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!

What's on my mind

Fall is finally here, after a brief interlude with winter.  Yes, we've had snow and cold...but the last couple of days have been absolutely gorgeous with temps of 17C and 19C (62F to 65F).  The sunshine has been absolutely wonderful to see and I've been able to open up the sun room for the cats to nap.  Sasha especially appreciates the warmth on his old bones.

I finally got the containers all cleared out and the rest of the garden related items put away.  It's sad to see the front patio empty and it is even more sad to think I rarely sat out there this summer.  Perhaps next year will be different.

My neighbour's have their house up for sale again.  They had it on the market in the spring, but saw very little action.  It's back on the real estate site with a price drop of $35,000 and new photos.  I think there were a few visitors yesterday - just based on unknown vehicles.  I'm sure they were trying to get a higher price because they had the garage floor and driveway re-poured a couple of years ago.  Unfortunately the real estate market here has declined due to over-building.  Even so, I'm pretty certain they should recover what they originally paid for the house plus a little more.  Our crescent is just a few blocks from an elementary school, as well as close to several shopping centers, while being at the quiet end of the street.  

It worries me a bit, as I plan to put my house on the market next spring.  I'm hopeful that the improvements I've done will have maintained the property value.  I don't expect to recover the costs but don't begrudge having done so, as it has added to my enjoyment of living here.  However, I'm in no real rush to sell, every mortgage payment I make should mean more in my pocket at the end of the day.

Time keeps ticking along, as it always does, but these days I'm more cognizant of it then ever.  I've yet to get down to hours, but the way I'm counting time until I've finished in the office is becoming more varied.  As you know, I have my marble jar looking quite empty with the last few marbles (3).  One more marble will come out in less than two weeks, and another at the end of November, ensuring I'm left with one...so that I don't entirely lose my marbles before I leave.  

I have just 6 weeks remaining of work, and will spend just 21 days in the office over that period of time.  I reduced the time by one day because I'm taking vacation to attend a retirement luncheon in Saskatoon for one of my closest co-workers.  21 years ago, she and I started work - she in Saskatoon and I in Regina.  But there were just two of us in Regina so we were sent to her office for training.  She and I sat next to one another for the four weeks.  We didn't keep in touch then, but when our two offices were amalgamated we met again and over time became close.  I'll miss our daily chats.  We'll keep in touch through text and Facebook when she leaves at the beginning of November.  

On a totally different note, is anyone else sick and tired of all the media hoopla about the legalization of marijuana?  At first it was interesting (and somewhat amusing) to see the proponents and opponents present their conflicting view points, but after awhile it was simply tiresome.  If anything else happened around the world on October 17th we sure didn't get to here about it, at least on our news channels in Saskatchewan.

My brother sent me this photo; he works at the front desk of the local police station.  They were handing out potato chips (and have continued to do so) with a warning label.  I have to say, I think it sends a mixed message....if you've got the munchies drop by the station and we'll save you a trip to 7-11, just don't drive.  

To be honest, the news around the world is so depressing and often ridiculous these days, that even a news junkie like myself are starting to turn off. Wild weather, economic warfare, divisive politics, and the entrenched and inflexible viewpoints are wearing.  When did we get to the point where a civil conversation is impossible, where one must make one's point as stridently as possible, and heaven forbid we show any sort of open mindedness.  Sigh...

But there was one good news story that caught my eye. 

Goliath, Gunther, and Gasket

These big boys were being housed in a shelter in Edmonton, Alberta.  How they came to be there, I've no idea.  But the shelter wanted to ensure they were adopted together as they showed anxiety when separated.  

When the story hit the news there was no shortage of interest, with over 200 inquiries.  Fortunately a home with large one acre yard and another dog to play with was found. Can you imagine, just the food bills alone would run close to $300 a month!  They sure are a handsome trio, and I suspect a handful too. 

Back on the home front, I'm posting this on Saturday as I'm heading out to Melville tomorrow.  It has been a couple of weeks since I've seen D and Eli - G'ma could use some little boy cuddles.  We face-timed Friday morning and he was far more excited to see Saku and Sasha than he was to see me.  I guess that tells me where I sit on his priority list. :)

I'm off to do more housecleaning before the Rider game starts this afternoon.  Hopefully they'll show up to play this week; last week's game was a real stinker!

Have a great week everyone!