Sun, blowing smoke, and still waiting

Wednesday's photo is of a mourning dove, which had been posing nicely in the sun at the top of the small shed. However it decided to fly down to the bird bath just as I took the photo, resulting in the shadow. I didn't want to move from my chair to take another photo as I was certain it would fly away. It splashed about in the bath for a minute so and then did just that.

Before I get into the house sale and weekly round-up, I'll share this photo of the sun one evening.

It was taken about 6:30 p.m. when I happened to look out as I was doing the dinner dishes. We've had a lot of smoke in the air this summer. According to a local news outlet, we've had 223 hours of smoke so far this year, and have been under special air quality statements many times as a result. On this day, the air quality index was a 10+ (7-10 is considered a high health risk). On those days I keep the windows closed in the house, and try to avoid being outdoors as much as possible. Thankfully, I don't have asthma or allergies, but find that my throat often feels irritated from it. The provincial authorities are saying that the fires in British Columbia and the Northwest Territories could continue until the snow falls. I'm beginning to think that winter will be a good thing...at least this year.

Back to the continuing saga of the house sale: Sunday's showing was short and I assumed the worst, that they had smelled cat, or decided the yard was too small, or for some other reason. My realtor touched base with the other realtor on Monday and discovered, despite the short period of time, the party did like the house. He was returning to Calgary and would know for 100% certain whether he would be moving to Regina by Friday. The other piece of good news was they were considering whether to make a back-up offer.

In the meantime, the current buyers were running out of time to get a conditional offer in place to meet the deadline of September 15. My realtor received a message back from their realtor, stating "we have had lots of action and offers that have not worked out yet. Did an open house yesterday (that would have been Sunday) and some possible activity from that tomorrow." We both had a good chuckle over that text, as he would have notified my realtor had their truly been an offer. In any event, Tuesday came and went with no indication they had "activity" from the open house.

I spent Tuesday morning grocery shopping with a trip to Value Village and the Salvation Army thrift store. I did well on the groceries, most items were on sale and I was able to find everything I needed. V.V. was a bust, it was Senior's day, and I suspect someone else beat me to the bargains that day. The S.A. store offered up a rubber tote, a watering can, and a book for $15. I've been gathering up the totes to use for packing, especially for craft materials and decorative items. The watering can is plastic and a much needed item as I managed to trip on my old one, ending up with my foot in it and breaking the top of it. I've continued to use it, with less water in it, but I'm happy to have this newer one that is much bigger.  

The book is a novel written by Lisa Scottoline,"Every Fifteen Minutes". I've read several of her novels and this one looks quite frightening to be honest. It involves a psychiatrist who has been targeted by a psychopath. This appears to be the overarching story line, though there is also an ethical decision to be made regarding a patient who is obssessed with a young girl. I likely won't be reading this one late at night. :)

I spent the afternoon out in the backyard reading in the sun. It wasn't particularly warm, only 16C (61F) but in the warmth of the sun it felt terrific. I finished reading Jeffrey Archer's "Paths of Glory", a fictionalized story of George Mallory and his life long goal of climbing Mount Everest. It's a good read, and though we'll never know if he actually reached the summit, one can't help but hope he did.

My realtor called that evening to tell me about a second potential back-up offer that may be coming our way. However, nothing was forthcoming and I spent Wednesday feeling sorry for myself. I didn't make it to stitch and chat, just hung out on the couch and watched baseball. 

On Thursday I went out and did some yardwork - picking up pine cones, deadheading flowers, and pulling up the petunias. The latter were looking past their prime, dying back, and straggly. I managed to get things cleaned up before the green bin was picked up that afternoon. Just being outdoors made me feel good.

I spent the rest of the afternoon out on the front patio reading my new book. While I was out there, my realtor texted to say the current buyers have lowered their asking price on their property "too little, too late". He also let me know that the fellow from Calgary hasn't let the realtor here know yet what his plans are. However the second realtor has requested a copy of the PCDS report (property condition disclosure report), which may be a good sign. And now, a third realtor has popped up indicating he has clients who may be interested. 

Later in the evening, I had a text asking if the third realtor could bring his party through on Friday at 5:30. Of course, I said yes. Fingers crossed and all that. That meant housework was a priority on Friday. I hope I'm not giving the impression that I don't keep the house clean and mostly tidy in any case, it's just not necessarily ready to show. The items that stay out on the counters or end tables are put away, and I also make sure that the rugs are freshly vacuumed, floors are washed (or spot washed depending on when I last washed them), clean towels are put out, laundry is done, etc. I mean, who wants to find someone's dirty laundry when one opens a closet door? I also walk through the whole house checking for evidence of the cat (think hairballs). After that experience of spilled water that the agent/clients assumed was cat pee, I don't want or need any more surprises.

The showing started on time and unlike so many before, they were in the house for at least 35-40 minutes. We'd returned home, and I'd brought Saku into the house and turned the oven on to cook a pizza, when my phone rang. It was my realtor - they were interested in the house, but aren't certain if they'll be making a back-up offer or simply wait until the 15th. He reminded their realtor that a back-up offer would ensure they'll be first in line. However, no back-up offer was received by the time I headed for bed. 

Today, we're meeting the realtor at a house that just went on the market on Friday. It isn't perfect (nothing is in my son's price range), and it would need new flooring throughout the whole house. But the price looks reasonable, and with a little help from mom, I know that C could get the work done reasonably quickly. It has three bedrooms up, a full basement (partially finished) with a newly renovated bathroom downstairs, and an interesting garage. I suspect the owner was a backyard mechanic, as there are doors at either end of the 20 X 33 ft. garage. This could be a good thing, as I'd have indoor space to park my vehicle when I'm travelling. One thing we'll be looking at is the basement to ensure it is solid and dry. The one possible drawback is location. It backs onto commercial property, though there is a fence between that property and the back of the house. 

Now that we have three potential buyers in the wings, and despite not having a back-up offer (yet), I'm feeling more positive that the house will sell soon. It's less than a week from the last deadline. Patience is a virtue I don't necessarily have much of, but I'll just keep busy - perhaps even start some packing this week.

Have a great week ahead everyone!