Here is an update on the home buying process.
Elma House
As I write this we and the sellers have come to an agreement on price and a closing date. (September 16th.) Now we are waiting for the bank to finish processing our loan application. Part of the process includes getting an appraisal done on the property, ordered by the bank, and that seems to be moving along OK. We were lucky to get on the appraiser’s list quickly. The appraiser had a couple of other properties to appraise in the area and 702 Main will be included as part of that group instead of ending up on the bottom of a “To Do” list. The bank will let us know how the appraisal went and the status of our loan application once they get the results.
Around Home
At home Pam is packing stuff and planning trip schedules and what goes where when. It is quite likely that I will make the trip back for closing solo while Pam stays with the animals in De Beque. I will take a trailer full of non-essential stuff, such as the John Deere lawn tractor, my motorcycles, and other bulky and large items that can be stored in the garage for the time being. (I also have to take some tools.) While I am in Elma I need to get a dog run built, if only temporarily, and get the appliances we need (washer, dryer, refrigerator) installed. The bat remediation people will have to be there to do their thing, and we hope to hire a local handyman to get started on the other projects that need to be done before we move more stuff.
In particular, Pam wants the utility shed (which is about 4 x 8 feet) set up as a place for the outside cats to use. This involves building a cat patio , or catio, on the side of the shed. The cats would be able to go into and out of the shed at will but not be free to roam a strange neighborhood.
We hope the appraisal goes OK and the house will qualify for the loan amount we are asking for. The Fed just dropped interest rates and we hope to lock in a historically low rate which would help the retirement budget. Much needs to be done at both locations before the move happens but we are moving forward!
Colorado
I-70 west of Glenwood Springs, where I work, is built through a canyon. Last Friday a heavy rain caused mud slides that closed both the east and west bound lanes of traffic.
I didn’t know if I was going to get home from work Friday evening. However, the State Patrol gave the Sheriff’s Office permission to take a convoy of 5 cars through the mud-impacted area. Those of us in the Sheriff’s Office who had to go west to get home ended up in two of our transport vans (10 people each) and three private vehicles, all 4-door and all full of people. I rode with our HR Manager who lives further west than I do, along with two other people in the car.
I arrived home at around 9:30 PM, about 3.5 hours later than normal. The east bound lanes were opened by Saturday afternoon but the west bound lanes (only one) did not open until Sunday morning. Pam and I made a trip to Glenwood later in the weekend to retrieve the Honda which I had left in the parking lot at work.
This kind of messed up the weekend plans. The Honda needs an oil and filter change and was not at home, and going to The Lot was questionable because I didn’t know if the return trip would be possible. So it was on to Plan B which involved doing some work on the motorcycle (replacing a broken speedometer cable and burned out dash light bulb) and getting some yard work done. The Sunday trip to Glenwood included stops at Tractor Supply Company to get pet food, and I stopped at Wally World to get a few items. We also decided to treat ourselves to an ice cream goodie at Culver’s, a pretty special stop for us given my Type-2 diabetes.
Speaking of Motorcycles…
The quiet weekend gave me time to work on a new Gallery using photos and video taken at our Owner’s Association motorcycle rally held in Durango earlier in July. For any who might be interested, take a look at my Durango 2019 gallery. There is a link to a video clip at the bottom of the page as well.
A few more photos of the Magnolia Mill were added to my Wheeler Lake gallery as well.
Conclusion
Anticipation — mixed with a little dread — about the Elma house purchase, work on projects and maintenance items, a bit of an ice cream treat, road closures…it was quite the week!
We will continue to work on sorting and packing and getting rid of “stuff” we no longer need or want. Life goes on. I have projects to do at work and will begin to move more duties to my assistant who will take over my spot once I retire. Stay tuned for more updates as things happen.
Pam’s Penny
Some of the stuff departing the house this week was in a pile of shredded documents from the two-drawer file – past taxes, bills and notes from years past. O-u-t.
Even though I have been packing and sorting and throwing “stuff” out since April, there still seems to be a bunch of items to go through. Next up – the garage.
Happy Trails.
Leave a Reply