Not always in the right place at the right time. 

Never let it be said that I buy trouble-free houses. Don’t get me wrong I still really like my little house, but it seems to want to give me a run for my money at the moment.

Let’s see, first I started off with no hot water coming out of the faucets. Tepid maybe, but not hot. Funny thing though, when the baseboard hot water heat goes on, hot water shows up in the faucets too. Something about a faulty valve. Got that fixed. Yay! Now I can take a shower and give the dogs a bath. Hmm, no. Apparently, I can get hot and cold water in all the faucets but the shower. In the shower, I can only get hot, no cold to mix with it.  Another faulty valve. Got that fixed.  Yay! Now I can take a shower and give the dogs a bath.

WOW! I must have been really sloppy getting those wet dogs out of the bathtub and outside because the bathroom carpet is squishy wet. Nope, the valves under the bathroom sink were leaking really bad and flooded the bathroom. Got that fixed.

First good rain here in Delaware and there is a major leak in the cellar stairwell to the outside. And another leak by the boiler that has kept me busy all night. Guess I’ll get that fixed too….

I do believe the contractor, Dave and his guys are going to be very busy with my little money pit…..

It seems like forever since I packed up the RV and traveled 3700 miles cross-country from Oregon to Delaware. It feels like someone else made that crazy trip. And a long, long time taking up space at my friends, Janet and Tom’s house. They’ve been wonderful, and I am forever grateful for their generosity. Not too many people would have a house guest for 2 months. But it’s finally here; the time to move into my own home again. From conception to completion it’s been a year and a half process.

Going to see one patient early tomorrow morning then off to pick up the van rental to pack the dogs and what little I still own, off to closing at noon, then homeward bound!!

My house is a small, unassuming brick ranch with a little back yard. So no more Yankee “Acres”. Just Yankee Shelties. But it will do very well. Closing is at noon tomorrow and the contractor for the fence is ready for an early morning start on putting in the fence to confine the dogs and paint the basement floor to seal it from possible doggie accidents. Should be completed in a few days and then it will be a breeze to handle the dogs in the morning before work. I ordered some 4x8x6 ft high kennels to have them confined during the day while I’m at work and still give them lots of room to stretch out.

There is a bed and dresser as well as an entertainment unit I gave to Donna 15 years ago and made the rounds to her daughter and family. They will be returning to me in the near future. Talk about bizarre recycling.  Just have to rent a truck and pick it up one of these weekends… in Phili or thereabouts I think.   Then there are the many small kitchen utensils that Betty, Donna and Janet are going to give me when they find they have duplicates. I’m going for the eclectic look…

After the fence, basement floor and kennels, the next project is refinishing the hardwood floors and painting the interior. Then a few more pieces of furniture. I’ll be working a long time to get this all done. But it’s worth it.  Hopefully this will be my last move.  Anyone want to take bets??

photo by Diana Parkhouse

Been chomping at the bit for the past month, trying to get things to move along. Had 2 weeks of orientation with a new employer but was not sure when I’d actually be cut loose to start seeing patients and earning a decent income to keep the mortgage company happy. I finally I started in earnest just today. WHEW!

Meanwhile an entire month has gone by, still living at my friend Janet’s and you know what they say about house guests who stay too long. I feel so bad.

So an offer went in on one house late last week, but apparently the seller is out of the country and unreachable. I went to look at another house just in case things drag on too long with the first one.

And “too long” is about a nanosecond right now. I am SO impatient, I could jump out of my own skin. I needed a “Plan B” in place so I don’t feel like I’m wasting any more time. If the first offer is rejected or there is no response by Wednesday, I can immediately put another offer in on the second house.

Then I can wait some more til closing.

Please God, give me patience and give it to me NOW!

Both houses need quite a bit of work but both would do nicely for what I need. The first has more property, over an acre, while the second has about 1/2 and acre. It’s a far cry from what I’m used to, but as long as the dogs have room to run and don’t bother neighbors, it’s good.