Yes, Home Sweet Home

After another visit out to the house today (during which I took lots of measurements and envisioned furniture placement), I completed the paperwork and paid my deposit. I've got a home in Jax!



I'll arrive back at the leasing agency at 9am when I'm back in town to sign the lease and pick up my key. Ahhhh-----now things are feeling right. :-)

Home Sweet Home?

I arrived in Jax yesterday around noon and promptly got oriented. First stop: Walgreen's for a street map (in other words, a Mapsco, in TX terms). Map in hand, I headed to some neighborhoods to see the houses I'd already listed out.

The first was a huge disappointment in person. The next one was better. It was just down the road from a great restaurant (where I'd had breakfast with a colleague during the interview trip) and super close to the river. The back yard was, well, less than ideal. But it'd work.

I found the third house, and, okay people. Come on. If a yard is "fenced," doesn't, or at least shouldn't, that imply the yard is totally fenced in? Well, this third house was fenced only about 2/3 of the way. Not going to work.

Sigh.

But this third house had taken me to the area I really was interested in---Riverside & Avondale. The two are side by side, and although I'm sure there's some rule, I don't know where one ends and the other begins. Anyway, one house would be fabulous, and its neighbor, not so much. But the area was indeed full of charm.

Tired, and starved, I found something to eat then made it back to the hotel to check in. There, I got online and looked up more prop mng companies and made a few calls. Ah ha! One said they had one property, but it was too late to set up a viewing. Still, I had the address in hand.

I drove by. Hmmmm. Right neighborhood, but you could tell, this house would be small and lacked some character. On the one hand, it was way in my budget, and it was one that would certainly motivate me to buy sooner rather than later. Hmmmm.

So I drove around the neighborhood more. From one street to the next, things could change. But it was that historic eclectic area I like.

By then, it was late and getting dark. I found some dinner take-out, and took that back to my hotel, getting a great night's rest.

Up early this morning, I headed for a Starbuck's and to buy a tape measure. (I now own three---my original, the one I bought last summer looking for a house in Memphis, and this one.) Then I headed up to check out a key to the house I'd seen from the outside the night before.

I found the leasing agency, and while waiting, I noticed one more property listed in the neighborhoods I'd narrowed down to. (I'd found one other online too.) They let me check out the keys to all three properties. I had two hours. I was off!

I started with the third house. It was on the other side of I-95 than where I'd been concentrating, but I was open minded. :-) (the rest of this will be about this first house. I went to see the other two, but nope, they just didn't speak to me like the first one did.)

Back to that property. I drove up, and it was cute! the neighborhood was this small pocked of homes, all from around the 40s and 50s, and most all of them, you could tell, remodeled. Almost all yards were well maintained, and all with my favorite: St Augustine grass. (makes sense, seeing as the city, St. Augustine, the oldest city in the US, is buy 30 miles south.)

I had a key to the back door, so I headed around back. Lovely! There was a HUGE tree in the middle of the yard, big red caladiums around that tree, and a giant philodendron over on a side. There was a deck too, ideal for my patio furniture and grill. As soon as I opened the back door, I saw the kitchen, and able to see into more of the house, did a double-check of the rent. yep. It was more than I'd planned, but it was indeed affordable.

The house is about 2100 square feet. It's listed as a 3/2, but really, that third bedroom would be an odd bedroom; there's a french door from the Florida room (that's what they call sunrooms here) into that room. Still, it'll be a great office.

The kitchen is tons better than where I am now. Granted, it's not perfect. But for rental it's a dream. And it's much better also than mine in Fort Worth. Come on---it's got an island! I love a kitchen open enough for people to circulate; after all, that's where we all end up, yes? (And I've committed to hosting a turkey dinner in November; this one will so totally work for that!)

There are some oddities. A lot of the doors have dead bolts. Um Hmmmm. Dead bolts. I asked, and the leasing agent isn't sure, but I will just get over that creepy factor. The common bathroom has lots of tile (circa 1950s), but it isn't obnoxious at all, even if I am not a fan of blue. At least the blue is the walls, and the tile, half up the walls, is more of a golden subdued peachy yellowish.

But ah ha! This one has TWO bathrooms! (My nieces are already excited about that! we had seven people at my house in March, with only one bathroom. that took organization!) The master bath is just off the master room, and it's tiny. But if I'm the only one in there, that'll be okay.

The entry, well, I still haven't figured that out. It's a room. Seriously, like ten by ten. But it's right there when you walk in the front door. It's too small for a sofa, really. I figure, though, it'll work for my piano.

The laundry room is this odd little room that you can access from the master bedroom or the Florida room. The common bathroom has a window in it---stained glass----and that window goes to, get this, the laundry room. Okay, so clearly we've made some additions to the house. :-)

But when I walked in, it felt like home. That's the same feeling I had a year ago, walking into my first place, And here too, I got to meet a neighbor---the one to the south. She was really nice and welcoming. Young and married and expecting and with two yellow labs. Very nice.

And of course, I went back to the neighborhood this evening. At first pass I was a little worried. There was no activity! Where was everyone? Didn't anyone around here have dogs? Jog? Anything? Hmmmmm.

So I found my way down the road to the nearby grocery store, figuring it'd be good to get a little fruit for the next couple of days. The cost of living here is higher, and I saw that today. While produce and meats weren't that much higher, canned goods and cleaners were indeed more expensive. Good thing I got a 20% raise for my new position!

It was close to seven o'clock, so I thought I'd try the neighborhood once more. (as I said, it's a small pocket of homes, and it prides itself on its home and area preservation.) Ah ha! Here were people! I met two different dog owners out walking, and they were nice enough to chat. They love the neighborhood, and they assured me people are out walking dogs, pushing strollers, etc. One guy had lived there fifteen years, and he said women jogged alone at 5am, and that wasn't an issue. Sure, there are home burglaries, but with proper steps (Howard barking, locked doors), that risked is lessened tremendously.

And so, I think I've found my home. I've made the decision to head back to the leasing agency tomorrow morning, and I'll check out the key one more time and submit my rental application. My criminal history is vacant, and my credit's excellent. I've also touched base with my HR contact, and she's faxing an employment & income verification in the afternoon.

Oh! And if you want something, ask for it! I realized, after I'd left the house the first time, there was no refrigerator. I swung back by, and indeed, none there. Argh. Well, could buy a refrigerator. Granted, I'd rather not, as when I buy a home, I want to be sure that what I buy will fit ideally in there. Anyway, so back at the leasing office, I sighed, "But there's no refrigerator." The manager was standing there, and she said, "Let me ask. If that's the only thing that'll keep you from this house, I bet we can work that out." I then asked, "I didn't see this property online, so I don't know, is yard service included?" She said, "I'll ask."

See, she had just been emailing the owner, replying to an inquiry. And the house has been vacant for six months. The owner is mo-ti-va-ted. And so, he's putting in a refrigerator! (not new, but that's a lot of money I don't have to spend!) AND he's going to continue the lawn care. Cool!!!

Ah---and this afternoon, I visited two nearby Ys, and they'll be perfect. They both have spinning, and one has an indoor pool and the other, get this, a rock climbing room! Neither's more than three miles away. One will be ideal for early morning (just over the bridge), and the other easily accessible coming home from work, without dealing with bridge traffic.

WooHoo! And so, as I said, I think I have home. This visit has been easier than last year. After all I haven't had to spend time moving boxes into an office, doing lunch with new colleagues, or driving here. I've had almost two full days already of looking, and that's less than I got to use last year. And it's not like I've been totally alone; I have already chatted with my traveling companion from last year, my sister, about these houses. And she reaffirmed with me: I need to have a place that's nice. And I need to have a house that makes me as happy as this one did on first look. It's time. It's the right thing for me.

As soon as I make it final, I'll post some pics.

Yellow, Orange, and Red---Oh My!

Whether due to the early fall rains or whatever, the fall colors here are more beautiful than I've ever seen in person--ever. Sure, Fort Worth had a patch or two of color, but here, it's so much more. My crepe myrtles alone were so much more fabulous than I'd ever seen in North Texas. And the dogwoods---Wow! Such deep reds. Every day that I drive down any road, I'm amazed at the beauty of the colors.

I'm used to, if we were lucky enough to get fall color, seeing some yellow and maybe a couple of trees with a hint of more. But here---oh my! The brilliant oranges catch my breath each day. And the brightness of the yellows is unlike any I've ever seen. Add to that the incredible depth of the reds, and well, what a palette.

Of course, with the beauty, comes work. I've filled a couple of bags each of the last two weeks with leaves--and that's even with me using the mower to mulch those leaves on the yard. My neighbors say we've got another eight rakes' worth in store for us. At least it's a chance to get outside and enjoy. (But I did take down the phone number of the boys who stopped by today asking to rake my yard; these kids know how to make money. What is, by the way, the going rate on yard raking?)

I have taken a few photos, which I'll post soon. But the true beauty is hard to capture; I don't have a spot where I can snap a shot from up above. I only wish I could see Overton Park right now from high up. How gorgeous it must be.


Still no word on Africa. (I'm supposed to leave on the 30th, but in the last ten days, we've gotten no response on our inquiry as to confirmation on our tickets. I fear their justice dept did not get funding to cover the trip.) It's hard; I am completely ovewhelmed with what's got to be done otherwise in the next couple of months, but it's hard to tend to thinking I'm leaving the country for so long in less than two weeks. I know: the biggest challenge I have is just to breathe. Somehow everything else will work itself out.

With everything, I am trying to keep up a workout schedule at the gym. Lately, though, my hip has been much worse. How did, after all, those many pieces of broken glass get into my joint? ;-) And I cannot remember a day in the last few months that my back didn't send pains down my side or leg. On the up side, I've lived with chronic pain for ten years now, so it's just another day, right? It just hampers the gym motivation (even when I know that proper exercise actually helps me feel better---which more often than not, is what gets me there, after all.)

I'm Home!

Finally! I'm completely unpacked, the house is totally clean, and I even took care of the outside yesterday. It's official: It's home. I'm home.

After the movies on Saturday, I spent more time driving around, this time completing the north side of the loop, heading out to Bartlett to exchange one of those rugs; one of them had a snag. Afterwards, I drove through Cordova, one of the other major 'burbs. (we have Bartlett, Cordova, Germantown, and Collierville as primary suburbs to the east.) From there, I headed back by way of Shelby Farms---the largest urban park! I hear it's five times the size of Central Park! I didn't have my directions, so I didn't find the off-leash area. And thus I'm still confused as to whether the area is actually fenced in.

After all that driving, I made it home for a quiet evening in. Sunday, though, was tons of work! I picked up lots of flowers, getting those in pots for the patios. I also blew off and washed the patios and drive (it's a very long drive!) and got a few flowers tucked into the window box. I finally pulled out the wreath for my front door, dusted off my welcome mat and got it in place, and laid several bags of mulch in the front bed.

Ah---the yard. It's so hard! My tendency is to want to till, put in beds, and plant! But it's a rental! Finally, I don't have to spend time in the yard, and more importantly, money. But it really needs it. Sigh. I finally decided some mulch would help dramatically without too much expense, and I made a plan to wait for two weeks to decide on planting anything else.

As for the yard itself, well, the better phrase is the lack thereof. Memphis is going through quite a drought, and there's very little grass---or anything else---growing in the front. The back has enough for basic coverage, but there's a rather large bare spot in one area. Still, without a lot of grass, I don't have to mow too much! (Actually, I've not had to mow at all in the three weeks I've been here!) And if I don't plant anything, well, I don't have to spend money on watering! I might like this part of it. :-)

And so, that's that. I'm fully in!

Other things over the weekend--Howard and I went on several walks, and of course, he loved it! We're just a ten-minute walk to the Memphis Zoo and the Brooks Museum of Art. The zoo and the museum are located in Overton Park. We found a large field where lots of people let their dogs off leash, but for any of you who know Howard, while I don't fear he wouldn't come back, he'd run way too far off before doing so. And the park is, after all, right in the middle of a city. Still, the park is HUGE! (342 acres!) We have only barely begun to scratch the surface.

History note, courtesy Wikipedia:

Founded in 1906, Overton park contains one of the oldest forests in Tennessee. In the 1960s and 1970s it was the subject of much controversy when 26 of its 342 acres were slated to be demolished in order to build Interstate Highway 40 through it to make it easier for suburban commuters to get to downtown. However, many residents of midtown formed a group known as "Citizens to Preserve Overton Park" and challenged the plan in court. Ultimately, the United States Supreme Court ruled in their favor in the landmark case Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe, 401 U.S. 402 (1971).

Overton Park also includes the famous Shell Theatre, where Elvis Presley gave his first paid concert. Other bands that have played at the Shell include The Allman Brothers Band, The Grateful Dead, and Neil Diamond.

The Overton Park Zoo began in 1906, when a resident of Memphis couldn't keep his pet black bear in his backyard. He had it put in a pen in the park, which attracted many people, inspiring the want for more animals on display. The Overton Park Zoo is now one of the largest in the United States, attracting 700,000 visitors per year. The zoo houses two pandas, who are local celebrities, as well as three polar bears, brought in to the Northwest Passage exhibition which opened in March 2006.

Overton Park is an urban park likened to Central Park in New York City. It further contains the Old Forest Arboretum of Overton Park, a natural arboretum with labeled trees.

Guess Howard and I need to find that arboretum and learn more about these great trees!

Pizza, Anyone?

First update--I'm typing this in my living room! WooHoo! And that, if you didn't know, means that I found my wireless router. Not just that, but I also found my copper sassy shoes AND my Aggie shorts! And so, as far as I can tell, nothing was lost in the move. Fabuloso!

Ahhh, second update--indeed, ALL of my floors are finally clean. It took quite a long time, as for this first time I moved most all furniture to really wash the wood floors. Okay, so the floors aren't refinished or varnished, but oh my it's amazing what cleaning these floors did! Of course, now that the floors are all clean, it sure is easier to notice fluffy puffs of Sophie hair on the floor!

And final update--I made it by Target today to use the coupon I had for there. (When you list your house for sale, you get lots of coupons in the mail.) My kitchen here really needed some COLOR, and the brick red throw rugs I picked up today are perfect! A colorful dishtowel hanging up, and the kitchen finally came to life. Yes, it still needs some sort of print on the wall, but it's at least cheery and brighter in there now.

So, back to the topic--Pizza! A totally new city means finding new places for some favorite things. And good pizza? Not so easy to find.

See, I'm a New York style pizza gal--thin but flavorful crust, with that dusting of cornmeal on the bottom, used for the brick over. I'm not talking a cracker-type crust. But I'm not talking deep dish. Chi-town can keep its deep dish. And the sauce needs to be full of fresh flavor too--and thick. The kind of sauce where maybe you can even see the herbs in it. And fresh ingredients, well, that's a given. Finally, if you can find all of that PLUS it be at a place with those extra special toppings---sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, fresh basil, and the like, then you've got a home run.

My first try was Memphis Pizza Cafe. The nearest one is located in Overton Square---the intersection of Madison and Cooper---one major street south of me and about three streets east. The pizza was good, and better than most, but the crust was crackery. Not what I was looking for.

Another place I tried was Exline's. The crust was not great, but at least it wasn't crackery. But get this: I ordered pepperoni and green olives. They put WHOLE green olives on this pizza! Huh? Oh well. It wasn't the kind of pizza I'm going to crave anyway.

Then there's Boscos. I happened upon Boscos through googling "Memphis pizza" on the web. And this one looked promising! Okay, actually, for other reasons. Yes, Boscos claimed to have great pizza, but it also called itself "the restaurant for beer lovers." And it's a brewery. And it brews an IPA! The verdict? Well, the pizza's far from great. Once again, it's a crackery crust. The beer? I'll make a separate entry on that one.

And so today, I took a drive to get the lay of the land. I started at the loop (I-240 & I-40 work together to essentially encircle the city) in downtown, and took it around the south part of town. I ventured off down 385---a highway toward Collierville, a Memphis suburb. At the end of 385, right in Collierville, I came back up Poplar---the same street that's the main cross street of my street. (Poplar runs from downtown out through a couple of different suburbs.) I saw a Target, so I pulled on in the parking lot to look for those throw rugs my kitchen needed.

And what else did I find in that lot? Johnny Brusco's New York Style Pizza. Hmmmm. It claimed to be New York style. Would it really be?

It was! Of course, it was about twenty miles out of town. But that's probably a good thing. See, now, when I'm craving pizza, I need to ask myself if it's really worth a twenty-mile drive to have good pizza, and I further need to remind myself that if it's not good pizza, why waste the calories? But at least if it's worth the drive, then I know where to find a good one. :-)

Settling In: Cleaning, Organizing, and Shopping!

For the last two weeks, I've been unpacking, organizing, and cleaning! Every other place I've ever rented, a major make-ready has been done, which has always included a thorough cleaning. I bet most people out there also have been or know someone who has been charged upon move out from an apartment or rental house for something like . . . a dirty oven, or not scrubbing the 'fridge, or dirty fan blades? Umm Hmmm. Here? Not so much. I mean, I haven't even had a walk-through inventory to fill out! Let's just say it wasn't the cleanest place when I moved in.

Indeed, for the past two weeks, I've done a lot of cleaning. The tub alone took about an hour. And now I'm a huge supporter of KaBoom bathroom cleaner---fabulous stuff!

Then there was the kitchen floor---ICK! I tell ya, I have a feeling the past three tenants never mopped this floor. I mopped it once, and that barely touched the grime, so I turned to the instructions for stripping buildup. With a little Armstrong Floor Cleaner plus ammonia---along with a lot of time and patience, oh, and serious scrubbing, followed with another mopping with Armstrong and a final pass over with Brite, and TaDa! It shines!

In the meantime, each box has been emptied, each piece of furniture placed, and it's finally feeling more like home. Okay, so I still need to thoroughly clean these wood floors; that's on the agenda this afternoon or tomorrow. But otherwise, I'm quite settled in.

Of course, settling in to a new place always means a little shopping. And thanks to several coupon clipper and savers, I have become a Bed, Bath, & Beyond top customer! HUGE thanks to Amy, Susan, Charla, and Mom for those coupons! I took care of the guest room (it needed new bedding) and picked up some new sheets for my bed too. It'd gotten way too beige in there, so I went with a wonderfully deep purple. (My bedroom before had purple walls, so it was fine to have beige sheets. Now, though, my walls are a putty/wet sand color, and the room really needed a little more pizazz.) Ahh--and the sheets I bought? These are some of the softest! They're Pure Beech sheets, made from Modal. Huh? Not cotton? I was skeptical too, but Modal is a natural fiber---made from the beechwood tree. So I went ahead and tried them. And they're great.

How well will they hold up? Only time will tell. And I will use these sheets only half the year; I use my flannel sheets in the winters. But as of now, they are ooohhh-sooo soft! :-)

What else did I buy? Well, upon trying to hang my mirror above my fire place, I learned the downside to plaster walls. It seems the plaster there has pulled away from the lath---or something like that. Anyway,I tried to nail in the picture hanger, but I was left with nothing but holes about four times the size of the nails! Back to Bed, Bath, and Beyond!

I chose two coordinating pictures, but upon getting them home, they looked terribly dingy. Back to Bed, Bath, and Beyond!

This time, I tried the bigger store--out in the 'burbs. Yep, it was my first venture outside of the loop, and I found strip-mall city. ;-) Just about every store you could need was located there (on Germantown Parkway in Bartlett). And yes, the BB&B had a much larger selection! (The BB&B nearer my house is definitely smaller than most, but it has all the basics.) I found two tall coordinated canvas pics, and upon getting those home, I think they're going to be just right!

What's left? Well, I have a dining room table full of miscellaneous things that need a home, including picture hangers and a few tools that need to go into the tool box once I finish with all the pics. As I'd said, I need to clean the wood floors, and beyond that, I still need a POP of color in the kitchen. It's dreadfully dull in there, but with the right print and accent rug, and it'll be great!

Now that things are settled, to me, I say, "Welcome Home!"

The Move!

Yep---it was a HUGE truck!

The movers arrived Tuesday afternoon on the 26th. I had done hours of online research concerning choosing a mover. And even after the research, I also interviewed and got bids from four different companies. In the end, I went with Garrett Transportation out of Fort Worth; Garrett is an Atlas Van Lines company. And my research definitely paid off!

Sheila---my move coordinator---kept in contact with me throughout the process. She called to arrange the guy who came and packed my kitchen, called to check on his progress, and stayed in contact with me on loading day, in between, and on delivery day. And with each stage, she also called to check on the progress during the loading and unloading. I don't have a lot of experience with interstate moves, but with the horror stories I read about and that told to me as experienced by my good friend Jenny, I am pleases as can be!

Part of my research revealed that the key in a smooth move is all about the driver. See, the driver is in charge of his crew. And the driver is the one person who will have all your belongings the whole time. My driver was Emerson, whose home company is Morton Moving and Storage out of Jackson Tennessee. And folks, if you ever find yourself moving out of state, I recommend you ask for Emerson.

He was wonderfully professional. But know also that the customer has some responsibilities too. When they arrived at the house in Fort Worth, it was about 2:30. I had a case of chilled bottles of water, a lot of cold Gatorade (I read online that you'll be considered golden if you provide Gatorade for a moving crew), and some deli sandwiches I'd picked up at Albertson's. It wasn't a huge expense for me, and the crew was so very appreciative. And yes, I tipped everyone generously at the end of the day.

And the Fort Worth crew got a bonus tip. As had been the norm for North Texas, about half way through loading the truck, it began to rain. And rain. And rain. Egads!! But these men worked through it all, never complaining (within earshot of me, at least.) So, once I found out my baseball game for that night had been called due to the rain, I divided the tickets among the local guys. They'll be able to take them to the Cats box office and exhange for any available seats for a future game of the season. They were all excited, but oe more so than the others. He couldn't wait to take his son to a Cats game. :-)

And so, everything was loaded! Emerson originally suggested that he could be in Memphis to deliver all of my things on the 2nd, but then I realized that to do that, I'd have to drive in on Sunday, forcing me---and Howard and Sophie---into a hotel that night. Yep, I couldn't pick up keys until Monday! Emerson said that because I'd been so nice, he'd be more than willing to wait until Tuesday for delivery.

And as scheduled, I got the call from Sheila with the final total (less than the "not-to-exceed" estimate), and I got a call from Emerson confirming delivery. And he was fabulously prompt! He had another great crew with him---this time, a crew he brought with him from Jackson. And they were great! (It being scheduled in the morning, I again had water and Gatorade waiting along with a dozen donuts. And of course, I had several sanwiches for 'em all too.)

The crew put each box where indicated, carried things up to the attic (it has stairs), without charge---hooked up my washer and dryer (as a favor; that's typically extra), and made sure everything that had been disassembled was reassembled. I had a grid of numbers to check off each and every thing that came off the truck (it'd been inventoried back in the house in Fort Worth), and in the end, when about seven things weren't checked off, Emerson had his crew search high and low for each and every single box that we'd missed in the check-off process. And we found them all.

So, now that I've unpacked, the question is---was there any damage? Well, yes. But minor. The handle of my big cooler is gone, broken off I assume, and my smiley-face tray---the one that was a gift to me at the seventies party and the one that's ideal for passing out jell-o shots (my party role, but of course!), well, it broke in the box the packer packed. Maybe one or two other minor things, and that's really it. Well, almost. Granted, I cannot find my wireless router, my Aggie shorts, or my copper sassy shoes, but those are things I lost. I'm hoping the shoes are in a suitcase upstaires. Alas, I fear the router was accidentally thrown out with garbage last week. Sigh. But with this big of a move, I'd say, things went fabulously!

Again, if you ever find yourself with an interstate move ahead of you, I highly recommend you request Emerson out of Jackson TN to take care of your goods. And if you're in Fort Worth, the folks at Garrett were charms. But don't forget to reat your crew fabulously! Have food, drinks, and tip well. :-)

Hello, Memphis!

I'm here! Okay, so I've been here now for four days. My posts are waayyyyyy behind, but for now, I'm just going to write about moving in. Soon enough, I'll get down my last nights in Fort Worth, the movers there, my visit with Mom, and Dad's Fourth of July party (with a few rants of my own---you've been warned!). Whew! I've got a lot of typing ahead of me!

So---I arrived in Memphis late Monday afternoon. I timed it to get here in time to pick up my key from the property management company---knowing I'd need to be here for one night before the movers brought my stuff the next morning.

My neighbors were around when I pulled up. Everything that had to be done to the house had been done, but still no exterior painting. However, several pieces of wood around the eaves have been replaced, and next-door-neighbor Chris said he'd heard someone was coming to paint soon. Hooray!

I also met the neighbors to the south--well, I met Cole and daughter Morgan. I've yet to meet Michelle. And from my brief meeting of all---great folks!

I unloaded the car, and before long, I learned that Howard could crawl through the fences (just like in Fort Worth, where two fences had been built back-to-back, Howard loves to crawl between 'em), then quickly put up a blockade to that.

But hmmmm---where's Sophie? Bless her heart, she'd been cooped up in the carrier for almost seven hours. So upon arrival, I let her out to sniff around the empty house. And now---she was gone.

How could she disappear? Oh heavens. Granted, when I allowed her free reign, the back door was open, but the back screen was closed. I tested the door, and I decided it was possible for her to have pulled that door open. But not likely---only possible. Still, the next-door five-year-old said he'd seen a fluffy whitish cat walk by just a few minutes ago. Oh heavens.

On the up side, Jackson's dad Chris said Jackson had a vivid imagination, so I shouldn't take his "spotting" of Sophie too seriously. Still, Howard and I walked down the block, calling her name. Nothing.

Returning to the house, I looked high and low. I called her name---"Sophie...?" Nothing. I looked behind every door. I looked on any shelf. Nothing. I looked in each place possibly big enough for a cat.

Or so I thought.

Indeed---I finally found her! Sophie! She had crawled between the stove and the wall---a space of about four inches wide. Good grief. I promptly got Sophie's own crate into an empty bedroom, and she promptly crawled in, happy for familiarity.

Knowing I'd need some drinks and eats for the movers the next day, I got directions to the grocery store from neighbor Chris, and I headed out to see what the local shopping for food was like---my first trip to Schnucks.

Fabulous! Okay, sure, it's small (and interestingly arranged; I almost never found the dairy). But it's got what I want! Not only does the place have a good-looking fresh salad bar, it's got an ante pasta bar (yummy olives, marinated artichokes, mushrooms, etc.), and get this----they carry a great IPA (Bridgeport bottle conditioned IPA)! (recall from previous posts IPA=Indian Pale Ale---the best (and hoppiest) beer). The fish and meat selection looked fresh and great; of course, with no pots or pans, I didn't buy any that night. (I've since learned from some locals that while they might get most groceries elsewhere, they go to Schnucks for meat and fish.) But I picked up the needed eats and drinks for the movers, milk and cereal for me, and a delightful selection of some crackers, cheese, and hummus.

First night, I was beat, but with my cheese and crackers, a little good red would be great. Going back to when Charla and I were in town, we kept passing the most interesting looking sign. Soon enough, we figured out the sign (kinda a multi-spiked atom or something; I'll post a pic of the sign soon) was for Joe's---a local wine and spirit shop. Yep---seems Memphis (at least around here) is like Arlington, TX---they'll sell beer in the grocery store, but you must go elsewhere for wine or, well, "spirits."

Back in Fort Worth, shortly after I moved in to my house, I visited Liq-o-rama. Mike, the owner, greeted me and got to know me---as a customer. Me---I was an unemployed law student. Still, Mike was great. I was able to tell him I was on a limited budget, but wanted a decent tasting red. And he delivered.

That was back in 1999. And through all those years, I was in the store only about every two or three months, but Mike always greeted--and remembered--me. Even this past December, Alex and I went in for a wine tasting, and Mike was as great as ever.

Back to Joe's---I met one of the "wine consultants" and explained that I'd literally just arrived in town, moving in, and was just looking for a simple bottle of red. He chatted a lot, getting to know me, fixed me up with a wonderful shiraz, and even gave me the personal cell number of an ADT guy (I need to get my alarm system activated very very soon).

Yep. Folks in sales know about customer service---and about working (and learning) their customers. I won't be at Joe's that often, but I bet they'll know me anyway.

I'll save the movers for a later post. For now, I'm still unpacking---and more importantly, organizing. I just thought I didn't have much closet or cabinet space in Fort Worth! Oh my! I'm getting creative here, and it's taking a little extra time to organize. But the pay-off, to me, is so worth it. I've been emptying boxes for two solid days, and finally today, I spent more time organizing.

Well, that's all been interrupted with periodic cleaning. My leasing agent had mentioned the tub might need refinishing---nope. It just needed elbow grease and a third of a bottle of Kaboom----incredible stuff!

Anyway, for a few days, it's been utter chaos. Finally today, I got a room finished! Every single box is out of my bedroom, and I've even rearranged several drawers in there.

Okay, so it's not all roses. I went down to the basement a few hours ago, taking down hangers to use for clothes out of the dryer, and, "EEEKKKKK!!!!" Yep. I screamed like a girl. But come on---that's okay! I AM a girl! ;-) What caused that scream? Shudder----a rat. Ick!!!! It ran from the utility area room, I screamed, and it started up the stairs until it found a--I'm guessing its---hole to crawl into. Indeed, on my next trip downstairs, Howard went first. :-)

Aside from that, I've had to have the plumber back out for basement issues and the pipes, but all's fixed (again). And ATT came out today to redo the phone wires in the house. The phone guy was tickled that some of the wires were from first-generation phone lines. Ummmhmmm---that's phone lines that were run before the 40s.

Anyway, all but "decorative" boxes are unpacked, and tonight I finally got the study organized. Yes, I am repacking some things to go into the attic. But knowing I will move again next summer, I'm not yet willing to throw more out than I already have. Still, after eight years in one house, this has provided a great "what do you have" opportunity.

More posts to come! :-)

Ah---before I go: Howard's great. He's an incredible guy, and he mostly has been following me room-to-room or napping around. He spotted four (yep, FOUR!) squirrels in the front yard this evening, and I let him go out to sniff. He's even found ways to watch out front.

Sophie? She's purrrrr-fect now. Sure, the trip to Dad's was tough on her, and the trip here even more so, but she's settled in wonderfully. And yes, she adores the hardwood floors.

So we're all here, and we're all settling in nicely. We're loving Midtown! :-)

Closed, Funded, and a Hard Post

I've heard terrible stories of home sales falling apart at the last minute--finding out the day before (or, gasp! of) closing that financing fell through, the buyer backed out, etc. So I have not actually fully breathed easily since all of this started.

Until, oh, surely early Wednesday---really, though, about late Tuesday.

My closing was scheduled for Monday afternoon. I had packed all weekend, then the packer (notice, that's singular. Ummhmmmm---was supposed to be more than one, but so it goes with moving) came early Monday to do the kitchen. He was very nice, but he was very slow. He even admitted he was slow because it'd been so long since he'd packed a kitchen. (Side note---an advertising ploy of the moving company is "Lady Packers." Hmph. But I'm not sexist. A man can pack a kitchen as well as---and quite often better than---a woman. Still, odd that they promote one thing but don't follow through. It's not a huge issue---as long as my china is still in one piece!) He's slow and not as experienced---again, none of this is a problem if my kitchen things arrive without damage.

Finally---he was done! I rush off to closing, calling to let 'em know I'd be fifteen late. Breathe. I signed my name a lot, reviewed my pay-off forms, and it's done! Well, not quite. The buyer wouldn't be there to close until 5.

No time to fret over that! I had to rush off to my doc to pic up my MRI films so I'd have 'em for a TN doc (no need to pay another $700 (after insurance) for that!), then to Home Depot for minor things, and then over to Hobby Lobby to look for yarn for Mom. Mom crochets and is in the middle of a great Aggie-maroon afghan for my nephew. (My grandmother made my Aggie afghan too.) And what else do you do when you can't walk? (when I was out-of-commission with my knee ten years ago, I actually crocheted a whole baby blanket for my best friend Melissa---the only completed crochet project I've made to date.) Whew! In the middle of the errands, I got a call that the sale would not fund Monday; it was too late.

Alrighty.

Tuesday morning, I had time for errands before the movers came. One of those was to my old and new banks. See, TN doesn't have my current bank, but Fort Worth does have a bank that's prevalent in Memphis. So I was able to go ahead and open a new account in that bank. In the meantime, I also ran by my bank and learned---the wire had come through! WooHoo! The sale was funded!

But wait. It wasn't really my money yet.

Huh? Umm Hmmm. When I tried to get money from my old bank to take to the new bank, I learned I couldn't get the money until the wire was "hard posted" to my account. Why? Well, in all reality, it seems the wire could be canceled in the same business day it'd been sent. So it wasn't totally there yet.

Breathe.

No worries, though. Wednesday morning, it was all there! And I promptly (after too many conversations about why my old bank didn't have enough cash to give me, the costs of wires, and finally a waived fee for a cashier's check), made my deposit into my new account. Whew! Now I'll have a bank in Memphis---with enough of a balance in it---where I can go to get the cashier's check I need to pay the movers!

It's official: I know longer own my home. Bittersweet, yes. But I can breathe!!! (And finally a massage therapist might have a ray of hope in working out the knots in my shoulders!)

Welcome to Bluff City!

We did it! We found my new house. And it's just what I was looking for.

Charla and I headed out on Sunday. We slept a little later than planned, then my back issues caused us to be even slower. I had experienced this same level of pain back in January, and after lots of PT and a while spent in a giant clanking metal tube, learned in March that I have two herniated discs plus another with light protrusion. Ah---add to that, degenerative hip arthritis, also diagnosed along the same time. The best the doc could say was that I'd have good weeks and bad weeks, and sometimes even really bad times like I'd had back in January. We'll watch it, and if it gets too bad to me, look into some spinal injections. (as long as I'm working out regularly, the hip's generally okay.)

Anyway, Sunday I awoke barely able to move without excruciating pain. I started trying to help, but once we took Howard to my friends' house, and I could barely get back in the van, Charla made an executive (older sister) decision that she alone would load all my plants. I, instead, spent time lying on ice.

With the van loaded, we were off. But first---a stop in Greenville for lunch with dad for Father's Day! It was a wonderful lunch, and a rare treat for my sister to be able to spend time with him while not being a mom herself.

Back on the road, it was another six-and-a-half hours to Memphis. And finally, just after 10:30, I saw my new home: Memphis, Tennessee. (The lead photo above is a shot of the Mississippi River from our hotel room.)

Up early Monday, we headed to the University. I met my new secretary, who seems like a true gem, and we got everything unloaded. My office looks much like a jungle! But fortunately, it has a couple of windows, and we gave the plants a good drink, so they should be fine. (My back was better, but I mostly guided the dolly with boxes on it while Charla still did most of the heavy lifting.)

And finally---time to look at houses. We spend all day, but it was quite disappointing. We found one with a huge backyard, but the house was tiny and just so chopped up into little-bitty rooms. It would work, but it'd be a squeeze into the place. I also, though, set up a time to look at another house the next day. The other one was more than I'd planned to pay, but I wanted to see what an extra $250 would bring.

Monday night, though, we enjoyed some Memphis BBQ. My friend Tim had told me about Interstate BBQ---a place started by Jim Neely. Tim did caution me that although Jim was part of the Neely family, his restaurant was Interstate BBQ---not Neely's BBQ. Oh My Goodness! truly, these were the best pork ribs I'd ever had!


The specialty was the pork sandwich and the ribs, so we ordered an order of each and split both. And it was also the best pork bbq sandwich I've had! The sauce was perfect---a fabulous blend of spice and sweet. Even the beans and coleslaw (I'd never had a mustard-based cole slaw before) were fabulous!

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel and took the trolley down to Peabody---to find the Memphis Flying Saucer. What fun! Ad indeed---Monday nights are pint nights there too! While there, I sent James a text, and he was at the Fort Worth Saucer! Guess we can still go to the Saucer together---just in different states. ;-)





Tuesday we were up and went to see the other house. It was gorgeous! Built around the 50s, and it was totally refurbished and in great shape. But the owner still lived there. Could she be out by July 2? hard to tell. She didn't seem to have a clear plan; it seemed more like she'd make her plan once she found a tenant she liked. We spent a little time driving around the neighborhood, found another house or two to call about, then Charla dropped me at the law school---time for lunch!

Yes, I finally got to meet some of my new colleagues! Before I'd even gotten to Memphis, a fellow professor had invited me to lunch with him and some others. We had some great Italian food and just kinda got to know each other. They were so nice and very helpful. I think it's going to be a great year!

After lunch, Janet (one who was also at lunch) sat down with me and a Memphis map, X'ing out several areas, highlighting some desirable areas, and just kinda helping to get my bearings straight. I really wanted to be in this area called Midtown. It's an older area of town---just a couple of miles outside of downtown and between downtown and the University. It reminds me a lot of the area in Fort Worth near Camp Bowie and Montgomery---the cultural district.

A few more phone calls and emails, then Charla came back and we were off---driving around the neighborhoods I'd learned of. (I'd totally missed the Cooper-Young area before.) After a while, I was frustrated. I was playing telephone tag with one home owner, hadn't heard back from the Highpoint owner about when she could be out, and just generally down. I suggested we go back to the hotel, let me check the Internet, and we could make some calls. I told Charla later that I was also feeling quite ill---so stressed over needing to find a place and just not finding it yet. I feared I might lose my lunch. Time's hours felt like walls closing in.

I poored through online lists and emails, and Charla grabbed the phonebook. With one call, she had a list of five property managers. And she started dialing.

One of those said that yes, they had a house that hadn't even officially been listed as for rent; the property management company was just going through some make-ready orders on it. But we could call to see if we could see it. We called Shawn, and she said she could be there in thirty minutes. We were off!

On the way there, we set up two more appointments. Breathe. Things were getting better. First stop: Meeting Shawn at the Hawthorne house.

Okay, so the house needed a little love on the outside. But the neighborhood was wonderful. It's filled with all old homes---circa 1920s or so. Just off the main street, the homes are duplexes and a few apartment type buildings (not like suburban apartments---like ones that have been there for sixty years). But farther north up the street, and it's all gorgeous houses. We knew this street---a huge park (that contains the zoo and other cultural attractions) is just one street over! I held my breath as we went inside.

This was it! Hardwood floors (sure, they need refinishing, but that's no issue for me for a rental (and Howard)) , huge rooms---even glass door knobs. There was also an alcove in the dining room with seats and a window; I could envision Sophie purring contently at that window. Off the dining room is a huge butler's pantry--which is good because, granted, the kitchen has almost zero cabinet or counter space. We turned down the hall off the kitchen, and I opened a door, expecting to find a closet. Whoa! Stairs going-----huh? down? Huh? I had to regroup a second to realize---ah ha! A basement! Yep---that's where I'll be doing my laundry.

Okay, another down side to an older house (this one was built in 1926) is that it has only one bathroom---for three bedrooms. But hey! Why do I need more than one anyway? We looked in another closet (this one with a cedar-lined storage area) then opened another door. Once again, I was expecting a closet (no, I hadn't learned yet), and indeed---stairs! This time, they went up to a partially floored attic! Very cool space. And with stairs for access, how wonderful to be able to have such great access to boxes stored there!

I still had two more to see, but this house spoke to me. (not in a creepy Amityville sense---in a good way). Sure, it had some issues---repairs the leasing agent, Shawn, promised would be done. And the outside, well, it hadn't been loved in a long time. But I'd already mentioned making pies (noting that the kitchen counter was at least big enough to roll out a pie crust), and that seems to have won Shawn over. She called the management company and strongly suggested how badly the house needed to be painted. And she agreed to have the yard cleaned up---getting rid of all the leaves that had fallen last fall. I liked this house!

(and if all the work gets done, Shawn's getting a peach pie.)

As we were leaving, the neighbor to my north was outside painting his door. We stopped and chatted with him for a while, and I knew, this family was going to be my new neighbors. But first---I still wanted to see those other houses. Besides, it was after 5, and the property management office was closed. No one could rent this house before the morning, and besides, it wasn't even listed yet.

Off to see a house in the Cooper-Young area, and no---not my house. Off to see one more over in the same neighborhood as the Highpoint house. fabulous layout and a cute house. But the yard was completely bare. If you've ever been to Memphis, you'll know what I mean when talk about the HUGE old oak trees everywhere. How could I move to a town with all those fabulous trees and have none in my yard? Absolutely not.

Another drive by the Highpoint house. It's a cute house, but it's also more expensive than I'd planned. The Hawthorne house was right at my planned and budgeted amount. The Highpoint house didn't really have a back yard. but the front yard, which was gorgeously landscaped, was fenced. But it was right on the corner of a very busy street. If Howard ever got out and ran to that street . . . .

I asked Charla to drive back to the Hawthorne house. Incredible neighborhood. It was dinner time--the time you want to see a neighborhood before committing to living there. So many people were out walking their dogs. We drove around more. Cute old houses all over. And a street or two north, essentially McMansions. The park is less than two blocks away, with great looking trails that held joggers, walkers, and dog walkers. We talked again to the neighbor, and I made up my mind. This is my new house!

What's even better, I've wanted to live in an old house like this and in a neighborhood like this for years. And with renting for a year, I get to experience this without the commitment of buying! WooHoo! I have a new place!

Whew. Mission Accomplished. And we were exhausted---and hungry! So we ran by the hotel then headed for dinner and to see Beale Street.

While waiting for the trolley that night, two older gentlemen---Memphians---struck up a conversation. They were wonderfully sweet, and so excited I liked their city. Sadly, a younger man came by, pestering Charla and me for money. The two older gentlemen indicated to me to ignore him, and I did. (All this while Charla was on the phone with her sweetie and kiddos.) And as we got on the trolley, the two older gentlemen told the driver we were from Texas and we wanted to go to Beale Street as that younger man (who seemed not to be in a sober state) shouted horrible obscenities. The men apologized; the trolley driver apologized. You could tell they hated that we had that experience, and they didn't want us to look poorly upon all Memphians. I didn't, and I don't. Sad young people who've taken the wrong turns in life are in every city. But the other gentlemen at that trolley stop---they're the Memphians I'm happy to be sharing a city with very soon.

Ahhh---Beale Street. Amazing blues music. But we were so tired, the evening held only a walk down the street, enjoying hearing the live band from inside a plethora of little clubs, a visit into an eclectic gift shop (reminding me a lot of Earth Bones in Sundance Square), and finally dinner. It was a great night, and we turned in early; we had a long drive ahead of us the next day!

Wednesday morning we were up early again to go sign my lease. We took care of that and all my deposits and pet fees, and Shawn agreed to meet us at the house so I could get some pics and measurements. I've already now drawn a floor plan of the house, using scaled cut-outs of my furniture to figure out what's going where.

Here are a few shots of the interior of the house. More photos to come after I get settled in! But in these shots, you can see in the first two shots, the front door and gorgeous doors dividing the dining and living rooms, then shots showing the alcove in the dining room (Sophie's gonna love it there!) and the butler's pantry. This house is filled with such character!






And now, a day full of packing awaits me on Sunday. Atlas packers will be here Monday to pack the kitchen, and then Tuesday, the movers come load everything up! I cannot believe that in three days, everything I own that's not in my car will be on a semi----headed to Blues City.

A Ladder, a Lunch, and a Whole Lotta Rain

The home inspection. Gotta have one. Gotta do it. But you don't expect your your inspector to break your house!

Ummm hmmm. On Monday, Howard and I headed to the dog park because the buyer's home inspector was scheduled to come give my house the once-over. I know I've taken pretty good care of my house, and I made minor repairs before getting it on the market, but there's a bit of breath-holding as one awaits the report of the "expert." Is there any hidden problem with the house? Has my foundation unknowingly begun to move? What do things look like from atop the home? (I was on my roof once in eight years---never again!)

The inspector was scheduled to leave by 11:30, so around 11:45, Howard and I make our return. Nope---still a truck there. I kill more time, starving by now, going to grab a bite. Back by the house---still there. Okay, so I go park at the school and grade a paper in the car. And yes, poor Howard is bored silly. Back by the house---still there. It's 12:50 by now, and I'm a little irritated. But in some cases, it's just not worth a fuss. So I go back to the parking lot and read through more papers. Finally, a bit after 1, I make another pass, and the coast is clear: he's gone!

Upon getting home, though, I was greeted with a note from the inspector. "Dear Homeowner, . . . " The gist? He broke my house. That's right---the inspector broke my house. And his note was left to tell me that I had to fix it.

Hmph.

Okay, so the details---the ladder going into my attic broke. Now, according to my neighbor, the inspector was quite a large man. According to the inspector, the age of the ladder's wood (21 years) and heat from the attic caused the wood to be brittle. Granted, that makes me worry about any house with wood in the attic; what, should I expect all of it to break? That's just plain goofy.

And of course, most friends (and even my real estate agent) cry, "Make the inspector pay for it!" But when it comes down to it, and when I weighed the pros and cons of pursuing such a thing, it's not worth it. My agent, very frustrated with the situation (the inspector---not me), said, "Jana, you think like a lawyer." Well, indeed, I should. ;-)

Is that the end of it? Alas, not quite. The buyer finally sent the addendum to our sales contract, asking for repairs based on the inspection. And I had to laugh---a few of the things were on the original inspection when I bought the house in '99! (1) Install GFI plugs in the bathrooms. (The plugs say they are GFCI, but I'm not sure which outlet has the trip; they're on a connected circuit.) (No worries---I have an electrician friend who's going to do that for me.) (2) Replace the sprayer on the sink sprayer-thingy. It was slow when I moved in, on the inspection, but one of those things I replaced myself after buying. After eight years, deposits again slow the spray; easy to repair or replace. (3) Put the screen back on the bathroom window (easy---it's in my garage). And (4) the ladder.

Yes---replace the ladder into the attic. But not with just any ladder---she wants it to be a metal ladder (no doubt at the inspector's urging.) I tell my agent I'll put in what was there; I'm not going to start upgrading the house. The buyer comes back with "she'll pay the difference in cost." (The inspector misled her to think an aluminum one would be only $20 more expensive. Wrong. Those are about $100 more expensive; a steel one is about $40 over the wooden.) But I worry about putting in a much heavier ladder (steel) than was there (wooden); installing a similar thing is one thing, but making changes could be way diferent. But the buyer's persistent and beginning to irritate my agent and me with too many specifications over this %#$@* ladder.

Negotiations, baby! When someone wants to watch your every move and tell you just how to do something and be persnickity about it all, hovering and such, give them what they want. Well, in a way. I told my agent, "Tell her that I understand her desire to have what she wants, so I'd be more than happy to pay her the cost of the ladder and a little for installation, so this way, she can do it in a way that she'll be most happy with."---in the sweetest voice possible, showing how reasonable we're being.

And as expected, she essentially said, "never mind. Just put in a wooden one."

True---when someone hovers too much, allow them to take over. Usually they don't want that much control and will get their nose out of it. :-)

Oh---and to top it all off, the inpsector came back to the house Tuesday for the termite inspection and caused more trouble. (I still haven't found out why he didn't do the termite inspection on Monday.) I had to attend a CLE (continuing legal education) all afternoon, spending three joyful hours watching videos of people talk about ethics in practicing law, filing suits, fee agreements, blah, blah, blah. (I get credit for all required CLEs through teaching---except the requried annual three hours' ethics credit. But--- check! Covered through August 2008 now.)

Anyway, so I left Howard home in his house (his crate). All's fine. I return home Tuesday evening, let Howard out of the crate, then go deal with emails and the buyer's addendum. Thirty or so minutes later, I'm frustrated, irritated, and in need of a break. Okay, I should take Howard out front and maybe go on a walk.

Where's Howard?

The house is quiet, the windows have no dog peering outside, and the bed's empty. Where's Howard?

A quick look in the backyard----

Breathe. Deep cleansing breathe. The inspector had left my gate open. And I have a dog door. So when Howard went into the yard, like he always does----voila! Open gate. Gone dog.

Doggonnit.

I grab the leash, my shoes, my keys---and I'm in the car, on the path he's known to take. At the end of my street, I look down both streets----there he is. Whew! He's happily running in the area of the track near the school, having a good ol' time. I pull up, open the passenger door, excitedly yell, "Howard!" and he looks at me as if, "Hey! There you are! You're missing all the fun!" I can't help but shake my head. He's so darned cute. I say, "Load up!" and---once finding the opening in the fence around the track---he promptly jumps into the car, wet from the belly down, though, from his fun romping.

Still, as anyone might know now---this inspector is not my favorite person. (Nor that of my agent; she'll certainly never use him.)

Other than that, yesterday was quite nice---once the rain quit. Around 9am, the view out my window made me think it was night! Darn rain. But hopefully we'll be drying out in time for Saturday---when I'll spend a little time outdoors at a Fort Worth locale. More on that later.

Ah---and Lunch! I drove over to Dallas yesterday for a tasty and great lunch at Hattie's in Oak Cliff, where they have the best sweet potato fries! The occasion? Lunch with folks from the court where I used to work. Several coworkers came in addition to the judge I worked for my last year there. It's always great to see them--fabulous folks! We had a great lunch, catching up some, and me getting fond farewells. They really are good people. I was fortunate to spend three years there.

And that lunch marked my first official set of many good-byes to come. This next month will be full of those things---good-bye lunches, dinners, gatherings. I'm so blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life and to have made so many friends in the twelve years I've been in North Texas. Truly blessed.

So, goodbye, Fifth Court. You're a wonderful group of hard-working and intelligent people---all of you. I learned so much while there, and truly, it was great to be among folks as nerdy as me! :-)

Afterwards, I took a set of papers to school to get copies of 'em all before they go back to students, then headed for a massage---finally! Through all the house readying, showing, selling, etc., I hadn't taken that time for me. It was relaxing, but just that. I plan to schedule a deep-tissue one soon and not just relax those knots, but maybe actually get rid of some of 'em.

And I'm even half-way through the other set of papers. The end of these is in sight. A dozen more briefs to grade, grades to figure, and an office to pack. And that's that!

Then I'd better turn my attention to getting my second article finished and reading a LOT about contract law!

Negotiations 101

When I was in Africa in March, I was stricken with fear upon realizing most of my shopping had to be done using a bartering system. What? I can't do that! How do you do that? Drat---I'll never get shopping done, and I feared I'd pay ten times what I should.

See, I had memories of shopping in Mexico back in 1987---and never feeling like I knew what I was doing. (I used that blanket I bought back then just the other day, it bringing a smile to my face, though, knowing I'd bought it on that trip. I also recently found the woven rug and have used it too recently.)

Anyway, while in Kenya, I chatted a lot with my safari guide, Alex, and he gave me a crash-course in "how to barter." My colleague and friend Nancy also gently reminded me, "Jana, it's just negotiating. You're a lawyer; you know how to do that." And you know what? I do. And even more? Seems I'm pretty good at it.

I thought back to Kaye Elliott's class---Negotiations. I took that class in law school and loved it as much as my mediation classes. (I'm a qualified mediator in Texas---civil and family cases.) And I did just fine in that class.

Alex assured me that any offer would not offend; if it were too low, it would simply be met with a counter. Further, he gave me some general guidelines on where the Masai (the tribe most common in the Masai Mara---where the safari was) usually began negotiating.

Finally, I remembered that I had something they wanted---my money.

In Kenya, I bought a lovely rosewood carving of a Masai family. It was the perfect "treasure" for me to bring home, and it's ideal on my mantel next to my rosewood Ghana water woman carving and the rosewood Ghana fertility doll carving. But my key in shopping was that once I had visited several markets, I still shopped early in my trip. In other words, I knew that I would have many other opportunities to shop for a treasured rosewood carving. And that's key: being willing to walk away. So when the broker I was dealing with at that market wouldn't lower his price, I said no and turned to leave.

He followed me and gave me an acceptable price. And my Masai family carving indeed is perfect on my mantel.

And on that trip, several colleagues complimented me on my negotiating and bartering skills. (and they're all lawyers too!) They couldn't believe I got the deals I did at the market in Nairobi, and another said she so admired my confidence in working out deals in road-side markets. What they didn't know was that all that while, I had tons of self doubt---until all of that. The deals I worked out, the compliments of my respected colleagues, and my personal willingness to walk away from an unacceptable deal all did so much for me.

Who knew that my experience there was just what I needed to have the confidence required to sell a house?

Indeed---I got the dreadfully low offer on Saturday. I countered, not moving much from my asking. I set the tone for how far I'd be willing to move, for with any negotiation, you don't make a bigger move than the prior move. She countered---moving a substantial amount, but still not enough. (seems this house is made for a single woman: I bought it from a single woman and now am likely selling it to one.) I countered again, moving, of course, less than the original move. Then nothing.

Finally, Tuesday morning, I received a call from my agent. The potential buyer had made another offer and had said "this is the final offer." I simply said, "No." It was not acceptable.

My agent took a deep breath; I think she was worried and frustrated I'd turn down this final offer. After all---it was decently higher than a comp house sold for three weeks ago down the street. But I knew my house was worth more. And I believed the potential buyer did too. Of course, this was her "final offer," and I had turned it down. But I worked my backside off getting my house ready to show as soon as possible just so that I would have time to barter---and walk away if I had to.

(okay---not literally. Had I actually worked my backside off, I wouldn't have had to get back to working out---finally---this week. A little more than two days later, and I still feel those lunges I did on Tuesday morning. Ouch!)

Twenty minutes later, my phone rang, and the potential buyer had another offer---this time an acceptable one. (I now jokingly call this her final-final offer; she couldn't have moved much more anyway from there without hitting my previous counter.)

So WOOHOO! I've accepted the offer on my house, and as of today, we've got a signed contract. Now we go through the option period and getting the final word on her financing, and wow----I'll have sold my house!

No doubt, this sale will tickle my neighbors. They repeatedly tell me how they hate to lose me as a neighbor, but I just got the highest price for my floor plan and square footage I think to date. I say again, and I think they'll join in the chorus for upping the comps: Woohoo!

Wait, you might be thinking---I sold for the highest? Will that be okay? My appraiser friend felt very confident my house can appraise for my sales price. A bit more, and probably it wouldn't make it. But that's okay. And in this market, I'm elated!

So, my advice? Know what the value is that you have to offer. And know the value of what you want. Be willing to walk away when it's practical, and remember: not only does the other party have something you want---you have something that party wants. Why else would you be negotiating?

Oh, yes---and breathe.

First Showing

Finally! The house was shown today. I must admit it was quite frustrating to have worked so hard to get the house ready by Friday only to have no lookers over the weekend. But finally, the call came today. Someone would be showing the house tonight between 5:30 & 7:00.

Fortunately, I had already mowed the yard early this afternoon. And the house was still very clean---it’s easy for it to stay that way when you’re out of town. But a once-over with the vacuum was still a good idea.

Okay---going through my mental checklist: all lights & lamps on, light music in the background, a yummy baked-good candle burned just before I headed out, and Howard and I split for a couple of hours.

First stop: Petsmart. Howard thinks everyone at Petsmart is there just for him, and he adores the place! After making a dash to the grassy area, where Howard must leave his mark every time, we go inside. And Howard thinks we should go ahead and check out now; they have treats at the check-out counter, see. But no, first stop---the scale. Poor Howard. I fear if he were a teen-aged girl, my obsession with his weight would give him an eating disorder! But no, not our dear Howard. He’ll eat all that I’d let him,

Weight’s great! He’s holding steady under twenty-four pounds (23.1), so all is fine. (Howard had put on about a pound and a half during his last vacation---about ten days with Grandma then ten with my sister’s family. He’s lost that weight, and we’re back to maintaining.) (Too bad I don’t have as good of control over my own weight as I do Howard’s!)

Next, we wonder around the store a little. Howard takes on the duty of cleaning up any and all stray pieces of dog food in the aisles---being so helpful even as to stick his head under the shelves. How kind of him. And along the way, naturally he makes many friends. When he sees someone he thinks needs to meet him, he tries to run to greet them. Of course, however, he’s on a leash, and they have slick floors in Petsmart. So instead, it winds up looking more like Howard’s running on a treadmill---always to the amusement of other customers.

We find the dog food we need (plus some new rawhide treats---these flavored with peanut butter), and finally---it’s time to check out!

Howard entertains the check-out guy by leaping repeatedly to see over the counter. Most people have the same comment: It’s as if he has springs in his feet! After a few “freebies,” though, I do make Howard work a little for his yummy goodies. He jumped from a held sit, played dead, and gave me a “high five,” gathering admiring praise from all those around. (except for the one man behind us in line. I guess he was in a hurry, but it seemed he just doesn’t “get” Petsmart---or Howard!)

And next we stop off at Sheridan’s. Howard’s learned to recognize this place too, and as soon as I parked, I couldn’t get us both out of the care quickly enough for his pleasure. See, Sheridan’s is a frozen custard place, and they give away free “pup cones.” It’s basically the size of a Dairy Queen itty-bitty cone. (egads, I cannot recall what those were called!) And Howard thinks it’s just the BEST THING EVER!

But when others are in line, I make Howard wait his turn, although he charms each other customer around him, all the while eyeing their frozen treat they have in hand.

Finally it’s our turn. I don’t even have to order any more. Howard walks up to the window and proceeds to activate those springs. He leaps repeatedly to see above the counter at the walk-up window---allowing all those inside to see him. The guy behind the counter laughs and simply asks, “Pup cone?” I smile and say yes, and Howard looks at me as if I hung the moon.

Of course, the hardest thing is trying to get Howard to eat the cone slowly. I fear his poor little doggie head must scream in brain-freeze pain, but I guess not, for he still loves the place and still eagerly eats it as quickly as possible. (he’d eat the scoop in one bite if I’d let him.) And yes, he eats the cone too!

We then spend a little time finishing up my latest book on tape---just a basic Stuart Woods novel, listened to because I know his books are short enough to entertain me and are almost just right for the drive down to Mom’s.

And finally---I go ahead and grab dinner at a neighborhood Italian place. (My plan had been another local joint with outdoor seating, but it was raining, so Howard had to hand out in the car anyway.)

I wasn’t starving, so I just had a glass of wine and some calamari. But turned out it was the owner serving me. He, proudly, asked how the calamari was, and of course, I said it was good. But I’ll tell ya, once you’ve had super-fresh calamari in Hawaii, well, it was foolish of me to order it here. I knew better, but I took a chance, and now I know not to do that again. But all wasn’t a total loss. I asked for my bill, ready to leave, but he grabbed my glass and said, “just a little more on me.” To my surprise, he returned it---full! Hmph. And why haven’t I had a glass of wine in here before?! ;-)

Use a Dropcloth

Getting your house ready to show is a lot of work. And for many of us, for whatever reason, we put off many minor issues until we think someone who doesn't love us already might be looking at---and judging---our home. And thus, I put in new carpet a week ago.

Fabulous! Right? Well......

Yesterday, an hour before my realtor is scheduled to be at my house to take photos--- of my house---I take care of some final touch-up painting. Nothing major. And many of you know that I've done a LOT of painting. In fact, I've painted every room in my house! This is not a difficult task. Or so I thought.

Back to yesterday---I needed to touch up some areas and freshen up the doorways. Ummm Hmmm. Just a little bitty quart of paint. Nothing major.

That is----nothing major until you DROP that quart of paint on your SIX-day-old carpet.

OMG

That's pretty much all I could say for the next twenty seconds. And I'm not an "OMG" kind of person! Seriously! I'm a "goodness" person. Oh no---but not with a pool (and it was a serious pool) of PAINT on my brand new carpet. It was a full-blown, "OMG."

Breathe.

Breathe.

That's what I did.

And I scooped up the paint I could before focusing my attention on the paint slowly drying on the wall and brand new vinyl. Oh my.

Breathe.

Breathe.

Then laugh, because you know what? What else are you going to do? Sure, I considered crying. And I'll even say that while it's not worth it to cry over spilled milk, well, spilled paint is a whole other story.

I postponed the photos with the realtor, called carpet repair folks, and dealt. That's what you do. And laugh. And breathe.

So now, more than a day later---I've had carpet folks out, and we've patched the area. And it's just fine.

(egads---but pray it's not a sign of a stroke. I've joked about that, but folks, if I keep dropping things (before having a beer, mind you), somebody, make me see a doc, 'kay?)
:-)

Anyway, so it's official! The "For Sale" sign is in the yard!
For now, the critters and I are hanging out at Grandma's (and the critters just love it here!). Although, HOward sure does get tired when Mom & I stay up too late. First he made a bed on an afghan on the couch . . .

Then he just gave it up and zonked out on the floor. Grandma and I will head to A&M tomorrow to see my nephew's debut in his boots---a HUGE thing in the life of an Aggie in the Corps---at Final Review.

In the meantime, please, take it from me---if you're going to paint, and you care at ALL about the floor: USE A DROPCLOTH. I'm just saying . . . :-)

Carpet, I am Woman, and Baseball

I feel like I've just unpacked after moving---and I haven't even left the county!

Last week, I signed with a realtor---the one who helped me find my house eight years ago. And much of the weekend was spent finishing up the "make ready" to show my house. I had already begun to go through everything and clean out, but now it's down to finishing up the things I've been putting off. But in the middle of this, I needed new carpet. Years of wear on cheap carpet plus a dog who got bored one too many times when I wanted to sleep late meant new carpet was in order to sell the house.

(I've since learned that to sleep late, so long as Howard has gone out, I can then close the bedroom door and he'll sleep late with me. But it the door's open, he seems to think his mission is to get me out of bed.)

Getting new carpet---seems simple enough. But oh my, it's a lot of work! Granted, for the almost ten hours Miguel and Jose were at my home, there wasn't much for me to do---except grade papers sitting on the kitchen floor. But once they were done, whoa! I had to put everything back together again. I had a lot of sympathy for All the King's Men!

And yes--ten hours it took. Part way through, I realized I wouldn't make it to Mayfest. I was disappointed, but I also by that time had a more realistic idea of what the rest of my night and the next day would involve. I called to cancel, with the promise that those friends and I get together soon---maybe for one last night at Buffalo Wild Wings.

Before moving on, I'll digress a little. I have a neighbor who's been great. He's the one neighbor who's been on the street since these houses were built in '86. And he owns a pole saw and gas-powered hedge trimmers. But I only borrow those tools; I actually use 'em myself---it has been interesting learnig how to prune a tree! Well, my neighbor has been stating lately how impressed he is with that---saying I work harder around my house than any woman he's ever seen.

Hearing his words have been inspiring. And Friday night, I got to share a little of that inspiration. I was pooped---after being up too late Thursday then up early Friday and doing a lot of waiting all day, by the time the carpet guys were done and I got my car back (a few minor repairs done), I saw my newest neighbor struggling with her lawn mower. She'd driven home with it and asked another neighbor, Tony across the street, for help unloading it. Then her son got to work on the front yard. Alas, the mower stopped---or he stopped it---and it wouldn't start back. I've been there. So I went over.

It was a mechanical issue, and Maria was frustrated. So I asked her son if he'd asked Tony for help. He said no, and I urged him to go knock on the door. He did, Tony came out, and more grass lost its height.

Anyway, so Maria and I got to talking more, and bless her heart. She's there with two kids on her own. And it's hard. She seemed so surprised to learn that I lived on my own. She said she would get so sad---on her own. But I told her how proud she could be. I told her I had two grandmothers who were so proud of me---to be a woman who could live alone and could support herself. I reminded her that once you're independent, it's great to date a man because you want to and not because you need to. (of course, sadly, it seems too many men seem to need to be needed and have a hard time with a woman who just really wants to date 'em---darned egos. But I cannot be someone I'm not. Perhaps, ergo, I'm single. ;-) )

Anyway, so I told her she was a fabulous woman for buying a house on her own for her and her two children (their dad seems to have left the picture). And I told her what a phenomenal thing she was doing for her daughter---to show her that no matter what, she would never have to stay in a bad situation because she was afraid of making it on her own.

Maria had tears in her eyes, but they looked like tears of understanding and hope---not like the tears of sadness she said she cried most nights. She told me thank you, and she said she learned something that night.

But before I left, I reminded her that part of living on your own involved asking for help when you need it. When I bought my house, the neighbors who learned I was a single woman stepped up and offered their help---they even used "if you can't start your lawn mower" as an example.

Back to the new carpet---so yes, as independent as I am, darn if I have no idea what wires are supposed to be plugged into my subwoofer from the receiver. I've plugged all wires in to some place, but I was left without any for the bass. And I love bass! Darn. Sigh. I'll ask for help, but knowing I'm not here for too long doesn't make it that high a priority.

But on the other hand, I hooked up every single computer wire, cord, etc.! And for that, yes, I'm proud. :-)

So my house is just about ready. I still have a couple of repairs left to do, but the sign should go in the yard by Friday.

Ah---and the baseball? Well, I remember my first major league baseball game---vaguely. I was about seven or eight, and my dad took us to Rangers Stadium. So what's more fitting for what could be my last Rangers game than to go with my dad?!

Indeed, Dad was in town for a vet. meeting, and the activity of the evening was a Rangers game. (And with the Stars and Mavs having choked, well, Go Rangers!) I drove over to Arlington and met him, and we headed to the tailgate party. Yummy eats, then a great game---with what I think is the best (home team) baseball inning I've ever seen! The Rangers scored six runs in ONE inning! Wow! Of course, just hanging out and talking was the highlight of the evening.

My older brother, also in town for the vet. meeting, joined us around the sixth inning, and it was great to see him too!

In all, a great weekend. Productivity, seeing family, and wrapping it up with Sunday night TV. (while Desperate Housewives has gotten better this season, my new favorite show is Brothers & Sisters, and it didn't disappoint tonight.)

The week ahead? Those final little details around the house, grading papers, and Woohoo! Lunch at the Saucer with my friend James. And at the end of the week---more family times for Mom's Day weekend at my mom's and a visit to College Station to see my nephew in his senior boots. Do I hear a "Whoop!"?

:-)