Progress

With help from my dad and Rob's we are making progress on getting water and heat restored to the new house.  On the way back to St. Louis Sunday evening there was even a rainbow.  Good tidings.

Freak 60 - 70 degree weather has been nice Mon and Tues.  However I am exhausted today (tues) and so stayed home in St. Louis.
This weekend will be a solder party to get all the pipes together (hopefully).  And we can test the propane lines and see about getting a new tank out there.  Hopefully the furnace will fire.  So far it seems like it should.

I even paid for WoW again for a month.  I was in the mood for it, but I didn't play much last night.  I am wondering if it doesn't have something to do with the height of the monitor to chair.  Ever since I had to get rid of my old computer chair I haven't been on the computer much.  So today is an experiment with some phone books under the monitor.  So far I am liking it, but all I have done is read facebook and craigslist.

We have a contract

writing

Survived Thanksgiving.

Took a look at a few more houses but nothing is lining up yet.  I am not sure how long it will take to get our house sold.  We are thinking about taking it off the market for the rest of the winter so it will come up fresh with no days on market in the spring.  Its just very disheartening to have the house on the market for two months and only have one showing.  I have gotten to the point of not keeping the house in as ready of a state for a showing as I should.

Not only that but now I am worried that once we get a house with some acerage I won't be able to make any money as selling the veg/fruits and animals from it.  I am probably just being paranoid but I don't know what kind of market there will be where ever we end up because our price point is so low and the land requirements are so high.  Yet at the same time I know everyone has to eat so hopefully they will want what I have to produce.

Been working on the first school story.  I think the beginning has a better hook to it now.  I am wanting to tighten up the plot but as I am reading through it I am not seeing much I can do, granted I am only a third of the way through the edits.  So far most people that have read it enjoyed it, but they aren't professional editors or agents though.

I need to start outlining the third book in the series.

But for now ... off to chop wood.

Patience

I guess we are finally going to make that offer.  We will see.  I seriously doubt the bank will take it but I'm ok with that because to get all the outbuildings and the land cleared would take a lot of work and money.  If this doesn't happen I am just going to sit back and wait for our house to sell.  There is no reason to look and get worked up over a property if there is no way to afford it.

I pulled out my crochet now that the weather has turned and I am beginning to work on Christmas presents.  I might actually put up a few things on etsy or something and see if anyone bites there.

Allie and Jimu found a lost dog wandering around their place and Allie finally caught her after 3 days of patience.  The dog seems very friendly now that she is in a home.  Before she was skittish, I think because she was alone (although they did say she had a boy dog with her at one point) and without any security of a home.  She looks amazingly like their other dog Bullet.  She went right up to the girls, seemed very comfortable with children.

I honestly think she is someones pet.  She doesn't seem like she was abused, she isn't worried about being hit.  She doesn't fight a leash.  I am worried they are becoming attached to her too quickly before they find out if she is micro-chipped at least.  They are already working on a name for her.  I hope, for their sakes, that no one claims her.  But if it is someone's dog their are few other people you would want taking care of it until you could find it again.

Oh - and here is hoping things aren't too terrible for the east coast with Sandy.  I know there will be damage, its already on the news, but hopefully no one will be hurt or killed.

ARRRrrrrrrr!!!

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day!

In other news: Dentist is done.  Don't want to talk or think about it again....

House is getting closer and closer to being ready to sell.  I thought maybe I would have it done in the beginning of September but now I am seeing I will probably have it done at the end of the month.

Garden is still producing.  I got two watermelons, one of which I had to pick because it split open - basically grew too big for its britches.  TONS of tomatoes on the vines, just hoping they ripen before the frost.

Closer

Steps closer to having the house ready to sell.  This may seem like all this blog is about, but once we find our land it will be more about working on it.
The day to day chores, what works and what doesn't, the triumphs and the tragedies.
Just the first step was deciding to do it.

Missed it?

So there was this awesome looking 131 year old farm house for sale, 10 acres, a barn and a pond.  $69,900.  I mean DAMN.

But our house isn't quite ready for the market (I still think I can get it on the market in Sept) and we weren't ready to move on any property.  So that awesome short sale farm - in a contract.  Likely not see something like that again for awhile.

But at the same time I have learned that while land isn't made anymore (except for islands etc), there is plenty out there.  There is a point where you have to trust in the cosmos, fate, god(s) - whatever - that things are going to work out for you.  If you have a plan or at least a good idea, then you can work towards something.  I'm not saying that everything will be perfect but at least you can measure success with a goal in mind.

The adage - god (universe, nature, fate) helps those that help themselves - I believe in strongly.  You may not have the resources to get something done but if you ask around you might find a way to do it.

So - getting help with painting some of the interior of the house, getting ready to get this thing on the market, and then - hopefully - finding our next home.

Cheers, good luck, force be with you - and all that.

They Moved.

So my friends moved one mile from their apartment to their first house together.  Very excited for them.  Thankfully I didn't have to sweat much for them since they hired movers.  I did not envy those guys.  I would hate to do that much labor in dangerous temperatures of 100+ heat.

I don't mind sweat - it means you are alive and doing something ... even if it is just surviving in the heat.  What I do mind is if it gets in my eyes.

Bathroom is finally done and it is WONDERFUL!!  Rob doesn't have to duck (6'3") to get under the shower head.  We specifically raised the head of the shower when we gutted the room just for him.  It fought till the very end but we triumphed ... strange how simple jobs like screwing in a bathtub drain get complicated.

Going to help get Allie and Jimu's house ready for their girls coming home from Texas (visiting relatives).  The girls know nothing about it.  They didn't even know Allie and Jimu were looking for a house.  They will be so excited when they find out.  I can't wait to see their faces.

Trying to coax the garden along in this heat is becoming more difficult.  I almost want to just let it die.  This drought is really tough on the little garden, I can't imagine what farmers are doing when that is their lively hood (except if they have crop insurance).  You find a way I imagine.  If the garden was more important to me than just a few extra tomatoes (at this point) then I would probably put in more effort.  But most of what I grew I have harvested already or the bugs ate.

I am very glad I started so early this spring.  It meant the vegetables were done before the drought got really bad.  I can only hope Nature takes pity on us soon and lets the rain in.

Exciting Day

So Dad finally got to go home after doing most of the bathroom remodel (thanks Dad).  Of course he had to repair his jeep before he was allowed to leave the driveway....

A minor fuel line fix later he was on his way home.

Today I am going with my friends Allie and Jimu (we call him Jimu - don't ask) to look at a house they are interested in.  I am excited for them - I remember how enthralled I was with getting my first house with Rob.  At the same time I know how blind it made me.  My Mom and Dad tried to tell me the house needed some work but I wouldn't hear it.  There was a four foot diameter tree in the backyard!!!

Anyways, it wasn't totally bad that we got this house.  It has served us well.  But we are ready to move on too.

But back to the thing today - they found the house in the school district they have their girls in already and the girls are in the school Allie really wanted them in, so that is good.  This house is one that a guy bought and is flipping (has flipped) - not sure when it is officially flipped if when the work is done or when it is sold.

I haven't gotten to see the inside yet, which is what we are doing today while the inspector is there.

I will update more later.