Best laid plans...oft go astray

Well the last few days didn't turn out as I had planned.  If you recall, on Friday I had intended to take the old paint and other items to the hazardous waste event at the city yard.  In fact, I got nothing done that day....instead I spent from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. mostly waiting.  First was at the doctor's office, as I had been experiencing pain in my back and abdomen since Wednesday evening.  It had kept me awake for a few hours both of the previous nights and it was even worse when I woke up on Friday morning.  I arrived as the office opened at 9 a.m., only to be told Dr. O wouldn't be in until 10. Arrrgghh!

When my doctor saw me, shortly after 10, he did a cursory exam and decided it was my gall bladder.  He contacted the ER at a local hospital and advised them he was sending me in, getting assurance that I would be seen.  Of course, they didn't commit to exactly when that might be.  So off I went to the ER, where I sat and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited some more.  I was eventually seen by a doctor shortly before 4 p.m.  He sent me for an ultrasound, and when the results were read, it was determined there was nothing wrong with me and I was sent home.  There was no indication of what might be causing the pain which began in my right mid back area and wrapped around my side and across my belly, nor did the ER doc have any other suggestions for it.  He'd done what my doctor asked and he was done with me.

My son is the one who came up with what I believe is the correct diagnosis.  He had suffered a pinched nerve in his back a couple of years ago and the description of my symptoms were similar.  After another night of tossing and turning I went to the drugstore on Saturday morning and picked up some Robaxacet.  It seems to relieve the pain, at least temporarily so I can actually get something accomplished.  So I delivered the waste to the city yard by lunch time on Saturday.  One more item off the list of things to do.

In the meantime, Friday afternoon, my daughter decided she hadn't heard from me for some time and decided to drive into the city to check on me.  She and Eli didn't stay at the house, but stayed with friends which was appreciated as I was still in a lot of pain and really didn't feel the need to have company.  I did have Eli for a couple of hours on Saturday while she took some outgrown clothing to a consignment shop.  Then it was off back to Melville as there was snow in the forecast.

And snow it did through Saturday evening and Sunday as well. The wind was howling and driving the snow sideways.  At least it wasn't sticking to the street.

We fared much better though than D.  She woke to a foot of snow on top of her car!  It should melt over the next day or so as temperatures are to improve.  

Oh, and I had a call from my real estate agent on Saturday evening.  He was on his way back from Costa Rica, had a flight cancelled on Saturday from Toronto to Calgary, but had made a later flight.  Now he was waiting in Calgary for a flight to Regina.  (Remember how I say you can't get anywhere from here...there are also times you can't get here either).  We had a brief chat on the phone about our meeting and he mentioned he would provide some advice on getting the house ready for sale.  I didn't tell him I've spent the last two months doing just that.  He has been in my home previously when D was still living here so I suspect he's remembering what it was like with a make a mess toddler and his make and even bigger mess mommy.  I pretty sure he'll be surprised but we'll see what he has to say.  Our meeting was pushed back to Monday since he had an open house to attend to on Sunday.  I can only imagine how tired he felt!

He touched base on Sunday afternoon and we set our meeting time for 3:30 Monday afternoon.  In advance of the meeting I transferred several photos I've taken of the various rooms to a USB key, and prepared a list of the improvements and replacements I've had done over the past almost 9 years.  I know I'll never recoup what I've spent but at least it shows I've attempted to maintain the house over the years.  

We met this afternoon and spent quite a bit of time going over what makes a house sale-able, which includes decluttering and cleaning (done), setting the right price to bring buyers in, allowing access to buyers to view the property, and holding an open house for realtors and the general public.  I indicated I'd need a bit of advance notice to allow me to get the cats out of the house, to set out clean towels, and tuck away a few things....maybe 30-60 minutes.  He assured me he would provide at least 3-4 hours, that works!  An open house is expected and I expect that will occur within the next 10 days or so.

Curtis will be sending a professional photographer to the house to take photos. He did take the USB key as I had provided some outdoor photos from last summer.  It's too early yet to set out flowers as we're still getting freezing temps at night though I notice one of the box stores has set up their garden center.  I'll probably see if I can get a container or hanging basket to put out during the day. 

We also talked numbers of course and I was pleased to hear the commission is reasonable.  We looked at the current competition and the houses that have sold in the last 180 days in the neighbourhood.  There were 4 sold and 3 on the market.  The one most comparable to mine is overpriced and the listing photos are horrid.  You can see them for yourself via the link.  What they call a sun room definitely doesn't compare to mine.  (I do have new towels to cover the furniture for a showing...these are badly snagged by the cats).  

We did a walk through and I pointed out some of the features of the house, along with indicating where I'd made improvements.  Initially Curtis said he thought the house would attract a young family with small children but when he saw the basement he said it opened it up to those with teenagers as well.  The more buyers we can attract the better.  I was quite happy to hear that he doesn't think I need to replace the carpet or repaint the entire house. 

We've arranged our next meeting for Thursday, when we'll complete the paperwork that needs to be done.  I expect the sign will be up by early next week at the latest.  And then the real fun begins. We can start looking at condos!  There are four currently in the area that have the features C and I are looking for, though there is a glut of others on the market that are missing a key item.  I'm excited about this next phase, can you tell?  

Now I just have to wait and see if all my plans come to fruition.  Fingers crossed, there are no major hiccups!