Move update

The last several days have become a blur in my mind but I'll give you an overview. Wednesday was possession day, I was in the city so D met the realtor at the house at noon to get the keys. She had picked up Eli at school for lunch so he was able to see his new home as well. When he went back to school that afternoon, she packed more boxes and brought a couple of loads of items to the new house. I had an easy day, since I was almost completely packed - just those last few personal items and some food; I had a nice afternoon visiting with the ladies at stitch and chat.

Thursday was my moving day. I loaded my car with most of the items I was taking with me before the movers arrived. They arrived at 9 a.m. and by 9:20 everything was loaded and they were leaving the driveway. They had two pieces of furniture to take from the house, and about 50 boxes in the garage and a few other garden items. Their response on seeing the boxes and items in the garage was, this is so well organized! They stopped for gasoline on their way to D's, while I finished packing the food before I headed out. At the other end, the unpacking of the load was quick as well, and they were away from here before noon. 

D and I spent the afternoon moving boxes out of the dining room and unpacking what we could. We are leaving the craft room to the last. This photo was after her boxes had arrived.

The local mover advised he wouldn't be available until 2 p.m. on Friday, which turned out to be a blessing. D and I spent that morning, closing and taping boxes, moving small pieces of furniture and the boxes from the upstairs to the living and dining room area. After lunch, we had run a couple of errands and returned to the old house and found the movers there around 1 p.m. They were excited to see the boxes with handles (U-haul) and that they were all piled in one room.  The movers filled one smaller van with furniture, the other with boxes. They did have to return to pick-up the couch as there wasn't quite enough room with the rest of the furniture. While they were finishing the unloading, D picked up Eli after school. In total, I think it took about 3 hours to complete the move. Then we sat and stared at the boxes.

Moving is hard work, and hard on my old body. D has been doing a fair amount of the heavy lifting, and I unpack. I did manage to kick a piece of furniture (don't ask me which one) and broke a toe on my right foot. My left foot got banged up too when I dropped a box. D, on the other hand, has bruises on her legs. Both of us are feeling the bending, lifting, and stretching in our backs. Robaxcet is our friend.

We've had a couple of hiccups - I tried to light the pilot light on the hot water heater but it would not stay lit. Then we discovered that the cold water taps had no running water. A call to the plumber had the water heater pilot lit and the proper turn off valves turned on to get the cold water running. I've never lived in a house that had several shut off valves (all in the basement). Unfortunately the water heater did not continue to work, so the plumber was out again that evening. Apparently the control panel died (which I assume is some sort of computer thingy as almost everything now has to be digital). He ordered the part and will be back tomorrow to replace it.

Thankfully, we still have the old house to return to, as we managed to get only enough hot water for me to do dishes and shower, and to give Eli a bath. Meanwhile we've been doing laundry at the old house as the washing machine here would not drain with the first load. The plumber will look at this too. When she goes over to change loads, D has been showering there too. 

The last hiccup was also plumbing related. When D was a child, she used to think that anyone who had a fridge that had the water and ice maker on it was wealthy. Well, this fridge has these functions, however we woke on Saturday morning to water leaking from a pipe for the fridge water in the basement (thankfully just in the laundry area.) There was no water on the kitchen floor so I'm hopeful it's just a pipe that needs re-soldering. The plumber is the one that installed the water line so I expect he'll be able to repair it easily too.

We're still living with boxes and tubs and our bed frames are in the process of being built. Sunday morning, D and I put mine together, and partially built Eli's trundle bed. We discovered that there were no pre-drilled holes for the slats, so that meant another trip to Canadian Tire for a drill. I'm sure they are happy to see us come through the door as we've had to pick up a number of items (some needed, some wanted). 

Eli has a opthamologist appointment in the city tomorrow, and a dental appointment in the next door community on Tuesday. While I'll be going to the city with them, I'll stay behind on Tuesday, and hopefully get started on the cleaning of the old house to prep for painting. No, I am not doing the painting! I met with the painter this morning, and tentatively scheduled the job for the beginning of May. We still have to get the handyman in to do some patching of cracks and repairs to the ceilings...long story.

I'm hoping things will start to slow down in a day or two, as I could use a break. 

But on a more positive note, spring has arrived!

It's time for lunch, then back to bed building. The battery should be charged.

Stormy weather, sunny skies ahead

The weather has been up and down with miserable cold weather starting Monday overnight and lasting until Wednesday overnight. It was -26C (-15F) when I woke both mornings, with windchills into the high -30C's. Let's just say it was cold. We also got snow on Monday so I was out shovelling the darn stuff, not once but twice as it wouldn't let up. We didn't get as much as other areas of the province, but ended up with about 4 inches on the ground. 

Then the weather gods smiled on us and the temperature started climbing on Wednesday, at 4:30 p.m. it was up to -14C (7F). By morning it was warmer still, and our afternoon high reached slightly above freezing. Weird and wacky weather indeed. The downspout on the front of the house has a leak at the elbow and the melting has dripped onto the cottoneaster hedge making a pretty pattern on the branches.

I met my friend and travel agent for coffee/tea on Monday morning - we had a lovely visit catching up on one another's lives. We realized the last time we got together was last summer! Hopefully we can manage another visit in May or June, she is incredibly busy with her travel agency and her family. When I left the shop, the snow was coming down and the streets were quite icy. I did stop in at Value Village where I managed to find a green t-shirt for my cruise. We'll be onboard on March 17th so I wanted something for St. Patrick's Day. 

With the nasty weather on Tuesday, I stayed home and mostly indoors and did lots of housework. In between tasks I managed to arrange movers for April. We take possession on the 10th, my stuff will move from the city on the 11th, and then D's move will happen the following day. D will start moving boxes over on possession date and I'll assist the next day. The movers are planning to be here in the city at 9:00 a.m. and we should be at the house and hopefully unloaded shortly after noon. I have about 50 boxes, some garden items, and only two pieces of furniture that are going with me. The majority of the boxes are already packed and stored in the garage - though some boxes will need to be re-packed/taped shut. I know what I'm doing when I return from my cruise. :)

Stitch and chat was Wednesday and Io and I were joined by another lady, W. Small world, Io and W knew each other already through the church they both once attended. Neither knew the other would be there that afternoon.

I did some running around on Thursday morning, getting some additional cat food, litter, and a few groceries. There is lots of food in the pantry and fridge for my son and I'm well stocked on cat food as well. C will need to pick up a few things, I'm sure, like bread and milk. But I also know full well, that there will be pizza and subs ordered too. 

Thursday was also the day for the home inspection. All went reasonably well, there are some repairs needed, particularly on the exterior of the home. Most of those repairs relate to ensuring that water is not able to infiltrate the house (moving some downspouts, repairing flashing around the chimney and properly nailing down the ridge cap). It appears the shingles were replaced within the last year and some of the work wasn't completely finished. The eavestroughs need clearing - something we do on our own. The inspector also pointed out where windows and doors need the silcone replaced and recommended replacing the front door of the porch. The last item was something we'd already decided needed to be done. All in all, things went well and the more expensive items like the furnace and water heater are in good shape. With this information we lifted the conditions on Friday, ahead of schedule.

The men's Brier (Canadian curling championship) started on Friday evening. It is being held here in the city, though I've decided to watch from home.  I spent the day doing laundry, prepping income tax returns, and chatting with Rob the realtor. In the meantime, D went shopping (locally) and found a great deal on a dishwasher. She called me, I gave the store my credit card number and they'll hold the appliance until we move in. That's one of the nice things about dealing with a store in a small town. For certian, The Brick or Leon's would never have permitted us to store it with them.

Today we're expecting a storm originating south of the border. Accumulation amounts range from about 6 inches here in the city to double that where D and Eli live. She's already decided, should the forecast be correct, that Monday will be a snow day for them. She'll take her time shovelling out in the back, as the city will need to clear the alleyways before she can get out anyway.

The countdown to my cruise continues. I am to fly out on Wednesday morning, though with more snow expected on Tuesday, I might be delayed (fingers crossed I will not). Since I've given myself leeway - the cruise doesn't sail until Saturday, I'm sure I'll get there in plenty of time. I'm pretty much packed, just a last few items to go in the bags. Before I leave though, I have one more thing to take care of - the car goes into the shop to have the side mirror replaced. I won't be recommending this business any time soon as it has taken two weeks for them to paint the mirror so that it can be installed!

Have a great week ahead everyone! If you're in the path of this or any other storm, stay safe.

P.S. One more thing, today is our Eli's 7th birthday! How did that happen?

I did a thing

I drove D and Eli home last Friday and stayed through until Wednesday to help them settle in to a slightly different routine.  Eli must now take a dose of his anti seizure medication twice a day, 12 hours apart. He's very good about taking the meds, the issue is the timing, the first is due before breakfast and his ADHD meds. Depending on when he wakes in the morning this proved to be a challenge. Then his evening dose conflicted with his usual bedtime.  D did a bit of adjustment until things lined up better for both.

I spent some time hanging with my favorite (and only) grandson. He was happy to be home with access to his devices. LEGO, and nerf guns. I did a bit of housework, some reading, some knitting, much watching of the women's curling, and .... I bought a house!

D has been getting anxious about the limited number of properties available for sale in her community.  Anything that appeared well priced was moving quickly.  I wanted to wait until I returned from my cruise but she convinced me to just "go look" on Monday. Her friend Rob, a realtor from Regina, drove out from the city to do walk throughs with us and, as it turned out, to sell us a property.

The photo on Wednesday is the house we bought. The old saying, don't judge a book by its cover is apt in this case. The exterior of the house looks rough which belies what is held within. With just over 1280 square feet over a story and a half with a full basement, it is far and away a more spacious house than her current home. Since the idea is I will live part-time with them - about 6-8 months throughout the year, the space will be much appreciated.

We entered through the side door into a small porch with room for coats and boot storage.  This allows entry into the kitchen which I believe was updated about 20-25 years ago based on the maple cabinets, laminate countertops and a tile back splash. There are a good number of cabinets plus a dedicated pantry. Best of all, the window over the sink overlooks the back yard where a mom or grandma can watch a little boy play.

Exiting the kitchen to the front of the house are a decent sized dining room and a similarly sized living room with hardwood floors. The house was built in 1920, so I doubt these are original to the house - they are in too good of shape so I suspect they were added mid century. 

This photo is looking from the front living room through to the kitchen in the back. The two bedrooms are to the left - the door to what will be my/spare bedroom is visible.

The smaller one at the front we plan to use as a craft room.  Both it and the living room look out onto the front porch. The second larger bedroom has a small addition that includes two windows. This will be my room when I am there and a spare bedroom for company if I'm not. There is an older dresser in this room that I asked to be included in the sale. Based on appearance I think it's from the 50's or 60's and is very solid. There will be room for a double bed and side table as well as the dresser and an easy chair. The closet is a decent size too especially for an older house. 

Back in the kitchen there is a small hallway to the right providing access to the only bathroom (which was recently fully renovated), the stairs leading to the basement,  and the stairs to the second story. It's a half story because of the roof line but has decent headroom. Upstairs, there is an space at the top of the stairs which will be Eli's bedroom at least for now. It is open to the stairs and leads into the main bedroom.  Off the main bedroom is a large walk in closet with a built in vanity, shelving units and hanging storage. While there is no closet in the space for Eli, there is plenty for the two of them to share in this area.

The majority of the basement has been insulated and drywalled, but left unfinished. Marked in the concrete floor at the bottom of the stairs, it indicates the owners had a new basement floor poured in 2004 over the original. I suspect they intended to create a rental unit, but the new basement floor left a height of approximately 7 feet - too low for a suite. We're going to install carpet and it will make a perfect play space for a small boy, as well as providing much needed storage for his mom and grandma.

The laundry room is in an older area of the basement and houses a recently upgraded furnace and water heater. I plan to add some foam tiles in this area as the original floor is a bit pitted - it was not re-poured. There is lots of storage in this room too, with shelves and a cold storage area.

AND that's not all. The backyard is fenced, although one side is leaning and will need to be repaired. There is a single car garage that has been insulated - there is even a heater, but using an electric heater can be stupidly expensive so it will remain unused. In addition, beside the garage is a gravel area with room to park up to 3 more vehicles. The fence at the back separates these spaces from the back yard meaning less yard maintenance.  Inside the fence is a lovely shed, with room for all the tools and lawn mower.  Part of the shed has been converted to be used as a greenhouse.  You just know I'm itching to see how well that would work though I suspect it will be too late for this year. 

Though the yard is covered in snow, I'm told it has been nicely landscaped. There is a fire pit in the back yard too, and next to the side door stairs is a cement patio. It will be lovely space for a couple of chairs and a small table; on the east side it will be perfect for morning coffee/tea in the sun and will provide shade in the afternoon.  

But before you think this house is perfect, and it is pretty close, we do have a list of improvements and changes. There is no air conditioning so that is a priority for the summer. It needs a door on the interior of the front porch and the garage door needs replacing with an addition of a garage door opener. The front door for the porch is a must too - with only a screen door, the unheated porch isn't as secure as we'd like nor as functional in cool/cold weather. As mentioned,  the side fence need reair or replacement too. Then there is some painting and cosmetic changes that can wait for a bit.

The price was pretty terrific too - Rob the realtor did a double take when he looked at the listing. He even suggested he might retire to the community at some point. There is certainly value to be had in smaller, more rural communities, bu there are trade-offs, especially as it relates to health care. 

Possession date is early April, less than 3 weeks after I return from my holiday. I've spent the rest of this week confirming financing, getting quotes for home insurance, catching up on housework, and most importantly...prepping for my trip! I did get to Mahjong on Thursday as well.  

The Canadian Women's curling will continue into Sunday (two games today and two tomorrow). In between draws, I plan to sort out my clothing and other items for the cruise. It's getting ever closer - just 12 sleeps until I fly away. Hopefully the next 10 days or so will be much quieter than than the last.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Carry and Tote

Wednesday's photos were a trip down memory lane for me, from my visit to Victoria in October 2009, to visit my godmother Gladys. I believe the houseboat photo was take on our walk along the seawall, and I know the other photos were taken at Butchart Gardens. Another story about Gladys, her full name was Cecilia Gladys and when she lived in Victoria, she used Cecilia as her name. Of course, I was expected to call her that too - it wasn't easy. As for the gardens, they were created at the direction of Jennie Butchart, in a former limestone quarry. The development began in 1912 and continues to this day. According to their website, the gardens are spread over 55 acres, employs 50 fulltime gardeners, and is open year-round. It is definitely a place to visit in Victoria.

As Patsy would say, the jello jiggled for me on Monday. The original plan was to start moving boxes from the kitchen/spare bedroom to the garage. However, as the temperature was expected to drop overnight Monday to -18C (0F), I didn't want to leave the car out on the driveway if I didn't have to. Warmer temps were in the forecast with highs near freezing and lows around -5C (23F). In addition, it would have been colder to be working in the garage and while there are heaters, they are electric and expensive to run.

So instead, I did more packing and made lists...lots of lists. What cupboards still need to be emptied, and which box the stuff is to go in (kitchen and bathroom), what boxes/bags and other items are to be sent to the house in my son's car, and what will go in mine. 

Halloween was both busy and fun. It warmed up quite a bit by mid-morning, so I pulled the car out of the garage and started moving boxes. The spare bedroom was cleared out and a good portion of the kitchen boxes were moved, as well as the boxes/bins from the sunroom. I also got the rugs from the sunroom rolled up, taped up and moved to the garage. This all took several hours, with breaks including lunch in between. It's tiring moving boxes.

The first child arrived at the door about 5:30, and after a bit of lull, they began appearing in earnest from about 5:45 to 6:30. It quieted down again before the hordes started arriving again just before 7. I ran out of potato chips (40 bags) and was left with a couple dozen small chocolate bars by 7:30. There were some fun and interesting costumes including one that looked like a cross between a one eyed fly and a demon, as well as a wee elephant, and several princesses and super heroes. I asked about the fly/demon costume and was told by the wearer that they are creating a cartoon so the creature was of their own invention. 

Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't add a photo of our very own astronaut. He had a wonderful day at school where they were able to wear their costumes throughout the day, and then into the early evening trick or treating with his mom. She said the wind had died down, and the -2C temperature was perfect for walking. I'm sure they both slept well that night.

Wednesday saw me carrying more boxes and bins from the basement to the garage, doing laundry, and running a few errands before meeting S at Stitch and Chat. There was a whole lot more chatting than stitching. In the morning, I met with my insurance agent to arrange the cancellation of the house insurance. It amused me that this has to be done in-person, while starting a new policy or making changes to an existing one can be done on-line or by e-mail. 

I finally got a sense that my son is getting excited about the move on Thursday morning. His first words to me were, "four more sleeps." I replied, I thought I was the only one counting. :) It was a wee bit cooler -5C (23F) that morning so I wasted watched some curling before heading down to the basement. My goal was to get the rest of the boxes/bins into the garage. That was accomplished in relatively short order between curling games. There are just a few pieces of furniture left in the basement for the movers. 

I was also able to contact the garbage haulers. I'd used their services back in 2019, when the house did not sell, and hoped they would still be in service. They are, and have been scheduled to make the pick-up on Tuesday at 10. I'm expecting the cleaners at 8:30 (now changed to 12:30 due to the long weekend) and this will give me time to check for any items left behind and to sweep out the garage. 

The curling continued through Thursday afternoon and early evening, and again on Friday. In between draws, I moved some boxes* that were on the shelves in the garage to the pile to be moved, and then did some housecleaning. With my trips back and forth to the garage with the boxes, I've been bringing in leaves and debris that has been blown in or come in on the tires of the cars. (I did put down plastic on the floor of the garage before I started piling the boxes.)

Today I'll finish packing a few more boxes and moving them to the garage. The last ones with the remaining dishes, glassware, and cutlerly will go out sometime Sunday evening. There is no more cooking happening for the weekend, we'll eat any leftovers from earlier in the week, sandwiches, or take-out pizza.

*The boxes are kitchen items that C moved home from his two years in Lethbridge in 2008. The boxes haven't been opened since. It will be interesting to see what they hold and if he wants to keep any of it in his new home.

Have a great weekend everyone! 

Time ticks on by

Yes, we got snow this week. I was so hoping that it would wait until mid-November, but the winter weather has arrived in earnest. After the snow fell, the cold followed, and we reached a low temp of -12C (10F) on Tuesday overnight. Thankfully, it has warmed up some, but both day and night time temperatures haven't been above freezing. More snow fell on Thursday but just enough to dust the sidewalks and driveway. No shovelling was required.

More packing was done over the week, and Wednesday was especially exciting as both C and I met with the lawyer to complete the final paperwork for the purchase (his) and sale (mine) of the properties. I can tell you, there is a whole lot less paperwork involved with the sale of a property, than there is for a purchase. I'm sure C felt as if he was signing his life away...and I suppose in some ways he was, at least for the next 25 years. :)

With this upcoming move, I've cut the ties with cable television - my son doesn't want it, and since I won't be here all the time, it made sense. I had called in to SaskTel to disconnect and decided to end the cable on the last day of the this billing, which was Tuesday Oct 24. In my conversation with the rep, I got the impression that it would be cut sometime in the morning...and I assumed that meant after 8 a.m. I was quite surprised when I turned on the television to watch the news, that it had actually ended at 4:30 in the morning (the screen of the channel I'd been watching when I turned off the television that night showed the time). I just received my bill from the company that provided the cable, as well as my internet and cutting the cable has saved me nearly $50 a month, but will be partially offset by a couple of streaming services. 

When I was out at my daughter's on the weekend, she had given me her fire-stick and had pre-loaded several apps on it for me. In anticipation of the change on the 24th, my son set the fire-stick up to recognize our WiFi, so it was easy enough to switch that first morning. However, finding the news was a little more difficult. When I talked to D, I got her to give me a list of programming for each of the apps. I'm not sure when or even if I'll be ever be able to remember what is found where. But, since most of what I watch is available for streaming, it won't matter as I can watch it when I want.

We're sharing the cost of the current apps, and I've signed up for Sportsnet (Now/plus?) for $20 per month. I'm sure most of you knew I couldn't possibly live without sports. I went with a monthly subscription, because I can foresee cancelling it for a period of each year, when the sports I enjoy most are in hiatus. I enjoy baseball and curling, and football occasionally though our local team has played so poorly over the last few years, I haven't watched very many games. 

On Thursday, I did some laundry and housecleaning before heading out to run some errands. I picked up cat litter at Pet Valu (senior's day), cat food and few groceries at Walmart, dropped off the equipment for return to the cable company at the drug store post office, and picked up my new glasses. The streets were still a bit icy, and I took care as I drove. 

Friday, was a packing and cleaning day. I'm cleaning the interior of cabinets and drawers as I pack, and keeping the bare minimum of items needed in the cupboards. There are a few boxes that remain open for those last minute items.  I'm pretty certain I have sufficient boxes to finish the packing process, and groceries from the fridge will go into shopping bags, while I brought back the cooler from D's for moving the frozen food.

I did get some sad news this week as my godmother passed away on Monday. She was a month shy of her 99th birthday.  While there is sadness, there is also gratitude that she lived such a long and, for the most part, a healthy life. Sadly, she had serious fall four or five years ago and her physical and mental health were impacted. Her daughter told me she hasn't recognized family members for a few years now, and she rarely spoke. Throughout her life, Gladys was a force to be reckoned with: for over 33 years she operated a florist shop in my home town, was very active in the Anglican church, and was constantly on the go. A number of years before she retired, she purchased a house in Victoria, B.C. and spent time there when she could. Her husband, Vern refused to go often, so she moved out there by herself for several months of the year when she sold the business. There too, she was active in her church and charitable activities, spent hours working in her gardens, and went walking in the neighbourhood. I visited her there in the fall of 2009 (I was there four days): we had dinner with a group of her friends one evening, spent a good portion of one day at Butchart gardens, drove to Chemainus to see a play, walked the sea wall, and ran errands. I often said I wished I had had half the energy she exhibited. More recently, we kept in touch via phone calls, but that ended when she moved to the nursing home. I am left with many happy memories and some funny stories. One, I'll share: As I've mentioned, Gladys was always on the go - she was an early to rise person as there were things to do and people to see each day. When she and Vern would come to the farm for dinner, they would stay for a visit after the meal was finished and dishes were done. As Dad and Vern talked farming, Gladys would settle into a chair and we kids would start watching to see how long she could stay awake. She would chat with Mom or voice an opinion about Vern's ideas, but soon her head would start nodding and her eyes would close. We'd start giggling and her head would come back up and she'd carry on as if nothing had happened at least for a few more minutes. She always insisted she wasn't sleeping and eventually Vern would get the hint and they'd head home. As my Dad would have said, she was a real character!

Today, I'm continue with cleaning and some packing. My goal is to have everything packed except what we'll need for the next 9 days before tomorrow evening. Next week, I'll focus on moving the boxes and tubs to the garage space where my car normally sits.  That way, the movers will only to enter the house to pick up the furniture, and can easily transfer the boxes to the truck. We'll have the movers put all the boxes in the garage there, and just move in the furniture into the house. I'll be organizing the boxes so that the first in will be the boxes most needed, since they will be the last out of the truck. It should save the movers time, and save me money. At least that's the idea.

Have wonderful weekend everyone, and stay warm and dry!

Getting close to the finish line

I am getting very tired of cleaning and clearing...and I think I'm reaching end of it.  I vacuumed the entire house yesterday (thinking of you Carole), replaced the fixture in the spare bedroom (on my own and it worked), and took the last batch of stuff to Value Village.  Today I washed walls in the living room and windows in the kitchen and living room.   Here are a few photos of the "finished product".  

 According to staging info I should remove the ottomans so that the room appears larger.  I'm of mixed feelings about that...I think the room is plenty big even with these here.

The now nearly empty spare room.  When we moved in just under 9 years ago, it looked like this!  Bit of a difference,

The main bathroom - the cabinets were refaced last year and the new counter top, sink and taps put in. It's a similar counter to the kitchen but with a shiny surface.  My bathroom had a similar treatment but I'm not sure how to take a photo of it, without putting myself in the picture.  It's a small bathroom!

The master bedroom with new curtains.  It is a large room as well.

The basement is pretty much empty, though at the other end of the room is my son's computer.  That area needs to be tied, and his bedroom too.  He's promised to spend part of the long weekend cleaning, so I can clean carpets next week.

 This is the area of the basement that I had insulated and drywalled several years ago.  The ceiling is quite low in this part, about 7 feet so it's not really usable space, except for storage.  My son does use the weight bench occasionally, but my daughter's elliptical hasn't.  So it is going out with the pile of rubbish in the garage as we've tried giving it away for free.  I suspect whoever picks it up, may keep it.

 The basement bathroom was redone a few years ago, with the addition of a shower, and replacement of the shower and sink cabinet.  It's so much nicer than it was when we moved in...no photos from that time but I assure you, it wasn't very pretty!

Finally the laundry room with the chest freezer and water softener.  I wish I had a couple of shelves to put the cleaning supplies on but I don't.  I'll leave that to the next owner.

I can continue to work on the garage and yard after it is listed though I'm hoping to get to do some work this weekend.  We're forecast to have lovely temperatures (up to 18C/66F), perfect for being outdoors.  The pine cones and needles on the front patio need to be swept up and put in the bin.  In the back yard, I need to go through the sheds and clear these out. There are some things that need to go to D; she can pick these up when she comes at the beginning of May.  Near to the end of May, regardless of whether the house is sold, I'll plant a few containers for some color.  This year though, I plan to keep it to no more than eight...or maybe nine or ten. :)

I'll call the real estate agent next week as I had forgotten this weekend is Easter. I'm sure he'll have some ideas for me as well...hopefully they won't cost me too much!  I do know the carpet in the master bedroom needs to be replaced but I'd be more willing to provide a credit to the purchaser.  It relieves of the need to move all the furniture out and they can put in what they would like.  We'll see where that gets me. 

Have a great rest of the week everyone!

Almost a done deal

Well, I've gone and done it.  After months of feeling increasingly anxious and frustrated with living my adult daughter and my grandson, I've entered into a contract to purchase a house for them in Melville.  As I mentioned in my last post, D and her friend A visited a number of properties just over a week ago.  D narrowed the list to two properties, and I added in a third that I liked based on the information on the realtor website.

I took a day of vacation on Thursday; D, Eli and I drove out to Melville to meet with the realtor to see the three properties.  He surprised us with a list of four more houses to look at that were in our price range.  It was a good thing he did so because the three we had on the short list were no goes.  One because it was simply too small, the yard was a disaster and I'm pretty certain I could have pushed the garage down with one good shove.  The second on D's list was a decent size, but in a not so desirable area and the basement was a disaster.  There were cracks in the floor and walls, some as wide a ruler.  Likely the only solution would be to lift the house and dig out and pour a new basement....well beyond my financial limits.

The third property was my favorite but D thought it was an old lady house.  The main bedroom was painted lilac, there were lots of knickknacks and the decor was definitely had a "senior" air.  But the house was a great size, it had two bedrooms on the main and one in the basement, there was a little sun porch off the front that would have made a great place to sit with coffee and a book, and the back yard had a lovely area for a garden.  Thinking about it, it was definitely more of a house for me than D and Eli.

Three of the four properties Corey showed us weren't right either.  One was too small, one needed far too much work, and the third I can't even recall.  But the fourth, a property that we had seen on the realtor site but hadn't considered because the pictures were not encouraging was worth a second look after we'd been through the rest.  


On our first visit I had mentally crossed it off the list because it only has a partial basement and getting to into it requires a climb down a set of steep stairs, plus there was the smell of damp.  But I soon discovered that pretty much every basement we saw was built with these steep stairs, and since the house has three bedrooms, the basement didn't need to be finished.

On our second visit, the benefits and charm of the property became more apparent to me.  Entering on the side entrance there is a small porch that leads into a large kitchen which includes the laundry.  Just off the kitchen is a full bathroom, and there is another full bathroom upstairs.  I know D will find having that second bathroom will be wonderful, especially when Eli starts potty training.  The living room/dining room areas are not huge but sufficient for a play area (in what is currently the dining room), and a space for her couch, television and bookshelf or two.

The house comes with the five appliances, washer/dryer, fridge/stove and a small freezer.  D will take her own apartment size freezer as well and plans to put it out in the front porch.  While the porch is not heated it does have electricity. Upstairs are the three bedrooms, a master at the front of the house that will fit her queen bed and large dresser, with a small walk in closet.  Eli's room is quite small but the larger third bedroom will provide another play space/den. Eventually she'll get a pull out couch or futon for that room for use by guests (like G'ma). D is planning to move Eli to a toddler bed so wants to ensure there aren't a lot of toys in his room. 

Outside the house, the yard is large - on a 50' lot, with a side yard that will provide a great place for Eli to play and the back yard that has a single car garage, an existing fire pit, and a good space to put a garden.  The spot beside the garage has been gravelled so she can pull the car up almost to the side entry making it easy to bring in groceries.  Out front, as you can see is a small deck providing a spot to sit and enjoy the evening.

The property has been mostly well maintained, with a new roof recently and many (not all) new windows.  It's located in a lovely neighbourhood, with a large park within two blocks that features a new spray-pad, lots of playground equipment, and a ball diamond.  The property is also close to downtown and just a short drive to the grocery stores and the highway.  When I was taking the photos, the next door neighbour came out of her house and I complimented her on her front yard.  We had a brief chat and discovered she is responsible for the flower beds on the side and in the front of the house and is quite willing to keep these up...especially if D shares the bounty of her garden.  K mentioned she has kept an eye on the house when the current owner is away.  I told D later this is a relationship she needs to encourage.

It sounds perfect, though it is not flawless.  There are things that need to be replaced or repaired.  Although we haven't had the inspection completed yet, I'm certain flashing will need to be completed for the upper front windows as they protrude from the house and I suspect water will pool there.  There are some downspouts that need to be extended; the current owner disclosed that there is seepage into the basement when there are heavy rains.  The side windows in the front porch are broken, but it appears rather than replacing the window panes, it was simply boarded up - though the interior was not.  Further, the furnace is older and will need to be replaced.  I intend to do that next year after I've sold the house I'm in - again, my financial resources only extend so far.  The counter tops in both bathrooms are chipped and the vanity in the upstairs bathroom is a bit rickety.  But the latter items are functional and can wait.

Beyond that, D is talking about painting kitchen cabinet doors and replacing the hardware, as well as painting Eli's bedroom.  She really wanted a dishwasher and her brother told her if the house didn't have one AND she moved out, he'd buy her one.  (Yes, we both really miss the peace and quiet that used to be the norm).  She's been talking about where she'll place the furniture and has even started packing.  Of course, there is all the extra stuff leftover from the garage sale, and the used clothing she brought home from the consignment shop that need to be taken care of so she's getting a bit ahead of herself as the possession date isn't until October 5.  

There are still a few hurdles to get over before the sale is finalized.  The offer I made was a low-ball and the owner countered but he came down a lot more than I had to come up so I agreed to the price.  The paperwork has been submitted to the mortgage broker and I expect I'll get a call early next week to arrange the financing.  There are some mortgage companies that will not finance in a small town (seems a bit discriminatory to me), and few that will provide a mortgage less the $50,000.  I was aware of the latter fact, so part of my calculations were to ensure this mortgage will a couple of thousand over that amount.

We still have to arrange for the inspections - I'll give the guy a call on Monday.  We're going through the usual, furnace, gas line and house inspection but are also requesting a sewer line inspection.  Both Corey and I think there is a good possibility it is the line that may not be able to withstand the heavy rains causing the seepage.  (It's definitely not sewage).  If there is a problem with the line and the costs are significant, we'll be going back to the current owner to ask for half the funds or a reduction in price.  

So, it's almost a done deal.  I've chosen the Thanksgiving weekend for possession date to ensure we have time to clean (and possibly paint) before she moves in.  If I take an additional day of vacation, it will give us five days to accomplish what needs to be done.  I won't stay for the entire time of unpacking - she can do that - but will make sure they have beds to sleep in, toilet paper and towels in the bathrooms, and get in some extra cuddles with Eli before I go back to the city.  I know I'll see them as D will have doctors appointments and I'll make the drive every six weeks or so but I know I'll miss this silly face.


The little monkey discovered yesterday that he pushes one of the stools over to the couch that he can then climb onto it.  Here he's just clambered up and the next photo is of him looking rather pleased with himself.  


He has taken a tumble off the couch a time or two but hasn't learned his lesson yet.  So far no serious injuries have occurred and my daughter's argument (with me) is that he needs to learn.  

G'ma isn't quite as laissez-faire but I guess every kid has to have a few bumps and bruises along the way.  

Time to head out and get the lawn mowed and the containers weeded.  Have a great week everyone!