Making Progress

As I write this progress report post, I am sitting on our new sofa which is sitting on our new floor in our new (to us!) GA home. Granted, we haven't crossed the Finish Line of this move just yet, but we are indeed coming out of the Backstretch and are headed into the Far Turn of this interminable, slow-mo relo race. And because things are indeed progressing, we brought Winston and Ella Rae along to help them get accustomed to the new digs.

Winston: "Can we go to the new house? Hunh, hunh, hunh?"

Are you ready for this? The German Shepherd who lives behind us...see his legs on the other side of this hole in our fence?...is also a rescue named Winston! How unlikely is that?! Let's hope the two Winstons eventually come to a mutual understanding over the ownership of the fence. Ahem.

It hasn't all been projects that have progressed. Mr. T took delivery of our new sofa and ottoman this past week. This sofa is replacing one we have had since our previous move to Georgia...in 1997. We figured after 20 years and 4 moves, it was time to retire Old Faithful.

New Sofa and Ottoman (probably the last time anyone will see it without a cover...;-)

New Sofa and Ottoman (complete with covers and happy dogs)

So, about that progress report I mentioned...

1) The tile project - Mark this one complete, as of 5:00 Friday! Hooray! And both of us think it was totally worth all the trouble. Here are some "after" photos for you.

     1) a) Install two new toilets - Done...no thanks to the plumber, I might add. As both bathrooms were getting new tile flooring, and as both 15-year-old toilets would have to be removed in the process, we figured we'd get brand new toilets (tall and elongated, to replace the seemingly child-sized ones) while we were at it. Bought American Standards, complete sets and had them delivered. But, when the plumber arrived, he kept saying they were "European" and would require much more work...and $600 to install. And then he left (without installing the garbage disposal either because there wasn't an electric outlet box to contain the wiring under the sink), saying he would have their office call us to reschedule. Good grief. Here is a picture of the new box that Mr. T installed under the sink (another one done!), and a screen capture of the text exchange between T and me, beginning with a report of my conversation with the scheduler at the plumbing company...and his pithy response:

New outlet...ready for the new garbage disposal (which this house has never had!)

Texts about the toilet install (done!)

I laughed for several minutes after I got that text from T. 

2) New light fixtures, fans, and extra outlets - In progress. Mr. T is tackling some of these installs (most notably, that outlet under the sink and the new vanity lights in both bathrooms - pictured)...

...and has contracted with an electrical company to do the more challenging ones (most notably, two fans in the16' vaulted ceilings). That's what is on tap for this next week.

3) Outdoor Clean-up - Mr. T has spent a good bit of the last week wielding pruners, loppers, and hedge trimmers in the Great Outdoor Clean-up project. It was abundantly clear that the previous owners (a) loved plants and (b) stopped maintaining their landscape a while ago. Everything just looked shaggy. So T has been intent on taming the property...and it shows! 

4) More touchup painting - Yeah, I thought we were done with painting, too. But the tile guys only "install" the quarter rounds after tiling; they don't do anything to pimp it. So next week, it looks like I'll be rolling on trim paint to the baseboards and qtr-rnd and using the caulking gun to put a period to our painting projects. Oh, and there are a few nicks and dinks on the walls from the tile installation, so patching and painting here and there will also be on the agenda.

And how does that work with a walking boot, you might ask? Well, I'm thinking I can use a low stool in order to avoid involving my foot. We shall see....

5) Finish Line - Our move-in date is officially scheduled for 8/30. Conceding that my foot isn't ready for all the standing that the cleaning required to spiff up the house before the Four Men and Two Trucks arrive would necessitate, we've got Stanley Steemer coming to do the carpeted areas (three bedrooms and closets), and then the Molly Maids are coming to do a move-in clean before The Big Day. 

Yes, the Finish Line. We will be crossing it in 11 days from today. Tick, tick, tick! Now, how exciting is that?

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If there are glaring design errors with this or any of my posts, please know that I do the best I can when I set up my posts and pictures in Blogger. But because Blogger (a Google application) and my iPad (an Apple product) do NOT play well together, it is a jaw-clenching effort to even get a post loaded. And, though I cannot lug my laptop around, it isn't much better or easier to wait until I can get in front of my PC. Oh, and there is no plan to fix the issues on Google's part. Sigh.

Nailing Jello to a Wall

Well, well...it's Wednesday! So, what's on tap for today? Let's see: Mr. T is at Casa 303, finishing up a cup of coffee on the covered porch. Here's his view looking out our back door (yes, it was another rainy night in Georgia):

Me? I'm RICE (rest, ice, compress, elevate)-ing my right foot at Casa 2244. Sigh. Only 3 weeks to go (you do realize that when the doctor said 4-6 weeks that I only heard the "4," right?). Wish I could report a miraculous recovery had happened, but no such luck. Still hurts. Dealing with it.

So, a division of labor has occurred based on current abilities: Mr. T (who can drive, lift, and carry) has inherited all the hard jobs. And me (who can sit, type, and talk)? I have inherited the Command Center. For instance...need new light bars for the bathrooms or some such? I place the order online and then track them down when they haven't arrived as promised (sigh); Mr T picks them up or makes sure he's at the house when the item is scheduled to be delivered (we are actually admitting the need to hire an electrician to install them, believe it or not). 

Another example? AC still not working properly after 3 house calls and a new compressor? My job was to contact the home warranty company...several times...wait on hold...143 minutes the last time...to be told basically "we're sorry." Not satisfied with that answer, I figured out what my options were: (1) contact my realtor (who is the REAL customer, since she chose this warranty for our seller to purchase and she has contacts with their Marketing folks) and (2) take my case to social media. Even though Option 2 gave me personal satisfaction, the first option seems to have gotten the best result since the AC vendor decided to send someone else out for a look-see.  That meant Thomas was up to bat, meeting the AC guy and hanging around while they installed and tested a new evaporator...which seems to have finally done the trick.

So far, so good. We divide and conquer...and we have this little routine going. Here is our current life in a snapshot:

As we moved ever closer to our move-in date of August 30 (yes! We have an actual date!!), all of the projects that we have on our To Do Lists (yes! There are more than one!!) are getting checked off or are rushing toward due dates. The major-major project has always been the flooring (replacing a bit over 1000 square feet of vinyl and laminate floors with wood-look porcelain tile), and it is front-and-center now. 

Last Saturday, Mr. T was at 303 to receive delivery of all the items needed for the Tile Project to proceed. Here's a picture of the pallets in the garage:

With that, it was time to get on the schedule of the installers (8/16), and to schedule with the plumbers to uninstall the toilets for the day before (8/15). Check! Up next: schedule Stanley Steemer to clean the tile (construction residue) and the carpets for after the installation (8/25), and Merry/Molly Maids to do a pre-move-in cleaning (8/28). Check and double-check! Then we should be ready for the movers who arrive with our stuff 8/30. Triple-check!

Perfectly planned, right? Perfectly timed, right? All nailed down, right? Wrong!

Just like what happens if you try to nail Jello to a wall (got that visual in mind?), our perfect plan has oozed out of our grasp. The installation company called after 4:00 yesterday, wanting to move our install start date up...to TODAY. Yikes! Which meant some fancy footwork had to be done about the plumber before 4:30...thank heavens they were still answering their phone!

And, once again, Mr. T had to battle the Sugarloaf Parkway morning traffic (remember ? Retired! We don't do traffic jams anymore if we can avoid them!) to get to Casa 303 and meet the installers Mo and Moose (I am not making those names up).  Here are some photos from the scene:

>Taking up the vinyl in the breakfast area (note: they have moved the stove)

>Painting the quarter rounds (which T is doing in the garage)

And me? I have to begin the process of rescheduling all those other appointments. 

Yep. Like nailing Jello to a wall.

Four Months Down the Road

Hard as it is for me to believe, we arrived in Georgia four months ago. Or 17 weeks and 3 days, if you want to be more precise. Or 9 bars of Dove soap...but who's counting, right?

In the good news column, you could count the blooming of one of this year's daylily purchases called Bibbity-Bobbity-Boo. It makes us feel like things stand a high possibility of eventually returning to Normal. Eventually. 

And, I took time out of working on the house today to attend my first meeting of the Walton County Master Gardener volunteers in Monroe, GA. I had applied when it looked like we were going to be moving to Loganville (eventually!) and received word in mid-July that I had cleared the background checks (required of anyone working with children) and my application had been approved. I have missed this part of my life (which was put on hold last year while we were going through the throes of moving from NC), so it was a special day indeed. I will be limited in the number of volunteer hours I can manage until after we actually get moved in, but you have to start somewhere.

So where are we on "getting moved in?" Let's see:

(1) Finished painting - The guest room/my craft room just makes me smile every time I look at the "Uptown Girl" purple walls. Missy M says the color looks like my office in our house in O'Fallon, and I have to agree. 

We also finished painting the "Sailors Bay" blue Hall bath, which will be decorated with lighthouses.

(2) Survived a brief vertigo spell...only to have a possible stress fracture in my right foot - This has to come under the "good grief" category. I think the vertigo came about because of the up-and-down on the ladder; thankfully only lost a couple of days to that nemesis. I'm guessing the foot problem was caused by hyper-extending my foot while applying the blue tape to the baseboards. Whatever...I've been hobbling around like Grandpa McCoy (Lordy, doesn't THAT reference date me?!?) for nearly a week now. Seeing the foot doc on Thursday; currently practicing my pleas for a cortisone shot (which Mr. T says is an indication that I must be in pain if I'm asking for a needle!). Meanwhile I elevate and ice.

(3) Got the dishwasher installed - That means we now have all our new appliances operational. Gorgeous! I just have to touch them to make sure they are real!

(4) Got a new storm door, complete with a doggie door - Mr. T finished this install this week, and the pups got to come spend an afternoon at the new house. Ella Rae had an hour's head start as she rode with T, while Winston had to go on a little detour to meet his new vet and get his bordatella booster. It was hard for me to go back to Eastside, but I was so impressed with the care and concern that Dr. Houghton had shown for Abbie-girl that I wanted her to care for Win-man. He, of course, won over the whole staff within a few minutes, and had a great old time. But he then had cause for pause when confronted with the new doggie door...which has a different design from the one he is accustomed to. It took ER being out in the yard and barking at something for him to throw caution to the wind and go blamming right on through.

(5) Had internet connection installed...finally - After a false start a week ago, the Comcast guy finally showed up to install Xfinity (just the internet connection to set up our wifi network since we don't use cable). Not the best customer install experience ever...but we truly have no other choice (since AT&T doesn't have fiber in Loganville yet). If I've said it once, I've said it repeatedly: I MISS NORTHSTATE (our service provider in NC)! They showed up when they said they would, they put the equipment where YOU wanted it, and they managed to be pleasant about it...pretty much the direct opposite of Comcast. Sigh. But I will say this, things are working well, and the wifi is powerful enough to provide excellent streaming video (which is how we get much of our programming now...through Roku, Sling, etc.).

(6) Had another AC service call - Still have AC issues. (The tale of trying to get this resolved could make a whole post but I'll just leave it at that.) Double sigh. Waiting on yet another service call. Hopefully will have a fully-functioning AC before Winter sets in.

(7) Got good news about our tile installation - Looks like they have found the 3 pallets of tile all from the same dye lot and caliber. When it actually arrives, we should be able to schedule the install...possibly as soon as a couple of weeks. Fingers crossed! 

(8) Have a newly-mown lawn and trimmed bushes - Mr. T took M's mower and trimmers over to the house and started the monumental task of cleaning up the landscaping. While the seller kept the grass mowed, we have had so much rain this year that everything had experienced several growth spurts. Plus, the original owners moved out last August, so they more-or-less stopped caring for the plantings...making everything look shaggy and overgrown. Once he had cleared out a spot, Mr. T hung a bird feeder and set up a bird bath. Won't be long before the word gets out that the Adsit Bird Bistro is open for business!

So that's where we are as we begin a new month. I sincerely hope that we will be moved in before completing another 31 days...or unwrap 2 more Dove soap bars...whichever comes first.

And So It Begins

“Work is the best antidote to sorrow, my dear Watson." -- Arthur Conan Doyle, The Return of Sherlock Holmes

How true. Although we have felt broken and wounded by Abbie's sudden passing, we now (as of last Friday at 4:00) have a house to get into shape...and that requires work. A lot of work, it would seem. And all before we actually move in and begin the job of getting settled.

We want to get as much of the updating done before we move our furniture in, just because it will be easier in the long run not to have to move things around. Keeping that in mind, and keeping in mind that every day our stuff stays in storage, it costs money...money that could better be used on updating projects...we forge ahead.

And what exactly are we talking about here? The list, which is subject to change on a daily basis, is as follows:

1. Install new appliances - Our "new" house came with the original 15-year-old appliances...well, except there was no refrigerator. We knew the microwave had to be replaced, because the vent cover was falling apart. And we soon discovered that the stove had a major issue: it stayed on, even when the knob said OFF! We had to unplug that right away...discovering that there was a gas connection hiding behind that ugly electric monster. Ahhh! So we ordered a complete suite of appliances in GE's smudge-proof "Slate" finish, complete with a gas stove that has a griddle. Now we're cooking with gas, right? Not so fast...

     1. A. In order to install the new refrigerator and the new microwave, the (too-low) cabinets needed to be raised. 

That's what Thomas is doing in that picture. Although that created a whole host of issues, including having to turn the microwave-topping cabinet upside down in order to clear the electric outlet, I am happy to report that this is now complete! Here are the "after" pictures.

     1. B. In order to complete the installation of the dishwasher, we found we needed a 12' line instead of the 8' line that came with the installation kit. And, wouldn't you know, the guys that delivered and installed the appliances did not carry one on their truck (don't get me started on how much I detest the "just in time" inventory concept that spawned the absence of parts that "might" be needed). Sigh. I have a beautiful, brand new dishwasher sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor...until Thursday, when the install guys are scheduled to return to finish the connection. Fingers crossed. 

2. Paint - While we have inherited a rich, neutral "taupe" paint throughout most of the house (done by the seller because some decorator said that would increase interest among buyers, no doubt) which will be the perfect background for almost any color pictures and furniture, I find it a somewhat boring...and a vaguely depressing color, especially in the smaller rooms. Soooo, paint I must! Now, recall that I have said I am probably the worst painter on the planet: I'm too short to reach very high, I have vertigo issues when climbing on a ladder or looking up, I'm a shaky-Jake when holding a paint brush who cannot paint a straight edge to save my soul (so I must blue-tape everywhere!), and I typically end up with more paint on me than on the walls (hence, all my "old clothes" live on as "painting duds"). Still, with the heart of a DIYer, I refuse to hire this project out if I can possibly complete it...with Mr. T's height, of course. I am so happy to report that I have finished the laundry room and the pantry (both now a fresh and lovely green called Desert Hot Springs)...and I can't stop smiling! 

     2. A. and B.  Now, that leaves the hall bathroom (which T has already blue-taped) which will be painted Sailor Bay blue, and the guest room/my craft studio which will be painted an energetic and inspiring purple (what else?) called Uptown Girl. 

3. Repair of the AC system - When we had the house inspected, it was noted that there was no recent record of the service of either of the central units (heating or AC). We knew this might be an issue, but our realtor cleverly included a clause in our contract that the Seller purchase a home warranty, so we accepted the risk. You know what's coming next, don't you? Right. The AC fan is working fine, but the cooling part was DOA. And this is Georgia. In July. And the hottest week we had have since last August, according to the weather wonks. And it is now one week later, when (after multiple telephone calls, hours on hold, and two house calls) "they" have decided we are right...it isn't cooling. They will be replacing the compressor, under the warranty I'm happy to report. Now, if they would just call to schedule that install, I'd be much happier.

4. New fans and fixtures - We currently have a wall of boxes blocking Missy M's front hall, consisting of new fans and fixtures for our house. As we have several volume ceiling heights, and remembering that our ladders are all packed in storage in NC, and that T maintains a "healthy respect" for all things electrical, we will be seeking a local electrician for all of these installs. Oh, and while he's at it, could he install several new outlets here, here, here, over here, and over there?  Stay tuned...

5. Servicing the fireplace - All that talk of AC and fans makes a discussion about the fireplace seem, well, out of season. And it is of course, but we thought that getting the fireplace tended to in the off-season might make it easier to schedule. And it was! We got the recommendation for this great guy who came and serviced, cleaned, and taught us everything we needed to know about our gas logs. Wow! Check that one off the list!

6. New flooring - after much thought, discussion, research, deliberation, more research, measuring, mind-changing, yet more discussion and more research (well, you know how we are, right?), we have FINALLY got this project underway. Of course, we never seem to choose the easiest route...no surprise here. We have decided to replace the wood-look floating laminate (in the great room and dining room) and the vinyl (in the kitchen breakfast area, laundry, and bathrooms) flooring surfaces with wood-look porcelain tile throughout...everywhere except the bedrooms. That's a lot of tile...3 pallets, to be precise...of the same dye lot (shade) and sizing (caliber), so of course it has to be special-ordered. Add a couple of weeks for that. And we cannot schedule the installers until we actually have something to install, right? Sigh. Stay tuned for updates.

7. Master Bath Mini-remodel - We were inspired on our recent AZ trip by Cousin AMcG's master bath redo in her new house. So much so that we have decided to do something similar...as soon as we can find the right contractor for this one. We want to remove the giant "soaking" tub (which neither of us like or will use) and replace it with a roomy walk-in shower; and then remove the dinky walk-in shower and replace it with a vanity (the Master Bath currently has a single vanity). This is going to be a challenging project, but it can actually wait until we move our stuff in, as we have the hall bathroom. Again, stay tuned...

Yes, we have had some setbacks, and because we are still a bit sad we are more sensitive to those setbacks. But doing these updates and spending time together working on our house is making it feel like OUR home.

And so it begins...

Not Ready to Say Goodbye

I remember it like it was yesterday. She was the tiniest puppy with silky-soft, pointy ears and the cutest button nose, and she was supposed to be an Australian Shepherd mix about 7 weeks old. And the moment we saw Abbie, she stole our hearts. We couldn't write the check for her adoption fee fast enough. 

We had stalked the Forsyth County Animal Control website for weeks, even completing the adoption application before we found the perfect companion for Elmo, our blind Basset hound. After we found out that our other Basset, Duchess' chest tumor was inoperable, we knew we had to prepare for the day when she was no longer with us, and it seemed smarter to introduce a new family member before the inevitable happened. 

Boy, did that not go according to the plan! Still, although the sequence of events was not as planned, adopting Abbie-Dabbie was one of the best things we could have done. She proved to be a firecracker from the start, quickly showing her Holy Terrier parentage. She and Elmo became best buds, although Duchess was not amused. Abs took on the role of Hall Monitor, making sure everyone (2-legged as well as 4–legged) towed her line. From the time she found her voice (ironically in K9 Training class, where she was supposed to keep it to herself), she had this guttural growl that led to a take-a-step-back-buddy bark. Inside, she was a big ol' marshmallow, although most people never saw that side of her.

Her adoption eventually led to Winston's joining the family from Forsyth, and since they were both 2013 babies, we thought we could enjoy 10-12 years with A and W in residence. 

Again, things have not gone according to the plan. 

We had to take Ab's to the Eastside Emergency Animal Medical Center yesterday, as her tummy had become distended and enlarged...seemingly overnight. This was all the more worrying since she hadn't been eating properly for a couple of weeks, and she had begun to vomit yellow bile. At first, we had explained away the symptoms by attributing them to the stress brought on by our move...or by the multitude of recent thunderstorms (which terrified our little terrier)...or by the fireworks over the Fourth. But the tummy issues could not be explained away. 

The X-ray showed a huge white mass in her belly, which the ER vet thought might be a tumor in her spleen. Although stunned, we were able to participate in the planning process for her care: she would stay overnight at Eastside, getting IV fluids and pain meds. Since Abbie had the well-earned reputation (first noted by Dr. Barker, her NC vet) of being "stoic," it was difficult to tell that she was in terrible pain. It was easy to see that she was lethargic, though. If all was well, she would undergo a splenectomy when the surgeon arrived Monday morning. We kissed her goodbye as Marian the Terrific Tech took her back.

On Monday morning, we had several telephone conversations with the vet surgeon who wanted to make sure we understood what would be happening. And she assured us she would call before noon to let us know how things were going.

I knew the second I answered Dr. H's. call at 11:30 that her news was not good, but I wasn't prepared for the full gut-punch: a massive tumor had invaded multiple organs, and there was nothing that could be done. The decision was made for us, and the tears started to flow in buckets. It is always difficult for pet parents to make the hard choice to let a fur baby cross the rainbow bridge, but it is exceptionally wrenching to have to say goodbye way too soon.

Abbie-girl, you were loved and you are missed. 

Three Months and Counting

When last I wrote, I posed the Big Question: where exactly is our new "here?" At long last, I think I know the answer: our new "here" will most likely be Loganville, GA.

We made an offer on beautiful park-like yard on Kings Way that happens to have a perfect-for-us 3/2/2 house attached to it. We checked off all our "needs" list [3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2-car garage, treed and fenced yard with plenty of outdoor space for gardens and doggies, close to Missy M (it's 14 miles away)...all for a retirement-friendly price under $200k], as well as almost all of our "nice-to-have" list: fireplace with gas logs, gas stove in the kitchen (well, it will be once we upgrade the appliances...;-), wood floors in living areas, granite countertops, separate dining room as well as separate laundry room, and permanent stairs to the attic...or in our case, to the expansion area over garage. The house even has a red front door!

Our offer was accepted, the inspection and appraisal both went well, and we are on track to close the deal mid-month. But that makes it sound like it has all been smooth sailing to get to this point in the process. Trust me...it has been anything BUT smooth.

After looking online at seemingly hundreds of resales in and around Lawrenceville (the majority of which were "pending/due diligence/under contract" before we could actually go visit the properties), we decided we would go with new construction. So, we wrote an offer on a new build in Winder, only to find out that the builder had accepted another offer on that lot (and didn't bother to post "pending" to the MLS). No problem...we wrote another contract: same house plan, different lot. After telling us there had been a price increase, the builder verbally accepted...then went off to Tampa. When he returned, he had decided he didn't want to build "our house" on "our lot" for the price he had verbally committed to. So we decided we really didn't want or need to deal with a...well, I guess the kindest word I can use here is "flighty" builder.

Moving on...

We had an offer accepted on a house in Snellville, but the same day that we found out our loan had been approved, we found out that the house didn't appraise for the purchase price. And even though our realtor did her best, the seller wouldn't budge on the price.

Moving on...again...

We raced home from our AZ trip to keep an appointment to see a house...that went under contract while we were at the ATL airport. We previewed scores more houses online, most going under contract before we could make an appointment. As our realtor said: "you know, houses don't stay on the market for more than an hour in this market." We wrote offers here and there and everywhere...only to come in second or third or tenth...but never first. Can you say "seller's market?" Sigh. 

Moving on...ad nauseum...

And then, just as we were ready to take a break from all this disappointment, our sweet-wonderful-resilient realtor sent us yet another list of "new listings." On it was a house in Loganville that was "back on the market." Turns out, this was a house that I had favorited the same day we'd flown out to AZ, and of course had gone under contract while we were there. End of story, right? 

Moving on, right? Not so fast! As it happened, the seller had accepted one of three offers...an all-cash offer, contingent on the sale of the buyers home. Only...that sale apparently didn't happen, and the other two offers had moved on when he put it back on the market, so when we walked into 303 on the afternoon of June 13...and then walked outside into the back yard that our realtor described as "a park," we immediately asked her to cancel our other appointments for the day and write up an offer. (She already had an earnest money check from us...left over from a previous attempt to make an offer on another house...no worries there!). It felt like we were in a race to beat any other offers that might slip in.

And the rest has been a sprint to the finish line: July 14. We submitted all the paperwork (again), we cleared all the contingencies (again), we were approved (again), we paid for a home inspection (again), and we paid for an appraisal (again). But, this time, the house we had chosen appraised for more than the purchase price. Woo hoo! 

So now, the only thing standing between us and closing is the closing attorney getting everything ready for our very own Bastille Day. Fingers crossed...and toes, too!

And, to think, it only took us 90 days to get this far. Three months...and counting.

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Want to see more pictures of our soon-to-be new house? Check it out here:

The First Day of the Rest of Our Lives

It's the first day of the month of April...no foolin'!  Also, it's the first day that we are no longer residents of North Carolina. 

And, as that 60's saying attributed to Charles Dederich goes: "Today is the first day of the rest of your life." Truth be told, I'm still in recovery mode from the last 365+ days of my life. 

After the marathon of moving activities that began in earnest a little over a year ago, yesterday's closing on our HPNC house seemed, well, almost anticlimactic. We had made a trip to GA at the beginning of the week, using the opportunity to take a carload of "stuff" (meaning some of the odds and ends that didn't make it onto the movers truck and into storage) to Missy M's. On our return to Casa 3917, we packed the rest of the "stuff" either in one of our cars or in the garbage cans.

And then we took a final walk around the yard and into the Way Back. The pink dogwood (pictured) is just beginning to bloom in front, and everything is looking green and lush after the recent rains. Of course, there is a long list of garden chores...getting longer as the days and nights lengthen...but we won't be doing them this year. Not in HPNC at least. 

Even though we have taken divisions of almost every known plant we have (that constituted the majority of the load we took to M's in the 16' Budget Truck 2 weeks ago), I imagine it's no secret that this is the answer to the question: "so, what will you miss the most about High Point?"  The Way Back, hands down. Oh sure, we will miss many elements about the house (all the beautiful wood floors, crown molding and chair railing in every room; and the kitchen and morning room with the fireplace and windows on our Way Back world); we'll miss living side-by-side with Oak Hollow reservoir in the Sailing Point neighborhood, especially that drive into it which was so relaxing; we'll miss living in a 15-minute college town...you can get anywhere you need to be in 15 minutes or less, and you benefit from being in the orbit of a university; and I'll especially miss living in an Amtrak train stop town (see depot photo below) and all the friends I made through Master Gardening. But, the memories of our garden oasis that we created from a wasteland will leave us with the keenest sense of loss.

[Certainly, there are some things that we will happily say buh-bye to: the Skeet Club and North Main Street road construction headaches, along with the lack of much cultural identity for a city which has a heritage other than socks and sofas (see photo below)...made much worse by the overwhelming focus by the powers-that-be on the Furniture Market, which creates a void of vibrant and interesting shopping and dining opportunities in what can only be described as a generally boring and lackluster downtown...*yawn*...except twice a year. I can honestly say I shall not miss Market!]

Anyway...

I couldn't help but recall what it looked like when we moved into the house nearly 8 years ago (actually 7 years, 10 months...a record for us, by the way!). The original owners had both had debilitating health problems for over a year prior to their putting the house on the market and had moved to senior care facilities. The house and property were well maintained, but both were...sterile and...cold and...almost unloved-looking. I know that must sound silly, but that was my first impression, and it took me a long time to shake those feelings off. We have loved living at Casa 3917, and I wanted the new owners to have a different first impression of their new home.

When we were leaving the house for the last time on Thursday night just before the couple was to come over for their final walk through, I gathered the remaining Spring flowers (some paperwhites were still blooming) along with cuttings of rosemary ("rosemary is for remembrance") to make a bouquet in a Mason jar...which I left on the counter along with all the warranty booklets, the original house plans and lawn sprinkler layout, a Shutterfly book* of pictures of the property in bloom, and a couple notes of welcome to their new home. I moved two of the garden chairs that weren't going with us onto the screen porch, along with a small plant stand for a table, to create a quiet spot for them to relax during the hectic move-in period. I hoped that I could convey comfort and...warmth and...a sense that "you will love living here...we did!"

It must have worked because when we met the new owners on Friday morning, they were both smiling ear-to-ear, and the wife said "we loved your notes you left! Thank you!"

Ahhhh...my work here is done!

So, closing went off without a hitch and we headed our cars down I-85 to our temporary quarters with Missy M. Somewhere around Charlotte, we got the call from our realtor saying that the deed had been recorded electronically, which meant that it was officially a "done deal!" More importantly, it meant we could deposit the check we had received...and promised not to cash or deposit until we got the word it was official (it's a North Carolina thing...go ahead and roll your eyes...we certainly have...;-). To make it all official-official, I posted on Facebook that we were officially homeless...yippee! 

Next steps? Well, I had planned to sleep for a week...or at least until noon today...but, of course I did neither. Probably because I was too darn excited about it being the first day of the rest of my life!

We do need some R & R from the tyranny that "the move" had become, so we plan on restoring our equilibrium, so to speak, here with Missy M over the next few weeks. The garden here is calling out, and there is plenty to keep us busy and happy.  It's definitely going to take time, though, as I discovered last night: I found myself thinking "now, when we drive home to NC on Sunday..."  Umm, no. There will be no more of that. We are no longer residents of NC.

We already have a realtor here (just like we found our HPNC realtor, we are using the American Airlines Miles From Home program...which earns us airline miles when we use their services), so if we decide that "here" is where we want to be, we can find our next abode.

That is the Big Question we will be mulling: where exactly is our new "here?"

As always...stay tuned!

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* Here's a link to that Shutterfly book I mentioned. Fingers crossed it works when you click on it!