This weekend, I drove up to Culpeper to get my grandfather's couch (my couch, which I bought at the DAV shop 2 years ago, was in a sad state.)  I took a cargo van (which was not what I had originally reserved.  I had reserved a full-size pickup truck.  When I called to confirm the reservation on Thursday, I was told I had a reservation for a full-size car.   If they had not been able to come up with a suitable vehicle, I may have attempted to use said car as a transport vehicle.)  The cargo van reminded me how well Fords drive.  Responsive steering.  Also?  It is my belief that Ford vehicles have the best AC systems.  (Note:  I don't drive a Ford.)

Anyway, drove up to Culpeper.  The couch was loaded into the van by my uncle and his brother-in-law.  (His mother-in-law was there, and there was no way that she was letting me load the couch when there were capable men within a 25-mile radius.)  I also helped paint the kitchen (they are fixing up my grandfather's house for sale.)  I also laid claim to the two pictures he had had hanging near the fireplace- they are photographs of rural VA.  I'm planning on re-framing them and putting them in my bedroom.  They'll play nicely off of the celadon walls.  (Oh, and I now have my grandmother's mortar and pestle.  Yes, there have been times when I needed one.)  Sunday, we went to Luigi's, an Italian restaurant in Culpeper.  I had smoked chicken and mascarpone ravioli.  Yummy!

I came back Sunday, and MW came up to help me get the couches switched out.  We took the banister down to give us more maneuvering room.  (Note to TRgirl and Randy:  we put the banister back up when we were finished.)  Moving the sofas went fairly smoothly, probably due to the fact that MW planned how to accomplish the objective before we started.  He must have learned that somewhere... 

After the new couch was in the house (and the old one in the van), we let the cats out.  It took Ri several minutes to notice the new piece of furniture, but once he did, he checked it out and then curled up and slept on it.  Jasper came downstairs, saw (and probably smelled; my grandfather had a dog and a cat) the new couch and went back upstairs for two hours.  He came back downstairs while we were watching Patriot Games and checked it out, sitting down between us several times.  (It should be noted that MW has become Jasper's second favorite person.  Apologies to Mom and Cdub.) 

We took the old couch to the convenience center to dispose of it this morning.  The center is south of the city, in a less-developed part of the county.  On the way there, we passed several large houses and were discussing them when MW became distracted.  Someone had put up a large (the thing even had guy wires) amateur radio antenna in their backyard.   Thought we might have to clean the drool out of the van before we returned it. 

When we got back?  Jasper was sleeping on the new couch.