Moving the Furniture from the U-Haul Truck and Getting It Set Up

November 16, 2025

On Tuesday (November 11), it was bitter cold in the morning. By the afternoon, it had warmed up to just cold.

Bruce decided to get the U-Haul truck in position for the movers. We put Nox inside her crate so she wouldn’t get hurt. Bruce drove the truck around back, opened it up the back to show me the two pieces of the hutch hadn’t moved.

Bruce backed the truck up and got it lined up with the door. He got the ramp extended, confirmed it was in the right place, and had me hold it up while he backed up. I moved with the ramp to get it into the house. Once the ramp was in the house, Bruce looked around the inside of the truck and decided we should try to move the two pieces from the truck since they were on furniture dollies. I was very nervous since the truck was inclined downward. Bruce thought he could handle it.

He was right! With both of us directing the pieces, the incline helped us roll the pieces into the dining room.

Bruce removed the wrapping put on by the first movers, four years ago. Everything looked great! The glass shelves and glass doors arrived safely. I oiled the top of sideboard with teak oil to remove any dust since the hutch was going to be placed on top.

We put the truck ramp away. Bruce drove the truck to the driveway in the front and parked it out of the way of the movers.

We discovered the cold had broken the birdbath. I was sad about the birdbath and took it as a lesson learned. Bring in the bowl!

The east and north had beautiful reflective light from the sunset.

Nox was let out and she enjoyed doing Nox things.

Bruce moved the pieces in place so it would be easy for the movers. I had put a flat split extension cord in place so we would be able to access electricity from each side of the sideboard and hutch.

We were worried that we hadn’t heard from the movers yet. The owner called around nine to set up a time. He offered to send his guys at 10:00 AM instead of the afternoon. We were happy to agree.

On Wednesday (November 12), the movers called to let us know they were 10 minutes away. They arrived at 10:00 AM.

The two movers got the sideboard in place. Once in place, they went to move the hutch in place. Bruce told them, “You can’t slide it. It needs to be lifted in place.”

They got it up and started to slide it. Bruce is telling them to stop. One stops and the other keeps going. They have scratched the top of the sideboard because they slid it.

This was not good. The sideboard and hutch have a teak veneer with an oil finish. They no longer make this piece of furniture. We paid enough for it to buy a nice used car or a cheap new car. Between it and the dining room table and chairs, we could have purchased a fancy new car.

They did manage to pick the hutch up and move it into place, but the damage was done. “Oh, you can just go to Lowe’s and get a furniture repair kit.” Bruce disagreed, saying, “ It is teak with an oil finish.” He then said we needed to have someone come out and repair it in place.

Bruce and the movers put the side pieces in place.

I was so angry I was feeling sick to my stomach. I wanted to yell at them and cry. We paid good money for them to move it and they damaged it. Bruce was mad as well.

I held it in until they were gone. Bruce held it in as well. Bruce looked at the scratches and tells me we could lightly sand it and oil it. My response was, this is a gouge here. We can’t sand it out. What if we make it worse? Let’s see if we can’t find a furniture repair specialist. He agreed.

Bruce let Nox out of her crate and took her for a walk.

The movers called, offering to go to Lowe’s pick up a repair kit and repair it. Bruce turned them down.

I realize this is a first world problem, but it is my favorite piece of furniture and we paid the best rated movers in the area to move it. They damaged it. If they had just followed Bruce’s instructions, it wouldn’t have been damaged.

Okay, then. After both of us venting, Bruce suggested returning the U-Haul truck. Bruce drove the U-Haul truck and I started out behind him in our truck. I got about a mile down the road and turned around. I couldn’t remember if I closed the garage door. I remembered thinking I needed to close it, but did I actually close the door? I slowed down so I could turn into the driveway if the garage door was open. Nope, it was closed. I continue in the direction I was traveling and went a different way than Bruce. I arrived at the U-Haul office before Bruce. I just had time to start the check-in process when Bruce arrived.

After the truck was checked in, we decided to go to a nice restaurant and relax. We went to Odette in Florence. Their food and service was impeccable. It was so nice and allowed the ball of anger in my stomach to unwind.

When we got home, I oiled the rest of the sideboard and hutch with teak oil. Bruce suggested I oil the scratches to see how they looked. I said, “No, I don’t know if that might make it harder to repair.” I also oiled the teak tables and chairs.

I am going to refer to the sideboard and hutch, as a hutch now that they’re together.

While I was oiling the furniture (I had forgotten what a big job it was!), Bruce hooked up the leaf sweeper to the mower and swept up the purple magnolia leaves. The wind had blown almost all of them off the magnolia tree. A few stragglers hung on, fluttering in the light breeze.

On Thursday (November 13), I moved the bucket garden from the shed. All the plants looked like they did when I put them into the shed. Yay! Success! I removed the deep mulch and hoop row cover. Most of the plants looked fine. In the mulched area, a few plants didn’t make it. The mulch must’ve been shallow over those areas. Bruce helped me and he was happy to see how well everything came through the two days of bitter cold. (I know the 20s F isn’t considered bitter cold in other areas of the country, but we are now in the South!)

Bruce said he thought it would be fine to fill the hutch. We would find someone to repair it in place. I put Nox in her crate after almost tripping over her as I carried boxes into the dining room.

I spent a good bit of the day opening boxes and putting in my china from my Great-Aunt Hazel and our crystal in the top of the hutch. Bruce put in some of the crystal glasses, see the middle and bottom shelves on the left side of the picture.

I filled up the base as well. I emptied so many boxes. I alternated from happy to put things away to being mad about the scratches

I took a break and walked Nox. Nox was happy to do Nox things.

Bruce decided to set up the solar panels and battery system we had bought last year. I was thrilled to get it out of the dining room.

While I continued to put things in the hutch, Bruce was out front picking up sticks. He came in saying, “I come bearing gifts.”

My lovely friend, Jeanne from ajeanneinthekitchen.com, sent me a present for my birthday! Jeanne, thank you! Hugs!

Bruce and I sat out on the front porch for a while after I filled the hutch.

As the sunset, I took a picture of the paperwhites blooming.

We had a beautiful sunset.

On Friday (November 14), I looked at the hutch and decided I could put some pitchers up top. Once the pitchers were in place, I considered it for a bit. I liked how it looked. After admiring my work, I had another idea. I could put the statue of the chipmunk up there, as well as the glass “fishing net” balls we bought on Jekyll Island, Georgia.

I saw the donkeys out back, so we took Nox to see them. Oh, she wanted to go play with them! Our neighbor was putting up an electric fence to keep his cows from eating his fruit trees and the donkeys were hanging out with him. We chatted briefly with him then let him get back to work.

We saw the cows by the fence in the front. Bruce carried Nox down to the cows.

Bruce put Nox on the porch while we checked the mail.

She was happy to see us return.