Make It Happen

New level of chaos at home

Boxes everywhere?  Check.

Stuff piled off to the sides so you can at least walk?  Check.

Tree falling on the house?  Check.

Yep.  There just wasn't enough chaos with the move; so Mother Nature kicked in with a lovely little storm yesterday that dropped 3 trees - one of which landed on the back of the house, demolishing the stairs off the deck and wiping out a gutter on the screened porch.   At least it's a rental house and I'm not responsible for getting it cleaned up & repaired!

A jaunt down the basement stairs to retrieve stuff reveals water on the floor.  Coming from a large crack in the foundation.  Landlord's comment?  "Oh well I did tell you there'd been water problems in the basement previously.  We thought it was fixed, though.   Before we worked on it, you could actually see daylight through the crack.  We'll take another look."

Ohhh-Kaaaay.  Guess I need to get my stuff out of the basement.

Copper Flashing Project Idea

On my last trip through Home Depot (no, contrary to rumor, that is NOT a daily event), I noticed a roll of copper flashing in the roofing section.  It seems like a very malleable medium to work with - and I like the look of copper both when it's shiny and new as well as once it's weathered.

I think I'm going to try sculpting it and affixing the results around some of my porch planters.  The majority of the large planters I have are just solid green plastic - and I'm no fan of that look.  I think with a combination of the flashing, some heavy gloves, good weatherproof adhesive, tin snips and serious imagination, I could really make those planters prettier.  I could potentially crinkle some up and "shingle" it onto one planter; perhaps hammer sheets for another; maybe even get really wild and use the blowtorch to create interesting patterns for yet another planter.

Plus - and let's be honest, this is probably the bigger part of the deal - it would let me feel like I was preparing for Spring, because I'd be fixing up the porch decor.

Hmmm... Feelin' Frisky over the prospects!

Centimeters of Progress

I only worked about 10 hours yesterday.   That's progress.   I did a little cooking, got started on a new book by one of my favorite author duos - Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, and chatted with a few friends.  This morning, I've puttered about getting ready for my out of town weekend - I Did Not Work.

Changing this habit - this oh so easy to succumb to habit - is going to be measured in centimeters of progress.  But it IS possible.

Not So Hot Yet

Well, I said I was going to return to work with a goal of not working all waking hours.

I haven't met that goal - or even come within spitting distance of it - the first two days back to work.   And I've been quite cranky about that since yesterday evening; I feel like I've failed myself.   

I think to revisit my planned two pronged approach of: 1, address how much I sign up for - and what I commit to - at work.  I need to focus most on #2: I need that compelling list of fascinating things to do in my personal life, so I have an ongoing incentive to keep some time for my own life and interests.

I've done better - tiny improvements - in taking momentary breaks throughout the day to do little things I enjoy, like starting to cook things, doing a little quick pruning of my flowering plants, etc.    And I've realized that starting early with the goal of signing off work early is not viable at all, so I need instead to start around 8 a.m. and claim those three early morning hours for myself, rather than hoping to squeeze in more personal time at the end of the day.

So I guess the failure of the first two days has at least led to discovery of what has to evolve further.  I should call it a stumble, not a failure... and be less cranky about it and more "Curious Explorer / Detective" minded about the whole thing.

We'll sit this one out, thank you.

Well,  after a few days of attempted negotiations with the people interested in buying the house, the conclusion is: We aren't going to dance, thank you very much.

Their initial offer was more than $32k under our asking price.  We countered; they raised their offer by $3k.  We countered again.  The realtor even offered to cut her commission on both our houses. 

No deal.

As much as I'm ready to be finished with this chapter; this house - I'm not going to give it away to someone who A) can't afford it, so she wants everyone else to pay her way B) is utterly unreasonable - she wants everyone else (us, the realtor, whoever has the misfortune of offering to buy her current house) to take a beating so she can 'afford to redecorate'.

So, we've lowered our overall asking price {AGAIN - the local real estate market is terrible right now}, and the realtor is posting new pictures on the various websites; hopefully, we'll attract a buyer who is actually reasonable and wants to pay a fair value for the property.

Invited to the Dance...

By the worst possible dance partner.

We finally got an offer on our house.  So how come I'm not cheering? 

Well, the offer started by asking us to concede $32k on the price.  And - it's contingent on the sale of their house - which isn't even on the market yet.  No kickout clause in their offer, either.  And - they want all the window treatments - worth another $3 to 4k at minimum.  And - they want the Bose surround sound speakers in the living room.  And, they want it contingent on me researching all the adjacent property - who owns it now, what are the pending plans for it, if any... And, they want us to vacate the same day as closing - even though a closing date can't be set very far in advance in the best of circumstances.   Plus the normal contingent upon inspection (I have no problem with that) and contingent upon appraisal (also normal).

We've submitted a far more reasonable counter offer, but haven't heard back.   Our counter offer expired last night at 7 p.m.

So, we're not complete wallflowers - we have been asked to dance.  But the people asking began by metaphorically trodding all over our feet and spilling their beverage all over our dress.  And forgot to bathe before coming to the ball.

Bleh.

Off to SC

My older sister is in the process of redecorating the house she just bought - her move in date is later this month.  I'm off to SC today to help install 27 new doorknobs - whoo hoo!

In an entirely tool-geek way, I wanted to bring my own tools but she assures me she has plenty.  I feel like a chef being asked to cook with someone else's knives - able to do it, but not entirely "at ease" with it!

I'll be back early tomorrow to set the staging for the open house Sunday afternoon.

Today's Projects

Ok.  The open house is tomorrow; I'm hoping that several realtors and potential clients will come through to tour the place.

In preparation, I've got a small (HAH) project list for today:

1. Prime & Paint the laundry room a neutral beige (I've been told the current periwinkle with shimmery glaze is a bit, um, "too fun", and apparently one can't paint directly over glaze - the paint won't adhere - so priming is required)
2. Wash & stain the deck with this new product from Glidden that is supposed to get the whole thing done with a garden hose and an hour.  They don't count the amount of time it will take for me to clear off the planters, furniture, etc.
3. Move some more furniture down to the basement
4. Landscaper is supposed to come & replace the sod he accidentally killed with a too-strong weed spray
5. Landscaper is also supposed to "vista prune" the hillside so you can see the creek better

Now if any time - and more importantly, energy - is left after that, I can go do something fun to relax after trying to cram 6 days worth of work into the 4 business days that existed this week.

My little sister says I should just forget all these house improvements & let it stand the way it is; people can just take it or leave it.  Well, here's the problem with that: until the house sells, a big part of my life is on hold.  I don't do "on hold" well.  Further, I'm looking to get a decent price for the place - not to give it away because it didn't show at its optimal best.  And finally, as identified in an earlier post - doing everything I can think of to improve the way it shows and the chances of it selling gives me a sense of contributing and driving towards the goal I want rather than passively hoping it will all work out.

So... prime the laundry room first, then as the primer dries, clear off the deck & wash it down, then stain it.  Small rest while both dry - maybe get a little lunch - then paint the laundry room.  As that dries, move some of the furniture to the basement.  Tomorrow morning, put the stuff back on the deck and fluff up the house in general so it is ready to show.

Good thing I'm on my second pot of coffee!

Outdoor stuff

I stepped out to Home Depot and bought seven Red Carpet Roses for the front yard.  This is supposed to be a variety that grows low to the ground, blooms all season, and needs little of the typical persnickety rose spraying, pruning, and general fussing.

The landscaper is supposed to come this morning, and will install them on the slope beneath the copper river birch.  While it won't be very visible from the street, it will make the view out the dining room window quite lovely.

I'm debating whether to get some more annuals as well, to place in the Hawthorne shrub bed alongside the left of the front door.  That would be visible from the street, and would soften the fairly spare look - but the quantity that would be needed to adequately fill it in is a bit daunting.

The landscaper is going to have his crew ford the stream, and bushwack the property on the other side so potential buyers can see how far it extends.  I may just lace up my dusty combat boots and venture across - in the three years living here, I've never been over there.  I'm more than a little intimidated by the grade of the cliff, and have visions of slipping and sliding down to the rocky edge only to turn my ankle and be forced to limp back up.

Still, I'm sick of my own skittishness - pushing myself beyond my comfort level uniformly leads to being happier when I accomplish whatever it is that was intimidating me.

On a cheerful note - it's a beautiful sunny day, quite cool for this time of year, and an almost ideal climate for puttering outside.... including ventures across creeks!