The manager of my old apartment building and I have been in contact about my eventual move out, and all is going smoothly. We reached an agreement: I'm almost never there, and he will want to find a new tenant as soon as is practical. Therefore, I agreed that the manager could go ahead and start renovating the apartment while I am organizing the move out. In particular, the kitchen, which has gone unused for years in my absence.

I was there this morning, and the kitchen has experienced a major de-clutter: all the appliances and cabinets were gone. There were only the walls where you could see where the cabinets had been attached. And already, in the living room on the carpet, the new refrigerator and stove (range plus oven) were sitting and waiting while the new kitchen cabinets were to be installed.

There was only so much work I was able to do, as the cabinet contractors showed up with their truckful of cabinets while I was in the apartment sorting and discarding more stuff. And that is all right, time is on my side even if the management is in a hurry. I spoke cordially with the manager who was running around installing cabinets and appliances not only in my old apartment but in the apartment across the hall as well.

My next apartment, although it is so much smaller, looks much more welcoming with all its renovation done and everything spotless.