Coincidence? I don't think so.

I don't think we were scheduled for a blue moon this month, were we?

Mary, go pour yourself a tall one. Well, if you have to wait until after Easter, then have two :)

It's just not a coincidence that I wrote out my ten good things for the last week today.

Last night the Vampire's friend, Lou, came here to look at my house to see if he can lend me a hand. I figured on a mid-four digit figure to have a professional come do my work, which is why I have been getting up every morning and grabbing paint brushes, rollers, spackle, sandpaper, screwdrivers, primer, hammer, and axe. Remember the axe? The tire iron?

Lou went through the house quickly with me. He wanted to know everything that I need done, and I figured he wanted to get paid to do it all, and I was trying to tell him that I will be doing some of the work too, as I need to keep the cost down. He called me this evening, and I didn't return the call for a few hours. I figured we weren't on the same page, so why set myself up for disappointment. I had spent about 3 hours today sanding and respackling areas in my family room (hey, I am still learning. It's a slow learning curve!). My back aches, I feel the muscles pulling and burning, and I am getting bursitis twinges in my shoulders.

We won't even talk about what drywall dust and sweat does to my hair, OK? If you need the formula for gorilla glue, email me.

I have been feeling bad ever since Child was so rude to me yesterday. I have decided to put myself up for adoption as a result.

So I finally called Lou, who is very young. I doubt he is old enough to even drink beer while he paints. Unheard of.

He gave me a figure that was slow low I would have almost paid that for a night with him. He said he will do all of the work. Himself.

I don't know what the Vampire has over this kid, but I am grateful. The Vampire did tell me that Lou is new in the business, works full time, is getting good skills, and can be had cheap. I guess he was right! Little does he know, I have friends who may need him after I am done with him.

For them, he can raise his rates :)

He also has a break from his full time job while a guy does some tile flooring. He has the next three days off. He will spend them here, getting all of the work done he can over those three days. He was actually listening when I said I have time issues.

Is this one of those "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is" situations?

 

Ten Good Things

Several journals are starting to include a weekly list of ten good things that have happened to them in the last week. I decided it's time for me to give this a shot. I need to focus on the good things happeneing in my life right now.

1. I bought an awesome new condo.

2. My body is holding up much better than I had hoped for all this Man Work I am doing. Maybe all those years of ballet, dance, martial arts, aerobics and running are finally paying off.

3. Molly is doing well with her lifetime edition of Addison's Disease. Maybe we finally have the correct amount of her medication. She hasn't had a seizure in months and I don't worry about one as much any more. She looks a little pooky this morning, but maybe she is just tired from walking 3 miles yesterday.

4. Child is still attending the university, even if it's one class. I finished most of my third year of college one or two classes at a time. I am proud she is still working at it.

5. I am learning new skills. While I may not be a candidate for any of the skilled trades, I do enjoy working with my hands and find it entertaining and fulfilling to figure out how to do things that most little boys are taught before they go to school by proud daddies. I am not afraid to look things up or ask for direction. I just hope latex paint and wet spackle are not dangerous for open, raw blisters.

6. Spring might actually be on the way. I think it's supposed to go over 60 degrees with some sunlight today. The dogs and I will be taking a break to enjoy that.

7. I start teaching a new class today on the Internet. I volunteer teach computer classes to senior citizens. This is the class where I teach email, so please line up a few pictures and be ready to send them as we have done in the past. You should see their faces light up when they open their first dozen or so emails ever. They love seeing the pictures. They take great pride in their accomplishments in class and learn very, very fast. I teach those old dogs new tricks :)

8. I have been getting some things done that I had been putting off until either "tomorrow" or "later." This includes the mummy wrapping for Kas's children - it's in the mailbox as we speak. This old dog is sharpening up some old skills. I used to be extremely organized and efficient.

9. Moving will open up an entirely new phase in my life. I have lived here for what seems like all my life. I will meet new people, learn new walking routes, and have new corners to navigate in the dark when nature (or Molly) wakes me up. Change can be good for the spirit.

10. I am still hopeful that child's things will get out of my house. Maybe Gary and I can bag them up, throw them in the back of his truck, and drag them off to one of his warehouses in downtown Detroit? I do know a) I can't have the crap here when the house has to be shown and b) she isn't going to take it and c) I don't have the heart to throw out her things that she doesn't have space to store. Instead of whining about it, I will find a solution, and implement it.

 

Is that stuff supposed to drip?

I do always enjoy learning something new. However, if I had a day job I don't think I would quit it to become a finish drywaller. Perhaps the best place to start is not across a ceiling in a small hallway. I will be spending a good part of tomorrow sanding, if the pain in my hands lets up by then.

Child has not yet called to say when she and her friend can help. My friend who offered to help said maybe she can come for a little while on Wednesday night. The Vampire's friend finally called on Friday (it seems the Vampire forgot to call him last week to ask him) and after I told him I need help and it needs to be done as soon as possible, said he would "call next week." He said he would call today, but that might mean he will call today to tell me he can maybe come this weekend, or next weekend. Or not at all.

Speak of the devil, as they say. Child just called. She did not call to tell me that she will be coming to help me. She needs to use my computer again. Last time she was unable to do her lab work on it, and we didn't know why, and somehow that became my fault. She said maybe they can come next week.

My house needs to get on the market. I wanted to call the real estate agent today, but my house is obviously not ready. This is very frustrating for me. I am spending 8+ hours a day on this, and it just is slow work for me.

I do not expect people to drop whatever they are doing and help me. Yet if someone tells me they are coming this week and they know I am really pressed for time, it would be helpful for me to know it has been pushed ahead yet another week. I have been asking for help for what, two months now?

Child must have misunderstood me and was going to have her friend come to measure for drywall. I don't need new drywall, just some patching (I already did the first few spots) and painting. My original drywall job in this house was done by either a child or a drunk, and I just can't paint over the larger mistakes. I should not have accepted the house with the poor drywall job, but I can't go back and change what happened 30 years ago. All I can do is try to make it look more professional now.

Wish me luck. I guess I will have to up my time to more like 12+ hours a day, every day, and hope I can move it along. I will also be making some more calls - I have no choice at this point. Had I known a month ago that everyone who said they would be here for me wouldn't be, I would have made more calls then and it would all be done by now.

This is why I try to do things myself.

Can't disappoint Molly

You really can't see the mud on Molly's face in this picture. You can see that her skin around her eyes is slack. She looks like that when she needs a shot for her Addison's disease. I do prefer to call it a medical condition rather than a disease. She looks like she either wears black lipstick or is growing a mustache, don't you think? (I just took the picture, so she was still stoned on the Valium).

She hit the drugs today (extra prednisone, Valium) and we went for a shot for her. She and Baby managed to break open the bag I had the treats in and spill them all over the sidewalk  - they were pretty happy about that!

We survived another vet visit and shot on the sidewalk without seizures. The volume of her shot was reduced again per my request, so we will see how that goes. I have had them reduce by stages, from 1.2 ml to 1.1 ml to 1.0 ml. I think this will probably be the correct dose for Molly. An electrolyte test on day 14 after her shot will let us know for sure.

Following the shot, we climbed back into the car and headed to the condo. The dogs still don't like the car, but they behaved. Baby started howling as soon as we turned into the complex. She has been there exactly once before. She was climbing on my head by the time I pulled into the driveway! She really acted like she was going home.

We piled out of the car and the door was open to the condo, so we went in like we own the place. I let the dogs wander around for quite a while, but on leash, in case someone came in, and since the door was open. They seemed content, just sniffing around and smiling. We went for a walk down to the pond. My rabbit dogs were trying to get to the geese this time. Last time they totally ignored them, but this time was close to their dinner time. We would have walked around the pond, but there was just too much mud. I saw a lot of deer tracks. We walked on the street for a while, too, just getting used to the smells of the neighborhood.

Another trip back into the condo for more sniffing, and then we climbed back into the car. I looked at Molly - she had mud on her face and a big glob of it on her nose. She was smiling, looking happy. She thinks we will be happy there.

I agree.

Sometimes my memory works

The saleslady from the condos called me today. She told me that the developers for the complex will not give me a letter authorizing me to put up a temporary fence. I reminded her that she told me a week ago that they would. She said she thought they would, but they won't. I do feel she is trying to get me what I need, but she did say yes and is now saying no. That is the bottom line.

Remember me saying that there are a lot of raised patios in the complex? She told me (and I didn't discuss this with her before) that she thinks there are quite a few people who want to put enclosures on their patios. The mayor of the city lives in the complex and really wants one. She said the developer sets up the original rules, and then when they leave, a board is set up to govern the complex. The board can change the rules. If enough people want the enclosures, the change will happen.

I had come to that same conclusion on my own. I just don't know if I should trust my instinct on this or not. She said the developers will be out of there around the end of the year. I would just need to get something up and stall them regarding my having to remove it. Dealing with leashes through the summer would be annoying, but probably doable.

It seems the developers are also concerned that if I have a fence, my dogs will be left outside all day and be unattended. They couldn't be farther from the truth. I want the fence to keep my dogs safe and secure for quick trips outside. They are not unattended for more than a few minutes here at a time, and that is inside an enclosed, secure fence around their dog run. If they are outside 5 minutes total at a time, it's unusual. I expected, in the condo, to either go out with them or to stand at the door and attend them, because that is the rules. i am trying to work within the rules.

The saleslady replied with an affirmative when I asked if there are people in the complex who let their dogs out without any leash or anything to go to the bathroom. As long as no one reports them or complains, it's allowed. But I am not allowed to keep my dogs safe behind a fence. The logic escapes me right now.

So I have until Friday to decide for sure. It's almost a perfect home for me, but can I deal with leashes all the time? I guess I could try it here using another door, but a day or two of it won't really answer how I would feel about it all the time with two dogs. I have a friend with three dogs (well, she had three until earlier this week) who ties them outside in the front all the time and works fine with it, but there are 5 adults living in that house to take care of the pets. I have just me.

I didn't need that phone call. I have spent hours this week trying to find a temporary fence that is attractive, appropriate, and would be acceptable. I might as well just go buy a dog exercise kennel out of chain link fencing, because it dosen't sound like it will matter at all.

At the moment, I am leaning towards still geting it because I can't find anything as good or better within the area I am willing to live in.

My dogs won't bite anyone, but I might.

Rolling down the driveway....

While the fence issue sits in here with me like a huge, pink elephant, I have nothing new to report on that topic. I am still researching, and running out of time. I have a few ideas, and will run them up the condo developers flag pole.

I was painting doors yesterday. I counted 5 doors on my family room level. All are stained, all needed to be sanded, primed, sanded, painted, painted. This is a mantra. I was hoping to get away with one coat of paint after the primer, but no luck.

It takes me approximately one hour to paint a door frame, both sides. It takes me about half an hour to paint both sides of a door. Three coats, two sandings, and they must dry overnight between coats. Do the math. I already counted the doors on the bedroom level - 9. That came out to able 40 hours just for the doors on that floor. I am good for maybe 5-6 hours a day of painting, and sometimes I can't do any at all, due to other commitments or my body just needing a rest. I have avoided counting the doors on the main floor, but I know it includes a double front door that needs help. I am really, really going to miss that double front door when I have furniture coming in or out of the condo.

Child has reconsidered the family room, living room, and dining room ceilings. She and her friend will come on their next day off and give me a hand. She and I went out for a bit yesterday. We went to the store for a few minutes for her to get a jacket, then we had lunch. We left the restaurant and headed to my condo, since she had only seen the models so far. We went inside and I saw her little brain doing some major decorating on a condo with rough walls and subflooring. We realized the ceilings are too high in most of the rooms for me to get up there to paint - I will need either a very high ladder or scaffolding or a professional. While they look nice, I am not sure how I will be even able to change lightbulbs in some places. This is why I had the builder in the house I am in now change the cathedral ceilings to regular ones. Accessibility.

As we were leaving the condo and stood on the driveway to get into my car, we looked over at the pond. We saw four adult white-tailed deer running into the woods. We both smiled. I have to say, it does feel right.

We left the condo and went to the local fruit market. I wasn't thinking; call it temporary insanity. I forgot about Child and food stores. I am usually in and out in 12 minutes. We were there for 90 minutes. I told her I could have been home already, put my food away, had dinner, walked the dogs and maybe painted a room. While she waited at the meat counter for a couple of steaks, I watched the lobsters in the display case. One appeared to be dead. I swear one walked up to it and grabbed one of its legs and shook it. Then it climbed on it (I was afraid of some inappropriate sexual behavior right there in the case), then moved off and sat on its head. I pointed it out to Child, who said, "Yep. That one seems to be dead. So what? Someone is just going to eat it." Me, I wanted to take home all the lobsters and feed them. Too much empathy and compassion in me sometimes.

I dropped Child off at her car, and reminded her to let me know when they can come paint. I hurried home to feed the beagles, as I was a little late for their dinner. In my hurry to get in the house to let them outside, I tried to carry everything at once. I had a box of clementines, and I dropped it. Of course, the box opened and each clementine rolled down my sloped driveway, all at different speeds and angles. I had to chase each one, laughing, while the beagles stood upstairs on my bed and watched me out the window. They were probably shaking their heads.

I do need to amuse the neighbors on a regular basis, and I think that probably covered me for the rest of the month.

Continuing fence saga......

Alrighty. After spending 90 minutes with my Vampire of the magic hands, I put my big girl pants on (I don't mean to imply they were OFF, it's just a figure of speech!) and went to the condo complex to see the saleslady who was supposed to send me the email regarding the fencing.

She immediately told me that her internet provider was down. This is highly possible due to the winds we have had lately. I have heard other people make the same complaint - some said their cell phones were down, too. I was a bit speechless, and just looked at her. It was about 3 pm and I had until 5 pm to make my final decision.

She smiled at me and asked me if I wanted more time. I mumbled, "Uh huh," and she immediately gave me another week, and a copy of the form we signed for it. I was quite relieved. We then had a talk about the "temporary fence." My legal beagle had told me that they were probably bending over backward trying to accommodate me, and I felt that they had dealt with this before and had used this compromise already. So I asked her if anyone else in the complex had a temporary fence so I could see it. She said no, no one has one. Legal beagle will get to take that one out in trade.

The saleslady then gave me the name of a website to try, and told me to continue looking until I find something that will work. I thanked her, and looked around the models again. I had taken a quick walk through my condo first, and they have done some work on it. It has a "sold" sign in the window. I did not have my camera with me, but I will probably go back over the weekend. I noticed that the light switches for the walk in closets are inside the closets in the models, and I think I would prefer them outside, so I might ask for that change.

These builders are very good about changes. Other ones I have been to said NO to almost every change I had asked for. One of my first requests is always to lower the kitchen cupboards, and this builder said no problem at all. I asked for drawers in the bathroom vanities - no problem. I asked about lighting changes, no problem. I asked for a gated railing in front of the open basement stairs so I don't take a header - no problem. I want a bigger patio - no problem. They allow two pets at move in, to be reduced to one once one dies. I accidentally mentioned Wiz the old screaming cat, and no one made an issue of the fact that I have three pets.

Then I went and talked to the other lady, who handles things like which granite top and what color of ceramic tiles, and we talked fences. She said that she was surprised that the builders would allow even a temporary fence. I have been told I will get a statement in writing regarding the fence and the two dogs. This second lady said she is pretty sure I could get approval for an invisible fence. I was shocked (OK, pun intended). She said she has one, and her lab is fine, but she watched her brother's dog who is just part beagle and that dog jumped the line and a neighbor's line also on a regular basis. I am just not sure my dogs would do well with an invisible fence.

They are used to a barrier, and these dogs are not puppies. I can't believe a small shock would stop them from going after a woodchuck or deer if one showed up close by. The nature preserve and pond are just steps away. Beagles are scent hounds. They can't even hear me when they are on a scent - I can't imagine a small shock would even slow them down. Beagles are bred for endurance and will take the fastest route for hours after a scent - over things, under things, through water, whatever gets in their path, they prevail.

"Temporary fence." I need the legal definition of this. An invisible fence is not temporary, is it?

I noticed quite a few patios are raised in this complex. Raised about 12 inches. Some more than that. I cannot imagine having a few drinks, sitting outside on an unstable patio chair and being close to a drop like that. I picture lawsuits in the making. I am hoping that once the builders are done and gone that the board that is set up will change the by-laws and allow patio enclosures. It makes sense to me. Then again, I have never dealt with condo rules. I know I can't even paint the front door another color.

 

 

 

 

More on fencing

I actually took fencing as a sport once, but that is another story. This one is about my potential new condo, of course. I am a detail person, and thorough. I admit that. "Picky" might be another word for it. It was helpful when I had to write reports for courts regarding the children I took from inappropriate homes. Other times, it's not always so useful.

So here I am, counting to 9. I signed papers on a Friday, two weeks ago tomorrow. I was told I had 9 days in which either side can cancel without penalty. That means I can get my deposit back during that time. If last Monday was day 1, then today is day 9. The saleslady did not send me the fence information by email last night as promised.

Today might actually be the last day, although she told me clearly it is tomorrow. I don't have tomorrow in writing. I have Nine Days in writing. I don't have in writing that it's all contingent on a fence. I have it in writing that 9 days after the offer it's binding as is.

I am not feeling comfortable with this today. I don't know what a temporary fence is, legally. I don't know if I have to use the one she is going to send me a picture of. What if it's only 12" high and made of plastic? Blows away in the wind? Molly can step over it? No way to secure it at all so the dogs could just ram it down without effort? Order time could be five years. Is there a time limite on "temporary" - as in I can only use it for 6 months at a time and then have to go without for a year? I don't know. I don't have enough information. I have no idea what it costs.

Today I have my yearly gyn exam. That might be TMI, but the point is, I will be tied up, no pun intended, for a few hours, including driving time. The model office for the condo is closed on Thursdays - maybe that is why she said I get until Friday? But they are open on weekends, which means if I only count Thursdays off, I have already passed the 9 days.

So I have many questions and feel I need a bit more time, but don't know if I will be able to get it or not. I feel the saleslady knew my request for fencing would be denied based on the by-laws that prohibit permanent fencing. She led me to believe it could be approved. Why did I have to calltwice to finally get an answer, two days before the last day, and be told what I was told?

If she knew all along I could only be allowed a temporary fence, why not be up front and tell me that from day one so I could plan accordingly? No other condos in the area have fences or allow them. I had found one only that allowed invisible fences. It was nice, too, although a bit farther out in the country that I wanted. In fact, it backed up to a 100 acre or bigger, I forget, cornfield. I had visions of that cornfield going commercial with new buildings within a few years. The actual deal breaker was the power lines that I felt were too close. The 200 foot backyard for a condo was a nice thing, though. It would have made a huge yard for the dogs with an invisible fence, but I don't think an invisible fence would hold in two excited beagles going after a scent. A regular fence barely holds them. When Molly was younger and thinner, she was able to jump a chained link fence.

The current condo company seems reliable and professional in all other ways. (My legal beagle thinks that the company has bent over backwards to find a loophole for me saying I can have a temporary fence. I think that since the complex has been there for 2 years that they have been through the fence issue before more than once and already knew the answer.) They are building high quality, expensive condos. The ones that are already done look great and I haven't seen one for sale sign in them. They have been selling at a brisk pace since the complex opened. The complex, while open to anyone, seems to be mostly geared towards and drawing couples in their 40s to 60s, which seems a good place for me to be. It's a perfect floor plan for adults who now wish to downsize the amount of rooms, but wish to keep large rooms, and all the basics that make a nice home pleasant, with the added pleasure of heated bathroom floors. Plus, it is barrier free, so if I found myself at some point needing a wheelchair due to an injury or something, I would have no problems getting around the condo. It seems a silly detail, but as I have said, I am detail oriented. I plan ahead. I could also accommodate a friend or relative who lives in a multi-story home while healing from a surgery or accident.

I also think a ranch-style condo is a good investment right now. I am one of the first baby boomers. The ones coming behind me will want the same thing, by my thinking. I think ranch condos will get more popular, not less, especially in good, safe, stable neighborhoods.

This was my turn to vent, lol. I am a classic worrier and I hope I am making a good decision. A few days of delay would also give me time to maybe paint another room so I can get this house ready. I am going so slowly. It's the details with me, lol. The painting that I have done is perfect, but I need to get some speed going.

I feel so strongly both ways about all of this. Ambivalence does not help when trying to make a big decision. I so envy those of you who can just decide 'let's move' and do, without letting the little things trip you up at every corner.

 

 

Neither sleet nor snow....

Unlike most people, I am in awe of our postal service. I do recall sitting at work, also in a government building, when the term "postal" was about to be created. The first postal incident happened about five minutes from my old office. All we heard at first was that there was mass shooting and killing at a government building near us. It was not a good time.

But I digress. Our post office is a government institution, after all. Many people consider government workers to be retired the day they are hired. I will admit that some people who are public employees don't feel much of a need to work hard. However, that is luckily not the norm. Our postal employees go out every day in snow, sleet, ice, extreme heat, dark, wind, and anything else Mother Nature shakes her dice and rolls at us on a daily basis. They work under time constraints. They deal with suspicious looking packages, ineptly wrapped items, illegible addresses, smelly boxes, and just plain odd items. They have to sort them and send them all over the world as fast as possible.

I find this process impressive. We have what, 300 million people in this country now? Add to that volume the gift the USPS gives to businesses of being allowed to send extreme volumes of mail at a reduced amount of postage and they handle a huge amount of mail on a daily basis.

I spent an afternoon that I didn't have available recently to dig up and find all the papers and pamphlets I have here for a friend in another state who has a seriously injured knee and needs to lose weight in a healthy way. She has no extra funds; not even enough to join Weight Watchers online. So I dug around to find the point system booklet, a pile of weekly journals to write down what she eats, all the little weekly supplements they gave me and anything else I could find. I had duplicates of some items, but if I didn't, I gave her what I had. She needs it more than I do right now. I finally got it all into a big envelope, addressed it carefully, and took it to the UPS store nearby. They sent it regular mail, which was what I wanted.

She IMed me yesterday. She received the letter and a damaged envelope, but all the papers and pamphlets and booklets from Weight Watchers were gone. I didn't insure the package since the items are not replaceable. WW will not give me another set.

I feel really bad, but there is nothing I can do now. I do find it odd that the envelope and my letter to her got there, but every other single paper is missing.

I hope whoever has it now needs it more than my friend does.  

Plan C

Two days before the deadline for the condo deal to be a yea or nay they tell me that I cannot have a permanent fence put up, but I can get a temporary one. I have no idea what this is, and the saleslady is going to email me a link or picture for it tonight.

Does anyone know anything about this idea? I have visions of an unstable metal fence going airborne and landing on some kid's head and wiping out my homeowner's insurance. There must be some acceptable way to secure it, but I have no idea.

I have to sign or not on Friday. This is scary.

The painting is not complete. It's not even the least little bit close. Painting door frames is a very time consuming project, too, and I might have to put the rest off once I finish the 5 doors on the family room level. I haven't done the Kitchen Project yet, and I am a mental mess with all of this. I truly don't have even one room totally complete and ready to be shown yet, but I will have to call a realtor on Monday if I sign on Friday.

I also seem to have developed an odd allergy to paint or something. My ears feel a bit like they are infected, but it improves when I leave the house. However, I haven't been out of the house much for the last few days. I have been home so much that tomorrow's trip to the gyn for my yearly exam sounds like a fun event.

Temporary fence. But these squirrel- and rabbit-chasing beagles are not temporary. Still, I suppose it's better than nothing, right?

Am I really going to move after being here for 30 years?

Not Recommended

 

After you spend your day painting, taping walls, spackling, and picking up new furniture, and you find yourself in a nice restaurant with a lifelong friend having a few drinks, I do not recommend the following.

First, realize that your body is sore from lifting heavy things, so you decide self-medication is in order.

Your daughter is the bartender. You tell her to surprise you with a drink. Or two. So she starts you off with a French Martini. The raspberry is pretty yummy. After that, she plies you a Pina Colada. WITH whipped cream. A waitress drops off another Pina Colada (with more whipped cream) when you aren't paying attention. You are not only a cheap drunk, you are driving.

Dinner arrives. You eat a few bites, and discuss your favorite new song that has you obsessed, "Tear you apart," by She Wants Revenge with a sweet waiter. He loves the song too. Your daughter who usually likes the same music you do, has never heard it, but prefers some song about a stripper that you are not familiar with. Uh oh. Generation gap is beginning, 26 years late.

Said daughter asks if you like olives. You answer in the affirmative, because your dates says to, and you have a vague recollection of liking olives. Daughter puts a funny-looking dirty martini in front of you. It's funny looking because you never had one before. It's very salty. You consider giving your car keys to the sweet waiter so he can drive you and your date home safely.

The last third of the dirty martini gets somehow mysteriously spilled on your favorite blouse, which you bought in Toronto and cannot replace. It smells salty.

A diet Coke says wait an hour or more, dry off, and go home.

Drink diet Coke, dry off, and go home.

The do not recommend part? Possibly ruining your favorite blouse from Toronto.

The rest was a lot of fun!

The eagle has landed

Actually the eagle hasn't landed, but the armoire/desk has. That is the good part. The bad part is that it's in my garage, not my house.

My friend Gary and another friend's son David decided the two of them could move a desk. How big could it be? I said it was pretty big. They found out I was right - it's huge. It's very heavy, too. The got it in the truck, but once it was lying flat we noticed that one leg is cracked in the back. So it needs to be repaired.

They decided they weren't comfortable trying to get it up any stairs in my house, so they put it in my garage.

Of course, I took the old desk out with the crowbar already. I hope we can get the new one repaired and upstairs not too long after I finish painting that room. That is the room I am in the process of painting now. It would help a lot if I could decide on a color for it. Still, just rolling the paint on the walls is the easy part, so I can worry about that later.

Later this evening Gary will come back so we can go pick up a queen-sized bed a friend is giving me so I can make my bedrooms look like bedrooms. I will have to be part of the Moving Crew this time. David went home.

I have another pearl of wisdom. If you have put on spackling to repair some damage in the walls, don't decide to sand it just after you have painted the carpet moldings.

Yeah, I did that this morning.

 

Use the right tools for the job

Fortunately for me, the axe turned out to be unnecessary. The crowbar saved the day. The desk, I totally admit, was cheap and my daughter put it together for me when I got my first computer to go online. That would have been in 1998. I switched to a laptop in 2001 and haven't needed that desk except for storage. Only one drawer worked - the helpful one on the bottom for hanging folders fell apart almost immediately. I was suspicious when she had parts left over.

When I had the house recarpeted in 2001 the guys told me the desk was not likely to survive being moved, but I had them move it anyway. If it fell down, it fell down. It survived. I have wanted to get rid of it for a long time, but didn't have a replacement.

We are once again scheduled to get the armoire/desk from the charming woman, this time on Saturday afternoon. Now that my desk is in pieces, I sure hope she comes through. My desk is damaged beyond repair now, and I will have to get something else if I don't get the armoire one.

I went down to the den to touch up the paint and found the roller stuck to the paint pan. I can't believe I did that. I had the last paint pan for 30 years and kept it like new the entire time. I really dropped the ball this time. I just bought that pan, too, because Child had borrowed my old one and ruined it. I guess I will end up buying another. New rollers, too!

Today I had my taxes done which always takes most of the day, since my CPA is an hour away and we alway spend some time visiting and going to lunch. When I got home, I steamed the upstairs hallway carpet and cleaned up a little accident that landed about 6 inches from the plastic in my bedroom. Baby's aim was a bit off, but it all came up. Then I demolished the desk. After that I did the touch up paint downstairs. Now I am washing the drop cloths in preparation for doing the next room.

Does anyone think I will actually use two gallons of paint in a kitchen? This doesn't include the ceiling, the cupboards, or the floor moldings. Just the walls. I want to take the second gallon and have the color darkened and use it in the room where the desk goes (I call that room the middle bedroom), but I am afraid I will end up needing it in the kitchen if I do. I might actually be able to clean the carpet and paint at least the one wall tomorrow in there if I work at it. I won't have a lot of time, but if I can do the one wall (and the ceiling and the trim), then we can just put the new desk right in place and I won't have to worry about moving it later. It's so big; it has to weigh a lot.

No blood was shed during the demolishing, but I did smash another knuckle. This is getting silly - my knuckles are really taking a beating.

Pearl of Wisdom

Keep in mind at all times that wet carpets are as slippery as wet grass.

 

 

 

 

A new toy

Let me state clearly that the picture is not of me or of my house! I do not own anything in powder blue polyester. If I did, it certainly wouldn't be a matching set like that, either. But that carpet cleaner looks like the one I just bought, except mine is black.

About a lifetime ago I got married. Once we both finished college (although I went back much later for another degree) we decided to get a puppy. The puppy was Sadie, the doberman. She was not an easy dog to train because we both worked all day and she refused to be confined. She was an escape artist.

There was a small window in the front door of our first house, and I used to peek in before I dared open the door. Once I saw nothing but feathers stuck to every surface of the house, including the drapes. Sadie had a pillow fight with the cat. Feathers were still floating slowly to the floor when I looked in. Another time there was toilet paper draped all over the furniture, lamps, floors and every where else. Usually there were some piles of brown stuff that I had to clean up. It didn't take long for me to decide we needed our own carpet steamer.

(Side story: once Sadie was in heat and getting little blood spots around the house, including on our light-colored bedspread. I put a pair of tighty-whities on her when we went to bed that night to soak up the problem. Dobie's have no tails, they are docked when they are born, so she wore them just fine. She got up in the middle of the night and decided to poop in the living room. She became very frightened when the poop stayed in the underpants, and she started running around the room, little pieces of poop flying out the leg holes. I got up, my ex got up, we steamed the carpet, and all 3 of us ended up with our feet in the bathtub at 3 am. I figure I have just about the only dog ever to poop in her pants.)

I still have it. The carpet cleaner, not the poop. It's a cannister type, and it still works. There are few moving parts on it and it probably will still run when I am long dead. However, the cannister part is heavy and awkward, plus I find it hard to push on the carpet with the wand for very long. My back aches in no time at all, and almost my entire house is carpeted. I like my carpets cleaned thoroughly every 3 months. Baby has some bad habits that need to be addressed regularly. The cat likes to revisit her hairballs. Molly sheds more than I do.

So I decided I need a nice, new upright carpet cleaner. I will need to keep the carpets fresh here to sell my house and I will want to keep them nice in the new place.

I am not particularly impressed with the new machine. The newer appliances, in general, are crap. They are mostly fragile plastic. There are a million moving parts that are easily broken. "Self-propelled" appears to refer to the owner, not the appliance. The hose is flimsy and came with damage to it. Of course I didn't find that out until after I assembled the thing, used the magic words (all with four letters, of course) and was wrapping the hose around as the picture showed. Of course, the picture shows the hose being wrapped backwards. I don't get it. They even show little arrows to indicate which way to wrap the hose, but if you do it that way, it won't work. I think it was a test.

Of course I had to try it out on my bedroom first. That is where Baby has her on-purposes when I leave the house. It's a separation anxiety issue. I try not to make an issue out of it, but I have to keep half my bedroom covered in a plastic painter's tarp all the time, and then a throw rug on top of that. It's not too attractive, but it is easier to clean the throw rug than it is to steam the whole room on a weekly basis. She has been doing better lately, but I never know when she will drop the next bomb, so to speak. Yes, I am sure it is not Molly. A mother can tell these things.

All over the carpet now are these little balls of fuzz. There are a million of them. The machine seems to suck up the dog hair and hunks of the carpet fuzzies and makes little fuzzballs out of them. Do they set the machines up to do that so we will actually think they are working?

Have you ever noticed that if you use a carpet cleaner and you dump the water, it's really dirty looking? If you go over the same room again in an hour, the water will still be really dirty? I have done that four times in a row before, and the water always looks like that. I think there is something in the cleaner that makes the water change color to make us think the carpeting was badly soiled. Mine never get a chance to be badly soiled, but the water always comes out brown. I did that on a brand new carpet once, and it still came out brown.

Maybe this carpet cleaner is a better choice than the old one. Molly didn't follow it around and try to bite it. I have had a problem ever since my old vacuum cleaner once sucked up a sock she was fond of. Now all my vacuums have bite marks on them. She shows them who is the real boss! I returned the sock to her, but she can really hold a grudge.

I got Molly's blood test results today. The vet was delighted. I wasn't. I told her I want her to reduce the amount of the shot again next month. She thinks I am too picky. Molly agrees with me. She is still overdosed and her electrolyte ratio is still too high. It's getting closer, though.

No word yet from the condo company. I had expected a call today. Maybe Friday. They are closed tomorrow and I am going to be with my CPA tomorrow anyway, getting taxes done and having lunch.

The armoire woman rode again today. On her high horse, that is. She has been calling me daily, and today I finally felt calm enough to talk to her. We agreed that I would pick it up tomorrow at 6:45 pm. I called Gary, we set it up, and all was fine. The woman called me again about two hours later and said she can't possibly make it at that time and can we do it on the weekend? I haven't called her back yet. I was too busy calling Gary to apologize yet again and ask him if Saturday afternoon will work.

That armoire sure would look nice in my (potential) new condo. I can't find anything else as nice in either Pottery Barn or Crate and Barrel. If I knew I had this much time, I would have had the room it's going into all repainted by now. I would have enjoyed taking an axe to the old desk to get it out of there.

I could have cleaned the carpet tonight, too.

 

 

Molly's 'roiding

I should have taken my camera. Molly has still been showing signs of hind end weakness since after our goose pond trip, so I had to increase her prednisone. Her normal dose is 1 mg per day. Yesterday I gave her 2 mg for breakfast, and then another 1 mg at about 1 am because she said she needed it. She did, too, because she couldn't even get on the bed by herself. She hurt too much to let me pick her up. She slept elsewhere, for the first time in 7 years. Probably on the sofa or the floor. I really don't know. When she had to pee in the morning she came and woke me up instead of dinging the bell, which I appreciated. Hearing that bell ding when I am sleeping is right up there with, "Mommy, I threw up...in my bed."

This morning I called and scheduled a blood test for Molly's electrolytes. They should have been run several times since the last time, but as you know, taking Molly to the vet is an Event. I 'roided her up on 3 mg at breakfast and took her for a walk before the vet appointment. After 2.5 miles, I decided she was still a bit deficient in chemicals and tossed her one more. That gaves her 5 times her normal dose in 24 hours, and she still was looking a little lethargic.

So, to add to the fun in her tummy I threw 15 mg of Valium at her before the walk. She walked a little unsteady by the end of the mileage, but she was smiling under that drool. I packed pup corn into a clean poopie bag (dual purpose bag?) and stuffed both dogs into the car.

Two techs came outside to draw the blood. After two unsuccessful sticks, they got a third tech and more fancy equipment. I finally handed the treat bag to a tech and turned my back. Three techs had to get Molly down on her side and pin her there to get the blood drawn. For that, I wish I had the camera with me. The tech was handing Molly treats all during the blood draw, and Molly was saying, "keep them coming and run a tab."

Drawing blood should not be an aerobic activity, but Molly didn't have a seizure, so a good time was had by all. Baby licked Molly's face off, and I re-stuffed the dogs into the car and brought them home.

NOW Molly's chemicals are in high gear. She is clumsy, hyper, and draining the water bowl as fast as a toilet being flushed. Her appetite is in hyperoverdrive. She wants to go out, come in, go out, come in, no, maybe go back out.

I have a Cadbury bar that says I can deal with this.

 

Whoops Monday

 

WHOOPS. Molly really didn't find any magic properties in goosie poopie. Instead, she drained herself of prednisone (the replacement for cortisol in her body, because she can't produce cortisol any more) from stress. It seems that riding in the car, walking around new places and eating goose poop are so stressful, either good or bad, that she made herself sick. Well, I allowed her to get sick. I am the mommy and I should have known it would be stressful. I reasoned that a normal 3+ mile walk didn't stress her, so why should a short car ride and little walk? Bad mommy. I know she needs extra prednisone in times of stress. I just didn't realize that was a time of stress.

Molly had trouble last night jumping on furniture and was obviously distressed. She was lethargic and stiff. I finally gave her extra prednisone last night and doubled up this morning's dose and she is improving. She isn't all better, but she is getting there.

WHOOPS. Molly also needed her electrolytes tested on Day 14 after her last monthly injection. She needs them done outside while under the giddy influence of Valium, and I thought they were due last week. Since it was too cold and snowy, I didn't bother, assuming I could take her next month. Tomorrow is actually the specified Day 14 and it's going to be close to 45 and sunny. The only sunny day expected this week.

WHOOPS. The vet's office closed at 5 pm. When I tried to call at 3 pm, their lines were busy. The next chance I got to try was just after 5 pm. Like maybe 5:05 pm. I left a message, and I hope I can take her in tomorrow and get this testing done since the vet had been overdosing Molly on her injections, and I can only prove that with testing on Day 14.

WHOOPS. I called American Express to tell them that I had sent my last check in on time, and in full, so I didn't want to pay a service fee and interest charge of $32.78. Further checking showed I actually did send it late. I asked nicely if the young man in Bangladesh would take that off my bill anyway, since I haven't charged anything since, it's due today, and I don't want an almost $65 bill next time for interest and fees on interest and fees. He said sure. Whew. A good whoops that time!

WHOOPS. My class started today and I almost forgot. I am not teaching this one, but taking it for free. It's on computer security. I am glad I went, as the instructor worked for one of the Big Three auto companies for about 250 years in IT and knows just about everything. I know I was embarrassed when he coached a class I taught, but everyone gets to coach also if they teach. Coaching is more fun anyway. This time I get to be a student.

I told him my laptop seems to start up too slowly, and he said bring it in, and he will look at it. He also taught us to install a new hard drive in a computer today after class. That was fun, although not entirely news to me.

WHOOPS. I never did get the desk/armoire from the nice guy who is selling it because his not-so-nice fiance and I got into a rather heated discussion regarding me calling her to say we would be an hour late picking up the furniture on Saturday. I had told her several days before that my friend with the truck would be on the road all day driving from "Up North" (that means anything north of where the speaker is in Michigan) and then driving to the airport, which is about 5 hours of driving, and he could not exactly pinpoint when he would get to my house.

She was extremely rude to me saying we hadn't made definite plans and she could not possibly be there at that time, but if I could be there in half an hour - I reminded her that I just said he would be later, not earlier, and so it was impossible for us to be there in half an hour - and it went downhill from there. She has left me messages the last two mornings at 10 am, and I have ignored them. She went from "come get this" to "but I am not going to be available when I said I was and it's all your fault" to "call me." Want to make me dislike you? Demand for me to call you. That works on me every time. You want to talk to me? Call me. If I ignore you, then probably I have either a) nothing to say, or b) nothing nice to say and am trying to calm down so I can be polite.

She even very condescendingly suggested that perhaps I should have just spent $40 and rented a U-Haul truck. I sweetly reminded her that renting a truck would not make me able to lift the furniture by myself or I would have already done it.

WHOOPS. I was going to go to Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel right from class but I had to come home and feed the babies first. I guess I have no excuse now. I do not like looking at house stuff. It's one of those girlie genes I somehow missed.

 

Goosey, goosey gander...

Today I saddled up the dogs (leashes, collars, and harnesses), filled my pockets with yummy, stinky treats, and shuffled them into the car for a ride to the New Home. There is nothing more fun than driving a car with two whiney dogs both sitting in the front passenger seat. The joy is increased by the worry that Molly will have a violent seizure in the car.

After 5-6 miles of drooling, whining, screeching, and licking the windows, the dogs told me to cut it out.

We pulled in our *new* driveway and parked the car. I decided to not let them inside, only partly because it's a no-no to go inside an unfinished home without a staff member. Mostly, I didn't want them full of drywall dust and I wanted to leave something for next time. So we headed for the pond. I call it Goose Pond, of course.

Molly immediately saw the benefits of this walk. She dropped her head and started scooping up goose turds. I would pull her head up with the leash, but it was a losing battle. Beagles are bottom feeders, and the term is very apt at a time like that.

Did you know that some turds are better than others? She was picking through them like a desperate housewive at a white sale. Baby just looked at her as if to say, YUCK. Me too. We walked to the water, scared a few geese and ducks around for a while, and then walked behind the condos. We took a nice, cold stroll around the block to let the mud dry off our feet, then back to the driveway. The beagles were allowed to sniff around indiscriminately for a few minutes. No more interesting or unusual treats were found.

The ride home was so quiet that I was surprised. No one whined, cried, drooled, or screeched. No one, not even me, tried to exit the car while it was moving.

Maybe a goose poop treat is all Molly needs to tolerate car rides. Who knew?

 

 

Happy anniversary to me

I almost forgot! Today is my second year anniversary in the journals! It would also be my mom's birthday.

When I started here, I wrote in my about me section that I was trying to get my house ready to move. I am still trying, but at least I did finally make a big step towards actually moving. I was retired for just over one year when I started here. I had just left a short stint working at Godiva. Retail and I really aren't a good mix. I am a social worker, without a doubt. Customers would come in, single me out, and tell me their life histories and problems. I have a sign on my forehead or a beacon that draws that sort of behavior.

Over the last two years I have not had a lot of major changes in my life. My older beagle, Molly, was diagnosed with Addison's Disease at the age of 6 last year. My 19 year old cat was diagnosed with hypertyroidism a month or so ago. I am now being treated for ADD. My other dog, Baby, is fine, healthy, and still poops on the floor on a throw rug sometimes when I go out. 

Over the last two years I have, however, met some very fine and wonderful people here in the journals. Some I have felt very close to, and some are chat-with friends. I have met three of you in person, and enjoyed each visit. I hope to meet some more of you maybe later this year.

I hope you will stick with me if I make this change in my residence. It will not be a smooth ride, I am pretty sure of that. I still have a lot to do to my house before I am happy with showing it, and dealing with a sick dog who hates the car is not going to make it easy to show anyway. I won't do it myself; I will have an agent handle it. I just know it won't be easy!

I think what I am trying to say is thank you all for being part of my life now and I hope we have many years left together :)

 

 

 

One goal achieved

One goal was achieved today! I did put down the deposit, but it's conditional upon them agreeing to a) adequately lower the $15,000 lot premium and b) allow me to install a decorative fence around the patio. Both seemed reasonable to the saleslady two days ago. Today, she hedged and indicated that *they* might not be willing to approve the amount I am wiling to offer for the lot or accept the fence. The fence is the deal breaker. She is clear on that now.

After being back there today, I am dearly hoping they agree to the fence. Without the snow and ice blowing in my face, the pond was even more attractive. The sun was out, the snow was melting, and I could picture the forest getting green and full with blooms and leaves. I realized, now that I could lift my eyes and look clearly across the pond, that we could walk around the pond unimpeded whenever we wanted to. Molly would love that. Can't say I would complain about a daily circle either. Baby is always ready to go. Gotta love that remodeling crew. The cat guards the house while we are gone, of course.

I intended to take more pictures today, but realized I didn't have the disk for my camera. It's still stuck in the computer from when I uploaded the other ones. Oops. I added a picture here from their website. Mine is like the one on the left, with the palladium window.

Cindy met me there after I signed the papers. I think she already has my kitchen organized for me. This is a kitchen to die for, too!

 

 

 

 

 

We have pictures

All these pictures, and none of the basic outside of the condo. The only one I have also shows my license plate number, so I decided to skip that one. I will be taking more.

As you can see, it's all rough so far. They just put up the basics, then are waiting for the condo to be sold so they can customize it. It was rather exciting to be walking around on the rough floors, seeing the potential of the condo.

Truly I think the pond, the woods, and the geese are more interesting. I know Molly will think so. Goose crap is one of her favorite delicacies, and I can see that will be an issue. I am still planning to go tomorrow and give them my deposit. They were showing the condo last night to someone else, they told me today, who would be returning tomorrow at 3 pm. I don't know if that is true or not, but since I had already decided to do it, it won't make a difference to me. I don't like marketing games.

I showed the picture of the big house behind where I want to be because it shows how nicely sized the lot is for the condo. The condos are not right on top of each other at all.

The first few pictures, as you can tell, are of my current home in a state of flux. You can see my remodeling crew, so what else can you expect? It will be a long row to hoe to finish this Project!

Change this, change that...

It looks like I am really going to do it. I went back to the condos today and priced up what I want. The price will go up because there are some changes I want, but no sense in buying a new home and not getting what I want, right? They have only about 15 condos left. I did wait a long time. The price has gone up $20,000 since I first looked last summer. But I found a nice little lot stuck back in the corner (hey, it's how I am) very close to a nature preserve and a small pond. A great place to walk the dogs! I would back up to a new subdivision with huge houses, but I think I can live with that if they don't have loud parties every night. I need quiet, but also privacy, which is why I picked the lot I did. It's supposed to be a $15,000 upgrade lot, but the saleslady says they will come down on that. It's a big lot for a condo (duplex).

They already have it roughed in, so I was able to go inside and look out the windows and get a feel for the floor plan. I would have a bay window again to stick my bed under, but would also have a gas fire place across the room :). They will lower the kitchen cupboards for me. I will love the trash compactor and the heated bathroom floors. I will have granite counter tops and ceramic tile floors. I can't imagine even trying to pick out colors and things. I will need the child for help with that.

The quality of this complex is what has drawn me to it. They really do everything up very nicely. The little extras, like the heated bathroom floors, only add to the overall feeling I get that makes me want to live there. I have lived in this house for 30 years, but I know I need to do this. It will be my first time ever to make a decision on a home alone and move on my own. I had gone right from living with my parents to getting married, and I was still married when we moved into this house. I have written before about how much this scares me, but I know I will be happy if I do it.

Tomorrow I go take pictures of the outside and inside of the condo, even though it's all rough. I will post them soon, I promise. I regret that I didn't get to take pictures of it before they dug the basement, but that can't be helped unless I pick another lot and wait even longer. Friday I plan to go put down the deposit. I would move some time around April to June. So the first time I use my new patio set that was so much aggravation to me last year might well be in the new place.

Yikes! Anyone want to come help me finish painting this house so I can sell it?