Welcome 2024

What a year it has been, 2023. Perhaps one of the hardest years of my life. Sold our parents' house and farm, sold my own house, bought a new, smaller house, and moved in about six weeks ago. That summation sounds so simple. But the year was filled with complications and conflicts I'd rather not get into. I'm in a good place at the end of the year, in spite of it all. I am finally where I need to be for living out my later years. My duties related to the estate will, thankfully, be winding down in the coming months.

One thing I don't plan on this new year's eve, is looking back with nostalgia. Everyone around me wants to reminisce. They drive by the old house. They talk about growing up. They want to keep in touch with high school acquaintances. Etc. Etc. But I'm just not into all of that right now. I only want to look forward. I want to live in the moment. I want to continue to make a better life for myself and Frankie.

Another thing I don't plan on is specific resolutions. It's enough just to appreciate where I am now and to start each day with a simple idea of what to do in that day. I'm not making lists these days. That could return, I don't know. 

 I don't set the alarm to wake up at 5 a.m. anymore. I don't have to drive any kids anywhere in the morning. I don't have any more set obligations. I wake up one or two times every night and sometimes can't get back to sleep easily. So, now I sleep until I wake up naturally in the morning. And I have naps when I'm tired in the afternoon.

I want to find a new routine in my house for caring for the house and yard, cooking, and hobbies. I've been focusing this week on making sure I'm setting up each room the way I can use it best. I had originally planned on putting the TV in one of the extra bedrooms and the piano in the living room, as I've always done. But this house is different. I finally decided the TV belonged in the living room as it's the darkest room in the house. I am making one of the bedrooms into a music room where my piano and guitars and my vinyl record collection will all reside. Already people walk into the music room and feel an instant positive vibe. It has a large window and lots of light and a comfy sofa and lamps, so just a nice hangout room for many uses. My piano is still at my son's house, and I'm waiting for him to have time to move it. I'm hoping this weekend.

I ended up putting my office in the other spare bedroom which has the only window that faces the street. I had thought I wanted the music room there. But as it's the smaller of those two rooms, my plan wouldn't have worked. The office, too, has a big window allowing lots of light. The window has a lower sill, and Frankie can sit on a chair and look out as he could at the old house. I have the yellow fold out bed/chair that I used as a bed for the last few weeks at my son's house, and I'll put that in the office along with a cute red cabinet for games and puzzles. There will be room to put up a card table and do puzzles and hobbies. I'll find some sort of ottoman that is just the right height and size for Frankie to watch and doze at his leisure at the window.

I'm starting to really like and appreciate the kitchen. The sink is in the corner facing two large windows. When I open the blinds, I have a view of my neighbor's bird feeders. How delightful is that! Between the sink and the windows is a large space and even a raised shelf where I can put plants -- maybe herbs. The cupboards are way too high for me to reach the top shelf of four, so I have put the things I use the most on the bottom two shelves with a little overflow onto the third shelf. Then the fourth shelf is for things I use maybe once a year or so, and I can get to those with my step stool. With everything put away now, I still have empty shelves to grow into. Although, I like this lighter feeling of owning less stuff, and I don't plan to fill those up any time soon.

The kitchen is a square with an entrance about the size of a doorway with a peninsula and no wall separating it from the dining room. It has a lot of counters. I have found the large peninsula counter serves as well as my island at the old house. There is a bit of counter in the corner between the fridge and stove that's separated from the other U-shaped counters. I use that corner for the coffee maker and toaster. I will be adding a bread box and a cute mug rack/coffee station to make it a practical little breakfast station. Everything about the kitchen is very convenient. 

I will be buying a new table for my dining room. The old table belonged to the parents of my late husband and dates back to the 1970s. My daughter is going to take that table that belonged to her dad and grandparents. That seems fitting. I am getting a large expandable table. Surprisingly, I have a bigger dining room at this house and can extend the table further when needed. The layout of living and dining room has made for a good gathering place when a lot of people come over. Some like sitting in the comfortable living room, some like taking snacks and drinks to the table. But we are close and all together in the same room, and no one is left out of the conversations. 

My bedroom was the first room I got set up. I've now got the adjoining bathroom set up and decorated and have arranged things to my satisfaction in the large walk-in closet. I am ordering some light-filtering, full-length (96") curtains for my window that now has just slatted blinds. I have adequate privacy with the blinds, but the curtains will give a softer feel. Not much else to do there.

And the laundry room -- nothing to say. It's wonderful and convenient. It also has an upper and lower cabinet where I can now store all my surplus cleaning supplies in one place. Next to the laundry, the storage room now hold the boxes of holiday decorations and boxes of my memorabilia scanning project as well as a hanging organizer for brooms, mops etc. My carpet cleaner has a handy spot there as well as my card table and chairs. There is still a bit of space available, but I like it as it is. Especially since I can now easily access holiday decorations when I want them.

The garage is yet to do. I have a huge shed at one side of the house and I will be able to store lawnmower and many yard tools there instead of the garage. I will also store some fertilizers, etc. there. The former owner left quite a lot of those things, duplicating what I brought with me. This spring and summer, I'll work at using up those supplies, and sharing some with my kids in their yards. I'll also throw out the old patio cabinet she left, as it's pretty beat up, and I'll replace it with one like I had at the old house where I can store hand tools and bird feeders supplies. It's a perfect yard setup. The side of the house opposite the shed is narrow and paved with concrete. It's a perfect place to keep the garbage and recycling bins out of sight. With good weather in the week ahead, I hope to start moving things into the shed now and then install some limited shelving in the garage for things that need to remain there.

I'll spend the rest of the winter months thinking about what I want to do with the backyard. There are a couple of raised beds big enough to have a good-sized garden. But I think I'll put in a lot of flowers and just a few edibles. I'm not much of a farmer. I won't change the front yard at all -- just trim, mow, and maintain. It's fun to think about this small yard and how I will be able to manage it myself.

I guess what all of this is saying, is that I'm finding where things should go; I'm getting things arranged in a way that feels like home to me; and I discovering the joy of less work, less responsibility, no stairs, and new-found freedom. It's a fresh start for a new year for me. I am truly looking forward to 2024 with hope and a desire to enjoy the changes my new life offers.

Boxes, boxes, boxes

 I've been moved in for nearly two weeks and I'm still unpacking. What is all this stuff? I seriously need to get rid of a lot more stuff. I have found the important things, like the coffee maker and most of the dishes and glassware. But there are still more boxes that say kitchen.

And I'm tired. Getting Covid right before moving left me feeling tired, with a persistent cough, still, after almost three weeks. Some days I can only manage a couple of boxes and some days I'm an unpacking machine. I have no deadline and just have to listen to my body.

Frankie isn't loving the new house yet. He still wants to go out the garage door instead of the back door when he asks to go out. I don't think it's because he doesn't know. I think it's because he's hoping we get in the car and drive back over to my son's house that was full of people, dogs, noise, and fun. I'm a sorry substitute for all that.

In the meantime, somebody bought the farm. Literally, we sold the family farm for a remarkable price and very fast. It took us all by surprise, but it was a good outcome for a touchy subject. Some of the family thought the farm should stay in the family. But that was not realistic. And no one person in the family could have matched the price we eventually accepted. Of course, this has once again raised the spectre of a few disgruntled siblings among the beneficiaries. It's exhausting and time consuming dealing with their messages, insults, and accusations. Being still under the weather doesn't help. Judging from history with this bunch, we can expect this to go on for awhile. As a result, I'm also losing sleep again which just makes the cough and general malaise worse. 

I just can't seem to get well and I can't seem to get finished unpacking. It makes it hard to enjoy being in the new house. But I will say one thing: having no stairs has been life changing. I'm having so much less pain.

 Oh, and the new washer and dryer got delivered and set up. I'm happy to have my laundry room right on the same level and so accessible. Yes, these are definitely improvements I'm already enjoying.

I'll get done. It will take me a few more days, maybe a week, I'm sure. But at least my bedroom is done and all pulled together, so I have one place in the house that feels peaceful. Something of a sanctuary while I recover and try to get settled.

Moving Days

 I use the plural "days" as I will be moving from today through Saturday. Today, I'll start moving clothing and other items I've had here at my son's house. In the evening,  Steve will help me move the yellow chair/foldout bed I've been sleeping on for three plus weeks, which I will use a few more days yet. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and we'll take a break from moving. As of tonight,  I'll be sleeping in my own house. 

Friday, the big move happens, getting everything from storage to my house. I've fretted about this part for so long, but now I just want it done--come what may. On Saturday we'll move fragile items such as artwork and lamps that we stashed at the very back of the storage unit and didn't want the movers handling, and a few heavier items, like my Yamaha electronic piano I stored at my son's house.

Of all the possible glitches I had anticipated,  I never guessed the family would come down with Covid the week before the move. Yep, first my son became very ill and tested positive. Despite masking and distancing, we, one by one, became I'll. Most of us tested negative, including me. But with identical symptoms, we're pretty sure we all had the same thing. We'd all had boosters a year ago; and although I was overdue for the next one, we all had enough immunity to suffer just one miserable,  fevered day. We continue to treat symptoms of sinus congestion and minor cough. But after just a few days, we each felt mostly normal. I am aware of easy fatigue and will definitely pace myself through the move and unpacking. 

This was my first bout of Covid, having managed to avoid sick people for over three years.  But in a busy family household, that's nearly impossible.  I'm just grateful we all had relatively mild cases. I'd gone to Walgreens just a couple of weeks ago to get my booster, but was surprised to learn they no longer offer vaccinations at that location. Now, it'll have to wait until I'm fully recovered. 

As of now, the house doesn't feel like my own. Cathy moved out two days ago, and the cleaners were there yesterday morning. I picked up a few groceries to stock the fridge and pantry.  The whole family and dogs came over in the evening to see the place for the first time. Everyone was excited to see it. The dogs were running around, inside and out. I think, once I see my own furniture there, it will start to feel like home. 

There are things I will change in the house, of course. It needs painting--almost every room. I'll have carpet replaced in the living and dining rooms, probably with LVP flooring. The kitchen is dark, and I may get the cabinets painted. The door to the backyard is a slider, and I'll change it out for French doors. I'll make better use of the storage area by adding flat pack shelving sections, some with doors. I'll do some brainstorming to organize the garage and shed so it's still possible to park two cars in the garage. All of these things will happen over time as I get the inspiration. 

Most of all, I intend to get a door put on the primary bathroom!  For some reason, the developer in this area designed an open arch doorway between the primary bedrooms and adjoining baths. With the saving grace of putting the toilet in a water closet room with a door for some privacy, at least. What's the deal with no doors on bathrooms? Who thought that would be a good idea? 

I have brought a new washer and dryer which will be delivered in three weeks. I do have a nice laundry room that will allow me to set up an ironing board and also have a flat surface for folding. It will be so nice,  at last,  not to carry laundry up and downstairs. 

My new residence will slowly appear as I settle and make it my own.  No rush. I can go at a comfortable pace. When the house is presentable, I'll post a few pictures.  It could be awhile. 

Plans to Move - in 29 days

My seller has made her arrangements for moving out on Tuesday before Thanksgiving -- Just four weeks away. I will be moving on Thursday the 24th, the day after Thanksgiving. I have the movers hired and now it's a matter of preparing and waiting. It's a relief to finally have the final phase of this big transition in my life scheduled. The goal is in sight.

The seller is having cleaners in to clean the house after she moves, so I will be able to move right in. She's a fastidious housekeeper and the house is already immaculate. I'm sure it will get dirty when they move all the furniture and boxes in. But once everything is inside, I can begin figuring out where I want to keep things, and clean and arrange as I go. I look forward to that phase. I will be in my own house with my own privacy and my own time schedule. I can work at my own pace and get comfortable in my new surroundings.

But for now, I need to move out of the comfy big bedroom for my last few weeks here at my son's. The grandma from Brazil arrives on Sunday and I want her to move right into the bedroom where she will stay, possibly for a couple of months. I am halfway out the door anyway, it should be me who moves all my stuff downstairs for this short term. It will work out, I'm sure. This is a busy household, and I don't want to get in anyone's way, so I will keep my stuff in a small living room they use very little and sleep on a foldout bed. I'll do my best to keep it all tidied up so it's not too obnoxious. I'm sure they will be relieved when I do finally move all my stuff out of here. I've stashed things all over the place -- things I didn't want to risk having the movers handle, or things that I didn't want to store in the storage unit. It will free up a lot of space again in this lovely house.

The kids and grandkids have all been so good to me and accommodating while I've been here. It has made this time much easier. And, honestly, with so much going on, the time has passed quickly. I make dinner many nights, clean up the kitchen, do errands and drive my grandson, and take care of the dogs. I still have time to watch some of my streaming services, but not as much, really. I'll be doing more of that when winter sets in and I have my cozy TV room all set up.

I've loved living in a two-dog house. Frankie and Sophie are such opposites in size and personalities. But they play together and get along so well. They are always doing something to make me laugh. We will all miss having a two-dog house when I move. Especially the dogs, I think.

 

Now, I'll count the days and look forward to Thanksgiving more than I ever have before.

A homeowner once again

 On Thursday, I signed the papers to close on the house purchase, and wired a large sum of money to pay in cash. On Friday, the sale was funded and I officially became a new homeowner once again.

The former owner will stay in the house until December 1st and will rent from me during that time. I'm very happy to report she did find a house near her daughter and may even move out as early as Thanksgiving weekend. But that still puts me around the 1st for my own move. Now I have to do what I need to do to get through the next six or seven weeks or so. I will be vacating my current bedroom for the grandma from Brazil, who will arrive in two weeks. I'll move into the little formal living room that isn't used much and will sleep on a pull out bed. I insisted on this arrangement as I have enjoyed the big bedroom for 10 weeks now and I can tolerate a few weeks on the pullout. It's all good, knowing there is an end in sight. 

The pressure is off now. I don't have to scan real estate postings and lose sleep wondering what the future holds. I am mentally moving into my new place -- arranging the furniture, planting flowers, sipping coffee on the patio.

Under Contract

After weeks of disappointment, with nothing new coming on the market and nothing but dead ends on my creative thinking, I finally found a house -- through word of mouth! Yes, the house was not listed and was for sale by owner. My sister learned of the house through a co-worker in just a happenstance conversation. It turned out to be a really lovely and sweet little home, exactly what I'd been looking for. No compromises needed at all. 

It's owned by a woman who is retiring and moving to the other end of the state to be near her daughter in her old age (like me). It's just four blocks from both of my sons who live in Foxboro. It's around 1400 square feet, on a quiet, tree-lined street on a cul-de-sac, in a neighborhood of homes about 14 years old. It has three bedrooms and two baths, a nice little yard with a shed and fully finished landscaping. The owner has added many nice features and the property is immaculate inside and out, ready to move in. The price she was asking was in the lower middle of my budget (perfect). 

I viewed the house on Monday, made an offer on Thursday, and was accepted on Friday. Next week is due diligence, and we close on October 10th.

Just one issue: the woman is retiring in December and needs to work through December 1st. That means I can't move in until after the 1st. We actually gave her until the 8th as she works for a city and may have election duties if there are any issues with the special election in November. But her real hope is to move most of her things on Thanksgiving weekend, if she can and just keep a few things to get by until the first. I sure hope that can happen. She will pay weekly rent until she moves, so there is some incentive to move sooner.

Meanwhile, I am looking at another 10 weeks before I can occupy my new home. I've been living at my son's for 8 weeks now, and it has been very comfortable and nice for all of us. I help out with making dinner most nights, drive my grandson so and from school, doing some cleaning, and looking after the dogs (and being generous with paying "rent" and eating out). Frankie loves it here so much. He's become great friends with 2-year old lab Sophie. And my son Steve is Frankie's favorite person in the world, even before me! So it would all be fine for 10 more weeks, except for an unexpected complication.

My daughter in law's mother was planning to come from Brazil in December to fulfill her obligatory stay as a resident with green card now. However, when they found air fares to be thousands of dollars higher in November and December, they decided she needed to come the end of October. That means both mothers will be here for the full month of November plus a few days. The bedrooms are all taken, so some creative thinking has been going on. 

One easy option would be for me to move to my daughter's house. But it's a 20-minute drive away and I really don't want to be that far away. We can use a pull-out style bed here in one of the non-bedrooms for overnight use, but we all disagree where that would go. I want it to be my bed and I would like it to be in the downstairs family room or little living room as it would save me the many trips up and down the stairs I'm now doing every day (difficult and painful). It would not be hard to keep it folded up and tidy during the day. But my son believes it's too cold at night downstairs and wants everyone to sleep on the upstairs bedroom level. He would put the other mother on the foldout in the office which is already crowded with three desks and office stuff. I don't want to see her have to sleep there. I really want to give up the nice bedroom I have now for the other mom, stash my stuff in the little living room that is used very little, and set up the pullout bed in the family room. I'm hoping I can convince my son. He's pretty stubborn about having his way in this.

So we haven't really resolved this part of it yet. And it's a relatively short period in the bigger scheme of things. It may tax some of our patience. But, at least we have options and I won't be homeless.

I do hate that my stuff remains in storage. And, although the monthly bill isn't large, the storage unit is an outdoor unit and I worry that bugs or spiders, and maybe even mice could get in and infest my belongings. There's no point worrying now, though, since the stuff has been there two months already and will be for two months more. Any critters able to get in are probably already there. I can only deal with that when the stuff gets moved to the new house.

Just to make things interesting, after months with just one really awful one-level home coming on the market in Foxboro, three houses came on the market within one day of my viewing the house I'm buying. But one house is smaller while close in price and not nearly as nice. Plus it backs onto a noisy school playground. The other two are bigger by 300 and 400 sq. ft., and around $40k more than I'm paying. While I would have considered the two larger homes under different circumstances, they would be at the very top end of my budget. I'm glad I found this just-right home at the just-right price. These listings only validate that my purchase price is a good one and my house is a very good choice.

Nothing is ever simple. There always have to be complications. But I'm very happy with this purchase and looking forward to moving in and living in my new home. 

NOTE: The pictures I've posted are from an archived listing from 10 years ago. The trees behind and in front are now tall and provide much shade and privacy. Also, shutters, door, and garage door have been painted a soft sage green now. The kitchen has been upgraded with quartz countertops and new backsplash, and new concrete pad has been poured, and many other nice extras. The owner had not expected to be moving until a year ago when her daughter's family suddenly moved to southern Utah. I am the lucky recipient of the upgrades she made thinking she would be staying long-term.

 

Limbo

 I'm now biding my time at my with my son, daughter in law, and two grandsons, who have generously and graciously put me up temporarily while I look for a house. I'm doing my best to help out financially and with cooking, weeding, and other things around the house. But I find I have a lot of free time on my hands. This is such a change -- almost a shock -- after weeks of constant, hurried activity. But we are all getting along great and I'm getting used to the down time. Frankie is loving it here around so many of the people he loves and going on walks every day. We have had a small problem with their 2-year old, 90 lb. lab eating his dinner, as Frankie has a habit of ignoring his dinner until he decides he wants to eat. Now, if he doesn't eat right away, I have to put the dish up until later. In the meantime, Sophie has learned to be a good girl and wait while he does eat. But the second he finishes, she's over there cleaning every last lick of the bowl. The dogs are very good together otherwise.

I went to look at a house last week. But it was a former rental and in poor condition. Especially the backyard which was such a total wreck, it would take thousands of dollars just to clear it and put down sod. Just too many projects inside and out. And it's a very tiny house, and on a main entry into the subdivision, which I don't like. It's the very low end of both size and finishes of this type of house in the neighborhood, and not really what I want. So I'll keep looking. 

After a long summer with no single level houses coming on the market, we seem to have returned to the former routine of one new listing a week. If that continues, eventually one will come up that's right for me. 

There's a house just three doors away from my son where the people have been moving stuff out of the house using a small trailer for the past three days. We are curious if they are slowly moving and possibly selling, and we're keeping a close eye. We don't know the people, so we've refrained from being nosy. However, if they happen to be outside when we're walking, I think we'll stop and chat. It would be far too convenient to find a house just three doors away. But anything is possible. This house is at the opposite end of the scale when it comes to size and quality of houses. It's much bigger and has a beautiful finished yard. Far more aesthetically pleasing outside, and I'm assuming much the same inside. Obviously, it will be higher priced, but I believe still within my price range. *wishing / hoping* There are many houses of a more in between size, layout, and finishes, and I would be happy with one of those as well. I don't need a really big house like this one. But I don't want a little cracker box either.

There is no way to speed up this process. I tried posting a comment on the neighborhood group on FB to see if there were any homes coming up. But that didn't go well as it attracted some troll-ish comments. I won't do that again, but will just wait this out. The kids are in no hurry to get rid of me and want to see me in a house I like. 

So, it's sort of a limbo. But Frankie and I are enjoying our stay here and making the most of the opportunity to be supportive and helpful.

Moved

 It was a gargantuan effort with the help of all my local children and grandchildren. At one point, it felt like I couldn't possibly meet the deadline. I had agreed to close a day sooner as the buyers were so excited to be in their new house. I left it as clean as I possibly could in the time allowed. There were things I had planned to do that never got done. But it's all over now. 

The movers came on Monday and put everything into the storage unit. That went very smoothly and pretty fast as well because of the preparations we had made. The storage unit was just the right size with a little room to spare. I don't know how I lucked out choosing the movers and storage, as I'm completely a novice at that and had no time to learn, and very few options to choose from. It was luck.

 

Tuesday, I signed a million or so papers to complete the closing. It is quite a process. The money reached my bank yesterday, Wednesday. Also yesterday, I finished getting all the utilities switched over and address changes made at the bank and other places I do regular business with. I had submitted the address forwarding to the post office a week earlier.

One very remarkable thing about this move: I did it without really writing any list. Me, the maker of lists. Hard to believe.

I did have my original list of 80 things to do that I had created a year or so ago. But that was just the things to get the house ready. With the move itself, I just did everything on the fly and didn't have time to think much about anything. Every day, I had a motto of  "do something, anything." It was chaotic and stressful. Not my cup of tea. But, somehow, it all happened on time.

And now, a day later, I'm living in my son's house temporarily hoping for one last bit of luck. My son's family is really wonderful to me. My daughter in law is more of a daughter. The grand kids are my longtime summer buddies, and it is just a good place for me to be. Their big, gregarious yellow lab, Sophie, gets along with Frankie, but she's only 2 and Frankie's an old guy, prefers to sleep over playing. And we do have a small problem of Sophie eating Frankie's dinner if he hesitates. But we're working that out.

I don't want to overstay my welcome. The number of those one level houses has dropped to zero over the summer. One finally appeared in the listings. But it's not really to my liking. It's the smallest, cheapest of the houses they built in the neighborhood, with a tiny galley kitchen and a minimal number of cabinets. But I'm starting to think I should at least look at it and see if it might do with some modifications.

I'm impatient. I want to finish this move. I'm only halfway there.

Getting Ready to Move

 It's so hot! 104 yesterday and 106 the day before. A string of 100s or near 100 ahead. It's not a great time for moving.

It's organized chaos at the moment. I have managed to rent a storage unit and have hired movers. I will be moving out on August 7th, which leaves the 8th for cleaning or other last minute things, and the 9th is the closing on the sale.

I have less than two weeks to pack everything up. As a person who needs order and sense in how I go about things, packing feels chaotic and causes brain disturbances. But I can't delay. Everything needs to be in boxes before the movers get here. The plan I have finally settled on is to set aside the clothing I need for the next two weeks and for my stay at the kids' house. Set aside just the cleaning supplies I need for the next two weeks (throw away anything old, and pack up the rest). Set aside the kitchen items I need for the next two weeks. I will stop cooking except with microwave. I have a supply of paper plates that I'll use. I have food in the freezer and fridge that I'll continue using until the Saturday before I move. Then the kids can have it or I'll take it to the food bank. I'll keep the coffee maker and coffee cups available for now. This frees me up to pack almost everything in the house and garage.

In the meantime, I'm giving away some furniture and other items. My kids will be picking up all the stuff they are taking this coming Saturday. They will move my yard furniture and decor to Steve's house for storage rather than have the movers move it. I'll plan to move my artwork into storage myself as I fear the movers will break it. By the time all these things have left my house, it should take the movers just a couple of hours to move the remaining furniture and boxes. My storage unit is five minutes away, so that part of the move should go smoothly if I have all the packing done. The moving company will do packing for me as well, but at $200 per hour, I'd prefer to do it myself.

Now I need a home. I'm watching every day but so far nothing. There is talk that interest rates will go up again this week. That will discourage sellers because they can't afford to move if they have good interest rates where they are living now. But I will be fine at my kids' until something comes up.

With the streak of good fortune I've had so far in getting my house both ready to sell and sold, I feel like one more little favor from the universe might be not too much to ask.

Every Room, Every Day

 UPDATE: Just a few short hours after posting this entry, I received a full price offer with closing in 3 weeks. Of course, contingent on appraisal and inspection. I am stunned! Houses like mine are lingering weeks without selling. Mine sold in exactly one week. I need to get busy and find a new place to live. Or arrange for storage of my things while I move in with my son temporarily.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity, hard work, and surprises. A week ago, I listed my house for sale. Things came together fast somehow after dealing with a major attack of elm seed bugs and a four week stay from my granddaughter. I was sure the bugs were going to keep me from listing, but I have finally achieved victory against those horrid things. Others across northern Utah might like to know my formula, but that will be a different post -- probably on social media. As for my granddaughter's stay, I have made family a priority throughout the process of getting my house ready to sell, because that's always the right thing.

But, at last, my house is listed, in the slowest time of the summer, right between a federal and a state holiday when many people are vacationing and not thinking about houses. When houses similar to mine are lingering for 6 to 8 weeks before getting offers. But, surprise! The first people toured my home last evening, and they "absolutely loved it!" They wanted time to think it over and possibly submit an offer today. Whether that offer comes or not, this is a major victory for me. My hard work has resulted in exactly the response I'd planned and hoped for. 

I have worked to make the house shiny clean, and to give each room and area some wow factor. I've used color, staging, and minimizing but not too much. I realized that not everyone would appreciate my taste in colors. But every room showed to its best potential with those colors. The bedrooms are calm and inviting. The bathrooms are glistening clean. The TV room and family room have an air of fun and games. The kitchen is big and clean with lots of wonderful conveniences for cooking together. The dining room has a cozy, conversational feel with a pretty patio view. The living room looks out on endless views and invites you to sit and stare. The yard, despite being on a corner with no fencing, has a feeling of seclusion and being in a park or in the mountains, with mature trees, lots of perennials, just enough grass, and multiple gathering places for entertaining or relaxing. The garage is big and clean and well-lit with lots of storage shelves. I specifically arranged each area to elicit the response "I love this!"

Right now, my body hurts everywhere, every way. But, I feel so good about the first showing, I am ignoring the pain. People keep asking me if I will be sad to leave my long-time home. But, they don't understand that when a house causes you unnecessary pain every day because of stairs and a sloping hillside, it will be a welcome relief to be in a new place without stairs. And I will certainly make that place lovely to live in as well.

My mantra now is Every Room, Every Day. My house is very clean now, but I have to keep it up. I do touch up dusting and vacuuming every day, wipe down all the bathroom fixtures and glass, keep the kitchen spotless, and tidy up the backyard. In addition, I am focusing on one room a day to do any more extensive cleaning needed there, and to continue reducing contents of closets, drawers, shelves, and vanities. The more I reduce, the less I have to move. I do have a couple more projects: grout the tub and clean the oven. I'll get those done one day soon. 

I have to stand back and admire my work now. I don't know how I did it all. It took a long time, and left me a little broken physically from the work. I'm going to just post all the pictures the realtor posted online just so I have then and can pull them up and view when I want to. 

Now, to find a new place to live!