Questionable

Buy Our House

The house is going on the market tomorrow. I've been working on it, almost every day, for just about two months. After J left for his new job, he came home and worked very hard all weekend long. It has been a slog. But we're much leaner now. We do have a storage unit full of stuff going with us, but the house is very empty. And, I still have a bit more stuff to sort through. I want to sell the dish set we got for our wedding along with a second set from my grandma and some miscellaneous dishes I've collected over the years. I also have an entire box of Nemadji pottery I need to get rid of as well as all my outside garden and lawn stuff. But, this is all going to wait until after we get an offer on the house. It looks good now and I don't want to mess around with boxes until after I don't have to worry about what it looks like every day.

I can't imagine selling a house in this environment with kids. Just watching the cats is a pain in the ass. The food smells, the litter boxes, the hair - it all causes a problem. I'd like to send them to Chicago but then J wouldn't be able to come home on the weekends. If this goes on too long, however, he may have to find a pet sitter down there.

It is all very anti-climactic. Hurry up and wait. Oh, I hope, I hope, I hope we get a reasonable offer (or two) quickly. I keep reading about how houses in our price point are selling, particularly those that are nice enough and in good neighborhoods. But, then what am I going to do with myself once this house is sold? Oh, I have plenty to do. Like find a place to live in Chicago, find a job, work on some articles (or, at least one article), and plan a party.

If you want to see what our place looks like now, see this link. Here are a couple of nice shots that I took. I'll post a link to the listing once it is up.

Dear Diary: June 1, 1977

This entry is from just a few months after my last diary post. I have just turned 10. I will enter the fifth grade in the fall.

Amy told me she dreams about Shawn Cassidy, (Joe on Hardy boys) She loves him I almost do I think he is very cute. On Alice (T. V.) her little boy Shelly loves
by by
Lisa

Alice's son was played by Philip McKeon, brother of Nancy McKeon of Facts of Life fame.

Reading my old diaries has made me realize just how early kids become sexually attracted to other people. I have decided that Oatmeal, ReeRee, and Schmugly can never grow up. They need to stay 4, 4, and 2 forever.

Is there anything people won't take?

I put a bunch of free stuff on CL today. One item, a filthy desk chair, I included because I knew I could never ask someone to buy it, nor could I donate it. I figured I'd have to find a place to dispose of it. It was literally encrusted with cat hair. J tried to get the cat hair off but was unsuccessful. I included this information in the ad, but in less than an hour, the chair was gone. Seriously. Would you want this chair? YUCK!

Only a few more hours

Thankfully, the siege on my house is almost over. The handyman is finishing up a few final tasks, while the painter is rolling his last area. I CAN NOT wait until these strangers are out of my house. It has been two weeks since I've had this place to myself during the day. They are both doing excellent work, but it is a total pain in the ass to have them around. Plus, the projects I'm having done are just so messy. I really want to start the cleanup. We did a little this weekend, but the two bathrooms and the kitchen are filthy. Plaster (mud) dust covers just about everything. The floors are crunchy.

The Truth in Housing inspector is coming on Wednesday. Hopefully, he doesn't find anything that requires major repair. I really don't want to spend any more money or have another person hanging around all day while I try to remain pleasant. It is getting harder and harder for me to have a good attitude about this whole thing because the brunt of it is falling on me. J works really hard when he's home on the weekends, but he hasn't had to live in the filth or sort through every possession we have. It doesn't end at night, either. Remember the schnibble pile? I've been slowly going through it, bit by bit, after I drop, exhausted, onto the couch each night.

I know it will all be over soon. Once these guys are gone, I need to clean and stage. The first round of packing is essentially over. The storage until is almost full and everything that's left will stay until we move permanently. We plan to put the house on the market about April 1. It would be nice to get an acceptable offer within a few weeks. A gal can hope, right?

More stuff for sale

Interesting, unique slag glass lamps. Look like coach lights. 56" high. $200 for the pair. More pictures here.

Cute, brown decorative terrarium. Separates into three pieces: the base, the middle glass section, and the top glass section. 36" tall by 13" square. $25

Nice little cabinet/shelves/pantry/closet. 52" high, 12" deep (without handles), and 23" wide. $35

Do you mind if I sit here and weep?

This is exactly what I said to J when I called him last night. I know. I know. Shut up and quit whining. I didn't really understand that having a handyman here to do various projects meant having him take over the entire house. He is doing work in both bathrooms and the kitchen. So, all three spaces are a mess, plus he's taken over part of the basement.

Somewhere in my dense little brain, I thought he would work on each space individually, but that really doesn't make sense. While paint is drying in one place he works on the next place. Plus, he is messy and picky. The messiness bugs me, more than I thought it would, but it is my own fault. I knew what I was getting into when I hired him. But the picky I wasn't quite prepared for. Normally, I would find picky a good thing. But, we are in "get 'er done" mode. I don't care that a tiny space on the side of a cabinet needs a bit of wood filler. No one is going to see it.

Dear Diary: March 17, 1977

Just two months have passed in my life since my last entry. I'm still nine. This one is a little hard to interpret given the lack of punctuation, but you'll get the general idea.

I just got home from Girl Scouts. Lori K told that Amy out of Rhona Lori Like me Amy hate Rhonda Lori Z Like Rhonda Amy hates Lori Amy is the culprit she tells Lori K everything I will write more tomorrow By By

Ay yi yi. I just don't remember this shit starting at nine (almost 10. I'm in fourth grade). And at what age do y'all think I figure out that the word bye ends with an "e"?

The disaster house

I really can't take living in my house right now. Everything is a disaster. I'll survive, but I can't wait for the next two weeks to be over. It is so annoying to me, I had to share the filth with all of you.



On the positive side, I'm actually quite pleased with myself for how I'm getting rid of things. Lots of good stuff (and some less good stuff) going to Goodwill. Other things being sold on craigslist. Still other belongings being given away (big rug going to my cousin, china cabinet advertised as free on CL, elliptical going to a woman in Lake City).

The great art giveaway

Before I give this stuff to Goodwill, I thought I'd see if anyone wants any of these photos/posters/drawings.

Need a big area rug?

Carved Chinese yellowish or greenish area rug about 7x11 for sale. $95 or best offer. This has to go.