My ankle is shriveling up because Daisy has been licking it for the last ten minutes.
She is nervous because there are roofers atop the house hammering away. It's a very personal noise -- like someone is standing next to me, knocking on the wall. I could have all the blinds drawn, and be in a very private place, but the noise will still invade.
I arrived home late from work today and Len is in Seattle again, so I expected chaos in the house. The hounds were very happy to see me, and I noted one small Daisy-sized accident, but other than that, they seem to have returned to their pre-Seattle routine.
I fed them and took them out for a nice long walk. I met a new neighbor, Dennis, who has a dog and marveled at my ability to handle four at once. He saw me near the end of the walk. He remarked on Scully's and Maggie's pooping skills (simultaneous and on the same spot -- it was surreal, but very easy to scoop up) and mentioned he'd seen Len with them before. Everyone likes these guys.
Suzy and Clark were our first official visitors. They stopped in on their way home from Augusta on Saturday and had dinner with us. We LOVED seeing them and look forward to them coming for a longer stay sometime soon.
I'm not sure how late these roofers will be here -- it's already 7 p.m. and Len said it would only take a day. From what I can see, they have two days left on this job. I can't wait for them to leave. I want to hang out in the back yard with the hounds while the sun is still out. It's been such a lovely day.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Wallpaper? Who invented this crap?
Wallpaper sucks.
I actually plan to install a bit of wallpaper in my house, it's true, but in general, wallpaper sucks.
I remember scraping wallpaper off the walls of both the Michigan houses we owned -- hating every minute in the second house. The first house, thankfully, featured the kind where removal is relatively easy -- almost like the folks who installed the stuff said to themselves, "who in their right mind will like this after a couple years on the wall?" They thoughtfully made that stuff the peal off variety.
The Woods Road house only had two rooms with wallpaper, one big and one small, but in order to get the crap off I had to rent a steamer and struggle through that process. Those are three days I'll never get back.
But, beware the single woman in a house for twelve years. I say this because men don't care about wallpaper -- until it's time to remove it. Men do not choose this stuff--women do.
Don't misunderstand, I'm not a hater. Wallpaper can be cool. But not in my house. And, invariably, I seem to be the person who has to de-install this shit.
The woman who owned our house until March 8, 2006, apparently LOVED wallpaper. It's in the kitchen, it's in both bathrooms, it's in the hallway, it's in the dining room. I did not think about the consequences of these facts when I bought this place.
I recently began the process of wallpaper removal. I bought the Tiger, I bought DIF, I bought the special Tiger scraper. No luck. It seems I'll be heading toward the steamer rental store soon. The best I could do with the DIF and Tiger was a few half-inch-wide strips here and there on a wall.
There is a chair rail in the dining room. I'm not going to strip the paper below the rail. Instead, I'm going to install a textured paintable paper there and paint it -- then glaze it to show off the texture. Sounds kinda cool but will probably be something someone strips off with distain someday.
I actually plan to install a bit of wallpaper in my house, it's true, but in general, wallpaper sucks.
I remember scraping wallpaper off the walls of both the Michigan houses we owned -- hating every minute in the second house. The first house, thankfully, featured the kind where removal is relatively easy -- almost like the folks who installed the stuff said to themselves, "who in their right mind will like this after a couple years on the wall?" They thoughtfully made that stuff the peal off variety.
The Woods Road house only had two rooms with wallpaper, one big and one small, but in order to get the crap off I had to rent a steamer and struggle through that process. Those are three days I'll never get back.
But, beware the single woman in a house for twelve years. I say this because men don't care about wallpaper -- until it's time to remove it. Men do not choose this stuff--women do.
Don't misunderstand, I'm not a hater. Wallpaper can be cool. But not in my house. And, invariably, I seem to be the person who has to de-install this shit.
The woman who owned our house until March 8, 2006, apparently LOVED wallpaper. It's in the kitchen, it's in both bathrooms, it's in the hallway, it's in the dining room. I did not think about the consequences of these facts when I bought this place.
I recently began the process of wallpaper removal. I bought the Tiger, I bought DIF, I bought the special Tiger scraper. No luck. It seems I'll be heading toward the steamer rental store soon. The best I could do with the DIF and Tiger was a few half-inch-wide strips here and there on a wall.
There is a chair rail in the dining room. I'm not going to strip the paper below the rail. Instead, I'm going to install a textured paintable paper there and paint it -- then glaze it to show off the texture. Sounds kinda cool but will probably be something someone strips off with distain someday.
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Progress at last
We've been in the house in Decatur now for nearly a month. Our stuff is here in relatively reasonable places, but we can't finish unpacking and arranging until the storage building arrives. It's not a big house, and we have ten bicycles perched in various places throughout the place and we live with four dogs. I'm feeling pretty frustrated because I have no where to move stuff out of the way of any painting and wallpaper scraping activities I'd like to do.
But, we did order the building, a 10x12 model that will hold all the cycles and garden gear and tools, etc., and will even have a loft for things like Christmas and other holiday boxes or whatever else we decide to store there. Our new privacy fence is scheduled to be installed tomorrow, which will really be nice in the mornings when I'm not properly dressed to take the hounds on a nature-call walk. It was really difficult for me last week when Len was in Seattle and I was handling all four at once, many, many times each day!
My birthday was last week, and we went to a nice little French cafe in Decatur called Cafe Alsace. We took MARTA the one stop to the square and then back and walked home from the station. It was pretty fabulous! I'm loving the lack of driving we do now.
But, speaking of driving, we do a lot of it on the weekends. We've been to Home Depot about a zillion times, and since we want to replace the kitchen appliances, we've been to the Sears scratch and dent store and Lowes and any other appliance store we can find. Once all this commerce is complete, I hope the car sits idle for long, long periods between rides!
Len got a subscription to Consumer Reports on line to research the appliances. After all the appliances we have had in all the various homes we've owned, we have a pretty good idea of what we like and don't like. Our kitchen in Smyrna was by far the very nicest we have ever had. I loved the powerful cooktop and the double ovens, but the dishwasher was very loud and the microwave was just odd thanks to its weird controls. Our range in Seattle had a nice oven, with pretty even heat, but simmering was not an option on any of the burners. Just like the burners on this stove in Decatur, the only option was boil high or boil low.
And, this is a personal choice, but I really feel that stainless steel only looks good on the professional series appliances like Viking or the Jenn-Air we had in Smyrna and the like. To me, a Kenmore range with stainless steel is like a house with brick only on the front. Why bother? So, we wanted black because it will flow nicely with the style of the kitchen.
We found a great GE Profile range. It has two ovens: An oversized oven on top and where the broiler or storage drawer would be on another range, a small oven. There are five burners with the continuous grate feature, or you can pull off the center grate and exchange it with a griddle plate. The burner under that grate is oblong. There are two super-powerful burners and a mid-range, and one with an ultra-low simmer feature. Best of all, Consumer Reports rates it a good buy!
After going through the CR site, I decided on a couple refrigerators and dishwashers -- all either Kenmore or Kitchen Aid, and we headed out to the closest Sears store. I didn't want to spend much more than $500 for the dishwasher, but the one I really wanted was a $900 Kenmore! But, on the CR site, I found a very nice alternative for $500 and planned to get that one. When we got to Sears, the one I really wanted, the $900 one, was on close-out for $550! It was a floor model and black! We snatched that one right up.
As for the frig, we were really limited by the height restriction from our cabinets. We found a very nice black side by side Kenmore that fits the space. The microwave that we already have in the kitchen, which happens to be black, also happens to be the highest rated of its type on CR -- so no need to get a new Microwave!
The coolest news, though, was if I got a Sears credit card, I'd get a 20 percent rebate on all Kenmore products I bought with the card that day. So,yes, I got a card! We'll get something like $300 back!
It was a great shopping experience! The new stuff will be delivered April 14. Hurrah!
Now, for Len news. He was accepted at Georgia State Law School! The reason that is such great news is that he had not yet been accepted to any Atlanta school when we moved here and in the back of my mind I started to freak out since the decision process was taking so long. Phew! Now we wait to hear from Emory and see what Len decides. Life is good.
But, we did order the building, a 10x12 model that will hold all the cycles and garden gear and tools, etc., and will even have a loft for things like Christmas and other holiday boxes or whatever else we decide to store there. Our new privacy fence is scheduled to be installed tomorrow, which will really be nice in the mornings when I'm not properly dressed to take the hounds on a nature-call walk. It was really difficult for me last week when Len was in Seattle and I was handling all four at once, many, many times each day!
My birthday was last week, and we went to a nice little French cafe in Decatur called Cafe Alsace. We took MARTA the one stop to the square and then back and walked home from the station. It was pretty fabulous! I'm loving the lack of driving we do now.
But, speaking of driving, we do a lot of it on the weekends. We've been to Home Depot about a zillion times, and since we want to replace the kitchen appliances, we've been to the Sears scratch and dent store and Lowes and any other appliance store we can find. Once all this commerce is complete, I hope the car sits idle for long, long periods between rides!
Len got a subscription to Consumer Reports on line to research the appliances. After all the appliances we have had in all the various homes we've owned, we have a pretty good idea of what we like and don't like. Our kitchen in Smyrna was by far the very nicest we have ever had. I loved the powerful cooktop and the double ovens, but the dishwasher was very loud and the microwave was just odd thanks to its weird controls. Our range in Seattle had a nice oven, with pretty even heat, but simmering was not an option on any of the burners. Just like the burners on this stove in Decatur, the only option was boil high or boil low.
And, this is a personal choice, but I really feel that stainless steel only looks good on the professional series appliances like Viking or the Jenn-Air we had in Smyrna and the like. To me, a Kenmore range with stainless steel is like a house with brick only on the front. Why bother? So, we wanted black because it will flow nicely with the style of the kitchen.
We found a great GE Profile range. It has two ovens: An oversized oven on top and where the broiler or storage drawer would be on another range, a small oven. There are five burners with the continuous grate feature, or you can pull off the center grate and exchange it with a griddle plate. The burner under that grate is oblong. There are two super-powerful burners and a mid-range, and one with an ultra-low simmer feature. Best of all, Consumer Reports rates it a good buy!
After going through the CR site, I decided on a couple refrigerators and dishwashers -- all either Kenmore or Kitchen Aid, and we headed out to the closest Sears store. I didn't want to spend much more than $500 for the dishwasher, but the one I really wanted was a $900 Kenmore! But, on the CR site, I found a very nice alternative for $500 and planned to get that one. When we got to Sears, the one I really wanted, the $900 one, was on close-out for $550! It was a floor model and black! We snatched that one right up.
As for the frig, we were really limited by the height restriction from our cabinets. We found a very nice black side by side Kenmore that fits the space. The microwave that we already have in the kitchen, which happens to be black, also happens to be the highest rated of its type on CR -- so no need to get a new Microwave!
The coolest news, though, was if I got a Sears credit card, I'd get a 20 percent rebate on all Kenmore products I bought with the card that day. So,yes, I got a card! We'll get something like $300 back!
It was a great shopping experience! The new stuff will be delivered April 14. Hurrah!
Now, for Len news. He was accepted at Georgia State Law School! The reason that is such great news is that he had not yet been accepted to any Atlanta school when we moved here and in the back of my mind I started to freak out since the decision process was taking so long. Phew! Now we wait to hear from Emory and see what Len decides. Life is good.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Technology Problems
Wouldn't you know it: I had the same clunky old cell phone for three or more years and when I finally get a new, swanky hi-tech phone, it is one of the few in a defective batch. Yep, my new pink RAZR is one of the RAZRs that drops calls. ALL THE TIME. It was really annoying. So, I checked the internet to see if I could find out what to do about this problem, and Cingular's site tells me they are happy to replace the defective phones -- AT THE POINT OF PURCHASE. Trouble for me is, I moved last week from Seattle to Atlanta. Crap, I thought, I have to wait until Len goes on his next business trip back to his Seattle office to get a replacement. But wait, I had an idea -- maybe Cingular would take pity on me and let me do the exchange in Atlanta. I called, waited only a short time after navigating through their crazy system and was told, "No problem, we'll send you a new phone and include a pre-paid pack for you to send the old one back." Hurrah! It's a hassle to replace the phone, but these things happen. It's nice that Cingular has made it easy for me to make the exchange. Very refreshing!
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Some Alone Time
We're here in Georgia now. Four days, twelve states, two colds, and four dogs later, we are here. Len was sick the first day of the drive, so I started us off. It took 40 minutes just to get out of Seattle, since we left in the middle of morning rush hour. We drove over the mountains, through the desert, back over the mountains, through some snow, and all the while the hounds were quiet and calm. I'm not good at driving during inclement weather at night, so Len handled the driving after dark through the "chain-up" zones in the mountains.
We stopped that first night in Livingston, Montana at the Livingston Motel Inn. The proudly announced on their sign that they accept pets and horses. You read right, horses. The place had horse stalls behind the rooms. It was actually a really nice place, run by a husband and wife team. It was very clean and offered really every amenity available in the chain hotels and then some.
Days two through four featured lovely clear blue skies and almost no traffic problems. We stopped in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on night two, Blytheville, Arkansas on night three, and drove by Graceland on day four before arriving safe and happy in Albany.
Had we not both gotten sick this week, it would have been an uneventful cross-country journey. We're feeling much better, thank you very much, now that we've had loads of rest on comfy beds.
Suzy and Clark have been spectacular hosts -- never a dull moment in a house with nine dogs in residence! Yesterday we went downtown to participate in the annual Mardi Gras Pet Parade. I personally feel Devon should have won cutest pet, but some little girl's dog got that one. Ashley's greyhound, Kelsey, won best dressed, so we celebrated a victory in our group! And, for dinner last night, Clark made a fabulous jambalaya. Yum!
As I type, Len, Suzy, Clark, and their friend Fred are on a long bike ride (we couldn't fit two bikes on the car with the roof pod, so we only brought Len's bike). I'm home attempting to recreate my famous pizza for the troops. I'm having to improvise, since my Baking with Julia Child is stored in a box on a Graebel truck somewhere. We'll see how well I can do without Julia's guidance!
We stopped that first night in Livingston, Montana at the Livingston Motel Inn. The proudly announced on their sign that they accept pets and horses. You read right, horses. The place had horse stalls behind the rooms. It was actually a really nice place, run by a husband and wife team. It was very clean and offered really every amenity available in the chain hotels and then some.
Days two through four featured lovely clear blue skies and almost no traffic problems. We stopped in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on night two, Blytheville, Arkansas on night three, and drove by Graceland on day four before arriving safe and happy in Albany.
Had we not both gotten sick this week, it would have been an uneventful cross-country journey. We're feeling much better, thank you very much, now that we've had loads of rest on comfy beds.
Suzy and Clark have been spectacular hosts -- never a dull moment in a house with nine dogs in residence! Yesterday we went downtown to participate in the annual Mardi Gras Pet Parade. I personally feel Devon should have won cutest pet, but some little girl's dog got that one. Ashley's greyhound, Kelsey, won best dressed, so we celebrated a victory in our group! And, for dinner last night, Clark made a fabulous jambalaya. Yum!
As I type, Len, Suzy, Clark, and their friend Fred are on a long bike ride (we couldn't fit two bikes on the car with the roof pod, so we only brought Len's bike). I'm home attempting to recreate my famous pizza for the troops. I'm having to improvise, since my Baking with Julia Child is stored in a box on a Graebel truck somewhere. We'll see how well I can do without Julia's guidance!
Monday, February 27, 2006
Dogs Bark and Time Passes
Here I sit, in what is very likely my last hour in my Seattle basement office, waiting for a proof of my March magazine. The movers are here, taking all our worldly possessions away, and Maggie is barking incessantly at the other dogs for breathing her air. It's going to be a long drive back to Georgia.
The movers are very nice, but they have already damaged something -- they had trouble getting our green sofa out the door and they hadn't placed padding over the doorways. The fabric caught on the hardware and ripped slightly. I think I can easily repair it so that it is not noticeable, but Len and I were both there when it happened and you could almost SEE our hearts fall to our stomachs when we heard the ripping sound. The first casualty of the move. Let's hope there aren't any more.
Poor Len is sick today -- and he's never sick. He coughed all night last night and it's just not looking good for the drive for him. I'm really exhausted. We finished packing everything last night, but I had to do some work for the job. I interviewed a very nice man in Hong Kong at 5 p.m. (9 a.m. Monday for him) and since he was the last of the interviews for that article, I was able to complete it last night. This morning I was told it was "superb" -- a compliment I'd like to get more often, for sure! -- so that is one less thing for me to worry over on the journey home.
As soon as that proof comes on the magazine, I'll print it out, box up the computer gear, and head to the closing. Phew. Almost there.
The movers are very nice, but they have already damaged something -- they had trouble getting our green sofa out the door and they hadn't placed padding over the doorways. The fabric caught on the hardware and ripped slightly. I think I can easily repair it so that it is not noticeable, but Len and I were both there when it happened and you could almost SEE our hearts fall to our stomachs when we heard the ripping sound. The first casualty of the move. Let's hope there aren't any more.
Poor Len is sick today -- and he's never sick. He coughed all night last night and it's just not looking good for the drive for him. I'm really exhausted. We finished packing everything last night, but I had to do some work for the job. I interviewed a very nice man in Hong Kong at 5 p.m. (9 a.m. Monday for him) and since he was the last of the interviews for that article, I was able to complete it last night. This morning I was told it was "superb" -- a compliment I'd like to get more often, for sure! -- so that is one less thing for me to worry over on the journey home.
As soon as that proof comes on the magazine, I'll print it out, box up the computer gear, and head to the closing. Phew. Almost there.
Sunday, February 19, 2006
The final stretch
Today was bath day for the greyhounds. We have one more weekend before the move, but I was afraid I'd be too overwhelmed to get them bathed then, so I went ahead with the torture. Maggie always amazes me with her mass fur production. It was everywhere. Scully took it like the girl she is -- resigned to it, just like when it's toe-nail-clipping time. There never was an easier dog to groom. Makes up for her crazy behavior otherwise. I'm waiting until the temperature is a little warmer this week before bathing Daisy and Devon. Those two really can't handle the cold -- even though I turned up the thermostat for the big hounds today.
They will all be clean for their visit with their aunt and uncle and their many cousins.
I'm packing up the kitchen and my office this week and Len is handling the garage. Amazingly enough, that's it. It has been difficult living amongst the boxes for these last several weeks, but we won't have some crazy crunch time just before the movers come, so it's worth it. Be prepared. A new concept for me.
Of course, I do dream of a time, oh, about five weeks from now, when our lives are back to normal -- whatever that is. All the boxes will be in some recycling pile somewhere and our stuff will be in their new home. I really don't want to do this again for a very long time.
They will all be clean for their visit with their aunt and uncle and their many cousins.
I'm packing up the kitchen and my office this week and Len is handling the garage. Amazingly enough, that's it. It has been difficult living amongst the boxes for these last several weeks, but we won't have some crazy crunch time just before the movers come, so it's worth it. Be prepared. A new concept for me.
Of course, I do dream of a time, oh, about five weeks from now, when our lives are back to normal -- whatever that is. All the boxes will be in some recycling pile somewhere and our stuff will be in their new home. I really don't want to do this again for a very long time.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Maggie Goes on Vacation
The people who are buying our house sent over their appraiser today. Mr. Bond, Mike Bond, asked if he could look around the yard. I just asked that he close the back gate when he was finished. Later on, I let the dogs out and looked over at the gate to make sure it was closed. It was, and I went back in to the house and started my lunch. I let three dogs in, figuring Miss Maggie was being here usual slow self. Several minutes later I called out for her outside. Nothing. I checked the side yard and behind the shrubs. Nothing. The gate was still closed. I went inside and checked the basement. Nothing. Checked the bedrooms. Nothing. Checked the basement again. Went back out back. That's when I saw that the gate wasn't actually locked, but ALMOST locked.
I hopped on the scooter and trolled the neighborhood, calling out, "Maggie, maggie!" I asked the mail lady if she had seen a greyhound. I asked the utilities guy if he had seen a greyhound.
Nothing.
Finally, I came back to the house and saw my neighbor, Darlene, in her yard and asked if she had seen one of our greyhounds. She said she hadn't, but pointed toward my house and said, "There's one."
A nice lady who lives TEN blocks away had driven up and had Maggie tied with a rope.
She said this was getting to be a second job for her, that she had returned a dog just yesterday.
I said I was very glad she had returned this dog.
Maggie, I hope you had fun today. You bitch.
I hopped on the scooter and trolled the neighborhood, calling out, "Maggie, maggie!" I asked the mail lady if she had seen a greyhound. I asked the utilities guy if he had seen a greyhound.
Nothing.
Finally, I came back to the house and saw my neighbor, Darlene, in her yard and asked if she had seen one of our greyhounds. She said she hadn't, but pointed toward my house and said, "There's one."
A nice lady who lives TEN blocks away had driven up and had Maggie tied with a rope.
She said this was getting to be a second job for her, that she had returned a dog just yesterday.
I said I was very glad she had returned this dog.
Maggie, I hope you had fun today. You bitch.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
I really like pink
I have a new cell phone.
I've been harassing Len about my phone for some time. My cell phone was 3-4 years old and came with the service that I took over from Len when his company provided him a phone. I'd been dutifully waiting until that service ran out so I could get a new phone for less money and a service that fits my needs. Then we moved to Seattle and I told Len not to get a cell phone since his company will probably provide one. Of course he went ahead and got a phone. Meantime, my contract had run out last year and I've been going month-to-month before deciding what to do. I didn't want to take his new service over (yes, he did get a phone from his company) because I didn't want to change my number, etc.
So, now that we are moving back to Atlanta, I wanted to get a less-expensive contract, etc., but my service is in Len's name so I couldn't make any changes without him.
That's why I'd been harassing him.
Anyway, the harassment finally paid off yesterday. Len went to the Cingular store and changed both our services to the Family Plan and got me a new phone with the same number. Best of all, I got the coolest phone available (I think so, anyway). A Motorola RAZR -- in PINK!
It's very thin, but substantial and has all the features I need and then some (I can take pictures -- I was so far behind the times!!!). And it's PINK! Very, very cool.
Monday, February 06, 2006
Pins and Needles
I haven't posted in more than a week because Len asked me not to blog about our Seattle house until the buyers have their inspection. I'm sitting now in the guest bedroom with all the dogs while the potential buyers are roaming around the house with an inspector. Len, I hope I held out long enough for you.
Anyway, yes, our house has an offer on the table. We placed a brief ad on Craig's List last Sunday and by Sunday night we had two inquiries on it. The first couple came on Monday, liked it, and made us an offer. We've had a dozen or so other inquiries since, so we probably could have held out for more from someone else, but these people were very nice and they made it easy for us. They want in at the end of February, which means Len can come with me to Georgia rather than stay behind until the house closing.
Coincidentally, we had our inspection on Saturday for the house in Decatur. Len flew out on Friday night and returned last night. A few things came up that weren't the best, but we're going to work it all out. The only serious issue is that the roof needs replacing soon. The owner has already offered a sum of money to take care of repairs, so I think we'll get most everything done except the roof. We will see.
It's a very exciting time.
Anyway, yes, our house has an offer on the table. We placed a brief ad on Craig's List last Sunday and by Sunday night we had two inquiries on it. The first couple came on Monday, liked it, and made us an offer. We've had a dozen or so other inquiries since, so we probably could have held out for more from someone else, but these people were very nice and they made it easy for us. They want in at the end of February, which means Len can come with me to Georgia rather than stay behind until the house closing.
Coincidentally, we had our inspection on Saturday for the house in Decatur. Len flew out on Friday night and returned last night. A few things came up that weren't the best, but we're going to work it all out. The only serious issue is that the roof needs replacing soon. The owner has already offered a sum of money to take care of repairs, so I think we'll get most everything done except the roof. We will see.
It's a very exciting time.
Sunday, January 29, 2006
We have a contract!
Well, I did it. I bought a house! After a lot of drama that included losing an opportunity to buy a house by one day and viewing about thirty or so houses in East Lake and Kirkwood, I happily settled on a house in Decatur. I looked at a lot of crap. Really. Some of those places were uninhabitable, expensive, and situated next door to a crack house. I was very discouraged. The farther I got away from the area I thought I really wanted to be in, the cheaper the houses were -- but also, they were much more inhabitable. So, farther away I went.
Aside from things like a decent yard size for the hounds and enough space for our stuff inside, I really hoped to get a fireplace and a front porch. I was looking in East Lake and Kirkwood because I thought I could afford a house like that -- but it turns out if I could afford it, the house was either microscopic, or uninhabitable. Crap.
We found a decent place off a section of Memorial Drive that wasn't all that great, but I decided that was fine -- and planned to put in an offer on Friday morning. Karen, my favorite realtor lady, called first thing Friday to let me know the house had gotten an offer Thursday and the owners accepted. Huh? The place was on the market for months and it gets an offer the day before I planned to offer on it? Crap. I was even more discouraged.
Karen and I planned to meet Friday at 1:30 p.m. to continue the search. In the meantime, I made a list of houses I wanted to preview from the street and decide if I wanted to bother going inside. I hadn't looked in the area north of Decatur Square because I didn't see anything I liked that I could afford. But, there was this one place on Sycamore that looked kinda boring and small, but it was worth a look. I headed for Decatur and got onto Sycamore, but couldn't find the place. I noticed a "for sale" sign on a side street and drove by. When I got to the driveway, I really liked the house. When I saw the price on the flyer, I was really excited. I liked this place, I could afford this place, and it was in a great location. I couldn't wait to meet up with Karen!
I had some time, so I went to some other places on my list and met Karen in the very cute neighborhood south of Decatur Square called Winnona Park. We both loved the hood, and the houses were nice, but I told Karen we should really go by this house off Sycamore. We went and we both fell in love. Really. Karen almost couldn't contain herself -- when you spend nine hours in one day with a person, you get an idea what they like, and Karen really had me pegged. She'd also spent time with Len a few weeks earlier and felt pretty confident he'd like the place too.
We looked at a couple other places, but that one was it. I decided to make an offer. We did all the necessary stuff and she faxed it to the listing agent, who happened to be the owner's sister. Karen called the agent to see where we stood and was told the sister was on her way to look at the offers. OFFERS? Karen asked. Yes, the house, out of the blue, got three offers that day. What? Karen said that, by law, that realtor cannot claim to have multiple offers unless she has multiple offers, so we were pretty confident she was telling the truth. Crap. I reconsidered my offer and made it full price (which was still very reasonable, considering the comparable houses in the neighborhood) and I upped my earnest money. Turns out all the offers were the same except mine featured more earnest money. I GOT IT!
It's .8 miles from the MARTA station, just over a mile to Decatur Square, 2 miles to Emory Law School, 1.5 miles to the Dekalb Farmer's Market, and there is a Pet Supermarket .5 miles away. The location is ideal! The house has a cute front porch with the same kind of tile as Suzy and Clark's front porch. The place is a 1947 bungalow, it has a fireplace, a decent sized yard for the hounds, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a newly remodeled kitchen -- but the kitchen is TINY. But, it works and is nice. I am very pleased.
Now, we just have to sell this place in Seattle. Know anybody?
Aside from things like a decent yard size for the hounds and enough space for our stuff inside, I really hoped to get a fireplace and a front porch. I was looking in East Lake and Kirkwood because I thought I could afford a house like that -- but it turns out if I could afford it, the house was either microscopic, or uninhabitable. Crap.
We found a decent place off a section of Memorial Drive that wasn't all that great, but I decided that was fine -- and planned to put in an offer on Friday morning. Karen, my favorite realtor lady, called first thing Friday to let me know the house had gotten an offer Thursday and the owners accepted. Huh? The place was on the market for months and it gets an offer the day before I planned to offer on it? Crap. I was even more discouraged.
Karen and I planned to meet Friday at 1:30 p.m. to continue the search. In the meantime, I made a list of houses I wanted to preview from the street and decide if I wanted to bother going inside. I hadn't looked in the area north of Decatur Square because I didn't see anything I liked that I could afford. But, there was this one place on Sycamore that looked kinda boring and small, but it was worth a look. I headed for Decatur and got onto Sycamore, but couldn't find the place. I noticed a "for sale" sign on a side street and drove by. When I got to the driveway, I really liked the house. When I saw the price on the flyer, I was really excited. I liked this place, I could afford this place, and it was in a great location. I couldn't wait to meet up with Karen!
I had some time, so I went to some other places on my list and met Karen in the very cute neighborhood south of Decatur Square called Winnona Park. We both loved the hood, and the houses were nice, but I told Karen we should really go by this house off Sycamore. We went and we both fell in love. Really. Karen almost couldn't contain herself -- when you spend nine hours in one day with a person, you get an idea what they like, and Karen really had me pegged. She'd also spent time with Len a few weeks earlier and felt pretty confident he'd like the place too.
We looked at a couple other places, but that one was it. I decided to make an offer. We did all the necessary stuff and she faxed it to the listing agent, who happened to be the owner's sister. Karen called the agent to see where we stood and was told the sister was on her way to look at the offers. OFFERS? Karen asked. Yes, the house, out of the blue, got three offers that day. What? Karen said that, by law, that realtor cannot claim to have multiple offers unless she has multiple offers, so we were pretty confident she was telling the truth. Crap. I reconsidered my offer and made it full price (which was still very reasonable, considering the comparable houses in the neighborhood) and I upped my earnest money. Turns out all the offers were the same except mine featured more earnest money. I GOT IT!
It's .8 miles from the MARTA station, just over a mile to Decatur Square, 2 miles to Emory Law School, 1.5 miles to the Dekalb Farmer's Market, and there is a Pet Supermarket .5 miles away. The location is ideal! The house has a cute front porch with the same kind of tile as Suzy and Clark's front porch. The place is a 1947 bungalow, it has a fireplace, a decent sized yard for the hounds, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a newly remodeled kitchen -- but the kitchen is TINY. But, it works and is nice. I am very pleased.
Now, we just have to sell this place in Seattle. Know anybody?
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Rude Awakening
Here it is, the day before I leave for Atlanta to buy a house and I thought I'd get some clothes together for the trip. I've been wearing old jeans and sweatshirts lately, and I've already packed a lot of my clothes in boxes for the move -- just left out what I think I'll need in the next few weeks for work and home. Well, I haven't worn a particular pair of jeans since November because they are cropped and it's been too cold. I thought I might take them to Atlanta since it's warmer there. I tried them on today, thinking since I've been a little lax in the weight maintenance department since my class reunion (see previous entry with pictures of pizza), I thought I might have to wear them a day to give them a little stretch -- you know what I mean. I can pull them up and button them, but these jeans will not be comfortable on a five-hour plane ride. Crap. What have I done? They were PERFECT in November. Sweats are a terrible invention. Glad I found out now and not two more months down the road. I gotta pull that scale outta the box it's packed in. Crap.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Gimme a Break
I am pooped.
I've spent the last two days painting and packing and cleaning and I am exhausted. Len is at the laundromat, laundering things like king-size comforters that are too large for our residential washing machine. I just completed all the touch-up painting in the house and right after I finally get to take my shower for the day, I'm going to caulk the tub and the kitchen sink.
I ordered a nice sign for our yard today, plus a metal frame like realtors use and a nifty plastic box for the flyers. Have I mentioned we are going to sell this place by owner? We are going to try anyway. Since we've only been here a year, we haven't built up much equity. If we used a realtor, just to break even, we would have to get $45,000 more than we paid for the place 14 months ago.
The Seattle market is still pretty good, but I'm afraid it's not that good. Our starting price will be about $30,000 over what we paid -- in case someone comes with a buyer's agent we have to pay. Without an agent on either side, I think we'd be happy to get $5000 or so over what we paid last year -- that will help take care of the excise tax here in Seattle. I'll take pictures for the flyer later and will post a PDF for your viewing pleasure.
In the meantime, I've been back in the kitchen, making pizza -- we've had it a lot lately since I've been trying to perfect the crust. Len doesn't want pizza out any more since he says mine is so much better than we can get elsewhere. High praise! I include here a couple pictures of my latest creation -- whole, and a slice so you can see the crust is crisp enough to stand on its own. I rock!
I've spent the last two days painting and packing and cleaning and I am exhausted. Len is at the laundromat, laundering things like king-size comforters that are too large for our residential washing machine. I just completed all the touch-up painting in the house and right after I finally get to take my shower for the day, I'm going to caulk the tub and the kitchen sink.
I ordered a nice sign for our yard today, plus a metal frame like realtors use and a nifty plastic box for the flyers. Have I mentioned we are going to sell this place by owner? We are going to try anyway. Since we've only been here a year, we haven't built up much equity. If we used a realtor, just to break even, we would have to get $45,000 more than we paid for the place 14 months ago.
The Seattle market is still pretty good, but I'm afraid it's not that good. Our starting price will be about $30,000 over what we paid -- in case someone comes with a buyer's agent we have to pay. Without an agent on either side, I think we'd be happy to get $5000 or so over what we paid last year -- that will help take care of the excise tax here in Seattle. I'll take pictures for the flyer later and will post a PDF for your viewing pleasure.
In the meantime, I've been back in the kitchen, making pizza -- we've had it a lot lately since I've been trying to perfect the crust. Len doesn't want pizza out any more since he says mine is so much better than we can get elsewhere. High praise! I include here a couple pictures of my latest creation -- whole, and a slice so you can see the crust is crisp enough to stand on its own. I rock!
Saturday, January 21, 2006
Chaos
It's been an entire week since my last post, but since there has been so much activity in this house I have loads to say today. Actually, I think I'll let my pictures speak for me.
Our floors in the bedrooms desperately needed refinishing before we put the place on the market, so we had to bite the bullet and pay the $2500 to have the work done. Monday morning, two mysterious Russian men came to the house to begin work. I never got their names and one of the men never said a word to me. The younger guy did all the talking -- which is not saying much. A few months ago, I pulled up carpet in our bedroom to reveal that the previous owners had left terrible stains and paint on the floors before covering them with the carpet. I really looked forward to seeing what -- if anything -- could be done to make the floors like new again.
These two guys set to work and, except for all the noise, never bothered me. The dogs handled it all pretty well and stayed with me in the basement all week. Maggie didn't like the noise much, as it threatened her beauty rest, but none of them seemed scared or worried about all the activity going on above us. The two mysterious Russians sanded the floors, stained them, and slathered three coats of poly over them in four days. Tonight, Len and I get to move from the basement back into our bedroom.
In the meantime, the house is a wreck, with the contents of both bedrooms and the three affected closets piled high in our living room. I just noticed last night that you can see the piles through our front window. The piles of stuff, and the fact that folks are still coming by to buy things Len posted on Craig's List must make our neighbors really wonder what the heck we are doing over here. When we put out the "For Sale" sign in the yard this week, the neighbors will understand -- and probably be a little grateful to see us strange folk go!
The Russians finished the last coat on Thursday morning and now, two days later, the stench from the coating has all but gone away. At one point it was so strong upstairs that my throat hurt from breathing in the fumes. That's when the hounds and I went for a walk in the neighborhood for some wet, fresh air. In any case, the floors are complete, and they are magnificent. I can still see a couple spots where the stains were too deep to sand off, but I think that's only because I know where to look. The floors look new. The stain is nearly identical to the color in the rest of the house, too, so the floors don't look out of place. We are very pleased with the results.
Our floors in the bedrooms desperately needed refinishing before we put the place on the market, so we had to bite the bullet and pay the $2500 to have the work done. Monday morning, two mysterious Russian men came to the house to begin work. I never got their names and one of the men never said a word to me. The younger guy did all the talking -- which is not saying much. A few months ago, I pulled up carpet in our bedroom to reveal that the previous owners had left terrible stains and paint on the floors before covering them with the carpet. I really looked forward to seeing what -- if anything -- could be done to make the floors like new again. 
These two guys set to work and, except for all the noise, never bothered me. The dogs handled it all pretty well and stayed with me in the basement all week. Maggie didn't like the noise much, as it threatened her beauty rest, but none of them seemed scared or worried about all the activity going on above us. The two mysterious Russians sanded the floors, stained them, and slathered three coats of poly over them in four days. Tonight, Len and I get to move from the basement back into our bedroom. 
In the meantime, the house is a wreck, with the contents of both bedrooms and the three affected closets piled high in our living room. I just noticed last night that you can see the piles through our front window. The piles of stuff, and the fact that folks are still coming by to buy things Len posted on Craig's List must make our neighbors really wonder what the heck we are doing over here. When we put out the "For Sale" sign in the yard this week, the neighbors will understand -- and probably be a little grateful to see us strange folk go!
The Russians finished the last coat on Thursday morning and now, two days later, the stench from the coating has all but gone away. At one point it was so strong upstairs that my throat hurt from breathing in the fumes. That's when the hounds and I went for a walk in the neighborhood for some wet, fresh air. In any case, the floors are complete, and they are magnificent. I can still see a couple spots where the stains were too deep to sand off, but I think that's only because I know where to look. The floors look new. The stain is nearly identical to the color in the rest of the house, too, so the floors don't look out of place. We are very pleased with the results.
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Four Lenders Are Competing for Your Business
Yep, you got that right: Four lenders are competing for my business. FOUR. At least that was the message I got when I applied for a mortgage pre-qualification letter from the LendingTree.com. Three of said lenders have already contacted me in hopes to earn my business. Well, for once I'm in the financial driver's seat.
Lucky for me, my credit is excellent. Who knew? We learned last year when we bought this house in Seattle that someone had stolen my identity several months earlier and had taken out a phone in Detroit in my name. They racked up more than $1,000 in calls in one month and then skipped. When I found out, I called the phone company and sent them information showing I didn't live in Detroit at the time -- actually, I've never lived there -- and, voila, my credit was cleared of that blemish. It doesn't even show as a warning on my report. I'm very grateful to be married to such a good solid guy as Len -- I'm sure it's his influence that has made me so straight-laced and credit-worthy.
So far, it looks like the best rate I can get is 5.75%, but I haven't done any real research -- one point can mean a lot, so I'm not choosing the first good-looking loan that comes my way. I think I'll make them woo me before I decide.
Week after next, I'm returning to Atlanta for the big house-hunting trip. I have found several places that look wonderful on-line. But, I need to see them in person before making the big decision. My plan is to make an offer (or two) while I am there and hopefully come back with a contract in hand. I've learned my lesson and will be very aggressive in my offer -- how LOW can they go? There are something like 75,000 homes available in Atlanta right now. It's definitely a buyer's market.
Here in 98105, there are just 5 houses in the range in which we plan to list our house. That's very good news, especially since I personally would not look twice at any of those houses if mine was available. I really think we'll sell our house quickly for a price close to what we hope to get. Fingers are crossed. Toes, too.
Lucky for me, my credit is excellent. Who knew? We learned last year when we bought this house in Seattle that someone had stolen my identity several months earlier and had taken out a phone in Detroit in my name. They racked up more than $1,000 in calls in one month and then skipped. When I found out, I called the phone company and sent them information showing I didn't live in Detroit at the time -- actually, I've never lived there -- and, voila, my credit was cleared of that blemish. It doesn't even show as a warning on my report. I'm very grateful to be married to such a good solid guy as Len -- I'm sure it's his influence that has made me so straight-laced and credit-worthy.
So far, it looks like the best rate I can get is 5.75%, but I haven't done any real research -- one point can mean a lot, so I'm not choosing the first good-looking loan that comes my way. I think I'll make them woo me before I decide.
Week after next, I'm returning to Atlanta for the big house-hunting trip. I have found several places that look wonderful on-line. But, I need to see them in person before making the big decision. My plan is to make an offer (or two) while I am there and hopefully come back with a contract in hand. I've learned my lesson and will be very aggressive in my offer -- how LOW can they go? There are something like 75,000 homes available in Atlanta right now. It's definitely a buyer's market.
Here in 98105, there are just 5 houses in the range in which we plan to list our house. That's very good news, especially since I personally would not look twice at any of those houses if mine was available. I really think we'll sell our house quickly for a price close to what we hope to get. Fingers are crossed. Toes, too.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Boxed In
Where is the camera when I need it? We had a bit of sunshine today (23 days of rain and counting), so I decided to scooter. The sunshine fooled me into thinking it was warmer than it was -- the moisture in the air cuts to the bone. Still, I wanted to soak in as many rays as possible, so I drove around a while thinking of ways to be productive. We needed clean newsprint for packing material, so I went to our neighborhood moving store and bought a 25 lb box. It was about 3 feet wide, 1 foot deep and 6 inches thick. I bought it before thinking it might be difficult to take home on the scooter. Turns out it was no problem! I laid it longways and tall on the tiny back rack and took a bungee to it. I wasn't winning any fuel-efficiency awards with that as a windblock, but it was secure and I was able to get it home easily and safely on the back of my ride. I couldn't find the camera to take a picture of this feat of genius for this blog entry. Bummer.
So, I started packing some more -- anything to get out of finishing the painting of that basement. Most of the knickknacks and pottery are now safely snuggled in together in several boxes marked "FRAGILE." Tomorrow, I paint.
So, I started packing some more -- anything to get out of finishing the painting of that basement. Most of the knickknacks and pottery are now safely snuggled in together in several boxes marked "FRAGILE." Tomorrow, I paint.
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Jumping Jesus on a Pogo Stick
Moving is a drag.
We're well into the pack and purge part of the move and it seems we have a never-ending supply of crap. We've gotten rid of chairs, a dresser, bicycle stuff, rugs, and other things I'd long-forgotten we owned and there is still so much we can get rid of. The crazy thing is we have carted some of this stuff what seems like 100,000 miles on various moves -- some has never been unpacked.
The ideal is to have only the good stuff shipped back. Anything good -- but we don't want -- will be given to GoodWill. Anything that is truly crap that no one will want is headed for the dump! But, I keep finding things that I don't really love and that are no longer my taste, but the item reminds me of some part of my life that I want to hang on to. Argh! I'm my own worst enemy!
The hounds know something is up, I think. Maggie has begun to follow me around -- very unusual -- and Scully and Daisy are even more needy. Especially Daisy. Devon is as oblivious as ever.
On a very positive note: Devon has made his weight goal! I should have mentioned this weeks ago -- but he's down to 12 slim pounds from 14.5! Good work, Little D! You get a Bravo! sticker!
We're well into the pack and purge part of the move and it seems we have a never-ending supply of crap. We've gotten rid of chairs, a dresser, bicycle stuff, rugs, and other things I'd long-forgotten we owned and there is still so much we can get rid of. The crazy thing is we have carted some of this stuff what seems like 100,000 miles on various moves -- some has never been unpacked.
The ideal is to have only the good stuff shipped back. Anything good -- but we don't want -- will be given to GoodWill. Anything that is truly crap that no one will want is headed for the dump! But, I keep finding things that I don't really love and that are no longer my taste, but the item reminds me of some part of my life that I want to hang on to. Argh! I'm my own worst enemy!
The hounds know something is up, I think. Maggie has begun to follow me around -- very unusual -- and Scully and Daisy are even more needy. Especially Daisy. Devon is as oblivious as ever.
On a very positive note: Devon has made his weight goal! I should have mentioned this weeks ago -- but he's down to 12 slim pounds from 14.5! Good work, Little D! You get a Bravo! sticker!
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Hood Canal
Len and I went to a friend's cabin at Hood Canal for New Year's Eve (that's me pictured on their deck that overlooks the canal). Our friends Jeff and Steph are just wonderful people -- and I'm not saying this on the off chance that they actually find this blog and read this entry! Really, though, they are just terrific people. Truth is, if we were going to stay here, I could see us becoming very close. Jeff works for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation -- and it's so cool when he calls us, because the caller id on the phone says "Bill and Melinda." Steph is a vet. For the first time that day, we heard her stories from the time she was a large animal vet. Very fun stories about her shoving her hand... well, you get the idea...
The day before, we went to a party on Bainbridge Island celebrating the New Year and to say goodbye to yet another of Len's co-workers, Thomas. Thomas (he's German, so it's pronounced TOE-mas) is leaving the company to be VP of Clinical for a pharmaceutical company outside of Philadelphia. Congrats, Thomas!
Len's law school applications are complete, so now we wait. We've begun to pack our things and we have big boxes filled with our carefully packed stuff in the dining room and in the living room. Len is going to Atlanta this weekend for a work-related project, so he'll check out a few houses while he is there. It's starting to feel very real.
Len has been so successful selling our crap on Craig's List and on eBay, that I decided to try to sell a few things. I'll leave the cash in my PayPal account and use it to buy stuff later -- when I won't have extra money to spend. My first eight auctions ended tonight and I am happy to say I'm $435 richer tonight! Wahoo!
Monday, January 02, 2006
New Year, New Life. Right?
I guess I can say it now.
Last year sucked. But, it was really cool, too.
We moved to Seattle in January. We loaded the four dogs into our wagon and drove from Atlanta to Seattle in three days. It was a hard drive that should have taken two more days than it did, but we wanted to get the hounds on solid ground as quickly as possible. I have very little memory of that journey -- except that Wyoming was most unimpressive.
After the move, we settled in to our new life on the West Coast. At first it was ideal. Everything was a new adventure. Len started riding really, really long distances with a bike club. He traveled alone over the mountains and through the deserts of Washington State on his bicycle. I joined a couple knitting groups. I settled in to working from home. This town is really beautiful and vibrant and exciting and interesting. It was fun.
And, then, it wasn't fun any more.
Len's job wasn't working out as he hoped and, in fact, it became pretty clear early on that the company probably wouldn't last long. It was difficult to develop roots in a place that I knew wouldn't be home for long.
I got really lonely. I'd find myself crying in the car on the way to the grocery store. I didn't want poor Len to know how I was feeling, but it was getting harder and harder each day. Then, one day he said he wasn't happy, that things weren't going well for him at work and that maybe this move was a mistake -- which I firmly believe it was not a mistake, but rather an adventure. But, finally! I could say something about how I was feeling. So, we discussed and considered and thought things through. When Len asked me how I'd feel if he went to law school, I was thrilled!
So, now we had a plan.
I started to enjoy Seattle again, knowing I wouldn't live here forever. We've been to Museum of Flight, we've gone to some of the surrounding islands and communities. We saw salmon jumping at Ballard Locks. When Suzy and Clark were here we did wine country and when Betsy was here we went to the mountain town where Twin Peaks was filmed. I've seen the Space Needle more times than I remember. I've ridden my bicycle all over this town. Now that I have a scooter, I've scooted everywhere.
We've met some fabulous people, too.
Okay, so the year hasn't outright sucked -- it's been pretty good, after all. We had a great adventure. I'm truly glad we did this. But, I can't wait to get the hell home.
Last year sucked. But, it was really cool, too.
We moved to Seattle in January. We loaded the four dogs into our wagon and drove from Atlanta to Seattle in three days. It was a hard drive that should have taken two more days than it did, but we wanted to get the hounds on solid ground as quickly as possible. I have very little memory of that journey -- except that Wyoming was most unimpressive.
After the move, we settled in to our new life on the West Coast. At first it was ideal. Everything was a new adventure. Len started riding really, really long distances with a bike club. He traveled alone over the mountains and through the deserts of Washington State on his bicycle. I joined a couple knitting groups. I settled in to working from home. This town is really beautiful and vibrant and exciting and interesting. It was fun.
And, then, it wasn't fun any more.
Len's job wasn't working out as he hoped and, in fact, it became pretty clear early on that the company probably wouldn't last long. It was difficult to develop roots in a place that I knew wouldn't be home for long.
I got really lonely. I'd find myself crying in the car on the way to the grocery store. I didn't want poor Len to know how I was feeling, but it was getting harder and harder each day. Then, one day he said he wasn't happy, that things weren't going well for him at work and that maybe this move was a mistake -- which I firmly believe it was not a mistake, but rather an adventure. But, finally! I could say something about how I was feeling. So, we discussed and considered and thought things through. When Len asked me how I'd feel if he went to law school, I was thrilled!
So, now we had a plan.
I started to enjoy Seattle again, knowing I wouldn't live here forever. We've been to Museum of Flight, we've gone to some of the surrounding islands and communities. We saw salmon jumping at Ballard Locks. When Suzy and Clark were here we did wine country and when Betsy was here we went to the mountain town where Twin Peaks was filmed. I've seen the Space Needle more times than I remember. I've ridden my bicycle all over this town. Now that I have a scooter, I've scooted everywhere.
We've met some fabulous people, too.
Okay, so the year hasn't outright sucked -- it's been pretty good, after all. We had a great adventure. I'm truly glad we did this. But, I can't wait to get the hell home.
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