Yesterday was the postcard perfect day here in lake country - sunny, warm, with a little breeze to cool you down. One of those days you save in your memory banks for the dreary winter days to come.
Today, it's raining, and that's perfect too. The thunder is that gentle, off-in-the-distance kind that doesn't scare the bejeezus out of you, and isn't accompanied by bright flashes of lightning. It's the kind of day made for baking frittatas (spinach, bacon, cheese in the oven) and doing nothing much. The air smells sweet, and my garden appreciates the moisture as much as I do.
Grace the cat is happy, laying on her bed with her eyes half-lidded and her chin on the edge of the chair. She got some catnip earlier, which made her alternate between rolling in the stuff and climbing into my lap to thank me. I think she loves Minnesota as much as I do.
On the home selling/building front, I close on my 5 acres of woods next Friday. Finally, something is going right. My house in Texas has been under contract twice now, and both have fallen through. It doesn't look like building is going to start until close to August, so I'm starting to wonder where I'm going to live over the winter if my house isn't ready for occupancy by the time the snow flies.
But all of that is just noise in the background, while I listen to the rain and the lovely thunder. That frittata is gonna taste even better today!
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Monday, June 1, 2015
Strange Courting Rituals
In my quest to build a house, I've worked with many people, including a very nice young lady at the tile and flooring place here in town. My second visit there, she asked if I was married - I said "no, never have been; no kids". She asked if I might be interested in going on a blind date with her father-in-law then?
I'm trying to adapt to my new home and get to know as many people as possible in the community, so I said "sure, why not".
Later that day she called to ask me if she could give him my phone number, which I agreed to. That very night he called, much to the amusement of my family members sitting in the kitchen taking my turns at the board game while I chatted with him. He promised to call another day to set up a dinner date.
This afternoon he called again. This region has a very strange courting/mating ritual that I am unfamilar with. I'm used to meeting someone for coffee/a drink/dinner at a neutral place, or meeting with mutual friends. But this guy? He has extra sunfish that he caught that he wants me to have, and wants to come by my camper to deliver them.
So is it a courting ritual to give a girl a fish on the first date? Is this a Minnesota thing? I'm so confused!
I'm trying to adapt to my new home and get to know as many people as possible in the community, so I said "sure, why not".
Later that day she called to ask me if she could give him my phone number, which I agreed to. That very night he called, much to the amusement of my family members sitting in the kitchen taking my turns at the board game while I chatted with him. He promised to call another day to set up a dinner date.
This afternoon he called again. This region has a very strange courting/mating ritual that I am unfamilar with. I'm used to meeting someone for coffee/a drink/dinner at a neutral place, or meeting with mutual friends. But this guy? He has extra sunfish that he caught that he wants me to have, and wants to come by my camper to deliver them.
So is it a courting ritual to give a girl a fish on the first date? Is this a Minnesota thing? I'm so confused!
Friday, May 29, 2015
Champagne Taste, Beer Budget
I have definite visions in mind most of the time when it comes to design. I know that I don't want a cookie cutter builder grade house, nice as that might be. I'm going to be paying for my vision the rest of my life it appears. But, considering that this is my "forever" home, that's okay with me.
I went back to thedating site tile and flooring store this morning to pick out fireplace surround for the bedroom side of the fireplace, and the design consultant, who loves my vision, asked if she could set me up on a blind date with her father-in-law. Sure, why not? I could do worse than have a future daughter-in-law that thinks I rock.
Here's some of my vision - first up, the fireplace (see through to the master bedroom) as seen from the living room:
On the bedroom side, think white mantel, with this tile surround, which is 3D marble in a basket weave pattern:
For the master bath, shower (no tub), with 2 pedestal sinks and this tile:
Kitchen sink faucet (if I can afford it, which remains to be seen)?
Laundry room floor:
Kitchen cabinets haven't been designed yet, but my vision there is only lower cabinets, with open shelves above. If it ain't pretty, it won't go on the shelves. I have a huge pantry where most of my kitchencrap neccessities will go, and I'll still have the lower cabinets and the island for storage.
The style will be kind of like this, without the upper cabinets.
See the white subway tile with the charcoal grout? That'll be everywhere in my house. Bathrooms and kitchen backsplash both. It's a timeless look that I don't think I'll ever get sick of.
Paying for all of this? Hmmm...
I went back to the
Here's some of my vision - first up, the fireplace (see through to the master bedroom) as seen from the living room:
On the bedroom side, think white mantel, with this tile surround, which is 3D marble in a basket weave pattern:
For the master bath, shower (no tub), with 2 pedestal sinks and this tile:
Kitchen sink faucet (if I can afford it, which remains to be seen)?
Laundry room floor:
Kitchen cabinets haven't been designed yet, but my vision there is only lower cabinets, with open shelves above. If it ain't pretty, it won't go on the shelves. I have a huge pantry where most of my kitchen
The style will be kind of like this, without the upper cabinets.
See the white subway tile with the charcoal grout? That'll be everywhere in my house. Bathrooms and kitchen backsplash both. It's a timeless look that I don't think I'll ever get sick of.
Paying for all of this? Hmmm...
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Good Instincts
I always thought of my house as a blank canvas; one where I could experiment with color and style. Some of my friends marveled at my bravery for painting the walls other than the white they came in, saying that they were so unsure of themselves they would never try it. One memorable wall treatment involved paint, stain, water, and plastic grocery bags. I loved that room, and felt a little sad when I finally painted over it when remodeling.
When I remodeled my kitchen in Texas, I obsessed over the details before I ever called the contractor. I knew in my head exactly what color, style, and grain I wanted in my cabinets, where I wanted shelves as opposed to cabinets, and even designed a wine rack for that ackward space over the fridge.
I remain proud of my kitchen to this day. The contractor told me that his job was relatively easy - he just had to do what I told him to do!
So now, I've put in an offer on 5 acres of land in Minnesota, and I'm working with a builder. He's one of those guys that know that they have no design sense, so there's not a lot of judgement at my choices (other than "that's going to be expensive"). Turns out I can't afford a true Craftsman home, but I'm going to get as close as I can.
Did I mention that I'm about to buy 5 acres? Turns out not being able to have chickens on the 2 acres I looked at for a year was a good thing. Just down the road there's a 5-acre parcel that's zoned agricultural and is heavily wooded. They've even cleared a spot for a home and started a driveway. My contractor, after looking at it, called me all excited and told me that I must jump on it - it's a special piece of property. After negotiating a bit, the seller has verbally agreed to a price - whoo hoo!
I've gone to two banks for the construction loan. My problem is that my home in Texas is still on the market, and I can't come up with the 20% down payment until it sells. The first bank said to give it awhile, and if it doesn't sell, perhaps I could take out a home equity loan. I started adding up the monthly payments for a mortgage, 2nd mortgage, and construction loan in my head and mentally shouted "EEK"!
So I went to another bank, and told her my situation. She very calmly said that they could roll the remaining principle of my Texas home into the construction loan in addition to the property. Sounding too good to be true, I asked about the interest rate. Well, a construction loan has a higher interest rate (5%), but you only pay interest for the amount used, and at the end, it converts into a real mortgage at a much lower rate. My mortgage in Texas is 5.75%, so that's a good deal.
Then the kicker. "How much cash do I need to come up with to make this work?", I said.
She looked surprised, looked down at her figures, then looked back up at me. "Nothing", she said.
"But you don't know me, you haven't looked at my credit - how can you say that?"
"Well, you'd have to qualify, of course."
"My credit rating is 814, and I was told by your competition that I would qualify for xxx".
"You qualify".
You gotta love a small town bank!
So now I'm running around the region to pick out tile, flooring, cabinets, countertops, plumbing, etc. in order to give to the bank for the construction loan. I spent quality time at the tile and flooring place yesterday afternoon, where a designer was on hand to assist me.
I had told her on the phone that I would be easy - I knew exactly what I wanted. I could tell that she didn't really believe me, but once I started to explain my vision to her, she got very excited. At the end, she said that I could work there, and that I was the easiest client she'd ever had.
Here's an idea of what my bathroom is going to look like:
I can't wait to talk to the cabinet maker!
When I remodeled my kitchen in Texas, I obsessed over the details before I ever called the contractor. I knew in my head exactly what color, style, and grain I wanted in my cabinets, where I wanted shelves as opposed to cabinets, and even designed a wine rack for that ackward space over the fridge.
So now, I've put in an offer on 5 acres of land in Minnesota, and I'm working with a builder. He's one of those guys that know that they have no design sense, so there's not a lot of judgement at my choices (other than "that's going to be expensive"). Turns out I can't afford a true Craftsman home, but I'm going to get as close as I can.
Did I mention that I'm about to buy 5 acres? Turns out not being able to have chickens on the 2 acres I looked at for a year was a good thing. Just down the road there's a 5-acre parcel that's zoned agricultural and is heavily wooded. They've even cleared a spot for a home and started a driveway. My contractor, after looking at it, called me all excited and told me that I must jump on it - it's a special piece of property. After negotiating a bit, the seller has verbally agreed to a price - whoo hoo!
I've gone to two banks for the construction loan. My problem is that my home in Texas is still on the market, and I can't come up with the 20% down payment until it sells. The first bank said to give it awhile, and if it doesn't sell, perhaps I could take out a home equity loan. I started adding up the monthly payments for a mortgage, 2nd mortgage, and construction loan in my head and mentally shouted "EEK"!
So I went to another bank, and told her my situation. She very calmly said that they could roll the remaining principle of my Texas home into the construction loan in addition to the property. Sounding too good to be true, I asked about the interest rate. Well, a construction loan has a higher interest rate (5%), but you only pay interest for the amount used, and at the end, it converts into a real mortgage at a much lower rate. My mortgage in Texas is 5.75%, so that's a good deal.
Then the kicker. "How much cash do I need to come up with to make this work?", I said.
She looked surprised, looked down at her figures, then looked back up at me. "Nothing", she said.
"But you don't know me, you haven't looked at my credit - how can you say that?"
"Well, you'd have to qualify, of course."
"My credit rating is 814, and I was told by your competition that I would qualify for xxx".
"You qualify".
You gotta love a small town bank!
So now I'm running around the region to pick out tile, flooring, cabinets, countertops, plumbing, etc. in order to give to the bank for the construction loan. I spent quality time at the tile and flooring place yesterday afternoon, where a designer was on hand to assist me.
I had told her on the phone that I would be easy - I knew exactly what I wanted. I could tell that she didn't really believe me, but once I started to explain my vision to her, she got very excited. At the end, she said that I could work there, and that I was the easiest client she'd ever had.
Here's an idea of what my bathroom is going to look like:
I can't wait to talk to the cabinet maker!
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Make a Left Turn Here
My roof still isn't done - it's gone to arbitration so we're waiting for a 3rd party appraiser to make an appointment with me. I've been waiting more than 2 weeks already, so I guess they'll stretch it out to their 30 day limit. I have decided upon a realtor to list my house when it's ready, so I guess I've made some progress.
That serendipity moment I had when the 2 acres of land came back on the market? Those dreams came to a screeching halt this morning. A friend of mine from Detroit Lakes posted on Facebook how disappointed he was that the city didn't allow backyard chickens. Okay, the land I'm looking at is outside city limits, so I'm okay, right?
I thought I should check anyway. Not finding anything on the Becker County website, I called the county offices. Nope, no chickens in Hidden Hills either. I have been dreaming about that little spot of land for almost 2 years, so you can imagine my disappointment!
I called my realtor in Minnesota and told her what I found out, and said that no chickens was a deal breaker. Just this morning she walked some land not on the market yet North of the city. I told her woods were important too, and she replied that there were a lot of pine trees surrounding the property. She's going to check to see if it's zoned agricultural - it's the same price, but less land.
I know the right place will happen, whether it's land to build my dream house, or a property that already has my dream house. The universe always gives me what I ask for, so I know that there's an even better place awaiting me. And chickens. There are definitely chickens.
That serendipity moment I had when the 2 acres of land came back on the market? Those dreams came to a screeching halt this morning. A friend of mine from Detroit Lakes posted on Facebook how disappointed he was that the city didn't allow backyard chickens. Okay, the land I'm looking at is outside city limits, so I'm okay, right?
I thought I should check anyway. Not finding anything on the Becker County website, I called the county offices. Nope, no chickens in Hidden Hills either. I have been dreaming about that little spot of land for almost 2 years, so you can imagine my disappointment!
I called my realtor in Minnesota and told her what I found out, and said that no chickens was a deal breaker. Just this morning she walked some land not on the market yet North of the city. I told her woods were important too, and she replied that there were a lot of pine trees surrounding the property. She's going to check to see if it's zoned agricultural - it's the same price, but less land.
I know the right place will happen, whether it's land to build my dream house, or a property that already has my dream house. The universe always gives me what I ask for, so I know that there's an even better place awaiting me. And chickens. There are definitely chickens.
Saturday, January 24, 2015
I Want to Keep Up with the Joneses!
I have been working with a roofing / siding company for MONTHS battling my insurance company to get the best deal possible on my claim. I got a check for the roof and gutters right away, but they're still wanting to simply patch the siding, which isn't good because the siding has been discontinued and the patch job will look horrible.
Yesterday morning I got all excited because a big truck parked right in front of my house and delivered shingles and roofing materials. To my neighbor. Who started the process way after I did.
I was feeling pissy and mad, especially this morning when workers showed up to start the work.
And then I thought of all the little coincidences I've had this winter. Needing a handyman and meeting one at Lowes. Needing to start the process of selling my house and having a real estate agent knock on my door. Wanting my siding cleaned and having a Gypsy show up and offer to do it cheap.
There are two things holding me back from putting the house on the market - the roof/siding, and the fence. The guy who said he would do my fence for me didn't call until yesterday; he's been sick but he's ready to go today.
Really, it all works out for the best, since I won't have a place to live until May 1 in Minnesota. My big brother has offered me his basement if I come earlier, but that just means moving again.
And...the 2 acre lot I looked at last summer? It's back on the market. It's calling to me.
Yesterday morning I got all excited because a big truck parked right in front of my house and delivered shingles and roofing materials. To my neighbor. Who started the process way after I did.
I was feeling pissy and mad, especially this morning when workers showed up to start the work.
And then I thought of all the little coincidences I've had this winter. Needing a handyman and meeting one at Lowes. Needing to start the process of selling my house and having a real estate agent knock on my door. Wanting my siding cleaned and having a Gypsy show up and offer to do it cheap.
There are two things holding me back from putting the house on the market - the roof/siding, and the fence. The guy who said he would do my fence for me didn't call until yesterday; he's been sick but he's ready to go today.
Really, it all works out for the best, since I won't have a place to live until May 1 in Minnesota. My big brother has offered me his basement if I come earlier, but that just means moving again.
And...the 2 acre lot I looked at last summer? It's back on the market. It's calling to me.
Monday, January 5, 2015
And Now For Something Completely Different.
Anyone get the Monty Python reference? Anyone?
Another Monty Python skit was about herding cats. If you've ever tried to get a group of people to all pay attention and follow you, you know how well that works.
And speaking of cats, my cat Grace used up another life last week. She had been doing remarkably well for a 17 year old cat in chronic kidney failure - eating well, active, shiny, alert, all that. In fact, at 2:00 a.m. on New Year's Eve, she sensed I was awake, and did her normal 'step on my face until I pet her' routine.
So around 7 when I woke up for real, I expected her to greet me the same way; happy to see me, butt in my face, pet me, feed me.
But she remained curled up at my side seemingly asleep, and although she was awake, she didn't seem to be able to raise her head. I got up, knowing something was horribly wrong, and started preparing myself for the worst.
After a couple of hours, I heard a noise, and realized she was out of bed using the litter box.
"That's a good sign", I thought, until I saw her. Her head was tilted funny, and she wasn't walking right. Before I could scoop her up, she went to her favorite hidey-hole behind the gas fireplace, under a built-in cabinet.
If you didn't already know it, cats tend to hide or go away to die. So I knew that Grace had done just that. So I tried to pull her out of the 6 inch hole, but she got away from me and went under the cabinet floor where there was no way to get her short of cutting out the cabinet bottom. Yep, that's my new Dremel saw, and the first project I got to use it on. Hope the new owners of my house don't open that cabinet!
I was able to reach in and get her, covered in saw dust by this point, and rushed her to my Vet's office, 9 minutes before they were to close for the holiday. Her blood tests showed that her kidney tests weren't that bad, but she definitely had something neurological going on. My choices were to take her to the 24 hour animal emergency hospital, or put her down.
Here's what my Vet said that made my mind up.
"Age is not a reason for not treating her". I had thought that at 17, she was old, and since twice before, a Vet gave me the option for putting her down, it was time.
I was 50/50 at this point - I didn't want her to suffer, thought she had a stroke and wouldn't recover, but didn't want to lose her either. The Vet warned me that the minimum I'd have to spend at the hospital was $2000, and could go to $4000 or $5000 easily.
I will gladly go into debt to save her life, thought I. So I drove down to the animal hospital where they were waiting for me. They took her from me immediately to take a look. Finally, the doctor came out and told me that they recommended that I hospitalize her for 48 hours, on IV fluids, antibiotics, etc. with no diagnosis or prognosis other than "animals tend to recover quickly, or die" from this type of thing.
I swear, the hardest thing I ever had to do was leave her there, even though they said I could come anytime, 24 hours a day to visit.
I called that night, and she was "stable", but no change. The next morning, I called to set up a visit and check on her, and the doc told me that Grace was doing super. She no longer had the head tilt, and if her kidney results were okay that afternoon, I could take her home a day early. The tears of fear and sadness from the day before turned into tears of joy at that.
She's been home 4 days now, and every day is better and better. She's pretty much back to normal as far as her alertness and behavior. She's not eating as much as she should, but she's doing better.
She has been milking the attention though. I ran out and bought her a new cat bed, and she's covered in a blanket I'm still crocheting. She now sleeps in the dead center of the bed, so I have to curl up around her, but I woke up this morning to a furry face pushing against mine, and a foot in my ear, so I guess I'll learn to deal with it.
Another Monty Python skit was about herding cats. If you've ever tried to get a group of people to all pay attention and follow you, you know how well that works.
And speaking of cats, my cat Grace used up another life last week. She had been doing remarkably well for a 17 year old cat in chronic kidney failure - eating well, active, shiny, alert, all that. In fact, at 2:00 a.m. on New Year's Eve, she sensed I was awake, and did her normal 'step on my face until I pet her' routine.
So around 7 when I woke up for real, I expected her to greet me the same way; happy to see me, butt in my face, pet me, feed me.
But she remained curled up at my side seemingly asleep, and although she was awake, she didn't seem to be able to raise her head. I got up, knowing something was horribly wrong, and started preparing myself for the worst.
After a couple of hours, I heard a noise, and realized she was out of bed using the litter box.
"That's a good sign", I thought, until I saw her. Her head was tilted funny, and she wasn't walking right. Before I could scoop her up, she went to her favorite hidey-hole behind the gas fireplace, under a built-in cabinet.
If you didn't already know it, cats tend to hide or go away to die. So I knew that Grace had done just that. So I tried to pull her out of the 6 inch hole, but she got away from me and went under the cabinet floor where there was no way to get her short of cutting out the cabinet bottom. Yep, that's my new Dremel saw, and the first project I got to use it on. Hope the new owners of my house don't open that cabinet!
I was able to reach in and get her, covered in saw dust by this point, and rushed her to my Vet's office, 9 minutes before they were to close for the holiday. Her blood tests showed that her kidney tests weren't that bad, but she definitely had something neurological going on. My choices were to take her to the 24 hour animal emergency hospital, or put her down.
Here's what my Vet said that made my mind up.
"Age is not a reason for not treating her". I had thought that at 17, she was old, and since twice before, a Vet gave me the option for putting her down, it was time.
I was 50/50 at this point - I didn't want her to suffer, thought she had a stroke and wouldn't recover, but didn't want to lose her either. The Vet warned me that the minimum I'd have to spend at the hospital was $2000, and could go to $4000 or $5000 easily.
I will gladly go into debt to save her life, thought I. So I drove down to the animal hospital where they were waiting for me. They took her from me immediately to take a look. Finally, the doctor came out and told me that they recommended that I hospitalize her for 48 hours, on IV fluids, antibiotics, etc. with no diagnosis or prognosis other than "animals tend to recover quickly, or die" from this type of thing.
I swear, the hardest thing I ever had to do was leave her there, even though they said I could come anytime, 24 hours a day to visit.
I called that night, and she was "stable", but no change. The next morning, I called to set up a visit and check on her, and the doc told me that Grace was doing super. She no longer had the head tilt, and if her kidney results were okay that afternoon, I could take her home a day early. The tears of fear and sadness from the day before turned into tears of joy at that.
She's been home 4 days now, and every day is better and better. She's pretty much back to normal as far as her alertness and behavior. She's not eating as much as she should, but she's doing better.
She has been milking the attention though. I ran out and bought her a new cat bed, and she's covered in a blanket I'm still crocheting. She now sleeps in the dead center of the bed, so I have to curl up around her, but I woke up this morning to a furry face pushing against mine, and a foot in my ear, so I guess I'll learn to deal with it.
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