Which Direction to Go

I just returned from my mother's funeral in Washington.  As my aunt put it, "It was a fun time on a sad occasion."  It was good to see the family mostly all together.  My co-worker looked after my dogs.  She only lives 5 minutes away and knows them all because I bring them to work sometimes.  If I move from here, I'll have to find a new dog-sitter.  That brings me to my next subject, when will I be moving?  My optimistic answer is still November.  I don't have a place to move to yet though.  My nephew is still living in my mobile home and my tiny house still does not have electricity.  My job has not laid me off, in fact, they want me to go out to our corporate office in Connecticut at the end of next month to discuss the next project that I will be working on with accounting.  I just can't seem to quit a job with perks like bringing my dog to work, flexible schedule, and being able to work from home all of this week because my co-worker is on vacation and I would be alone in the office.  I'm going to hang on until the office lease is up August 2020 and see what happens.

Here is what has been going on at the house in the past month.  Gutters!  The old gutters were removed and new seamless gutters added.  No leaking anymore.  The black mold which has stained the pavers below will be gone after the landscaper replaces the walkway and fixes the drainage.  I hope that will be completed next month.  I don't have a firm date yet.

New windows!  The new windows are in and look great.  I hope it lowers the electric bill this summer.  I also dug out the old barrel cactus and planted some Lantana flowering shrubs.  The cactus are too heavy for me to move or cut up so I will ask the landscaper to haul them away.

My own tiny garden in the backyard is loving our abnormally cool weather.  This sunflower decided to bloom all at once.  I also have some grapes, Moringa, and alfalfa growing.  Last week was really windy and the grapefruit tree has been dropping the fruit that was out of my reach.  How convenient.  The wind also blew over my mailbox.  It appears the post rusted at ground level.  I still haven't decided how to fix it but it is propped up with rocks and a bungee cord attached to a screwdriver pounded into the ground until I think of something.

My co-workers all chipped in and bought me a tree for my mother.  They bought one for my father three years ago.  That was very nice of them.  This tree needs about an 18 inch deep hole.  I'll probably wait until the fall to plant it on my property when it is cooler and I won't have to worry about watering it.

My dove couple is back sitting on their third batch of eggs.  I wonder how long they will keep laying them.  It is fun to see the babies hatch and grow.
                                                                  

So, that's what is happening.  I'm also continuing to sort through boxes and plan a trip to New Mexico and Texas, probably in the fall since traveling with dogs during the summer seems too complicated. I'm leaning toward renting a minivan and turning it into a stealth camper with a 12V cooler, porta-potty, fan, and bed.  I'll have to actually look at minivans to see if my plan will work. 

A Typical Week

My goal each week is to go straight home after work as much as I can.  This week is already filling up.  Typically, I visit my mother on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I feel bad when errands get in the way.  One rental house was having trouble with the stove so I arranged for the repairman to come by between 12 and 3.  I work nearby so I drove over to pay the repairman, twice actually, once for the estimate and once again to pay because he had to go pick up the part. It would be nice if he took credit cards over the phone but I guess they aren't that advanced.  $388 for the ignition switch replacement.  That was right on the border of replace rather than repair but the tenant likes the stove, she actually hugged it when I mentioned replacing it, and I didn't see the same style online.  It isn't that special, it just has a place in the middle to rest pots, kind of like the ones with a 5th burner except it doesn't have a burner in the middle.  The repairman said that the ignition switch was the main thing that goes out so it should last for a long time with a new switch.   

I cancelled another after-work vet appointment for my new dog.  His digestive system has finally acclimated to the new food and even though he still licks at his leg where he had a lump removed, I am going to make him wear the soft collar and give it more time to heal because the vet doesn't have any sure-fire solutions, just more antibiotics (he has had 2 different kinds) and expensive blood tests ($330) to compare to the blood tests he had last month. 

I also need to go out to my property and take some photos for the electrician.  My nephew is still living in the mobile home on the property and he has finally started doing his laundry.  This might seem like a simple thing but the washer has no water hookups so first he puts the drain hose out the window, then puts his clothes and soap in, then brings the water hose, which is hooked to the water tank, inside and fills the washer (top-loader).  Then repeats filling the tub with water for the rinse and voila!  Clean clothes.  That is the way I used to do it when I lived out there back in 2010 when I still had a washer and dryer in the old garage, before I had is taken down.  The electrician is coming out a week from Saturday to install a dryer outlet. 

 

Dryer will go in this room which is at the end of the mobile home in the picture below.

Normally, I would say, just hang your clothes to dry but I want a dryer outlet for myself when I eventually move out there and the electrician is also going to advise me on bringing power to the barn-shed.  After a crazy year, I finally have a little bit of time and money to think about improvements on my property.  I wish I could snap my fingers and have everything done like fences, the interior of the barn-shed finished, porches and rainwater collection set up, etc....  It's a big wish list.     

Playing Catch-Up

It's been a while for sure.  I think about my blog every once in a while but the lack of exciting news in my life seems to keep me from writing a post.  Plus, one of the main reasons for this blog was to keep my mother up-to-date with my life so that she wouldn't call me with a million questions.  She isn't able to read now so the motivation is gone.

Living with my mother was harder than I expected.  There was no way to keep her happy.  At the end of June, she agreed to move-in to an assisted living place because she didn't like being alone all day while I was at work.  We moved her there.  The weather was so hot and my nephew and I moved her stuff there ourselves.  It was a nice one bedroom apartment which opened to a shaded courtyard.  She hated it and they said they couldn't keep her.  I think she was there a whole 10 days.    I brought her back to the house for a week while I looked for a memory care place closer to home.  The cost was a lot more, $5,000 compared to $2,800, but at least she couldn't walk out.  The new place moved her stuff for us.  I was so happy about that. 

She hated it there too and called me many times a day to tell me but I couldn't bring her back to the house.  She wasn't able to live without supervision anymore.  People try to be helpful and say couldn't you just hire someone to stay with her while you are at work?  I could, but I could not mentally stand it.  She didn't know what time it was.  Knocked on my bedroom door at all times of day and night.  Moved stuff around so that I couldn't find things.  Wanted to drive the car.  Walked out the door. Complained of all sorts of illnesses and issues from wetting the bed to not liking her shoes.  Wrapped up food, trash, soiled clothes and hid them until they molded and smelled.  Poured oil on the stove. Turned the A/C up when she was cold (yes, it gets colder).  Thinks people are stealing from her and breaking in to the house.  I could go on and on but anyone who has experience with dementia knows what I'm talking about.  I did find a special programmable phone for her after she called 911 ten times at her new place.  Instead of single numbers the buttons only call preset people.  I'm glad someone invented that because I didn't want her to be totally cut-off from communication.  Unfortunately, she can't remember how to work the TV or her computer anymore and she can't read well so she is bored most of the time.  If you want to rile her up just say the word "Bingo".  She hates it.  I spent about 6 hours with her on Sundays, took her to church and shopping or out to eat.  It was getting more difficult though because last time she refused to get out of the car when we got back and before that she grabbed on to my arm and wouldn't let me leave.  I would have visited her more if she was more amicable.

In the middle of this moving from one assisted living apartment to another, Jimmy-dog suddenly became ill with diarrhea and vomiting.  I took him to the vet and they tried to help him but he died at home the next day.  I think his tumor finally interfered with something important.  I miss him.  

With mother out of the house and Jimmy-dog gone, I tried fostering again.  I took in two chihuahuas after a local shelter had flood damage.  It was only supposed to be for a month but it stretched into 3 months and I finally returned them.  The two chihuahuas were very scared and I was hoping they would like me and relax here but they stayed in the closet and only came out to pee on my stuff.  I had to put up a puppy gate in front of the closet to keep them in while I was at work. 

I also tried to foster a larger dog but that was a disaster.  I picked out a dog that was on the euthanasia list.  He was black and tan like Jimmy-dog and I thought maybe I could adopt him if he fit in.  Well, someone else wanted him so the rescue suggested that I get another dog.  This is where I should have said NO but he was going to die and I thought, maybe, he was a pit bull mix, not one I would have picked, but his evaluation just said he was a little shy so I drove an hour and a half to get him.  Then, I volunteered (I must have really been feeling energetic that day) to transport another larger dog at the same time.  I thought I would just drop the other dog off but as I was driving back the rescue called and said they couldn't get ahold of the person who was going to foster the larger dog, then, when they realized the dog wasn't neutered they asked if I could drop him off at the vet in the morning.  I said ok, one night wouldn't hurt.  

So I dropped him off the next day and then they asked if I could keep him for a week while he heals from surgery because the other foster home had a pool and they didn't want the incision to get wet.  I reluctantly agreed.  These two new dogs quickly became more than I could handle.  They were both around 4 years old and very strong.  The one I was supposed to foster was not house trained and my bedroom became a disaster area.  My terrier did not like either one of the big dogs and let them know it.  He got bitten 3 times in the head, the last time he was bitten I ended up crying to the rescue that I just couldn't do it.  I felt like a failure but I had to protect my dog.  Things got out of hand so quickly.  By the end of the week I was taking my terrier to work with me every day and we were hiding out in the guest room at night because the foster dogs would whine and scratch at the door for hours but I couldn't trust them around my terrier. Finally on Saturday I took the larger dog to his new foster home and the smaller (50 pound) dog had to go to a boarding facility until they could find a new foster.  I paid for his boarding so the rescue wasn't really inconvenienced and they found him a new foster home 2 weeks later.  Later on my dog's head got infected and he needed half of a face lift to close the wound.  I will spare you the Frankenstein picture.  I thought he had only been scratched but it was actually a puncture wound.

Around the end of September, my mother fell.  When I went to visit her, she was in a wheelchair and now had to wear diapers.  No one could explain why she suddenly couldn't walk and she could barely say coherent words.  I thought she might get better but the doctor at the facility just gave her more sedatives and anti-anxiety meds.  She fell out of bed and her wheelchair many more times.  Finally, I took her to a previously scheduled neurology appointment with a doctor she had seen back in April.  He was appalled by her condition and told me to take her to the ER for a complete work-up.  We spent the next couple of days at the hospital while the very young doctors tried to diagnose her.  What we did find out was that she had a broken pelvis from a previous fall and extra fluid on her brain.  There was ultimately nothing they could do for her that wasn't invasive surgery.  We didn't think she would survive another surgery so I took her back to the care-home.  My sister came out to visit and we went to look at a smaller group home where we thought she would get better care and attention.  We moved her there and that is where she is now.  The hospice people come and visit her and make sure that she is getting good care.  They got her a hospital bed with an air mattress and a wheelchair.  Her condition is about the same.  Some days she sleeps a lot and some days she is awake and trying to stand up.  She is still close by and I try to visit her 3 times a week.  Lately, I think she recognizes me but I never know if she will or not.

And back to the dog situation.  My other sister came out to visit for Christmas and we went dog-shopping at the pound.  I was looking for an old mellow dog, preferably female.  Well, I found this old guy.  He was sleeping and didn't seem to care about the barking around him.  He is 14 years old according to his previous owners, 75lb. pit-chow mix, and arthritic.  I brought my terrier to meet him and it went well so I brought him home.  I know he won't be around for very long but I'm glad I can give him a comfortable bed and good food while he's here.

He has a soft cone on so that he doesn't lick his leg where he had a lump removed.

One last photo of the Arizona snowman made from the 3 whole inches of snow week got the first week of January.

Hello, Again

I took mom to the lake this weekend.  Not much happening there.

I don't know about you but to me these weeks are just flying by.  Now that I don't have a mortgage, I need to get serious about saving for my early-semi-retirement, or job change, or long vacation, or whatever you want to call it.  The sale of my house gave me $50k to start off the fund and it is invested in a mutual fund.  I figured out that I can realistically save $2K a month.  My goal is to save enough to give me $1,000 per month until I am old enough to start withdrawing money from my 401k.  I should reach that goal in three years.  Ugh, three more years.  It seems too far away. 

My original plan was to just eliminate my debt and live off of my rental income but that income is unreliable at times and this $1,000 a month will give me a cushion when the rentals are vacant.  Also, health insurance is still an unknown.  There used to be a lot of low cost major medical plans and plans with health savings accounts but they seem to have disappeared.  Now, when I put in my expected income, the calculators say that Medicaid is my only option.  I don't know whether that is good or bad.

Since I just had a birthday, three years from now will put me at 49.  Maybe I should just go for 50. Or maybe I should stop putting it off and just jump ship now.  I don't want to regret leaving a good job too soon but I don't want to regret missing out on other parts of life.  Will I ever find a balance?

On to the update:

Rental house 1- Rented with a good tenant who pays on time.  After putting some of the rent aside for taxes, insurance, and maintenance, I have $600 to go in my early retirement account.

Rental house 2- Rented.  After expenses, I should have $500 for my early retirement account.

Mobile home - My nephew is living here and I only charge him $50/m plus whatever the electric bill is.  There is a water tank there with 2500 gallons of water.  If he uses it up he will have to get it filled at $150 per 3000 gallons.  He doesn't have a job yet.  I told him that if he lines up an interview then he can use my truck and then when he lands a job he can buy it from me for minimal cost.  So far, he hasn't taken me up on that offer. 

Tiny shed-house - I hated to do it but it is stuffed with my extra belongings right now.  I didn't have time to downsize like I wanted too.  I wanted to leave it empty so that I could get the wiring and plumbing, walls and floors done with ease.  That plan has been put on the back burner but it is still my goal to live there in when I semi-retire.

The house I live in now is owned by my mother.  I don't pay rent but I pay all of the utilities.  My side of the house is full of boxes that I need to sort through.  It is always on my to-do list but I rarely have time for it on the weekends.

Pets- I still have my three dogs.  I'm not fostering right now but hope to get back in to it when I live in my tiny house although it will be crowded.  Perhaps the mobile home can be my kennel. Who knows what things will be like in three years.  One of my sisters is moving to Texas, the other is moving to Ohio.  Maybe I'll decide to move.  I can't say I haven't thought about it.

The Past Few Months

Maybe if I work on this synopsis of the last few months a few minutes a day, I will catch up.

1. The move: As you know, my mother bought a house and we both moved in mid-August. It has been non-stop activity since and it is still on-going. I am very tired of moving!
2. My mother's townhouse: We decided to tackle moving my mother's stuff out of her townhouse first because it was smaller than my house and close by. When we had removed most of the personal items, we asked our realtor how much stuff to leave for "staging"and what to take out. The realtor came over, gave some suggestions (less is more) and commented that another realtor in her office had some out of town clients looking in the area the next day. My mother gave her permission to show it even though it hadn't been cleaned and was still in disarray. Surprisingly, the people liked the townhouse and made a full price offer. We were thrilled and made plans to move the rest of the stuff out. It was hot and a lot of work but with a rented Uhaul truck and two rented guys, we got it done.
   
   Unfortunately, ALL of the stuff, including the trash, was now at the new house. We are still sorting through it.
3. My house in Tucson: It has been very hot and finding the time to drive to my house, 45 minutes away, has been difficult. I have made a few trips, car loads, pick-up truck loads.
   
   What remains is the miscellaneous, most of which can be given away or taken to my property. These things are most tools, gardening items, fencing, anything I won't be needing in the suburbs. The new backyard has very little garden space. I've been throwing old seeds out by the drip system emitters. That's the extent of my gardening, at the moment. The new house does have roses and citrus trees so keeping those alive is enough responsibility for now. This week, my handyman has begun the repairs I need to do before I list it for sale. I do want to replace the kitchen cabinets but haven't figured out exactly what to replace them with. Maybe IKEA cabinets if I can take a day off.
4. The dogs: I got Francis adopted the Saturday before I moved. That was very fortunate as she was the most energetic and the loudest barker. I brought 4 dogs to the new house and talked to all of my neighbors who were home to let them know to tell me if the dogs bothered them. Everyone was fine...until last week. The snowbirds who live on the corner came back and the dogs barked like crazy when they heard new voices. The neighbors complained to the homeowner's association and we got a visit from them. Turns out the neighbors like to eat breakfast in their backyard. So, out came the bark collars and I had a nice chat with the neighbors and gave them my number in case the dogs start barking again. BUT...I also got my last foster dog adopted last week and we finally got solid gates on the fence so the dogs can't see the people who walk down the alley. Big improvements.
   
5. Living with my mother: It's a work in progress. Between moving, selling my house, my job, and regular life stuff, I don't have a lot of time. My mother wants to watch movies and I just want to take a nap. She does the grocery shopping and the dishes, which is very nice. I make dinner on the weekends and try to have enough leftovers for the week.
6. Rental house #1: I got a notice that the tenants were moving out in August. Almost immediately, I got a notice that new people were moving in. There are always repairs and cleaning bills so I waited for the email. The second week in September, I got an email from the management company that said I needed to authorize $2500 in expenses so that the tenants could move in in 3 days. I was like, um, no, you're fired. They were apologetic and re-did the estimate.
   
   I looked at the property and decided to pay for carpet replacement, got my handyman to clean up the yard, and took a day off work to paint the walls with my handyman which only cost $350 rather than the $1,100 that was quoted to me. I also took down the old window shades and put up shear curtains.
   
   
   The tenants decided not to move in but I got to keep their $850 deposit and new tenants have since signed a lease. Hopefully, Rental house #1 will be stable for a while.
7. Rental house #2: My tenant, the one that was living out in my mobile home and then I bought this little house in town for him to rent, has decided to move to Brazil at the end of the month. He wants me to help him re-home his 2 dogs and 2 cats. Unfortunately, I am not in a position to foster so I can only help with advertising them. Soon, I will need to find a new tenant. I've had a few inquiries but the area of town that it is in isn't the greatest and I don't think either of the single women who inquired would want to live there. Someone will appreciate it though. Hopefully, a responsible person who always pays their rent on time.
8. My mobile home property: It's being totally neglected. I go out there to collect the mail once a month. The weeds are taking over. I hate seeing it like that but I don't have the time or money to work on it yet. Once my house sells, maintaining the property will be easier.
   
   Maybe I will even have some money for more improvements like bringing electricity to the barn-shed and building more fencing or walls to keep out the snakes.
9. My job: It is going crazy. They let one person go from our office and they have asked me to go to out plant in Mexico twice a week. So far, I've only been going once a week because I get so behind on my emails when I go down there. I want to take some time off to work on the house that I will be selling but I just seem to be getting more and more behind every day. I think I will take a half day every Friday anyway because I have some vacation time to use before December. Since I'm going to the Mexico plant, I've finally started trying to learn some Spanish. I downloaded the Duolingo app on my phone and I have practiced every night for 2 weeks. The beginning stuff was easy because I did have Spanish in high school but it is quickly getting harder. The most of the people at the plant speak English but I tell them all that I am trying to learn so they teach me new words. Todays word was carrots: zanahorias. 

There you go. The quick synopsis. My home computer is still dead and I don't have the new laptop they are supposed to be buying me yet. Maybe next month.

Moving In, Maybe

Moving day tomorrow! The wall project got approved by the HOA architectural committee and my handyman has been working on raising the wall from 4' to 6' this week. The sliding glass door isn't installed in my bedroom yet but I am determined to get moved in this weekend. I've been taking bags and boxes to the new house every time I go there but tomorrow I'm taking the dogs and that marks the official move day because I will be sleeping there from now on. Home is where the dogs are. After that, I'll help my mom bring her stuff over.  

On Sunday, I will move the quail and another load of stuff. So far, I'm bringing a lot of stuff but hardly any furniture. I am leaving some furniture for staging the house for sale. My handyman decided that he can't afford to buy my house right now. That means I will have to go ahead with my remodeling plan to get my house ready to list. That's probably for the best. House prices in my neighborhood are going up and up. It almost makes me want to rent but I'd rather just get the money and invest it. Two rental houses is enough for me.

I got a dog adopted! The dog that came back after being adopted as a puppy 5 years ago, she got adopted to a nice young lady who likes to go for runs and hikes. That's exactly the kind of person she needed. I am so glad that I have one less dog to move to the new house.

There are still a lot of projects to do at the new house. On Monday, I'll get the sliding glass door for my bedroom so that I can use my sliding door dog door. Then I'll get a small patio cover over it for rainy days. Then my mother bought a bathroom vanity and sink top and also wants a new toilet, tub, and tile. By then, I should have all of my belonging out of my house and will want the handyman to start fixing up my house. So much to do! I only have $15k to work with so I had better use it wisely.I need new kitchen cabinets and to remodel the master bath just to name a few things. The list is long. Whew, I'm tired. Wish I could sleep in tomorrow but no, I can't put this off any longer! 

Update- I went by the house this evening and the wall is only about 20% complete. How disappointing.  I'm still going to move in tomorrow. If the dogs bark too much with the workmen there, we'll go back to my house during the week when I have to work. 

That Day Again

Last Saturday morning was gloriously calm and slow. I was cooking up some late-morning pancakes when the phone rang. Now, I knew there was a possibility of me getting a dog returned but I had hoped that it wouldn't be for a few more weeks since they had to take her to the shot clinic first to get the shots up to date. So, I answer the phone and it's the people with the dog asking when it is a good time to meet. Ok, might as well get it over with. I told them to call me after the shots since that can take hours at the cheap clinic and then we would meet at the dog park. I brought my dog, Toto, because he enjoys car rides and we picked up Sadie, the puppy I adopted out 5 years ago. I also got the rest of the story. The guy had been married when he adopted her but since got divorced and remarried, has a 1 yr old and his wife is pregnant again. Sadie, being a high energy dog, wasn't tolerated well by the new wife. I can empathize but there are things one can do to keep an energetic dog occupied. They just take time and patience. 

So, now I get to do those things to keep an energetic dog occupied until we can find her a new family. Trainers say to tire out a dog, they need physical and mental activity. First off, I don't run. I also like to sleep in. This dog likes to run and likes to get up early. I've been getting up at 6am and taking her and Toto for a walk. It's only 15 minutes or so but it's a huge accomplishment for me and the dogs like it. Then we practice her sit, down, shake. I go off to work and hope she behaves. She isn't a big chewer and hasn't destroyed anything, much to my relief. When I come home, I take the 3 slow dogs for a short walk and then exchange them for Toto and Sadie and we go on a longer walk. I throw the ball around the back yard and then put her in her crate at 8pm with something to chew on like a bully stick or Kong toy filled with kibble and peanut butter. It's worked so far and she has even been staying quiet in her crate until I go get her at 6:30am although I need to get up earlier than that to not be late to work.

I would really like to be able to hitch her to a cart and have her pull me around but carts are too expensive and I don't have the time to design my own. So, I borrowed a bike from a friend and bought a leash attachment bar for $15 on Ebay to keep her away from the wheels. The attachment will be delivered on Saturday and I hope it works. 

I would love to be able to get enough speed on the bike for her to run.

Ok, enough about the dog, even though that's been my main focus all week. Today is my birthday. 45 years old and I am not retired yet or semi-retired. I am still at my same job that is "meh", but gives me adequate money. My new retirement goal is still 2-3 years away although I really like the security that comes with knowing that I could survive if I quit my job today. I want to do more than merely survive though so I will keep working towards that goal. 

More Presents for Me

I like the idea of having a whole birthday month.  I have to work on my birthday anyway, so might as well spread out the fun throughout the whole month of May.  Last weekend, I arranged to have my barn-shed painted.  My handyman has a sprayer and it was just easier to pay him to do it than rent a sprayer from Home Depot 40 minutes away.  It took him and his helper around 6 hours to do it but it is finished and finally completely protected from the weather, even that top back panel I couldn't reach last year.

It still needs the trim painted white but I can do that later myself.

While they were painting, I was inside the mobile home cleaning up after the tenant who didn't exactly leave the place spotless.  Ok, so it wasn't exactly spotless when he moved in last July either.  There was dust on everything and I only got 2/3 of if clean.  I'll go out again next month after I get my water tank, get water delivered, and after my nephew leaves.  

Earlier that morning, at 3am to be exact, I had looked at Facebook after letting my dog out to pee.  I had been checking the garage sale sites daily for a washer and dryer but hadn't seen one.  Now, at 3am, I saw a set within my price range.  There was a phone number to call but, of course, I didn't call at that time.  I left a comment and then waited to call in the morning.  Then I got the cash out of the bank and brought my hand truck, just in case.  Around 10am, The seller replied to my comment that the washer/dryer set were pending sale.  Oh well, I assumed I had lost them.  About 45 minutes later, he posted again that they were still available.  I called immediately but he said another couple was coming to see them so I agreed to wait.  I was sure they were sold for the second time.  He called me back in an hour and said they didn't buy them.  I was thrilled and arranged to switch vehicles with my nephew because he had the truck and begged my handyman to take a break from painting to help me load them.  As you can see, happy birthday to me.  I got them!

I don't have a hook up for an electric dryer yet but my coworker said he would help me install an outlet when I am ready for it.

The washer is temporarily in the living room.  Later, I'll move it to the storage room in the back and hook up water and a grey-water drain that will go to my mesquite tree.

I was so excited to have a washing machine at the mobile home again.  I carried 15 gallons of water by jug and washed the curtains, then hauled the water to the mesquite tree.  I don't have much water out there now so I will wait until I have my new 3000 gallon water tank filled with water and then hook up an inlet hose.  The tank was delivered to the store on the other side of town and I am waiting for my handyman to be available to haul it to my property with his flat-bed trailer.

In other news, I got a new dog.  I know, mother, I'm trying to get less dogs, not more.  Hopefully, I will find a new home for her before I move.  If not, the rescue group will find her a new foster home.  She was one of a mom and pups that I fostered 5 years ago.  It was actually around the same time that my parents and nephew came to live with me.  She got adopted by a family but the people got divorced and remarried and now have small children and she is a very energetic dog.  I think the new wife just didn't like her.  She needs a family that will play with her and take her jogging.

As the only female in a house full of 4 male dogs, she tired of the unwanted attention.  She jumped on the chair with my nephew and booped Jimmy-dog on the head as if to say, "Leave me alone."

This was her when she was a puppy in my backyard.

And this was her mother.  I would call mom a chow chow-cattle dog mix.  Daddy was probably a lab-pit bull mix.

So, I will be trying hard to find her a family.  She doesn't have any medical issues, gets along with large and small dogs and cats, and knows sit, down, shake, and is house trained and kennel trained.  All I need is to find a jogger who wants a partner, bonus points if he/she works from home.

The Master List

Let's check the progress on my never-ending to-do list:

Laundry - Fixed!  The handyman found the leak in the wall in the drain pipe behind the sink.  Someone had over-tightened the cap and cracked the pipe which eventually grew to be a big leak.  It's a good thing we hadn't used the toilet in that bathroom because, Eew, it uses the same drain.  The laundry water was leaking under the kitchen cabinets and now I know what was causing the moldy smell.

All fixed now.  I sprayed the inside of the wall down with bleach, and the handyman will come back later to repair the drywall.  It is so nice to be able to do laundry without the added hassle of draining it into a trashcan and then emptying it by bucket in to the sink.

Dog - Adopted!  A family came to meet Sassy at the big adoption event but they needed to wait a week since the wife was out of town.

Last Sunday, I took Sassy over to their house to meet their other dog and cats.  Things went really well and they love her and want to keep her.  It is exactly the kind of family I wanted for her because she is affectionate and loves attention and there are many people in their household to give her attention, plus the parents really like her too.  With my nephew leaving and me moving in with my mother, Sassy would get even less attention from me.  And, she gets 3 walks a day!

Visitors - My sister stopped by on her way through the state.  We had dinner and then floated around her hotel pool and caught up on news.  Then Aidan's grandfather stayed with us Monday and Tuesday nights.  He was in very good spirits and it was a pleasant visit for all.

Glasses - My nephew and I spend 2 hours at the eye doctor getting a new prescription and picking out a new pair of glasses for him.  He will be off of my insurance when he turns 18 this summer so we need to get these things done now.

Truck - The check engine light went on in the truck that my nephew drives.  I switched vehicles with him and took it into the shop.  $400 for a new fuel injector, system flush and oil change.  Hopefully, it will pass emissions testing this week.

Barn-shed- I didn't take stuff out to the barn-shed because I decided to stuff it into the extra bathroom instead.  It worked.  My living room actually looks like a functioning living room now.

 I wanted it to look good when visitors came but they never went in that room.  They didn't know how bad it looked before anyway.  Oh well, it looks better to me.  I plan to take stuff out to my barn-shed and mobile home (once I clean it) on Saturday and Monday (I'm taking the day off work).

Pre-birthday Present - I was tired of spending money on necessities and decided to splurge on a 3,000 gallon water tank for the property.  I would have done this 2 years ago instead of buying the above ground pool as a temporary water tank but I didn't have the money then.  It cost $1,537 with tax and will cost me a little more to have my handyman deliver it with his flat bed trailer in a few weeks.  Then, I will spend $150 to have it filled with water.  That should be enough water to last until I get some rainwater collection systems hooked up.  It will soon be too hot to work on any big projects outside so this is my safety net if/when I sell my house and need to move out to my property before my mother and I find a house to buy together. 

Tiny House People - The tiny house people are staying another month.  I told them that I was planning to sell the house this summer.  I wish I could get their tiny house out to my property but I think the road might be too uneven and narrow.  We are planning to go out there this weekend to evaluate it. 

New Rental house - The new rental house is doing well.  The tenant is paying his own utilities so I am looking forward to a lower electric bill.  The washer is working well and the tenant loves having unlimited water.  I know the feeling.  Hauling one's own water is a tedious and difficult chore. 

May is looming on the horizon.  Only 2 weeks of high school left, then one week of finals and graduation.  The airline tickets were cheapest on Wednesday and Saturday of the following week, so I let my nephew pick.  He chose Saturday so he will have a week to relax after graduation before he moves to Minnesota and gets a job.  I'm trying to enjoy these last days with my nephew but everything is so busy and time keeps marching on. 

Project update

Poor little Chester, he had 11 teeth pulled.  It's over now and he will feel much better.  He had a dental cleaning around 4 years ago when I adopted him but I don't think it was very thorough.  I went to a different discount vet this time and it cost $325 including pain meds and antibiotics.  I'm glad that's over.

I got the quotes back for the projects that I want to do. 

Move laundry space: $900

Update kitchen (install cabinets and countertops, move some switches and lights, build small pantry, install dishwasher and garbage disposal, build wall behind fridge): $1,000

Carport conversion to AZ room: $8,000  This is just for enclosing the space with insulation, drywall, and raising the concrete floor above driveway level.  Electrical, doors, windows, paint and flooring are extra.  

Fix roof edge: $200 

It's all very reasonable but I will need to use home equity depending on my timeframe.  I'm still emptying my laundry water by bucket because I haven't fixed the leak in the wall which is where the "Move laundry space" item comes from.  The trash can water collection system holds exactly two loads of dirty water.  I know this because I didn't empty the can after I ran a load and then my nephew did a load and I thought, uh-oh, was there a flood?  The water was up to the very tippy top. Whew.

Fixing the laundry drain is first on the list along with fixing the roof but... my sister and her kids are visiting this week so there won't be any construction happening for a while.  In the meantime, January's extra mortgage payment is still in my savings account waiting for me to decide.  And yesterday I noticed that the mesquite tree growing over the driveway is in desperate need of a trim.  I cut off one low branch but I need a professional.  That tree is a monster and needs to be thinned or I am afraid it will fall over and take my driveway with it.

So many projects for a home-owner.  It keeps me busy.  I would get so bored in an apartment with nothing to fix.  

More Days of My Life

Work has been really busy.  I usually use my lunch break to write a post now and then but today I am staying late and hoping that the traffic dissipates.  Last Tuesday, I brought Jimmy-dog to work, left early, drove over to the vet office which is the opposite way from my house, and found out that I was one week early.  Bummer.  It was too late to go back to work so I went home. 

On Thursday, I got the chance to go visit our plant in Mexico.  It was fun seeing the people that I talk to and email everyday.  I always find it interesting to see the differences in culture, housing, traffic, stores, everything. 

Saturday was cold and rainy and we stayed in.  On Sunday, I brought food for the youth group.  I should try to make something instead of buying the expensive deli trays but they are awfully convenient.

On Tuesday, I brought Jimmy-dog to work again and then to his appointment.  His test was negative for Cushing's so the vet didn't really have any new options for me. 

 

1) Wait and see. 

2) $5-6K surgery on a dog with a heart murmur and high blood pressure. 

We are back to the same choices.  Jimmy-dog is doing much better than he was last summer so I am fine with the 'wait and see' choice.  He got a new medication for high blood pressure and refills on his other meds.  The office visit and ultrasound re-check were free but the blood pressure, blood panel and urinalysis came to $500!  I wasn't prepared for that.  Oh well, I should be getting rent from my tiny house people and my mobile home tenant so it will all even out.  Since I wasn't expecting to spend more on Jimmy-dog, I made an appointment for my chi-weenie, Chester, to get his teeth cleaned (finally) next week.  I've put it off for too long.  He had his teeth cleaned when I adopted him but that was like 4 years ago and he has bad breath again.  As my 3rd dog, he is going to the discount vet, not the fancy vet with dental xrays.  Hopefully, we will still get good results.  Jimmy-dog is supposed to get a re-check in 3 months, that would be March.  And then Sassy needs a Valley Fever test in April.  Pets are expensive.  My cheapest dog right now is my foster dog because all of his medical is covered by the rescue group.

So, that's what's happening.  This weekend I might try to make it to the Habistore to look for cabinets if it isn't raining again.  It is across town and I never seem to be over there when they are open or I don't have a dog in the car.  I had a brief thought to make my own cabinets but with everything that I have going on right now, I would end up with a lot of plywood and no results.  That is a project for another day.

The Wants and Want-Nots

Last week was a short work week made even shorter by taking two sick days.  I feel better now but fear it has moved into my sinuses.  Hopefully, it will go away on its own without antibiotics.  On Saturday, a contractor came over to look at the work that I need to get done in the laundry, bathroom, kitchen, and carport.  He hasn't sent a quote yet and I am very anxious to see it because I want to know if my plans are realistic or not.  I have planned out my kitchen renovations more and it seems like if I can find cabinets on Craigslist it won't cost as much as I thought.  Most of the cost will be in upgrading the electrical panel to add electricity to the Arizona room/carport area.  Maybe I will be able to afford a mini-split A/C for this summer.  I am not looking forward to another summer with only an evaporative cooler.  If I can't afford a mini-split, I'll get one of those mobile units that use an exhaust hose out of a window.

Also, before Christmas, I bought, on impulse, a motorized bicycle.  I had been looking at them for a while and was hoping to buy one when I moved back out to my property for short trips to the store up and down the big hill.  A friend was selling one for $250, typical price for a used one is $400.  I jumped on the deal but after I got it home I realized that:

  A) I didn't need it right now.

  B) I didn't want to mess with a noisy motor and the gas/oil mix that it requires.

  C) It was taking up space and I would rather have $250.

Last Saturday, I took it to my co-worker's house for repair.  He loves bikes and has all of the tools, tires, patches, you name it.  He got it working and is going to see if he can sell it for me.  When I do move out to my property, I hope to buy an electric bike instead.  We shall see.

Anyway, this week is plodding along.  I took Jimmy-dog to the vet for his 8 hour Low dose Dexamethasone Suppression test.  I'll get the results next week.  This should tell us if he has Cushing's Syndrome or not.  The 4 hour test was negative but this test is supposed to be better.  I hope he does have Cushing's.  Then we can stop the guessing and go ahead with the treatment.

Today was payday so December's credit card bill has been paid.  This month's bill is adding up with Jimmy-dog's test costing $520.  The good news is that the Tiny House people are staying another month so that's $350 from them, and my tenant out at my property paid me $400.  That sounds like a lot of money but my tenant at the property has been living there for free since July because I told him I would wait for his social security payments to start up and they finally did in December.  $400 doesn't quite cover 6 months of free electricity, water, internet, and trash but if he keeps paying me I'll be able to building up my reserves again.  If I had the chance, would I offer to rent out my mobile home to a homeless stranger on the word of a friend of a friend again?  No.  It has been a learning experience and it has turned out ok so far and I am glad that the mouse problem is under control (thanks to his cats) but I should have moved all of my stuff out first.  But it was so hot in July and the mice were just making themselves at home and it was very overwhelming.  Most of my stuff is out now but it is all jumbled in the barn-shed.  The organization that I had last year is gone and I just need to put it out of my mind until I am ready to move out there again.