing when I have all this cleaning, sorting, packing and organizing screaming out to be done.

We’ve also got all the extra social engagements that go with Christmas. Coupled with the fact that we’re trying to see a lot of our friends while we still can, and we’re pretty busy.

It sure will be easier to handle if the dogs don’t keep us awake all night again!

In any big move, there are always one or two tasks that seem the most daunting. For us, obviously, it’s the whole business if putting our pets on an airplane. What’s the toughest part of a big move for you, and how did you handle it? Leave a comment!