The good weather is back. I don't need any more of yesterday's 40 degrees and raining. We didn't get a phone call from the loan guy or the realtor. I didn't expect one from the realtor, but I did expect one from the loan guy. After all, he's trying to sell us something.
The paper this morning had an article about some Obama program to give people rebates for buying new appliances. I bought the paper thinking that if the house sale went through we'd be able to take advantage of it. The screwy program is only for appliances purchased between 4/16/10 and 4/25/10. That's it, for 10 days only. That means that we won't be able to take advantage of it.
I left a message for our insurance guy. I thought it was funny when they didn't answer the phone. Then I realized that they must be swamped after yesterday's snow storm in Portland. The idiots up there have no idea of how to drive in the snow. They called a little later. It looks like we'll have to find an agent in Texas for anything we own that is in Texas.
With the temperature up again we took the dog over the the dog area. She did over 60 retrieves. Now she's sacked out on the couch.
We also got the camera that we ordered. It looks very cool. Right now the battery is being charged. Then we'll have to get a memory card for it and try it out.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Day 74
We spent most of the day with the realtor and the loan guy. We put an offer on a house in San Marcos. We weren't super aggressive with the price, so I hope they will accept it.
The talk with the loan officer was amusing. The whole process is geared to matching the loan amount with your income. Only we're retired - we don't have any income. So next they wanted to see fixed income streams. We don't have any. We're living on the money the government stole from us 10 years ago. Nice of them to give it back now, but I wish they'd paid us some interest. We're supposed to get a call tomorrow on what kind of documentation the lenders will want.
We stopped by a computer store to kill some time. One of the things that I miss about Oregon is Fry's. This store isn't anywhere near as nice as Fry's, but they have a decent selection and some good prices. We also made a short stop at a high end audio store. It's got nice stuff, but I'll probably end up buying in Oregon. Doing so represents an immediate 9% reduction in the cost.
The talk with the loan officer was amusing. The whole process is geared to matching the loan amount with your income. Only we're retired - we don't have any income. So next they wanted to see fixed income streams. We don't have any. We're living on the money the government stole from us 10 years ago. Nice of them to give it back now, but I wish they'd paid us some interest. We're supposed to get a call tomorrow on what kind of documentation the lenders will want.
We stopped by a computer store to kill some time. One of the things that I miss about Oregon is Fry's. This store isn't anywhere near as nice as Fry's, but they have a decent selection and some good prices. We also made a short stop at a high end audio store. It's got nice stuff, but I'll probably end up buying in Oregon. Doing so represents an immediate 9% reduction in the cost.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Day 73
We hung around the trailer all morning waiting for the loan guy and the realtor to call. We were supposed to meet with both of them today. We got the calls about noon. Both of them wanted to meet tomorrow.
That sort of shot the motivation to do anything today. Instead we decided to buy ourselves Christmas presents. We got quite a bit of money for Christmas in the form of Amazon gift cards. We were planning to buy a netbook for use in the car. However, after we did some looking we found that for about $50 more we can get a small (11") notebook. We decided to go that route. In the interests of instant gratification we sprang for two day shipping.
Wife realized that we have built up a lot of reward points on a couple of credit cards. That happens when you use them to make virtually every purchase. She ordered an iPod Nano with the points from one card. She's ordering a pocket camera with the other.
All in all I would call that a very good Christmas.
It only got up to the high 40's today so the dog had to settle for a walk around the RV park. Even at that temperarture it was nice to sit in the sun at the dog exercise pen. It's interesting how it can seem warmer around here than it does in Oregon even though the air temperature is the same. It must be the lower humidity.
That sort of shot the motivation to do anything today. Instead we decided to buy ourselves Christmas presents. We got quite a bit of money for Christmas in the form of Amazon gift cards. We were planning to buy a netbook for use in the car. However, after we did some looking we found that for about $50 more we can get a small (11") notebook. We decided to go that route. In the interests of instant gratification we sprang for two day shipping.
Wife realized that we have built up a lot of reward points on a couple of credit cards. That happens when you use them to make virtually every purchase. She ordered an iPod Nano with the points from one card. She's ordering a pocket camera with the other.
All in all I would call that a very good Christmas.
It only got up to the high 40's today so the dog had to settle for a walk around the RV park. Even at that temperarture it was nice to sit in the sun at the dog exercise pen. It's interesting how it can seem warmer around here than it does in Oregon even though the air temperature is the same. It must be the lower humidity.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Day 72
We started out with a nice relaxing morning reading the Sunday newspaper. By noon Lucy was making it clear that she'd like to do something more stimulating. Ellen wanted to look at net books so we piled into the truck and went to Best Buy. One of the problems is that the newest generation of net books comes with Windows 7 instead of XP. That sucks because Windows 7 burns batteries and won't play DVDs. She decided to spend some more time researching on the internet before making a decision.
Lucy got what she wanted. We went back over to the park and had another picnic. She got to walk around the park and then did 35 retrieves. The wind was blowing, so the retrieves were longer than the ones she did yesterday.
She won't be as lucky tomorrow. We have to spend the day working on buying the house.
Lucy got what she wanted. We went back over to the park and had another picnic. She got to walk around the park and then did 35 retrieves. The wind was blowing, so the retrieves were longer than the ones she did yesterday.
She won't be as lucky tomorrow. We have to spend the day working on buying the house.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Day 71
We got up early (7:30) this morning to help with the bi-monthly pancake feed. All the pancakes, coffee, and orange juice you want for $1.50. Sausage patties are 50 cents a piece. I took money and Ellen helped cook. We only had 20 people show up, about half of normal. That's probably because everyone forgot since it was the day after Christmas.
What do you do the day after Christmas? Go shopping of course. We went to several stores to pick up a few items that we've needed for awhile. When you live 20 miles (literally) from a store you tend to build up a list of things to buy until there's enough to justify a trip. We picked up some pet food and a 4 foot chain lead. We'll use the lead instead of the longer one that we have been using to tie Lucy when we're gone. Hopefully this will reduce the damage she inflicts.
We also bought a new comforter for the bed. The old one was a little small and one of the local department stores was having a 50% off after Christmas sale.
After the shopping we took the dog to the park. She's feeling chipper again and was driving us crazy. We took her around the park and let her hunt in one corner where there is a lot of cover. Then we had her do 50 retrieves. At the end we had a tired doggy.
We got our Christmas presents from my brother and sister in law today. Julia lived up to her nickname (Martha) by sending us a wonderful selection of home made goodies - fudge, cookies, caramel corn, and chocolate pretzels. They also gave us a couple of t-shirts from their recent trip to Disneyland. Ellen's has a great picture of Obama, big ears and all, on it. I wish he was a real cartoon rather than just acting like one.
What do you do the day after Christmas? Go shopping of course. We went to several stores to pick up a few items that we've needed for awhile. When you live 20 miles (literally) from a store you tend to build up a list of things to buy until there's enough to justify a trip. We picked up some pet food and a 4 foot chain lead. We'll use the lead instead of the longer one that we have been using to tie Lucy when we're gone. Hopefully this will reduce the damage she inflicts.
We also bought a new comforter for the bed. The old one was a little small and one of the local department stores was having a 50% off after Christmas sale.
After the shopping we took the dog to the park. She's feeling chipper again and was driving us crazy. We took her around the park and let her hunt in one corner where there is a lot of cover. Then we had her do 50 retrieves. At the end we had a tired doggy.
We got our Christmas presents from my brother and sister in law today. Julia lived up to her nickname (Martha) by sending us a wonderful selection of home made goodies - fudge, cookies, caramel corn, and chocolate pretzels. They also gave us a couple of t-shirts from their recent trip to Disneyland. Ellen's has a great picture of Obama, big ears and all, on it. I wish he was a real cartoon rather than just acting like one.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Day 70
Christmas in San Antonio was a lot colder than it was last year. It was 15 - 20 degrees colder. We slept in and then spent the morning reading the newspaper. There was actually something on sale that we could use. We'll probably go out bargain hunting tomorrow.
Ellen fixed a couple of items for the Christmas potluck. She'd bought some pasta yesterday for one dish. When she was boiling it, she noticed a whole lot of bugs swimming around in the water. Needless to say she threw that out and started over again. The potluck itself was great. About 20 people who were all a long way from home. There were some good cooks in attendance - the food was excellent.
The realtor sent us an email saying that the people that are selling the house we are interested in are getting a divorce. They aren't interested in "doing anything" until after 1/15 when the divorce is final. I'm not sure what that means. During the "call home for the holidays" phone call today my brother thought that this might be a good thing as it will make them more anxious to sell. I guess we'll work it out on Monday.
The dog is feeling better, but we had to get up twice last night to let her out. She decided to be bad again while we were at the dinner. She tore apart an insulated carrier that we use to hold lunch when we picnic. Another thing we'll have to shop for.
Ellen fixed a couple of items for the Christmas potluck. She'd bought some pasta yesterday for one dish. When she was boiling it, she noticed a whole lot of bugs swimming around in the water. Needless to say she threw that out and started over again. The potluck itself was great. About 20 people who were all a long way from home. There were some good cooks in attendance - the food was excellent.
The realtor sent us an email saying that the people that are selling the house we are interested in are getting a divorce. They aren't interested in "doing anything" until after 1/15 when the divorce is final. I'm not sure what that means. During the "call home for the holidays" phone call today my brother thought that this might be a good thing as it will make them more anxious to sell. I guess we'll work it out on Monday.
The dog is feeling better, but we had to get up twice last night to let her out. She decided to be bad again while we were at the dinner. She tore apart an insulated carrier that we use to hold lunch when we picnic. Another thing we'll have to shop for.
Day 69
It was in the 40's and very windy today. Apparently a big thunderstorm went through San Antonio (20 miles to the south). That's our signal to stay home.
Another reason to stay home is that the dog was sick. Yesterday she broke into a bag of dog treats while we were at the bank and ate her fill. We already have noticed that some kinds of dog treats give her the runs. This was a new kind of treat, but it had the same effect on her. We spent a lot of time making trips outside so that she could do her thing.
I spent the inside time looking at you tube videos from Iraq and Afghanistan. There were a lot of neat clips from gun cameras showing the efficacy of the US aerial weapons systems. I was disappointed to see how much money it takes to kill those jerks. In one case they used a $75,000 missile to kill two ragheads. That doesn't seem cost effective to me.
Watching some of the videos made by the ground troops really brings home how stressful and dangerous it is to be on the ground in combat. I've got an alternative. The US is in negotiations with Russia to further reduce the number of nuclear weapons in our arsenal. Why don't we pull back to minimum safe distance and use those extra nuclear weapons to permanently solve our problems in both countries? With a few more we could take care of Iran, Syria, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, and Israel at the same time.
We did get a call from a loan officer referred to us by the realtor. He told us to go on line and apply for a loan. So we did. Of course the form was tailored to people with jobs so it didn't fit us well. I'm sure we'll have to talk to him at length in person before we would get a loan. The best thing in our favor is a truism that my dad always repeated: "banks love to lend money to people who don't need it".
Another reason to stay home is that the dog was sick. Yesterday she broke into a bag of dog treats while we were at the bank and ate her fill. We already have noticed that some kinds of dog treats give her the runs. This was a new kind of treat, but it had the same effect on her. We spent a lot of time making trips outside so that she could do her thing.
I spent the inside time looking at you tube videos from Iraq and Afghanistan. There were a lot of neat clips from gun cameras showing the efficacy of the US aerial weapons systems. I was disappointed to see how much money it takes to kill those jerks. In one case they used a $75,000 missile to kill two ragheads. That doesn't seem cost effective to me.
Watching some of the videos made by the ground troops really brings home how stressful and dangerous it is to be on the ground in combat. I've got an alternative. The US is in negotiations with Russia to further reduce the number of nuclear weapons in our arsenal. Why don't we pull back to minimum safe distance and use those extra nuclear weapons to permanently solve our problems in both countries? With a few more we could take care of Iran, Syria, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, and Israel at the same time.
We did get a call from a loan officer referred to us by the realtor. He told us to go on line and apply for a loan. So we did. Of course the form was tailored to people with jobs so it didn't fit us well. I'm sure we'll have to talk to him at length in person before we would get a loan. The best thing in our favor is a truism that my dad always repeated: "banks love to lend money to people who don't need it".
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Day 68
I got a haircut this morning. It's the first time in over 30 years that anyone other than my hair stylist in Tigard has cut my hair. It's a little shorter than I would have liked, but no big deal. The difference between a bad haircut and a good one is two weeks. They made a big production out of it including a hot towel for my face and a neck/shoulder massage.
After I got my hair under control we went to a bank to apply for a loan. I even put on a polo shirt (instead of a t-shirt) for the occasion. I've probably worn a collared shirt less than 10 times this entire year.
The bank we chose was a small local bank. I figured we get much more personalized service and they would be familiar with the area. I was right. The loan officer was very helpful. She said there won't be any problem with the loan even though we're retired (unemployed). It helps that we have gold plated credit ratings and are only borrowing about 30% of the house price. The money is going to cost a little more than I thought. It seems that you need to borrow at least $100,000 to get the best rates. We may do that.
I was impressed with the number of papers we had to sign. There were at least a dozen. There were disclosures, permissions, and notifications. And this is just to apply. There will be more to get the loan and even more when we close the house.
The dog was beginning to smell doggy, so we ran her and then gave her a Christmas bath. She got a t-bone for a treat. She ate the whole thing.
We need to get together with the realtor to write the offer. I'll probably send her an e-mail after bingo tonight.
After I got my hair under control we went to a bank to apply for a loan. I even put on a polo shirt (instead of a t-shirt) for the occasion. I've probably worn a collared shirt less than 10 times this entire year.
The bank we chose was a small local bank. I figured we get much more personalized service and they would be familiar with the area. I was right. The loan officer was very helpful. She said there won't be any problem with the loan even though we're retired (unemployed). It helps that we have gold plated credit ratings and are only borrowing about 30% of the house price. The money is going to cost a little more than I thought. It seems that you need to borrow at least $100,000 to get the best rates. We may do that.
I was impressed with the number of papers we had to sign. There were at least a dozen. There were disclosures, permissions, and notifications. And this is just to apply. There will be more to get the loan and even more when we close the house.
The dog was beginning to smell doggy, so we ran her and then gave her a Christmas bath. She got a t-bone for a treat. She ate the whole thing.
We need to get together with the realtor to write the offer. I'll probably send her an e-mail after bingo tonight.
Day 67
We went out with the realtor today to take a second look at the three finalists in our house search. The first house scored high for its great lot and fairly reasonable price. It lost points for a kitchen that needs tile and counter work and a family room that is marginal (that's being kind). The guest rooms are all upstairs.
The second house was the smallest, but very well laid out. It also has a separate 700 Sq Ft guest quarters above the garage and comes with a few nice pieces of furniture. It loses points because it needs painting outside, has only 2 acres of land, and is noisy due to its proximity to a busy ranch road. Finally, it's significantly overpriced.
The third house is closest (by 5 miles) to town and has a partially fenced yard. It's also got a nice master suite and a three car garage with office and workshop. It loses points because the house is positioned close to the neighbor and the floors are a disaster. The family room is a little funky also. It is priced $75,000 to $100,000 less than the other two houses.
We're going to make an offer on the third house. I've got an appointment tomorrow to see about a loan.
The second house was the smallest, but very well laid out. It also has a separate 700 Sq Ft guest quarters above the garage and comes with a few nice pieces of furniture. It loses points because it needs painting outside, has only 2 acres of land, and is noisy due to its proximity to a busy ranch road. Finally, it's significantly overpriced.
The third house is closest (by 5 miles) to town and has a partially fenced yard. It's also got a nice master suite and a three car garage with office and workshop. It loses points because the house is positioned close to the neighbor and the floors are a disaster. The family room is a little funky also. It is priced $75,000 to $100,000 less than the other two houses.
We're going to make an offer on the third house. I've got an appointment tomorrow to see about a loan.
Day 66
It's finally getting back into the 60's on a regular basis. I took the opportunity to clean the truck. After three months on the road it was pretty dirty inside and out. I decided to be extra thorough so it took several hours. Washed all the glass inside and out, shampooed the carpet, wiped off all of the interior surfaces.
Because the RV park doesn't allow the washing of vehicles (few do), we went to a self service car wash to clean the outside. I operated the sprayer while Ellen kept plugging money into the timer. It took about $4.50 to do the truck. The outside was coated in this sticky soil that splashed on the sides while we were driving around on dirt roads in the rain looking for houses. The sprayer was a pretty powerful power washer. I had to put the tip 2 inches from the frame to clean off parts of it.
Then it was back home to hand wax the truck. That's an operation in itself due to the size of the vehicle. It's now clean, waxed, and ready for the trip to Las Vegas next month.
The whole operation took most of the day. When I was finished I decided that I'd had my daily requirement of useful activity. Tomorrow we go out with the realtor to decide which house we are going to make an offer on.
Because the RV park doesn't allow the washing of vehicles (few do), we went to a self service car wash to clean the outside. I operated the sprayer while Ellen kept plugging money into the timer. It took about $4.50 to do the truck. The outside was coated in this sticky soil that splashed on the sides while we were driving around on dirt roads in the rain looking for houses. The sprayer was a pretty powerful power washer. I had to put the tip 2 inches from the frame to clean off parts of it.
Then it was back home to hand wax the truck. That's an operation in itself due to the size of the vehicle. It's now clean, waxed, and ready for the trip to Las Vegas next month.
The whole operation took most of the day. When I was finished I decided that I'd had my daily requirement of useful activity. Tomorrow we go out with the realtor to decide which house we are going to make an offer on.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Day 65
We drove up to Fredericksburg today. It's about a 140 mile round trip. The first thing we did when we got there was attend a gun show at the fairgrounds. It was a nice little gun show with a pretty good selection. Prices were OK on some tables and a little high in some others. I didn't see anything that I had to have. One table had a 20 ga Benelli on it. Unfortunately the guy that had the table didn't seem to be around. Ellen saw a really nice match model Colt Woodsman. It was made in 1953, the same year I was born. It had a price of $1,800 on it. It may be worth that much, but I'm not willing to spend almost 2 grand on a .22 pistol.
After the show we went to another part of the fair grounds and threw the bumper for the dog. She did a whole lot of retrieves, I didn't count how many. We threw for quite awhile. At one time we had two separate groups of people watching us. People appreciate good dogs in Texas.
We then went to a venue about 8 miles to the east of Fredericksburg. It was sort of a semi-permanent flea market thing. There were about half a dozen long barn like structures. Each held about a dozen vendors selling antiques, handmade items, furniture, gifts, clothing, etc. Interspersed with these barns were fair type booths selling food and other trinkets. We bought some nice steak knives and a pizza cutter for the trailer. Some of the antique furniture was quite nice and affordable. If we had a house I'd own an antique writing desk fight now. The place was dog friendly. We took Lucy with us. She got the usual ration of petting and we answered "what kind of dog is that" several times.
We stopped for a late lunch at a Dairy Queen and then started back. The route takes us over to I10, down I10 to Boerne, and then over to Bulverde. They were having another open market thing at Boerne. We stopped and went through that one with the dog also. More petting and the same question. We scored our first Christmas present for next year. I won't describe it because the recipient might read this blog.
The dog was still quite feisty so we stopped at the fairgrounds in Boerne on our way out of town. She did another 25 or more retrieves before she ran down. It was worth it though. We have a pretty tired doggy tonight.
After the show we went to another part of the fair grounds and threw the bumper for the dog. She did a whole lot of retrieves, I didn't count how many. We threw for quite awhile. At one time we had two separate groups of people watching us. People appreciate good dogs in Texas.
We then went to a venue about 8 miles to the east of Fredericksburg. It was sort of a semi-permanent flea market thing. There were about half a dozen long barn like structures. Each held about a dozen vendors selling antiques, handmade items, furniture, gifts, clothing, etc. Interspersed with these barns were fair type booths selling food and other trinkets. We bought some nice steak knives and a pizza cutter for the trailer. Some of the antique furniture was quite nice and affordable. If we had a house I'd own an antique writing desk fight now. The place was dog friendly. We took Lucy with us. She got the usual ration of petting and we answered "what kind of dog is that" several times.
We stopped for a late lunch at a Dairy Queen and then started back. The route takes us over to I10, down I10 to Boerne, and then over to Bulverde. They were having another open market thing at Boerne. We stopped and went through that one with the dog also. More petting and the same question. We scored our first Christmas present for next year. I won't describe it because the recipient might read this blog.
The dog was still quite feisty so we stopped at the fairgrounds in Boerne on our way out of town. She did another 25 or more retrieves before she ran down. It was worth it though. We have a pretty tired doggy tonight.
Day 64
Joy oh Joy. Two nice days in a row. We decided to hang around the RV park today to help set up for the Christmas party. It was good that we did. We were the only people that showed up to help. We set up tables and chairs, put out table clothes, and did some other setup stuff. Then we helped set up the dishes, primarily desserts.
After the setup we took the dog to the nature area at the back of the park. This is one of the usual places we take her to run her. She's been cooped up so much that any running is great from her point of view. We had her do a much of retrieves. That seemed to take the edge off.
The food at the dinner was really good this year. The park supplied turkey and ham. The residents supplied everything else. There was a wide variety of dishes. Two types of stuffing, three types of fruit salads, corn, beans, mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, and potato salad to name a few. Of course there were pies, cakes, cookies, candies and brownies for dessert. There was even an edible gingerbread house and something called "death by chocolate".
As usual, there was way too much food. We had 5 pies leftover after every had eaten their fill. We stayed to do the cleanup. At least there were more people, 6 or 8, to help. There was an advantage to that. We ended up taking home some potato salad and a pumpkin pie.
Apparently there's another invitation only potluck on Christmas day. We got invited, so this year we'll have two big Christmas dinners.
After the setup we took the dog to the nature area at the back of the park. This is one of the usual places we take her to run her. She's been cooped up so much that any running is great from her point of view. We had her do a much of retrieves. That seemed to take the edge off.
The food at the dinner was really good this year. The park supplied turkey and ham. The residents supplied everything else. There was a wide variety of dishes. Two types of stuffing, three types of fruit salads, corn, beans, mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, and potato salad to name a few. Of course there were pies, cakes, cookies, candies and brownies for dessert. There was even an edible gingerbread house and something called "death by chocolate".
As usual, there was way too much food. We had 5 pies leftover after every had eaten their fill. We stayed to do the cleanup. At least there were more people, 6 or 8, to help. There was an advantage to that. We ended up taking home some potato salad and a pumpkin pie.
Apparently there's another invitation only potluck on Christmas day. We got invited, so this year we'll have two big Christmas dinners.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Day 63
It's sunny and warm (60 degrees) again. We got a large box of mail today. We took it and the dog to the park. The dog got to run around the park and do retrieves until she was too tired to run after the bumper. We got to eat a picnic lunch and go through the last four weeks worth of mail.
Most of the junk mail is filtered out by the person who forwards it. We still had about 10 magazines, several catalogs, and 50 or so letters/bills/credit card offers/etc. to go through. Sitting under the trees in the sunshine made the task a little more pleasant.
Fredericksburg has two interesting events going on this weekend. One is a gun show and the other is a large (350 vendors) antique and crafts show. The Christmas party is tomorrow. They need people to help set up. We'll stay in town and help with that. Fredericksburg can wait until Sunday.
Most of the junk mail is filtered out by the person who forwards it. We still had about 10 magazines, several catalogs, and 50 or so letters/bills/credit card offers/etc. to go through. Sitting under the trees in the sunshine made the task a little more pleasant.
Fredericksburg has two interesting events going on this weekend. One is a gun show and the other is a large (350 vendors) antique and crafts show. The Christmas party is tomorrow. They need people to help set up. We'll stay in town and help with that. Fredericksburg can wait until Sunday.
Day 62
We went out with the realtor today. There was a little mix up in communication. Ellen thought that we weren't going because we couldn't get permission to look at one of the houses. That turned out not to be true. So the realtor ended up waiting for us for half an hour before she called us up and asked "where are you?".
We saw 3 properties. One was a relatively old house on 7 acres. It was set up as a horse operation with a large barn. The house was small, but the garage had a large carpeted, heated, and air conditioned work room. The weird thing about the place is that none of the buildings had ever been painted. The neighbors next door raise emus. We decided to pass mainly because we don't need a horse property.
The next house was one that we really wanted to see. It was an older house on 10 acres. The land was great and the house so-so. What made it a non-starter was the road noise from a fairly busy county road that fronts the property.
The last house was a winner. It is a log house on 2 acres with a great separate apartment over the garage. The apartment and some of the house is furnished. The lot was small but the house is well positioned on it. There's an option to purchase the adjacent 2 acre lot. It even had an covered area for parking a trailer. The bad news is that it's so near a busy road that there's a fair amount of road noise. Also it's overpriced - 10 to 15 percent over appraised value.
While we were driving we talked on the phone to a realtor about a fourth property. It turns out to be on a flood plane. Flood insurance is $100/mo. We didn't think it was worth the extra cost.
According to the MLS we've now seen everything of interest in our price range in that area. It's time to make a decision. I think that we'll end up going back there one more time to look at the two front runners. Then we'll probably make an offer. Setting a price will be interesting. One of the properties is priced below appraisal. The other is priced above it. If we could get the second one for appraised price I think we'd have gotten a pretty good deal.
We saw 3 properties. One was a relatively old house on 7 acres. It was set up as a horse operation with a large barn. The house was small, but the garage had a large carpeted, heated, and air conditioned work room. The weird thing about the place is that none of the buildings had ever been painted. The neighbors next door raise emus. We decided to pass mainly because we don't need a horse property.
The next house was one that we really wanted to see. It was an older house on 10 acres. The land was great and the house so-so. What made it a non-starter was the road noise from a fairly busy county road that fronts the property.
The last house was a winner. It is a log house on 2 acres with a great separate apartment over the garage. The apartment and some of the house is furnished. The lot was small but the house is well positioned on it. There's an option to purchase the adjacent 2 acre lot. It even had an covered area for parking a trailer. The bad news is that it's so near a busy road that there's a fair amount of road noise. Also it's overpriced - 10 to 15 percent over appraised value.
While we were driving we talked on the phone to a realtor about a fourth property. It turns out to be on a flood plane. Flood insurance is $100/mo. We didn't think it was worth the extra cost.
According to the MLS we've now seen everything of interest in our price range in that area. It's time to make a decision. I think that we'll end up going back there one more time to look at the two front runners. Then we'll probably make an offer. Setting a price will be interesting. One of the properties is priced below appraisal. The other is priced above it. If we could get the second one for appraised price I think we'd have gotten a pretty good deal.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Day 61
The realtor couldn't meet with us today so we spent about half the day looking for houses online. We fond three others that we want to check out. The exercise also showed that we've looked at about everything available in our desired price range in that area.
I called a realtor to ask about one of the houses we saw online. The guy didn't call me back. That's not the way to stay in business in this market. We'll be going out with the realtor tomorrow to see the other houses. Then it's probably decision time.
It's too cold (40's) to do anything. We went out briefly to mail the last of the Christmas presents and to get some lunch. We went to a pizza place near here that I've been meaning to go to since last year. It was OK. Nothing spectacular.
We played bingo again tonight. Ellen won once. I didn't even come close.
I called a realtor to ask about one of the houses we saw online. The guy didn't call me back. That's not the way to stay in business in this market. We'll be going out with the realtor tomorrow to see the other houses. Then it's probably decision time.
It's too cold (40's) to do anything. We went out briefly to mail the last of the Christmas presents and to get some lunch. We went to a pizza place near here that I've been meaning to go to since last year. It was OK. Nothing spectacular.
We played bingo again tonight. Ellen won once. I didn't even come close.
Day 60
Another day with the realtor. We drove 150 miles and saw three houses. One was very close to San Marcos. Wife liked the house. I wasn't as thrilled, but the garage/workshop is nice and the 4 acres of land is nice. We may end up making an offer on it.
One of the other places was on 12 acres. It's just been totally remodeled. It has a great guest house. The bad parts are that it's a horse farm. That means that the acreage has been cleared and eaten down to nothing. Also, it's on the north end of Wimberly which makes it a lot more inconvenient to get to the gun club. The show stopper though is probably the master bath. It's shared with the main floor.
The third house had an upstairs master, so we wrote it off right away. However, on the way back from it we saw another house that looked very interesting from the outside. We couldn't get in to see it though. We'll probably go back to it later this week.
We'll have to do some homework and see if we can find any more houses that we would like to look at in the area. It would be a pity to drive back up there just to look at one house.
One of the other places was on 12 acres. It's just been totally remodeled. It has a great guest house. The bad parts are that it's a horse farm. That means that the acreage has been cleared and eaten down to nothing. Also, it's on the north end of Wimberly which makes it a lot more inconvenient to get to the gun club. The show stopper though is probably the master bath. It's shared with the main floor.
The third house had an upstairs master, so we wrote it off right away. However, on the way back from it we saw another house that looked very interesting from the outside. We couldn't get in to see it though. We'll probably go back to it later this week.
We'll have to do some homework and see if we can find any more houses that we would like to look at in the area. It would be a pity to drive back up there just to look at one house.
Day 59
The good weather only lasted one day. Today is foggy, but not cold - the mid sixties. It's weird to look outside at conditions that should be cold and miserable. Instead you step outside and wearing a t-shirt is comfortable.
The realtor wasn't available today, so we decided to spend the day driving around. We had some Christmas packages to mail and the wife wanted to get the Christmas letter for the Christmas cards printed out. It's quite elaborate. One side is a collection of pictures from the year with short captions. The other is the typical "this is what happened to use" newsletter.
We ended up stopping at some stores along the way. One was a yuppy toy store. Unfortunately it didn't stock many toys in the age range of our nieces. Most of the toys were for slightly older kids. Lots of "building" toys. There were Lincoln logs, Legos, circuit building kits, train sets, etc. The prices were eye opening. Usually about $30-$50 for a starter kit and about the same for all of the additional kits that you need if you really want to build something interesting.
We also stopped at a clothing store called "Texas Woman". It contained a lot of the kind of wild clothes that you associate with southern women. Lots of fur, animal prints, sequins, etc. Wife didn't see anything she liked.
We ended up at Bass Pro shops. I went there to get a bumper to replace one that Lucy destroyed. Unfortunately they didn't have the type I wanted. We did by a specialized 20 gauge bore brush and some crappie bait.
It was nice to get out of the park and do something other than look at houses. Tomorrow we're back with the realtor.
The realtor wasn't available today, so we decided to spend the day driving around. We had some Christmas packages to mail and the wife wanted to get the Christmas letter for the Christmas cards printed out. It's quite elaborate. One side is a collection of pictures from the year with short captions. The other is the typical "this is what happened to use" newsletter.
We ended up stopping at some stores along the way. One was a yuppy toy store. Unfortunately it didn't stock many toys in the age range of our nieces. Most of the toys were for slightly older kids. Lots of "building" toys. There were Lincoln logs, Legos, circuit building kits, train sets, etc. The prices were eye opening. Usually about $30-$50 for a starter kit and about the same for all of the additional kits that you need if you really want to build something interesting.
We also stopped at a clothing store called "Texas Woman". It contained a lot of the kind of wild clothes that you associate with southern women. Lots of fur, animal prints, sequins, etc. Wife didn't see anything she liked.
We ended up at Bass Pro shops. I went there to get a bumper to replace one that Lucy destroyed. Unfortunately they didn't have the type I wanted. We did by a specialized 20 gauge bore brush and some crappie bait.
It was nice to get out of the park and do something other than look at houses. Tomorrow we're back with the realtor.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Day 58
Warm days are here again. It was sunny with a high of 73 today.
We took advantage of the warm weather to go to a park about 10 miles from the RV park. It's a county park that's about a 1/2 mile square. The park has a baseball diamond, a soccer field, and an elaborate children's play area. It has swing sets, slides, even a climbing wall.
Lots of other people were making use of the nice day. They ranged from a single family having a picnic to a group of about 15 cub scouts and another group of about 30 boy scouts. The cub scouts had activities and spent some time picking up garbage in the park. The boy scouts played a series of team games - football, soccer, and dodgeball.
We started by giving the dog a pedicure with a Dremel tool. She needed it badly. We'll have to do it again in about a week. Then we took the dog for an off leash walk around the park's perimeter. She loves this. It gives her a chance to run hunting patterns looking for birds. There aren't any, but she does find mice, squirrels, rabbits, and deer. Today she only found squirrels.
After the circuit we had a picnic lunch and read the Sunday paper. Eventually the dog got antsy so we did another circuit. She was pretty subdued after the second circuit. On the second circuit we came upon some people walking four mop dogs (these are small furry dogs that would make great mops if you stuck a handle up their ass). Lucy was about 50 yds ahead, between us and the other couple. She saw the other dogs and started going towards them. I blew the whistle and she came right back to us. When we got up to the couple the wife mentioned how surprised she was that Lucy came to us. People just don't bother to train their dogs.
When we got back we did some more reading. As we were reading a squirrel showed up in a tree about 20 yds from our table. I let Lucy off lead and she chased it up a tree. She ran around the tree for a while and then came back. This happened twice.
We ended the park adventure with a series of retrieves. I didn't count, but there must have been at least 15 to 20. We left with a very tired doggy.
When we got home we gave the dog a much needed bath. She's now much softer and better smelling.
Tonight we have a very tired doggy. She's been sleeping on the couch since dinner.
We took advantage of the warm weather to go to a park about 10 miles from the RV park. It's a county park that's about a 1/2 mile square. The park has a baseball diamond, a soccer field, and an elaborate children's play area. It has swing sets, slides, even a climbing wall.
Lots of other people were making use of the nice day. They ranged from a single family having a picnic to a group of about 15 cub scouts and another group of about 30 boy scouts. The cub scouts had activities and spent some time picking up garbage in the park. The boy scouts played a series of team games - football, soccer, and dodgeball.
We started by giving the dog a pedicure with a Dremel tool. She needed it badly. We'll have to do it again in about a week. Then we took the dog for an off leash walk around the park's perimeter. She loves this. It gives her a chance to run hunting patterns looking for birds. There aren't any, but she does find mice, squirrels, rabbits, and deer. Today she only found squirrels.
After the circuit we had a picnic lunch and read the Sunday paper. Eventually the dog got antsy so we did another circuit. She was pretty subdued after the second circuit. On the second circuit we came upon some people walking four mop dogs (these are small furry dogs that would make great mops if you stuck a handle up their ass). Lucy was about 50 yds ahead, between us and the other couple. She saw the other dogs and started going towards them. I blew the whistle and she came right back to us. When we got up to the couple the wife mentioned how surprised she was that Lucy came to us. People just don't bother to train their dogs.
When we got back we did some more reading. As we were reading a squirrel showed up in a tree about 20 yds from our table. I let Lucy off lead and she chased it up a tree. She ran around the tree for a while and then came back. This happened twice.
We ended the park adventure with a series of retrieves. I didn't count, but there must have been at least 15 to 20. We left with a very tired doggy.
When we got home we gave the dog a much needed bath. She's now much softer and better smelling.
Tonight we have a very tired doggy. She's been sleeping on the couch since dinner.
Day 57
Another cold day. I'm getting really tired of this. I'm also developing cabin fever. Not as bad as the dog though.
More sitting in the trailer reading and surfing. It's supposed to warm up tomorrow. I hope it does. The dog needs an exercise day, a pedicure, and a bath. These are all outdoor activities best done when the temp is at least in the 60's.
One of my friends in OR wanted me to look into the best FRS/GMRS radios to buy. The wife and I started an internet search to answer the question. We found out a couple of interesting things. First is that the first 14 of the 22 channels in a FRS/GMRS radio are FRS and don't require a license. The remaining channels (15 - 22) are GMRS and do require a license. The FRS channels are transmitted at a considerably lower power than the GMRS channels. Second we found out that the subcodes are implemented by adding a low amplitude signal that is an identifier to a specific subchannel. A receiver only listens to transmissions on that channel if they have the appropriate identifier. A subcode of 0 (no subcode) means that the receiver listens to all transmissions on the channel. Because the subcode is low amplitude, using one effectively reduces the receiver sensitivity.
This information is very useful to us. At tournaments we usually use channel 1, subcode 1. We'll substantially increase the range of the radios we already have simply by using one of the channels above 14 and no subcode.
For the record, the best radio we found was by Midland (GVT1000VP). It's $50/pair at Amazon.
More sitting in the trailer reading and surfing. It's supposed to warm up tomorrow. I hope it does. The dog needs an exercise day, a pedicure, and a bath. These are all outdoor activities best done when the temp is at least in the 60's.
One of my friends in OR wanted me to look into the best FRS/GMRS radios to buy. The wife and I started an internet search to answer the question. We found out a couple of interesting things. First is that the first 14 of the 22 channels in a FRS/GMRS radio are FRS and don't require a license. The remaining channels (15 - 22) are GMRS and do require a license. The FRS channels are transmitted at a considerably lower power than the GMRS channels. Second we found out that the subcodes are implemented by adding a low amplitude signal that is an identifier to a specific subchannel. A receiver only listens to transmissions on that channel if they have the appropriate identifier. A subcode of 0 (no subcode) means that the receiver listens to all transmissions on the channel. Because the subcode is low amplitude, using one effectively reduces the receiver sensitivity.
This information is very useful to us. At tournaments we usually use channel 1, subcode 1. We'll substantially increase the range of the radios we already have simply by using one of the channels above 14 and no subcode.
For the record, the best radio we found was by Midland (GVT1000VP). It's $50/pair at Amazon.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Day 56
Didn't do anything today. It was cold (low 40's) and it rained in the afternoon and evening. A perfect day to sit inside and read the paper, the web, and a book.
Of course the dog didn't agree. She spent a lot of effort trying to convince us that it wasn't so cold that we couldn't go outside and play.
I did accomplish one thing. I'd bought a few second hand CD's of ambient music. I ripped them and put them on the MP3 player we use in the bedroom. It has a timer on it, so we use it to play music as we are going to sleep. This music is so boring that I almost went to sleep while I was listening to the tracks to setup the playlist.
Of course the dog didn't agree. She spent a lot of effort trying to convince us that it wasn't so cold that we couldn't go outside and play.
I did accomplish one thing. I'd bought a few second hand CD's of ambient music. I ripped them and put them on the MP3 player we use in the bedroom. It has a timer on it, so we use it to play music as we are going to sleep. This music is so boring that I almost went to sleep while I was listening to the tracks to setup the playlist.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Day 55
Another day with the realtor. We went to see one of the houses that we drove by yesterday. It looks like a fairly nice house. The price is nice too. The only things it needs done to it is replacement of the kitchen countertops, exterior paint, and some tree trimming and gutter cleaning. There was a roof leak over the laundry room (the ceiling is stained). We'd have to find out about that. I'd have to have a place built to park the trailer. I'm having the realtor look into whether or not parking a trailer is allowed.
We went by three other places. Two were right out. One was just too old and small. The other was a nice place on 5 acres with two ponds. Unfortunately the master was downstairs. The third house wasn't available until late in the afternoon. We drove by it and decided that there was no way to get the trailer onto the property so we didn't wait to go through it.
There's two more places that I really wanted to look at. Unfortunately, we couldn't contact the realtor that had the listing.
So we have at least three strong possibilities. None are perfect, they all represent tradeoffs. I think that we're narrowing in on a decision.
We went by three other places. Two were right out. One was just too old and small. The other was a nice place on 5 acres with two ponds. Unfortunately the master was downstairs. The third house wasn't available until late in the afternoon. We drove by it and decided that there was no way to get the trailer onto the property so we didn't wait to go through it.
There's two more places that I really wanted to look at. Unfortunately, we couldn't contact the realtor that had the listing.
So we have at least three strong possibilities. None are perfect, they all represent tradeoffs. I think that we're narrowing in on a decision.
Day 54
The realtor couldn't meet with us today. She had to deal with some other issues. She has two houses where the appraisal came in at lower than the selling price. In one case the appraisal came in at $110,000 on a house that was to sell for $120,000. That's quite a discrepancy.
Since we were on our own, we decided to go back over to Wimberly and look at a couple of places that the realtor had suggested yesterday. We also went back and looked at the house with the nice lot and the marginal house. We looked at the lot in detail. It is indeed very nice. The problem is that it would take a fairly major remodeling effort (extend an exterior wall) to make the house the way we would like it.
Two of the new houses that we looked at are possibilities. One is new construction that's almost done on a 1 acre lot. The lot is small, but the house is really nice. You can't really tell though until it's completely finished. We could only drive by the other house. It looks good from the outside, but we'll have to tour it.
Looking at these houses didn't take all day, so we went over to the outlet malls in San Marcos. There are two sets. One is upscale (Gucci, Coach, etc.). The other is more run of the mill (Black and Decker, Kays, Rockport, etc.). They are both huge, at least 50 stores each. We walked all the way around both of them. We scored another Christmas present. I think we're finished except for a watch for little brother. I'll probably order that online tomorrow.
There weren't a lot of people at the malls, but those that were there seemed to be buying stuff. There weren't the large markdowns that we saw last year.
We spent so much time at the malls that we had to stop at a drive in for dinner and hurry home in order to make it in time for Bingo. One has to have priorities. We didn't win anything, but it was still fun.
After Bingo I had to stand outside in the cold for half an hour while I refilled the fresh water tank and drained the gray water tank. I figured it was better to stand out in the cold tonight than have to wake up earlier than normal in the morning to stand out in the cold and do it.
Tomorrow we'll go out with the realtor again.
Since we were on our own, we decided to go back over to Wimberly and look at a couple of places that the realtor had suggested yesterday. We also went back and looked at the house with the nice lot and the marginal house. We looked at the lot in detail. It is indeed very nice. The problem is that it would take a fairly major remodeling effort (extend an exterior wall) to make the house the way we would like it.
Two of the new houses that we looked at are possibilities. One is new construction that's almost done on a 1 acre lot. The lot is small, but the house is really nice. You can't really tell though until it's completely finished. We could only drive by the other house. It looks good from the outside, but we'll have to tour it.
Looking at these houses didn't take all day, so we went over to the outlet malls in San Marcos. There are two sets. One is upscale (Gucci, Coach, etc.). The other is more run of the mill (Black and Decker, Kays, Rockport, etc.). They are both huge, at least 50 stores each. We walked all the way around both of them. We scored another Christmas present. I think we're finished except for a watch for little brother. I'll probably order that online tomorrow.
There weren't a lot of people at the malls, but those that were there seemed to be buying stuff. There weren't the large markdowns that we saw last year.
We spent so much time at the malls that we had to stop at a drive in for dinner and hurry home in order to make it in time for Bingo. One has to have priorities. We didn't win anything, but it was still fun.
After Bingo I had to stand outside in the cold for half an hour while I refilled the fresh water tank and drained the gray water tank. I figured it was better to stand out in the cold tonight than have to wake up earlier than normal in the morning to stand out in the cold and do it.
Tomorrow we'll go out with the realtor again.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Day 53
Spent the day with the realtor. We saw 7 houses. Two of them were no gos. One was too old and needed a lot of updating. The other was a brand new house, but it was small and neither of us liked the outside and lot.
Unfortunately the best house we saw was on the worst lot. The house was a newer custom job with a lot of really nice features. Unfortunately the lot was small, narrow, and the house was poorly sited on it. The nicest lot had a marginal house on it. The house didn't have a lot of nice features and would need some remodeling to the kitchen and master bath. The other five houses sort of fell
in between. One of them had a nice balance of house and lot, but it needs to be painted inside and out. It also had a slightly weird kitchen layout.
We're going out looking with the realtor again tomorrow. There's another three houses that we didn't get to see.
Unfortunately the best house we saw was on the worst lot. The house was a newer custom job with a lot of really nice features. Unfortunately the lot was small, narrow, and the house was poorly sited on it. The nicest lot had a marginal house on it. The house didn't have a lot of nice features and would need some remodeling to the kitchen and master bath. The other five houses sort of fell
in between. One of them had a nice balance of house and lot, but it needs to be painted inside and out. It also had a slightly weird kitchen layout.
We're going out looking with the realtor again tomorrow. There's another three houses that we didn't get to see.
Day 52
We did a few errands and some shopping. Mainly groceries. I bought one of those survival radios. It receives AM/FM, shortwave, and NOAA weather. It's also got a built in flashlight, strobe, siren, and cell phone charger. It will run off AC, batteries, solar, or a hand crank. It's kind of a swiss army radio. I don't expect to use it, but it sure is a nifty piece of work.
It was raining and in the 50's today. I'm getting tired of the rain. It was supposed to warm up to 67 tomorrow, but I'm not optimistic.
The dog is has developed a new weird behavior. The park put up a bunch of Christmas decorations. They include some of those motorized, lighted, deer. She is scared of them. She barks at them (from a safe distance) every time she walks by them. She's also getting really antsy. I'm not sure when we'll be able to run her.
It was raining and in the 50's today. I'm getting tired of the rain. It was supposed to warm up to 67 tomorrow, but I'm not optimistic.
The dog is has developed a new weird behavior. The park put up a bunch of Christmas decorations. They include some of those motorized, lighted, deer. She is scared of them. She barks at them (from a safe distance) every time she walks by them. She's also getting really antsy. I'm not sure when we'll be able to run her.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Day 51
The wife and I went over to Gruene to their holiday festival. It was basically the same vendors as when I went in November. It was a successful trip though. I scored another Christmas present. I think I only have one more to go.
Because it was Sunday instead of Saturday it took about an hour longer for the parking lots to fill up. By 1:00 they were full and people were driving around looking for places. That's a second data point that points to better retail sales this year.
We considered going to a couple of other stores but decided against it. Why go on Sunday when it is crowded? We can go tomorrow when everyone is at work.
We did stop by a feed store in New Braunfels that used to carry the cat food that we use. The cats are very picky. This is the only cat food that they will eat. They will literally go days without eating rather than eat another kind of cat food. Unfortunately the store doesn't carry that food any more. We'll have to go to another store tomorrow.
The realtor sent me a email to confirm our trip on Tuesday. She "couldn't find" two of the houses that we wanted to go to. I sent her links off the Texas Remax site.
Because it was Sunday instead of Saturday it took about an hour longer for the parking lots to fill up. By 1:00 they were full and people were driving around looking for places. That's a second data point that points to better retail sales this year.
We considered going to a couple of other stores but decided against it. Why go on Sunday when it is crowded? We can go tomorrow when everyone is at work.
We did stop by a feed store in New Braunfels that used to carry the cat food that we use. The cats are very picky. This is the only cat food that they will eat. They will literally go days without eating rather than eat another kind of cat food. Unfortunately the store doesn't carry that food any more. We'll have to go to another store tomorrow.
The realtor sent me a email to confirm our trip on Tuesday. She "couldn't find" two of the houses that we wanted to go to. I sent her links off the Texas Remax site.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Day 50
It's warmer, but still cold. That just gave the dog more incentive to jump around to convince me to go somewhere. I obliged her by taking her to the park's dog area. The area shares a fence with the feeding area for some livestock. When we got there there was a donkey and three longhorns eating lunch.
The dog doesn't go after livestock, but she is interested in it. I just let her off lead and she had a great time looking through the fence at the donkey and cattle. The livestock wasn't as thrilled with her and moved off once they had finished lunch.
I decided to update the music on the MP3 player that we use in the truck. It's a 4 GB device. It was only abut 1/4 full. I deleted some albums that I didn't want on it and added at least 20 more. The device is still only about half full. It's impressive how much music even a "small" player can hold. One of the things I loaded was some albums of comedy Christmas songs. They are all takeoffs on Christmas carols. I find them a lot better to listen to than standard Christmas carols. Did you know that the lyrics to Little Town of Bethlehem fit the tune House of the Rising Sun perfectly?
I stopped by WalMart before picking up the wife at the airport. The parking lot was packed. People were leaving with crammed full grocery carts. I think that Christmas sale will be OK (at least for WalMart).
The dog doesn't go after livestock, but she is interested in it. I just let her off lead and she had a great time looking through the fence at the donkey and cattle. The livestock wasn't as thrilled with her and moved off once they had finished lunch.
I decided to update the music on the MP3 player that we use in the truck. It's a 4 GB device. It was only abut 1/4 full. I deleted some albums that I didn't want on it and added at least 20 more. The device is still only about half full. It's impressive how much music even a "small" player can hold. One of the things I loaded was some albums of comedy Christmas songs. They are all takeoffs on Christmas carols. I find them a lot better to listen to than standard Christmas carols. Did you know that the lyrics to Little Town of Bethlehem fit the tune House of the Rising Sun perfectly?
I stopped by WalMart before picking up the wife at the airport. The parking lot was packed. People were leaving with crammed full grocery carts. I think that Christmas sale will be OK (at least for WalMart).
Friday, December 4, 2009
Day 49
It was supposed to snow today, but it didn't. However, the temperature didn't get above 38 degrees.
That didn't stop the dog from wanting to go out bad. It's funny though. As soon as I open the door she stops. It's like she still wants to go, but would prefer that the temperature was a little higher. I've never seen her more antsy. Every time I got up she would get up, start jumping around near the door, and barking. The sun finally came out (it didn't get warmer) so I took her to do retrieves. She did 80. That's a good 2 1/2 miles of running. That's a lot, but it's nothing like what she does at the gun club during the summer. I'd say she does at least 3 miles every day there.
I cleaned up the trailer a little bit today. Put some stuff away and vacuumed everything. One of the cats woke me up last night with his barfing. It's a very distinctive sound. I looked this morning, but couldn't find where he did it. I found it when I was vacuuming. He picked the most inaccessible part of the carpet, way back underneath the dining table. Welcome to cat ownership.
I found an interesting link on youtube. It's a series of rants by a conservative black man. He doesn't cut Obama any slack. Here's one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyeNT8k6l2M
That didn't stop the dog from wanting to go out bad. It's funny though. As soon as I open the door she stops. It's like she still wants to go, but would prefer that the temperature was a little higher. I've never seen her more antsy. Every time I got up she would get up, start jumping around near the door, and barking. The sun finally came out (it didn't get warmer) so I took her to do retrieves. She did 80. That's a good 2 1/2 miles of running. That's a lot, but it's nothing like what she does at the gun club during the summer. I'd say she does at least 3 miles every day there.
I cleaned up the trailer a little bit today. Put some stuff away and vacuumed everything. One of the cats woke me up last night with his barfing. It's a very distinctive sound. I looked this morning, but couldn't find where he did it. I found it when I was vacuuming. He picked the most inaccessible part of the carpet, way back underneath the dining table. Welcome to cat ownership.
I found an interesting link on youtube. It's a series of rants by a conservative black man. He doesn't cut Obama any slack. Here's one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyeNT8k6l2M
Day 48
It's bad when the high point of the day is watching the Ducks play the Beavers. Apparently the Beavers haven't been to the Rose Bowl since 1918. It would have been nice if they had won. It also would have screwed up the CA teams' bowl bids.
Coincidentally, I got an old "wheat" penny as change the other day. It was dated 1918. Someone had scratched an X over Lincoln's portrait. I guess that over 91 years the coin passed through the hands of at least one person from the South.
It was another cold day, so I didn't feel like taking the dog anywhere. Just sat around reading and surfing.
It is supposed to snow tomorrow, so I went to the store and got some groceries. I didn't really need to, but the dog and I are both feeling very cooped up.
Coincidentally, I got an old "wheat" penny as change the other day. It was dated 1918. Someone had scratched an X over Lincoln's portrait. I guess that over 91 years the coin passed through the hands of at least one person from the South.
It was another cold day, so I didn't feel like taking the dog anywhere. Just sat around reading and surfing.
It is supposed to snow tomorrow, so I went to the store and got some groceries. I didn't really need to, but the dog and I are both feeling very cooped up.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Day 47
Another cold day, but at least no rain. I'm getting cabin fever almost as bad as the dog has it.
Luckily the sun came out for about an hour in the early afternoon. I took advantage of it to take the dog to do retrieves. She did over 40. That works out conservatively to over a mile of running. It's probably more like a mile and a quarter.
She needed it. I gave her two new toys yesterday. She destroyed both today. One was a stuffed animal. She literally removed all of the stuffing. The other was the rope deal with a dog tennis ball attached. A dog tennis ball is harder and has a thicker skin than a regular tennis ball. She ATE the tennis ball. I mean that there wasn't a piece any bigger than 3/4 of an inch. Most pieces were pea size. Of course the results of all this destruction were scattered all over the floor. Quite a job to clean up.
Continuing with the pet maintenance theme I also replaced the cat box litter. This is a messy, smelly, job. I also gave the dog a bath. It's been more than two weeks since her last one and she was smelling rather doggy.
I talked to the realtor for about half an hour today. I outlined what I've been doing and set up a trip to view houses on Tuesday. I then spent a whole lot of time preparing a list of 9 houses to look at. She wanted me to supply the MLS, address, and listing agent. I don't know why I had to look it all up and mail it to her. She could have done it all from the MLS.
I also took the time to figure out the optimal order to visit the houses in. I'll probably be driving, so that will help me alot. Of the nine houses there are three that really look interesting, three that are real "maybes", and three that are long shots. We'll see.
Finally, I finished a book that I started yesterday. It was an SF novel written by Ben Bova in 1964. Ben Bova is an award winning SF author. It was interesting to note that some of the things that he had written about as SF (VTOL jets, large military hovercraft, automated fire control systems) are commonplace now days.
Luckily the sun came out for about an hour in the early afternoon. I took advantage of it to take the dog to do retrieves. She did over 40. That works out conservatively to over a mile of running. It's probably more like a mile and a quarter.
She needed it. I gave her two new toys yesterday. She destroyed both today. One was a stuffed animal. She literally removed all of the stuffing. The other was the rope deal with a dog tennis ball attached. A dog tennis ball is harder and has a thicker skin than a regular tennis ball. She ATE the tennis ball. I mean that there wasn't a piece any bigger than 3/4 of an inch. Most pieces were pea size. Of course the results of all this destruction were scattered all over the floor. Quite a job to clean up.
Continuing with the pet maintenance theme I also replaced the cat box litter. This is a messy, smelly, job. I also gave the dog a bath. It's been more than two weeks since her last one and she was smelling rather doggy.
I talked to the realtor for about half an hour today. I outlined what I've been doing and set up a trip to view houses on Tuesday. I then spent a whole lot of time preparing a list of 9 houses to look at. She wanted me to supply the MLS, address, and listing agent. I don't know why I had to look it all up and mail it to her. She could have done it all from the MLS.
I also took the time to figure out the optimal order to visit the houses in. I'll probably be driving, so that will help me alot. Of the nine houses there are three that really look interesting, three that are real "maybes", and three that are long shots. We'll see.
Finally, I finished a book that I started yesterday. It was an SF novel written by Ben Bova in 1964. Ben Bova is an award winning SF author. It was interesting to note that some of the things that he had written about as SF (VTOL jets, large military hovercraft, automated fire control systems) are commonplace now days.
Day 46
If I wanted to live in weather like this I would have stayed in Oregon. It rained hard all day and the temperature didn't get much above 50 degrees. I stayed in the trailer most of the day and read or surfed. The only useful thing that I did was wash the clothes.
It's supposed to get colder through the end of the week. It might actually get down to freezing on Friday. That's a notable occurrence around here. Hopefully it will get back up to the hight 70's next week like they are predicting.
The dog is going crazy. This is the third day that she hasn't really had any exercise. I tried to make her feel better by giving her a couple of new toys. She eviscerated one of them in less than 5 minutes. It doesn't look like she's going to be having too much fun in the next few days.
It's supposed to get colder through the end of the week. It might actually get down to freezing on Friday. That's a notable occurrence around here. Hopefully it will get back up to the hight 70's next week like they are predicting.
The dog is going crazy. This is the third day that she hasn't really had any exercise. I tried to make her feel better by giving her a couple of new toys. She eviscerated one of them in less than 5 minutes. It doesn't look like she's going to be having too much fun in the next few days.
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