Stripping

Yesterday I bought caustic poisonous orange gel stuff at Home Depot to try to remove the paint off the floor tiles. It’s a slow process – I have to let it sit on the floor for about an hour, and then scrape the stuff off. I’m having better luck if I let it sit for 45 minutes. The stuff is just awful. It makes my hands swell, even in gloves, and I have a blister on one finger from scraping. Plus the stuff isn’t cheap. One small container will do about 12 square feet, and I have a lot of floor to work on. It should actually cover more, but lots of it is being absorbed by the tile.

So far I’ve cleaned six tiles, and I’m working on a seventh. It isn’t perfect, but it is working. It’s better than replacing the entire floor. Plus the cats can’t stand the stuff, so they avoid the room while I’m working. An added bonus.

Tomorrow I’ll have to go to Home Depot and get more of it, plus a decent scrub brush and some mineral spirits.

Rejoicing the return of Home Cheap Home. I finally found it, thank goodness. The Design on a Dime book just isn’t as good.

I’m trying very hard to think of some improving project I can be doing while waiting on R to finish moving. All I can really do is finish stripping the floor, and finish dealing with the new chair. It’s depressing, because I really want to sling paint around. I do want to take some pictures tomorrow, so I have before and after shots of the house.

I’ve been thinking about the floor plan for the living room/study, which I really like, except there aren’t enough bookcases and there isn’t any place for a TV. That’s OK in some ways because I don’t really want people coming over to my house just to watch television. Then, on the other hand, there are Super bowl parties, and nieces and nephews, and maybe one day someone I can invite over to “watch movies.” So I’m trying to resolve all this. My first thought was to stick the TV in the middle of a reading area I’d established, but TVs are still pretty ugly, and I don’t want to clutter the space. My next thought was that I could always put the TV on the fireplace for parties, but what I really need is a place to permanently keep it; a place where I can watch it with a few close friends or relatives.

My bedroom is out of the question, so now I’m re-thinking the guest bedroom. I originally wanted a nice, kid-friendly space that uses stuff I already have, a space that I could eventually in the far future make into Mom's bedroom. Now I’m thinking I need bookcases and a love seat and a television, more like a den. Of course this leads to new problems – where will I move this stuff to when Mom moves in? I guess at that point I could put the TV permanently on the fireplace hearth, but the bookcases and extra love seat won’t be so easy to move. It wouldn’t be fair to leave them in her room, either. Mom will need a space to call her own, a space that doesn’t have any of me in it.

So using the guest bedroom is really not a viable option, at least not in the long run. I could put in a loveseat and a TV, but I think bookcases (which will fill and fill and fill, despite my best intentions) are out of the question. So the bookcases will have to be somewhere else, like my bedroom. So much for the quasi-Indian-Moroccan look I wanted.

OK, that settles it. I’ll move a loveseat and a TV into the guest bedroom, and will move them out when and if mother needs a home. And I’ll move bookcases into my room, and hopefully develop a new vision for that room. In a way this is good – my beloved-but-battered Heywood-Wakefield sectional will now have a home.

Really want to convert the bathroom into a huge shower. I think I’ll have to hire a contractor for that. It would help with Mom, too, if she ever becomes disabled.

My family has decided my paint colors are a good choice, as guests will leave immediately after waking in the door. How supportive. They did agree to come to my painting party, though, which I’m holding as soon as R’s stuff is moved out.

Found lime green tiles – the ever-wonderful Monterey Tile Company makes them. I’m going to order one or two to start with, to make sure they’re what I want.

I’ve about decided to start decorating the guest bedroom, and then move to the kitchen. The bedroom will be easy – I just need paint, and possibly a new door as the current one has a hole in it. Of course this could be an opportunity, too – how can I disguise the hole?

The guest bedroom doesn’t need much furniture since I’m going to use the furniture from my bedroom at home. I do need another bed, and had planned to buy one identical to what I have, but Mom suggests I buy trundle beds. Good suggestion, but I’m not sure it’s something I can afford. The only thing I really want for the room is another quilt, identical to the one I have. I’ve been haunting eBay, but have not had any luck so far. It’s a very common quilt – Target’s Room Gear brand – so eventually one should show up.

The only obstacle between me and the guest room is the mess in the room. I filled two boxes today before I got completely disgusted. I just don’t work well by myself. I need motivation, or at least conversation. Disheartening “this will never end” thought penetrate brain far too easily.

Purchased a new sander today, on sale for $19.99 at Sears. It’s probably a terrible sander, but I don’t want to pour a bunch of money into something I’m not sure I’ll ever use. Plan to try sanding R’s floor in a few minutes.

Also purchased several home improvement books. I forgot to check Half Price Books for what I really wanted – a March copy of InStyle magazine, which has my orange stippled bedroom and also has a great article on furniture proportions. Hopefully what I did purchase will give me some ideas.

Debating beds for Master Bedroom right now. I have a lovely iron queen bed, but part of me wants a completely modern platform bed with TV and laptop stands. I think I’ve figured out how to make a platform bed which will support my weight, so it’s a more viable option than it has been in the past. Now I just have to decide if it’s what I really want!

Still debating what to do with the chair. Tried to buy vinyl paint at Pep Boys, but they only had a spray, and it only came in boring car colors. I want something a little flashier. And I don’t want to spend more than thirty-five dollars, max, on the chair.

New designer to look up – Marimekko. Seems to be a fabric designer. Someone on eBay has a bunch of tiles with lime green flowers on them. Wouldn’t that be fun in a backsplash? Only problem is the price. She wants $10.00 for 25 one-inch tiles. That means a 5” square costs $10.00. They’re obviously handmade -- wonder if I can find a way to make these myself? Wow – her Matisse tiles are fun, too.

OK, Marimekko fabric starts at $25 a yard and climbs upward. I can’t figure out where thetile girl found her pattern, it’s much smaller than what I’m seeing! Maybe in a book or something. There is a Marimekko book that sells all over for $3.00.

(later)

Sanding would be a BIG job. It took five minutes a square to get off MOST of the paint, not counting the tough spots. I thought switching sandpaper grades might make a difference, but Dad says not. I can feel the dust all over my skin. Must take a shower.

My next option is to try some kind of paint remover. I don’t know where to start, but I’m sure Home Depot will.

Still trying in vain to find a nice green vinyl dye color. I’m thinking of taking the chair to an auto body store. Maybe I can find one that will give me the time of day, and that won’t charge an arm and a leg.

(even later)

Enjoying the “Use What You Have” decorating book. I don’t really have anything, but it will help to know what to purchase. I want to graph paper the living room now. How fun.

CLOSING DAY!!!

9:45 AM. -- I’m awake now, after a sleepless night. I’ve taken out some trash, cleaned all the litter boxes, and cleaned the kitchen a little. In a few minutes I’m going to start working on my bedroom, including moving Clothing Mountain onto the bed. Matt the FHA appraiser should be here at 11:00.

Paul called earlier today, and our closing is set for 5:30 PM today.

I’m nervous, and I really don’t have anything to do except wait.

After Matt leaves I’m meeting Mom for lunch, but I might skip out on her and go to a movie instead.

10:40 -- Matt was early, and the re-inspection took about ten minutes. He asked if she lowered her asking price, and said the other homes like this that were going for $120K were in perfect shape. He tested the dishwasher and the oven, looked at the window and the ”access” and left. Now we’re good to close at 5:30.

2:15 – Forgot to call R when Matt left. I don’t think she’s pleased with me. I’ll have to invent an excuse for not calling.

Ate lunch with Mom, and then went to the Salvation Army and bought a chair. It’s a mid-century office chair, with nice heavy wood and a vinyl seat. The vinyl is uncracked, and the wood was in great condition. Very comfortable. Mine for a mere $13.50. Now I have to figure out how to dress it up -- how hard can it be to paint vinyl?



3:07 – Vinyl paint is very abundant, but I can’t find a nice chartreuse green. Will have to keep looking. Going to sleep for an hour.

8:31 – It’s finished. $6685.00 down and I own a house. I can’t believe it.

My first act of ownership was to take a kitchen cabinet door off the hinges to see if the awful bevels could be removed easily. They can. So I can sand the suckers and repaint. Now I have to figure out if it’s worth it. They have strange semi-exposed hinges, and I think rehanging them properly (they’re all out of kilter now) will be a real bitch. I think it would be easier just to get new cabinet doors, and since we’re only talking about eight or nine doors I don’t think it would be impossible. (OK, I just recounted. 14 doors, damn it. Eight of them are very small, only 12.5x14 inches.)

I went to Home Depot and gathered every paint swatch in my color families. Now I have to pick the exact colors I want. It’s a little overkill as I can’t paint until R’s stuff is out, but it gives me something to look forward to. Later tonight I’m going to Denny’s for a slice of chocolate cake, and I’ll play with the colors while I eat.

Also scavenged around the store for something to use as a cabinet knob. I just can’t stand the thought of paying $1.50 minimum for the damn things. So far my best find is a package of three one-inch “two hole straps,” which I found on the electric aisle. The package was about .80 cents, which makes the little devils .26 cents each. I’ll still have to buy screws, but I’ll still come out far ahead.

My Home Cheap Home book is still missing. I’m convinced it’s ended up with R’s things, and I’ll never see it again. I’m actually going to have to buy another copy.

I had planned to try sanding some of the tile with R’s belt sander since I knew exactly where it was, but when Drew rearranged the garage it went AWOL.

(later) Gods, there are some ugly ceramic tiles on eBay. All I want are some plain yellow-green tiles for the kitchen backsplash. I don’t think I’ll find them easily.

Tick Tock Tick Tock

After several days of rush, today was almost surreally quiet. It rained all day and I slept all day.

I only had two phone calls, one from Paul checking in and asking for R’s husband’s name, and one from the FHA inspector saying he can’t possibly get over here before Friday at11:00.

I’m sure there are a million things I need to do (like get ready for my classes, which start on Tuesday!) but I just can’t bring myself to do anything.

Tomorrow morning I need to get up early take out the trash, then straighten up my bedroom, which is a nightmarish mess. Next I want to clean the kitchen, which is another hideous disaster. At least I have a dishwasher now, so I don’t have to look at my dishes sitting all over the counters.

I also want to run to the CoinStar machine and turn R’s accumulated coins into cash.

Cleaning Hell

Never managed the smoke detector, almost fell asleep at the computer.

Very, very tired. R woke me up at about 8:30 on Tuesday, and we cleaned all day. We repeated the process today.

I’m about to kill R I know this is her stuff, I know she is attached to it, but she’s taking things a little too far. Today I was cleaning out a new unexplored corner and threw away a five-year-old can of green beans. She came into the room in a perfect tizzy and said not to throw anything else away, that she needed to go through everything. She became very upset when our hired help (Thanks, Drew!) handed me two salad plates. She insisted we had moved the plates from a special box she had set aside. It took her several seconds for her near-tears fussing to calm down enough to for me to explain Drew had just handed me the plates, and that she must have more of them than she remembered. Then three seconds later she threw another mini-scene because she couldn’t find a box filled with important papers. I explained I had placed it in her truck that morning because I knew it was an important box. She actually contradicted me, and told me I hadn’t put it in the truck! I finally had to get her to look in the car and see the box with her own eyes. Then she told me not to put anything else in the truck without her permission.

And her priorities are so skewed. At one point she had Drew re-arranging the boxes in the garage. Yeah, we did expose an extra three feet of floor space, but get real! The house has serious problems, and we’re out in the heat re-stacking boxes.

She’s also giving the realtor hell. I very specifically asked two weeks ago if her husband needed to be at closing or if they needed a copy of her prenup agreement. Texas is a common property state, and it only made sense that we would have to have one or the other. But Paul told me neither of those was necessary as the property was in R’s name. Today he called and told me he was wrong, and that either the husband would have to be present, or that we needed the prenup. R almost went ballistic. I thought for sure she was going to call the whole thing off, and I honestly couldn’t blame her. But from what I’ve read that’s just how the real estate business is. Nothing really happens until three or four days before closing, and then everything happens at once. R just can’t deal with that kind of stress. To add to the problem she thinks everyone else is incompetent so she keeps double-checking things and interfering so much that people can’t do their jobs.

And she keeps inventing new problems, too. It wasn’t enough that we fixed everything on the FHA inspector’s list. She also had us hang a door in the back bedroom (luckily I found the door!) and also had us replace the two floor tiles Dad had to remove to get the dishwasher in place. She feels this is a re-inspection, and that the inspector can call the whole thing off at any time. I honestly don't think he'd add anything to the list, but Rachel is afraid he will.

So let’s see . . . I can’t sort through garbage. I can’t clean out areas she hasn’t explored. I can’t put things in the truck without her express permission. There really isn’t anything I can do, except watch her run around like a chicken with its head cut off. If she comes over tomorrow I’m just going to sit right here working on my lesson plans, and occasionally run things out to the trash for her. She can do the rest herself, damn it.

That’s what I’d like to say, anyway, but naturally I can’t. I have to keep my damn mouth shut until everything is finished. And even after that, too, I guess, since we eventually want to have a garage sale.

I’m thinking, though, of telling her she’s just not the kind of person who can have a garage sale. I’m thinking of persuading her to just move her stuff into storage so she will know where it is at all times. It might be the best possible thing for her.

This deal still might not go through. After all, the survey was only taken today so the title people haven’t examined it yet, and the FHA appraiser could always find something seriously wrong during his inspection. But if it does go south I have plans. I’m going back to Shreveport, and gamble until I feel numb inside.

On a positive note, our grand total on cash and traveler’s checks found so far is in excess of $5000.

(later)

2:48 AM – can’t sleep. I keep making plans for what to do if I do buy the house. I’m thinking I’ll tackle the awful electricity problem first. I also want to try sanding the floors, and stripping the molding off the damn cabinets. Stripping the molding is Mom’s idea – I think I just need new cabinet doors.

Have to start thinking about what order to work in. So many things in so many places need attention.

Maybe I can try sleeping again.

All Hell Breaks Loose

Damn it all to hell. Just got off the phone with the realtor. The previously-referred-to-as-nice FHA inspector wants me to

• Get the broken window fixed
• Get a new dishwasher
• Get a garbage disposal
• Have the carpenter ants treated
• Put a new burner on the stove, and
• (Best of all) have “access” to the guest bedroom and garage

All before closing on Wednesday, when my loan lock-in expires.

Dad is working on the window. The exterminator is coming to treat the carpenter ants tomorrow.

I could maybe get a new garbage disposal and install it myself, but I’ve never been able to get a major appliance like a dishwasher installed in under a week. And I have to get it at Sears so I can charge it, since I just can’t afford to spend cash right now.

Oh, did I mention they want to do a new survey, too? The old one I found isn't acceptable.

The realtor is trying to find out what constitutes “access.” He’s also trying to get me an extension with the loan officer, which is the least I think they can do since I think they’ve been sitting on the FHA report for a while now. They told me over the phone everything was OK, and now I find out nothing is OK.

I can’t afford all this. And what if I do all this and the deal falls through? Then I’m out about $1000.

This deal has mutated from a bargain into a nightmare.

(3 minutes later)

R’s uncanny phone-me psychic ability has kicked in again. She is paying for the dishwasher. I’m to go buy one (reimbursing her the difference if I choose a nicer model) and get someone to install it along with a garbage disposal. She’ll write me a check.

She’s also going to rent a storage shed from the SureGard place on Rock Island and MacArthur. I’m calling them and the UHaul place so we can get a larger truck and make fewer trips. (Mental note: Must also call insurance agent!)

I’m working on moving priorities. We need to carry out everything in boxes, and just put the boxes in storage. Then we can work on the rest of the stuff.

Ideally I’d like to clean the garage down to its bones, and then put the stuff from the bedroom into the garage. Then we would have space to go through the stuff in the bedroom.

(later)

Mom says I have a letter from the IRS in the mail. Jolly good fun.

Waiting for the realtor (no longer on a first name basis with him) to call me back and define “access.”

Going to go to the Sears Outlet this evening and pick out a washer.

(later)

Feel MUCH better. Paul called (back on first-name basis) and I have an extra week on the loan lock-in.

“Access” means being able to step into the room, which I should be able to remedy by this evening. I’m going to start on the living room again. Then I can shift things from the guest room to the living room, and then clear some space in the garage.

No need to involve SureGard or UHaul. And since I have a week I should be able to get through all of this. Although I’d like to have everything ready by Wednesday, just in case something else crops up.

I can pick out a washer this afternoon, after we get the bedroom cleared some.

(later)

We’ve been working most of the morning on the living room and have made pretty good progress. I’m starting to think I can finish it this evening, and then move the bedroom in while it’s cool. Tomorrow we can deal with the garage.

Spent over $180 at Home Depot for a garbage disposal, fire extinguisher, smoke alarm, and contractor bags. Priced dishwashers, and still think I’ll be better off at Sears Outlet.

(much later)

Damn realtor came by the house, told me lock in was only good through FRIDAY, not a week as he said on the phone,

Mom and R came over, and we cleaned like mad. Mom and I managed to clean out one corner of the living room shortly before R arrived, which gave us space to start stacking the boxes we had packed. It made a HUGE difference -- we’re no longer maneuvering around the full boxes. R worked diligently in the bedroom, and it’s “accessible” now. She took home a truckload of stuff, plus the conservatively-estimated $400 we found.

Tomorrow’s plan is for R to work on the studio half of the living room, which is mainly a large stack of prints. While she and Mom do that I’m going to move things out of the garage so we can clear a path back to the garage door. Hopefully once they’re finished in the living room we can stack whatever I remove from the garage into the living room. That’s the plan anyway.

This evening we drove around for about an hour looking for the Sears Outlet Center. It’s moved, and we can’t locate it. I tried ordering a dishwasher from Sears.com, but they don’t give heights for the dishwashers. Pretty stupid of them.

So now I’m trying to order from Home Depot. I think I want stainless, even though it’s a cliché right now. It’s what everyone gets, but it’s better than white or black.

Actually found one, which is no mean feat as my cabinet space is very limited. A Maytag. Stainless is $70 more than their cheapest model, so I’ll pay R the difference. I can’t order it online, which is a bit of a bummer. I’d like to be able to, and have it shipped first thing tomorrow morning. Sadly my reality is outpacing the Internet again.

Last thing to do tonight is install the smoke detector, which I think is a very simple process. We’ll find out shortly.

Approaching Closing

Finally screwed up enough nerve to call R She did take the box of money, so I feel better about that. She took the cash to Comerica, and told me how much they hated her for bringing in all those small bills! They had to count three times by hand.

R’s also signed the addendum to the contract, and didn’t mention having me pay anything over $110K so neither did I. It’s really the only fair thing to do – I just can’t pay more than fair market! The house isn’t the great bargain I thought it was, but that’s OK. I think it will be a good deal in the long run.

R. asked Paul what we needed to do to close. He said he needed to get a survey, but he hasn’t ordered it yet. This is worrisome – my finances are only locked in until the 26th. I have to call him tomorrow and get everyone moving. I also need to find out exactly what I need from him. R mentioned she’d need to get a cashier’s check. I’ll probably need one, too, and as my bank is in New York I’ll need to find a way to get one. I’ll probably have to do a wire transfer, which I’ve never done before.

Also haven’t heard from the insurance agency, so I’ll need to call them tomorrow as well. They insure the house’s contents as a percentage of the home’s value, and they originally estimated my contents at $91K. I think I have more like $30K, counting my computer system, so I’m considering underinsuring the house to make the totals more realistic, but I’m not sure how that works. I’ll have to ask the insurance guy about that as well. I also need to visit the Appraisal District website again, and figure out what the land is worth and subtract its value from the FHA appraised value so I have a better idea of how much insurance I really need.

Lots to do, including cleaning!! Starting to feel energetic again, which shouldn’t be that strange since it’s almost midnight. I’m just not on the same schedule normal people are.

Real Estate Tarot

Back from Seattle and not feeling very optimistic. The insurance guy didn’t call like he should have. I don’t have any phone messages, but R has been here and possibly deleted them. At least I hope she’s been here. The box with all her money is gone (she knew where it was) but the doors appear unharmed as do my digital cameras and other electronic portables.

Very afraid she’s decided to back out. She’s bound to be disappointed with the estimate.

Guess I can ask the online fortune-telling program.

Hmmm. Did stichomancy. Façade says

imagination.

He started homeward, still in his dream, descending from the hill, emerging from the canyon, and took the short cut straight across the Quien Sabe ranch, leaving Guadalajara far to his left. He tramped steadily on through the wheat stubble, walking fast, his head in a whirl.
Never had he so nearly grasped his inspiration as at that moment on the hilltop. Even now, though the sunset was fading, though the wide reach of valley was shut from sight, it still kept him company. Now the details came thronging back--the component parts of his poem, the signs and symbols of the West. It was

OK. Someone wrapped in imagination travels home. That sounds good – like home is a place for the fruition of creative vision. My parent’s house doesn’t fit this description; although it is at the bottom of a hill. Try again. Runes.

The rune represents the critical factor in the issue at hand. Nyd represents many things, most of them unpleasant - heed it well. Constraint, delay, loss, need, and sorrow are all frequently seen in this rune. Nyd speaks most strongly of pause, the hallmark of the both the timid and the patient, and is often interpreted as foretelling a delay in the effect of other runes that it accompanies. Fortunately, even where there is misery and danger there are valuable lessons to be learned - the trick is to learn them before you are overtaken by despair.

Damn. Ok, Tarot.

The card represents the critical factor for the issue at hand. Three of Coins (Works): Beauty. Balance. Harmony. Well-being.

Good but not great. I don’t feel reassured. What’s left? I Ching?

Actually said yes, but feels so foreign I’m still not reassured. OK, numerology. But what to numer? How about our closing date?

Doesn’t work that way. OK, last resort – the famous Façade.com yes/no floaty pen.

YES!

I wish that made me feel better.

Appraisal Crisis

I’ve only been home an hour, and a new home-buying crisis has arisen. The FHA Appraiser valued the home at $110,000. Our current contract was for, what, $116,000? I’ve lost track.

R and I are determined to go to closing. We’re going to have to work the details out between ourselves, as the loan price cannot be greater than the sale price. This will work to my advantage in the long run (I’m going with a 15-year payment plan instead of a 30-year, so I’ll have far less interest to pay) but will probably work against me in the short run as I want to write R a check for the difference, which will pretty well liquidate my bank account. I’ll also have to pay the realtor, since we can no longer roll his payment into the loan.

I also have to start protesting the tax value of the home, which is $119K. This means writing a formal letter to the Appraisal District in the three-day window I have after purchasing the house.

Bought a great book on cheap home decorating called Home Cheap Home. It gave me lots of ideas, most of which I can carry out with little money.

Vacations, Conferences & Cleaning

Made an excellent start cleaning R’s living room. Found lots of money in cash and traveler’s checks. Over $200 was in coins, Becca and I used a CoinStar machine to convert it to cash. We also found R’s driver’s license.

When I called to tell her the total she told me not to tell her husband. I also mentioned what a nice person she was, how she bought the cleaning crew dinner at Olive Garden. She laughed, and laughed even harder when I explained it didn’t cost her anything since we used an Olive Garden gift certificate found while cleaning.

I feel MUCH better about the entire situation. We can actually see into the living room now, and clean around everything.

The home insurance company finally called me back, and I’ve made arrangements for them to check the house next Wednesday. Next week will be very busy! Tomorrow I leave for Patsy’s house at Lake Cherokee, where I will be until Tuesday. Then I come back to town for twenty-four hours, and on Thursday I leave for a conference in Seattle. I’ll be back from that on Sunday evening, the 23rd.

We close on the house three days later – May 26th.

I’m breathless already.

FHA Inspection

Matt, the FHA Appraiser came today, and looked the house over as best possible. He finished the appraisal, although he left a lot up to his imagination. Very helpful, realistic guy. He realizes that since I’ve lived in the house for such a long time I have a pretty good idea of its flaws.

I have tomorrow to work on getting home owner’s insurance and to clean.

YEAH!!!! I called Becca, and she will come help clean tomorrow. She’ll bring Lily, and then Mom will pick Lily up and baby-sit, which will leave Becca and I un-child-encumbered. Better yet, Dave will bring them in when he comes to work so I don’t have to drive to Grapevine and pick her up! We might actually get something done!!

DOUBLE YEAH!!! R has pretty much decided she can’t use anything from the house, and that it will all have to go in a huge garage sale. I feel great about this – it means she’s finally realizing she can’t possibly deal with all of this, and that it will be easier if she leaves it in my hands. It will be quicker, too. Since R won’t have to go through everything we can have the sale in June after we close on the house.

Cat Odors

I’ve decided my body is trying to shift back to my natural clock, the one where I go to sleep at 4:00 AM and wake up at 11:00 AM. It also wants me to do all the physical stuff late at night, when I have the most energy and enthusiasm. Trouble is that I need the standard clock at least through May 22. I can’t let my body get confused right now. I have to work MTW, and I’m supposed to go to Patsy’s lake house next weekend, then on the 20th I’m supposed to go to Seattle for a conference. I can’t afford to lapse into my natural rhythm until these events are over.

Finished cleaning up the bookshelves, and now I’m planning on moving into the room itself. Scary stuff. The smell of cat pee is overwhelming. Hopefully I can find where it’s coming from, and thoroughly clean that area.

And Yet More Cleaning . . .

Spend almost all of daylight in bed. I just couldn’t bring myself to face all the problems, plus I just wanted to rest. I finally woke up about 3:30 and ate some graham crackers, then sulked around the house until Mom and Dad were ready to eat dinner. We went to La Madeline (ugh) and I bought since Mother’s Day is tomorrow.

I have taken a nice, long break from the garage. Instead I’m working in the house, namely in the front entry. Our new game plan, conceived over dinner, is to clean out the living/dining room so we can have a base of operations. The issue is getting into the room. The “back way” through the kitchen is a complete disaster. The entrance by the front entryway is obstructed by two layers of bookcases. I’ve spent the evening cleaning out and moving the bookcases. So far the largest bookcase has been moved, and one of the three smaller ones behind it. I’ve thrown away some food, but nothing near what I thought I would. I have two more bookcases to go this evening, but I need a break. After all, it’s only 9:00 PM, so I have four more hours until I have to think about going to bed.

(later)

Mom and Dad are going to spend tomorrow morning helping me. I think we can get that front room finished!! If we can just get one space workable I’ll feel much better. I can start putting up tables, and organizing whatever R wants to sell.

Screw September. I want to have the garage sale in June.

Nothing Doing

Didn’t do much except stack stuff back into the garage with Lynne’s help. (I misplaced my keys and she gave me a ride to school, and helped move boxes for about ten minutes.) There is a LOT of trash in front of the house that I have to get rid of, but at least this is a start.

No Home Inspection

Today I spent about an hour cleaning between classes. R’s house, which really likes me, gave me a present. I found the property’s survey in a box in the garage. That little piece of paper saved me $300. Wow.

Nothing else to report – I’ve been too busy with academia to do much to the house. I have tomorrow off until graduation that evening, so I can spend the entire morning working on the garage.

(later)

It’s just too damn hot. I don’t deal well with heat, and it’s just too damn hot to work. All I want to do is throw everything back into the garage for the remainder of the day. Graduation is tonight, and now that school is out I can work in the evenings when it’s reasonably cool. After Wednesday next week I can work in the morning, too. And I have to start preparing for the trip to Patsy’s house at the lake, and for Seattle on the weekend of the 20th. I bought new clothing but I don’t like any of it.

Leaving the house now to meet Mom at the Olive Garden for lunch, and then it’s back to the garage.

(later)

Home inspectors are here now. Fingers are crossed.

So far they’ve found an infestation of carpenter ants, but no termites. The inspection cost is $86.00, and the carpenter ants will cost an additional $150.00.

(later)

The home inspector just told me he can’t inspect the house. He just isn’t comfortable doing it, as he can’t see through R’s junk. Great. Now what do I do? We close on the 27th, and I’m not comfortable closing until I’ve had the house inspected. I suspect R didn’t have it inspected when she purchased it, and this is a deal breaker for me unless R is willing to somehow guarantee in writing that repairs will not cost over a certain amount to fix.

There is just too much shit in this house! It is going to take FOREVER to clean out all of R’s stuff. I should be out working on the garage right now, but I just don’t have the energy.

Overall I’m very worried about what it will take to get the house into the shape I want it. I honestly don’t have the funds to play with right now, and I don’t think I’ll have them in the foreseeable future. It will be at least a year until I can afford to seriously upgrade anything.

(later)

Paul and I talked about the no-inspection issue. He feels I should go ahead and purchase the house. The inspector did feel the roof and the foundation were in good condition, but he felt he couldn’t say anything else about the house.

I would feel a lot safer if I knew how much it would cost me to upgrade the electric system. This is my biggest worry at present. Most of the plugs in the house don’t even have three prongs! When I plug something in half the time the plug falls out of the outlet. I already know the bathroom system isn’t grounded, and I’m very afraid we’ll discover the boxes aren’t grounded. That will cost a small fortune to fix, requiring walls to be ripped out. It will make the cost of the house skyrocket. I’m just not prepared to face that kind of expense.

Tomorrow morning I’ll actually do what I’ve been meaning to do for several months, but haven’t had enough nerve to. I’ll shut off a breaker, take out an outlet, and look at what I have to work with.

I have made one decision – since I have money in the bank if I do move back home we’re getting the upstairs bathroom repaired, and possibly the ceilings as well. I’d like to get the siding repaired, but I don’t think that’s feasible.

Loan Rate Locked

Today we continued with the garage. I hired two students to help, and we spent about three hours on it. We’re going to start again tomorrow before it gets too hot.

Finished the loan paperwork today. It looks like my monthly payments will be right at $1000, which is manageable if not as comfortable as I’d like. Now I just need to call the insurance company, which I’m going to try to do tomorrow.

Last night I played “what if” at Home Depot. I decided it would cost me about 10K to re-do the kitchen. That’s for a very nice, Thomasville re-do; not a cheap job. All the other improvements I want to make (minus the issues with the electricity, which I need to get an estimate on) will run about $14K. This brings the total price of the home up to about $130K.

Good news – we locked interest in at 6%, and now it’s up to 6.25% and expected to climb again this week. I can’t do the math, but I saved several thousand dollars. Also R got her new tax property assessment in the mail today, and the home’s tax values has shot up to $119,930, a 3K increase.

More Cleaning

On Friday R and I spent the afternoon finishing off her closet.

Saturday Mom and I started on the garage. We couldn’t start until 3:00 because I had a morning class. I have to open the garage from inside the house, so I never get to see anyone’s face when it opens. People generally say “MY GOD!” four or five times.

We cleaned about 12 square feet of the mess in about three hours. The ratio of trash to treasure is disappointingly inclined to trash. After working in unseasonably cold weather for three hours we quit for the day, and decided to hire students after all. R will just have to live with it.

Today I called Bill, my loan officer, and we’ll be working on my paperwork tomorrow after class. I just have to get everything together, which is no mean feat!!