Spring Arriving

We have tulips blooming in our yard. I guess this means spring has arrived! I will be mowing the lawn later today, weather permitting, as there is a 40 percent chance of rain in the forecast. Could use the rain – already.

There are a few topics today including some tech news, house hunt, and a bit longer comment by Pam.

Pam is trying out a new style of computer mouse, generically known as a “vertical mouse.” Evoluent is a leader in this style of mouse which is supposed to reduce strain in your mouse hand and arm. Initial impressions are good; we will see how it works once the novelty wears off. The unit pictured is a “small” mouse which fits ladies’ smaller hands. The company also offers a “Large” version, a wireless version, and a Macintosh version of it’s mouse. (My hand in the photos, not Pam’s.)

Vertical Mouse – side view

Vertical Mouse – top view

I installed additional memory in the Mac, upgrading from 8gb to 16gb and the computer seems to be responding a little snappier than in the past.

House Hunt.

Not a lot new as we don’t plan a trip this weekend to drive-by potential properties. I do, however, have a few more photos from a couple properties we have driven by in past trips.

This first is on Knight Road and features a newer, ranch-style home. Drawbacks are few trees and no views, but it does have a large garage. We do not really care for the “zero-scaping” (no lawn) approach to landscaping; we really prefer grass and trees!

Knight Road home

Knight Road garage

Pam says we are not buying a property based on the garage, but along with three bedrooms and two baths, a substantial garage would be very nice to have.

Another “fixer-upper” we looked at is an older four-square farmhouse in Eckert (on the way to the Grand Mesa) that has been added onto. Advantages are large trees in the front yard, a couple of outbuildings, and an irrigation ditch that runs through the front yard. Can you say “pond potential?” But the place would require a lot of work, emphasis on a lot of work.

Old farmhouse on 5 acres

Out buildings on farmhouse lot

Yes, that is an old tractor tire that needs to go away, as well as the old mobile home sitting behind the shed. As I said, a lot of work…but it represents the “buy and fix up” approach we have been considering. I am at least a couple years from retirement so buying a not-ready-for-prime-time property is something we have considered. We could use the time to fix up a place and spread the costs out, but I’m not sure that we want to take on such a project. Still, we may request to see the inside of this place, although we know it probably has steep stairs in the original structure which would not be a plus for us. But…5 acres, trees, irrigation water…could be worse.

Pam’s Two Cents Worth (or maybe Ten Cents):

Why are we looking at larger homes (1,500 square feet +) you may ask?  (Well, I guess you did ask.) No, we are definitely not hoping the children will return.  Besides a place to store stuff (some of it is said children’s stuff), a requirement which will hopefully decrease as the years roll on, I would like space to foster animals.  It’s amazing to me how much room crates and carriers take up.  Also, when fostering a mom cat and litter, privacy is necessary so the mom cat doesn’t freak out with activity coming and going – each is very protective of her litter.  Hence, a dedicated room. I see myself getting back into fostering (likely on a more limited basis than in the past) when I have more time to do so, and I’d like to have room for all the fostering accoutrements.

Add to that a space for cat boxes, cat feeding station, and dog beds for the current pets.  Pets take up a lot of room.  I look at the houses we consider with more attention to how the pets will fit into the floor plan than I ever did.  (Fields, of course, looks at the garage and/or outbuildings with attention to how all his machines will fit into those spaces. Unlike animals that eventually “age out,” Fields’ machines are always with us.)

Finally, I am responsible for a small colony of feral cats, currently living in the garage.  Several are the moms of past litters I rescued from the streets of De Beque, one is a stray that attached himself to us in our previous residence. These animals are aging, and live in the half-world between tame and wild; it would not be fair to leave them behind when we move and expect them to survive in their declining years. They need to relocate with us.

Bees – am I still allergic? Don’t know.  I have grown flowers for years, but I stay clear of the bees.  Just last year I purchased an Epi-pen to have up at Sanderling, in case I should get stung up there.  (Medical response is more than three minutes away in the mountains.) So, regarding the house in the orchard, bees are just one of the (many) considerations.  Fields didn’t like the orchard location because there was no mountain view – he is hung up on having another “view.” Sanderling, apparently, is not enough?

First floor bedroom/bathroom/laundry room for our geriatric years, space for animals (indoor and outdoor), enough outbuildings, a pond, a view, some character, all at a price we can afford…  Can you see why it’s taking us so long to find a retirement location, with all these considerations in the mix?

Happy Trails.