Friday, July 6, 2018

In Which I Take a (Sort Of) Break


That's a somewhat silly title because I haven't posted since Tuesday, so I've already taken a two-day break. Looking forward, it will probably be much of the same, so I thought I'd tell you why.

The biggest reason is that we did buy a house in Elkton, MD, and for some dumb reason, I have ridiculously underestimated the time this venture would take. The house is the one I posted previously, and the past few weeks have involved lots of negotiations. The inspections revealed termites with damage to joists, an inoperable hot water heater, old windows that don't even open, a kitchen with a faulty stove, dishwasher, and sink, and many, many other little things. We had looked for a move-in ready house, thought we had found one that was close, but the inspections showed otherwise. We asked for lots of money to fix everything, negotiations went back and forth, and we finally arrived at an amount that neither we nor the seller are thrilled with, but it's enough to fix all the big things. We seriously considered walking away, but that would have put us back at the beginning. There were two other houses that we were considering, but even the cheapest one was $80K more, and that's money we just don't have.

So we decided to go ahead, and settlement is next Thursday. We chose the "good enough" house; we know its issues and have begun scheduling the fixes. I have a new hot water heater being installed on Friday, Home Depot is coming on Saturday to rip up old carpet and measure for new carpet to be installed the following Thursday. I'm hoping that there is hardwood under the carpet in the living/dining room, and because the carpet was installed 16 years ago I'm hoping that if there is hardwood, it won't need much refinishing. On Sunday, John and I are going to try and replace the garbage disposal and sink, fix the burners that don't work on the stove, and repair the dishwasher. Termite treatment is happening on Monday. Joist repair is scheduled for Wednesday, and somewhere in that week, we're going to shop for furniture. I really hope to find a bit of spare time to get a library card at the Elkton Library and maybe even visit my new LYS, Vulcan's Rest, in Chesapeake City. (Big thanks to Vera for her recommendation!)

I've procured home owner's insurance, scheduled electric, water, and sewer to be turned on the day we close, but haven't yet contacted Comcast to set up internet. Given my previous interactions with Comcast here in NJ, I thought that process might work better when I was actually in MD.

So my time has been taken up with details and all the seemingly hundreds of things that need to be done before Thursday the 12th. I enjoy posting every day, and I especially enjoy hearing from all of you, but that hasn't been possible for a few days now. I'm not leaving, but all this house stuff plus the activities of daily life and family mean that I'll be posting randomly over the next few weeks. I'm going to be in MD from next Wed. the 11th through Fri. the 20th, then back to NJ to regroup. Here's hoping I can successfully negotiate with Comcast so I might even be able to post from MD!

I'm wishing everyone a wonderful, relaxed, and relaxing weekend. We've been invited to the ranch where Justin works this weekend to meet the man who owns the place, his assistant, the rest of the ranch staff, and their families so I may even have blog fodder for Monday!



21 comments:

  1. good luck with the house, I know how stressful that can be.

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  2. Hope all goes smoothly with the repairs, purchase and utility set up. We'll be here when you get back. ;-)

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  3. Wow! I wish I didn't work...I'd come help you! :-) Will be keeping my fingers crossed for smooth sailing!

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  4. Sigh - why is nothing easy these days? I'm just glad you'll be able to get things taken care of so that when you do move in, you'll feel happy with your house. At least with all of the waiting, etc. for repairmen and such, you'll have lots of knitting and reading time!

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  5. Oh boy. Well, I'm really happy that you have a "good enough" house. There's a lot to be done, but you seem to have a really good handle on it all and... just take some time here & there for a deep breath or three and a cuppa! A little time at the ranch will be nice... well, I imagine that the time with Justin will be nicest part. :)

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  6. I wish I didn't live so far away! You have a very good handle on what needs work immediately and with some time with Justin you've got some well deserved R&R coming up! Here's to all going smoothly as you start to settle in.

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  7. Sending good thoughts your way and looking forward to hearing that all this is behind and you are settled in and knitting very soon.

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  8. Congratulations! That is exactly the kind of house we'll be looking for a few years. The prices in Madison are skyrocketing. My split-level ranch is now worth almost $400,000. It is very modest and needs a lot of work. In order to save money, we'll have to move away from the center of town, which is sad. I've always lived near the university and I'm very attached to this area. But I don't think it will be affordable when I retire.
    Yes, moving sucks.

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    1. Thank you! I feel very lucky that we could find a reasonably-priced house near my husband's new work location. We know we're only going to be there for three years until he retires, and hope that we can at least break even when we resell (especially after we fix all the things that need repair). We don't even have very much to move since we're keeping our house in NJ. The house in MD is very small, so we won't need much furniture. All I want is a comfortable bed and a good knitting chair!

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  9. Oh, Bonny, moving is a seemingly endless process. It's been a while since you moved, I think. And all of our really modern conveniences complicate that process. I am confident you will manage it all with grace and efficiency! My dental troubles are much better, thank you. How's your neck? I have chronic neck/shoulder/upper back problems that are exacerbated by stress and tension. I have a wonderful set of stretches to do daily when it is a problem, and if I can find my internet copy, I would be happy to share. Do you need them? Here's to much joy in your ranch visit, very few problems for you and John in your repairs, and gratitude to finally be on the road to finishing this long process. Trips to the LYS and library are mandatory ASAP! There must be pleasure mixed in to work of this kind! Have a fabulous weekend and enjoy your time away from the blog.

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  10. This is a big list... just know this: I am sending good moving ju-ju your way! And, my the Gods of Comcast be benevolent and efficient! Enjoy your weekend!

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  11. Oh, so that’s where you’ve been, well that is a good reason to take a “sort-of-break”.
    Everywhere we have moved we make sure there is: a library, a hardware store, and a few places to wander on foot.
    But a LYS is a nice additional boost to soothe the senses.
    Happy trails to you.

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    1. I never thought about it specifically, but we've always been lucky enough to live in places with a decent library, and good places to walk. I'm especially excited about this library; I can walk to it (0.7 miles away), so will be able to get some exercise and books at the same time!

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  12. Sending all my best thoughts and good moving vibes - look forward to "postcards from MD" and how wonderful you already know about your library AND a yarn shop (two most-important things!)

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  13. I'm betting those negotiations sucked - all that stress! Ugh! But I'm glad things are falling into place, even if it's not the ideal situation. Hopefully once you have working plumbing and appliances, new carpet and furniture, it will feel like HOME. Have fun this weekend - enjoy that time at the ranch, you've surely earned it!

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  14. Whew! you are one busy woman. I hope the transition to MD goes smoothly. We will be here whenever you get back. By the way, I am having a dickens of a time with comments on my blog. I appreciate you reading and commenting.

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  15. Hi Bonny! Wishing you all the best for this week and the next (and next, etc.) with ALL that you have going on. Sounds like you have it all organized well. This past weekend was gorgeous! And I'm assuming it was equally nice up at the ranch. Will look forward to hearing about that when you can. As Dee said, we'll all be here when you next pop in.

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  16. Oh my word. Just think how all this organizing of details is keeping your brain nimble. Don't forget to knit a few rows at least once a day for stress management!

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  17. Because I got woefully behind on blog-reading over the weekend, I missed this. I've been thinking about you, though, Bonny. Even before I knew you were going through this . . . flurry of everything. Moving is just . . . so time-consuming and energy-zapping. I'll be sending ALL the good moving juju your way. (It will feel so good to just get settled!) XOXO

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