Getting Lolita Ready to Roll

New tires are the order of the day.  The tires were on Lolita (a vintage trailer) when I bought her 4 years ago.  While the tread is nearly new, I have no idea how old the trailer tires are and I don't want to take a chance of a blow out so new tires it is. I recently found a couple of hub caps to replace the lost one on the trailer.  Cleaned and polished with a fresh coat of paint, I took them along to be put on after the new tires were installed.

I decided to go with Les Swab Tires as there are so many in the west and they have such good customer service.  Once I had a dead battery and they came and gave me a jump start for no charge.  I didn't even have Les Swab tires on my truck at the time.  They really know how to treat their customers.  They made a believer out of me.

Due to snow season coming to a close, the tire store was really hopping.  They said it would be a 3 hour wait.  Since I hate the smell of tire stores.  I went out into Lolita and busied myself trying to make order of chaos.  Only people who live in small places can know how quickly order can turn to a complete disaster.

In about two hours they were done and with the new hub caps in place we were on our way although a bit poorer. Then I was off to get propane.  With two tanks filled I was home to park the trailer behind the fence in its little home.  My neighbor wasn't home so I actually backed her up and through the fence with only a foot and !/2 on each side.  I didn't have extended mirrors or back up cameras or a flagger.  It was a miracle!!!!  Here is the proof!  

By the time I got home one of the hub caps was missing.  I retraced my path, but no luck.  Fortunetly I had bought a spare so I put it on myself and now it looks good again.... but who knows how long it will stay there.

With no showings for the day, I decided a little shopping was in order.  I am in need of a good ice chest and of course extended mirrors so a little shopping it is.  There is a Camping World and 3 huge RV lots and service centers within a 3 mile radius plus a Cabala's and 3 more sporting goods stores.  That should keep me busy for days! 

I only made it to two stores for today, Camper World and Cabela's.  I did manage to purchase the extender mirrors at Camper World and they installed them for free.  (It could have been hours for me to figure it out - if at all)  They certainly have a lot of gadgets! On top of that I got this complementary bag.

How cool is that!!

Living the lifestyle says it all!

Normally I do most of my shopping on Amazon but....

                                                   Hey this is fun!  

Rollercoaster Rides and Rants

Welcome to my world.....I'm riding the real estate roller-coaster.

It's up,up, up the coaster, cleaning, projects, dusting to prepare for showings, banished from the house, then waiting for feedback.   With the feedback comes the down, down, down.  "To much that still needs to be done", "the neighbors junk cars a garbage strewn yard" and "there is horse poop in the pasture".  Really REALLY, Imagine finding horse poop in the pasture.  For heavens sake, what were you expecting on a horse property.    I think I'm getting to a point that I don't even want to hear the feedback.  I have pretty much done all that I can in the house.  The yard needs more attention and certainly needs more spring weather to get it accomplished.

Every buyer doesn't need to love it like I do.  I only need one buyer.  Patience has never been a virtue that come easily to me.

I'm certainly grateful for your supportive comments.  You don't know how encouraging they are to me.  Living solo, I do all the planning, all the work and I do it without support or encouragement of a partner when my I'm tired or my spirits are lagging.  You have picked me up and have been tremendously helpful to keeping my motivation in gear and moving forward.  I couldn't have gotten this far with you each of you.

I can see a list of things to do when banished from the house while it is being shown is necessary.  Sometimes I don't have more than an hours notice so the house needs to be ready as well as a to go bag of items I might need while gone.  I take my lap top and kindle with me so if I don't know what else to do I can spend some time at a WIFI spot and do updates on the computer or read.  Mostly though I want the time to be used for errands that will move me closer to the house selling or getting ready for my trip.

On one of my first banishment, I was driving down a substantial arterial road with four lanes and a median turn lane when the car in front of me slammed on their brakes.  While I could not see the problem I slammed on my brakes as well.  This can then proceeded to DRIVE AWAY.  As I proceeded forward I was able to see what was in the road.  A toddling baby!!  I would guess him to be about 15 months old with a diaper and nothing else on.  (It was 40 degrees.) I again slammed on my brakes and moved my truck into the next lane.  Through open my truck door and jumped out and scooped up the baby.   He was 1 foot from my bumper.   He had a sister who was following him who I estimated to be about 2 !/2 years old. (and was fully dressed).  I asked her where she lived and she couldn't or wouldn't talk.  So I went door to door in a little trailer park asking if anyone knew these children.  Two other cars behind me stopped also and we eventually found their home, three trailers from the busy road.   A man answered the door claiming the children, he said, "She keeps unlocking the door."  I was stunned!!  If she kept unlocking the door wouldn't you find a different lock... door handle cover or put furniture in front of the door to prevent an escape?  One of the ladies who also stopped, called the police to investigate the situation.  I was so shaken that I was unable to drive so I sat on the side of the road until I was calm enough to drive.

What was the driver in front of me thinking that they could just drive away?
Do these parents not understand the incredible gift and responsibility of  these children?
Just what kind of world do we live in?

What a Day!!

Be forwarded, today is a mixture of highs and lows that come with my life.

I woke up and proceeded with my morning routine, a little coffee, a little news, a little catching up on blogs and email all while lazing around in my jammies.  I was sitting at the computer when I heard pounding coming from the front yard.   This is what I found...

I have a sign

I came back in to a telephone call from the realtor and while we talked two calls came in to her wanting to see my house. So on the day it hit the multiple listings I had two showings the first in just three hours.  I guess this means I must get dressed and the house looking its best before I get out of here.    I was immediately flooded with crashed with memories of unfinished tasks and a very short time to finish. Sheri, my realtor stopped by with the finished fliers for the box and then I was off to the garage to finish up.  I still have two piles.... one destined for disposal, donation of give away and the other items for the trailer.  Some that will make it into the trailer others probably not.  How creative do you suppose my packing skills are?

Here are some more pictures of the house that I haven't posted.

 

Family Room

back yard barn and pasture




  
                                                         View from the front windows

There were two viewing on the first day.

We were able to get feed back from the parties realtor.
They loved the house..... they hated the neighbors yard.

   


I can't blame them. 
Here is the bad news....
           This is the house next door.

There are 7 abandoned cars, 2 boats and 2 RV's and a trailer in the front yard loaded with garbage.

 Who wants to live next door to a junk yard?

I know I don't.
They also have 4 pit bulls that bark every time anyone goes outside.

I have put so much time focusing on what I can improve but there are some things I have no control over.

I will just have to wait and see how it shakes out.  It is just day 1.

My Birthday Bash

Not exactly a wild party, but a fun family gathering with good food!!

 We met up at Prospectors Bar and Grill.  A wonderful family establishment with a truly western flair.

Two of my daughters, their families and my Auntie were able to come for a Sunday afternoon dinner. 

The wonderful waitstaff provided crayons and paper so the kiddo's stayed busy and really seemed to enjoy themselves.

Dad and four busy boys!

Yummo!!

What birthday would be complete without a birthday cake.  Auntie thought of everything and of course it was chocolate, my favorite.  One of my life slogans is, If it is not chocolate, it is not worth having.    This cake was chocolate on chocolate with raspberry filling.  (Note I'm only 26!!)

Birthday Gift Stash!!

Gifts including a walking stick, pepper spray, sunscreen, lipgloss, trail snacks, firstaid kit and a tiny roll of TP.  Great items to include in my hiking vest!  Look out.....I'm ready for a hike! 

One last pause for a stop at the honey bear for a peppermint and we are off!

It was a very good day!

  

A Marathon Day

Yesterday if you will remember was the day for the photographer to take the pictures of the house for the sale flier and on line adds.  My day started at O dark thirty where I raced through the final preparations feeling less then confident that I would finish all the items on my work list.

The carpet installers arrived at 8:00 AM to add the last of the trim work and try to fix the cable tv connections that had been dismantled when they installed the carpet on Tuesday.  The trim looks great but the cable is not operating correctly.  But it is not worth a fuss or a Comcast service call.  I  am still planning to leave at the end of March for Utah.  That is a bit fuzzy as a quick sale could bring that plan to a screeching halt.  With my luck, I'll get to Utah and set up a great base camp and then the house will sell.  It would be hard to be upset with that outcome though.  I am ready for an adventure and need some down time so time will tell.

The carpet installers finished in about an hour including a huge favor for me.  They moved my huge solid oak entertainment center to the garage so the dining room was ready for final staging. I was extremely grateful for their help as I was not able to find anyone who could do that for me.  After they left it was back to work for me....

After another two hours of work, I was feeling frazzled and frantic that I would not be finished before the 3:00 deadline.  The doorbell rang and I remember muttering to myself, "Now who is that?"  I opened the door to my Auntie who was holding a bucket of cleaning supplies.  She greeted me, with a warm " Show me what to do!!"  Bless her heart she vacuumed and dusted the entire upstairs and lower level of the house.  I finished the final staging and cleaning outside.

The only downside is a lot of crapola got tossed into the garage..... another item on the to do list.... DAMN!!

The Photographer and Realtor arrived early at 2:30...  the realtor helped me move my trailer Lolita out of the driveway and we cleaned the driveway!!  It was a gorgeous sunshiny day so even though the landscape isn't green yet, the photo's should present the house in a favorable light.  After the photos, I signed the contract for the real estate listing and I collapsed on the couch to watch my favorite basketball team, the Gonzaga University bulldogs who are ranked number 1 in the nation.  While I was still working I was a guest speaker in a number of undergraduate and graduate education classes for Gonzaga so the team is near and dear to my heart.

So remember, the cable fiasco....  It seems the high interest due to the #1 ranking of Gonzaga moved the game to prime time on ESPN.  With no cable TV and no energy to move from the couch I missed the game.  But the Bulldogs didn't disappoint.  They easily won without my help.  I will have to save a little energy on game days to make it to a sports bar and watch the Gonzaga games.

Well that was it.  
I was one tired puppy....

  The house is officially on the market......   

 

Tomorrow is a Big Day

I haven't been posting as much as I would like.... but I have been BUSSSSSY!

I have been scrubbing, bagging and hauling junk and a few treasures.  I had to empty out 3 closets and the everything out of the living room.  This weeks big news is the carpet is laid.  It is amazing how much it changes the character of the house. Most of the house is hardwood floors.  The kitchen vinyl plank and now the living room has fresh new carpet.  Yep, I checked, its my things in the rooms, but I'm not sure it is my house anymore.  The new owners just haven't looked at it yet and I have a new job to keep it clean for the new owners!  So here are some pics of the living room from different angles. 

 The picture above the couch is painting of the old family homestead.  Check out the baseboards that I cut and installed myself.

I did the wall treatments, painted the fireplace.... it was previously all white and built the cornice board above the drapes.  These have been like this for several years so I was able to enjoy them.

 

 The clutter is all gone (and NOT coming back!)  I think it is at the garbage transfer station by now.




          Sooooooo....

 Tomorrow is a Reallllly big day.  The realtors photographer is coming to take the picture for the on line add and flier.  After that I will sign the papers and my house will be officially on the market.  I have accomplished a lot in a short period of time.  I did make some steps towards making my dream a reality but just when I was gathering steam, I broke my leg.  I was not able to get back to it until after Christmas.

Right now my biggest fear is the realtor will come and make another big list of things to do.  While things may need to be done.  I think I am about done in.

It will be a long night tonight and tomorrow.  I'll be doing the spit and polish thing and then I will take more pictures.  That way you can see what I have been up too and they will be good for me to have for my memory photo's.   I think I see the finish line up in the distance.

 I may just fall over the finish line.

Tick Tock, Tick Tock

It seems that most women hate the whole birthday gig.  They ignore the celebrating the day and deny their true age.   Once more in my life I'm not like most women.  Now don't get me wrong I generally don't make a big fuss about my birthday but that probably has more to do with the fact I don't like to be the center of attention.

But this birthday is special.
It is not at all like the others.

Today is SS Day (No I'm not celebrating the Gestapo).  Today I become officially eligible for Social Security.  I embrace it.  I'm excited by the prospect of entering this new phase of my life.

When I was young I was in such a hurry to grow up and be afforded all the rights and responsibilities of adults.  I was married and a mother before I legally had the right to vote.  My years of mothering my children and the worlds children in my home came to a close just this past October.  I decided I was moving on to another life phase and choose not to take any more foster children into my home.  I broke my leg a week later while taking a picture of a sunset and after Christmas began the crash course of getting my house in order and enter the world as a full time gypsy.

People have said that I think in bumper sticker slogans.  There is probably some truth in that.  There seems to be an old saying to cover just about every situation in life and for some reason I remember them all.

So there seem to be a few to cover this getting older routine too.  So here goes. 

Life would be infinitely happier if only we could be born at the age of 80 and gradually approach 18.  Mark Twain

I don't let old age bother me.
there are three signs of old age.
Loss of memory... I forget the other two.  Red Skelton

If I had known I would live this long,
   I would have taken better care of myself  H. J. Springston

When you get old, you might lose some of your marbles.  But don't lose your marvels  Taylor Morgan

You know you are getting older when you stoop over to tie your shoes and wonder what else you can do while you're down there. George Burns

I intend to remain young indefinitely.  Mary Pickford

Inside every older person is a younger person - wondering what the hell happened.  Cory Harvey Armstrong

And lastly, Dr Seuss, who seems to have wrote some incredibly funny, yet true words.

I am what I am!  that's a great thing to be!
If I say so myself,
Happy Birthday To Me!!

I haven't bought myself a birthday gift.
I already have what I need.
My Birthday gift to myself... is permission to live my dream.