There is news on a couple of fronts from last week. Here are a few items.
House Purchase
The appraisal for 702 Main in Elma, Iowa came in and just squeaked by. The bank is satisfied with the appraisal and our offer, and will finish our loan application shortly. We did have to send in updated documentation in the way of my last couple pay stubs but just for background; we has sent stubs earlier and these new ones are just a current update. It looks more and more like the retirement house acquisition will go through and we are now planning on closing September 16th.
Stuff gone
This past week “downsizing” efforts, to decrease the amount of stuff to be moved, took on new life. Our 2001 Honda was donated to Colorado Public Radio — they came and hauled Old Bessie Lou away. The car had 412,000 miles (plus!) on the odometer; we have been commuting in it since 2004. That Honda Accord has been our most reliable car ever. (Close second was the Toyota Tercel we drove back in the 90s.)
I sold my 1976 Scout II that I had owned since 2002; it went to a neighbor. While I will miss it, the cost of moving and lack of storage on the Iowa end pretty much made the decision to sell somewhat obvious.
With more downsizing needing to be done, moving along two vehicles was a good start.
Around the house
Pam continues to pack stuff, and has started working in the garage. That will be a challenge as there are numerous boxes and shelves to go through. Pam ordered colored dots to mark boxes. In the photo below the dots are shown, along with a list of rooms and colors assigned to them. (OCD?…or “CDO” in their correct alphabetical order.)
I was able to get the load of firewood (brought home from The Lot) cut and stacked along the driveway. Our friend Kathy will be by to pick up the wood later this month.
This load had some larger than normal trees in it and Kathy may need to split some of the bigger pieces. By the way, the steel item holding up the left end of the pile is the grill guard for the Oliver OC-3.
The week ahead
Packing will continue, along with sorting and getting rid of stuff. One big packing chore will be the two stereo systems I have, one in the house and the other in the garage. Packing a 10-inch reel-to-reel deck is a real challenge, but there are two turntables that will need special attention.
We have mede up a list of “stuff to fix” before we can list the house, and those projects , primarily concerning the two decks and some painting, will need to be undertaken soon.
And so…
Life goes on with the normal attention to cats, dogs, yard work, vehicle maintenance, and now actively preparing to move. We’re quite busy!
That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!
Pam’s Two Cents Worth:
Additional tasks at hand: finding an insurance agent in Iowa (mortgage insurance), locating appliances we need (gas dryer, refrigerator) at Iowa stores, contacting the Elma clerk to establish utility and garbage service at closing, signing up for LP [propane] delivery, transferring vet records to an Iowa animal hospital, firming a date for bat mitigation. I’ve already scheduled a handyman for a few days the week after closing to assist Fields in building animal enclosures.
Some items need to be ordered/purchased: washing machine (it appears the model we prefer will need to be purchased in CO and transported in the box), replacement slipcovers, bath rugs, small microwave, additional flat screen TV, heavier two-wheel moving dolly. I’m sure that list will grow in the next month.
One topic of discussion – what to do with the super-king water bed this move. It is huge and heavy. Can parts of it be recycled???
Happy Trails.