The pains of moving!

It isn't just the packing, although that is a real pain too.  I'm at the point that I am beginning to think I won't ever get it all done.

The real pain as I found out this afternoon, is all the effort to change your address with utilities, medical services,  retirement services, and a whole host of different entities and companies.

I'm a civil slervice retiree, and they,  like everyone else must hire a huge staff of developers whose job it is to make sure you don't get too comfortable with using the screens on their website.  I tried all afternoon to change my address with Civil Service Retirement, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Medicare, the local utility companies, and many others.  The only change I was able to make was with my credit union, and I just wrote them a letter detailing the changes to my information.

For previous moves I just went to the post office to fill out a change of address form, but that was when I was driving.  I decided to do it online, to find out they want your credit card info so they can charge you for online service!  You can bet I will find a way to the Post Office to fill out a card!

I thought I had completely lost my computer this morning, but someone suggested I plug it into another outlet and see if it would work, and by golly it did!  I'm going to buy a new computer soon as this one is acting really bad.  I've decided to pay the extra and get a larger screen - I'm using a 13" and will go back to a 15" screen.  Anything larger than that makes it more difficult to get around the screen with the mouse, as well as it being nearly impossible to take the entire screen in at a glance.  I will move my eyes around the screen, but don't want to have to move my head to get from one corner to another.   One problem I've noticed with newer Macs is that they don't have a slot for a disc.  I have a lot of information and photos stored on discs, and I won't buy a computer that doesn't take them.  That will leave out the MacBook, but maybe I can change to another model.  I sure would hate to go back to the Microsoft operating system.

Rocky is sticking right by my side, and I don't even have as much problem leashing him up to go home from the dog park.  He wants to make sure I'm not  moving without him, and every box I pack and add to the stack adds to his consternation.  He is still definitely a puppy and will remain in puppy-hood for another year at least, but I see little signs of improvement now and then so I have hope I can hang in there.

It is really getting hot now, and wouldn't you know it my swamp cooler isn't cooling.  The water isn't getting up to the pan underneath the fan, and I've turned the valve on so I don't know what else to do.    You can barely survive in Sacramento without some kind of cooling.

I need to get back to doing something connected with preparing for my move.  I feel so inadequate and that is hard to take when I think of all the moves I've made in my lifetime.  This is definitely the worst, and I hope the last!

Update

This is an update on the sale of my house.  It doesn't look like it's handled like the sale of a regular house, so I don't think there is a closing I have to go to.  The buyer and I have both signed the agreement, and he can move in Apr. 30th.  I had scheduled the beginning date of my rental for the 30th, but I am asking her for an extra day so that I can take two days to move.  My kids can get it all moved in one day but I don't want to be rushed so badly.

Rocky is moping about pretty seriously most of the time, except when we go for a walk.  He knows something is happening, but doesn't understand what it is or if he will be included.  He has developed an eye infection, and I don't know what to do about it, especially since I have no way of  getting him to the vet at a particular time.   When the deal I have with Banfield Pet Hospital (associated with Petsmart) is over with, I want to find a regular vet within walking distance of where I'll be living.  There's a pet store nearby, and I hope they have a vet associated with them.

Winter/spring seems to be over with, and our beautiful cool weather is gone.  In its place we have temps in the 80's which are so uncomfortable to me, and the swamp cooler doesn't seem to be cooling properly.  I don't know what to do about it at this point - I'm certainly not going to spend money having it fixed.  It is such a simple concept that I don't have any idea what could go wrong with it. 

I'm totally worn out and have just gotten started!  I'm too old for this.

Moving!

I've had one person look at my house and he made an offer today that I agreed to.  So it's almost a done deal - I'm anxious to sign the paperwork.  Things will move quickly as he wants to be moved in by the 30th of April, and I want to move into my new place the same time. 

I started packing a few weeks ago but now I have to pack in earnest.  I will be glad to be settled in, as well as to have a big yard for Rocky.  We will both miss this place and many of the people and their dogs, but life goes on!   We will both make new friends.

 Although I am going to keep my old, beat-up  furniture for a while , at least until Rocky matures a little more, the first thing I'm going to do is buy a recliner for myself and have it delivered to the new place as soon as I move in.

Right now I am really enjoying a scotch & water before I go look to see what I should pack next.  I'm so happy and hope the buyer is feeling good about the deal as well.  We came out with a win-win situation, which is always the best as far as I'm concerned.

 

Saved Again by Jerry!

I'm sure I've written more than once about a very difficult event in my life in 1987, when our house burned and nearly everything in it was destroyed.  We had excellent insurance and came out ok on it and sold it a year or so later for a great price.  When I viewed the smoking remains the day after the fire, I was at possibly the lowest ebb of my life, but when I got in my car after surveying the damage, I heard a song on the radio by Jerry Garcia (The Grateful Dead), called "A touch of grey", with the refrain "I will get by, I will survive!".  I knew from that day I would be ok and everything would turn out fine.

My current situation is nothing like that, but it's been about 32 years now, and at 32 years older it doesn't take as much to completely do me in.  I've bought and sold houses before and I don't know why this is so traumatic, but it is.  So just a while ago I found a Youtube video of Jerry singing "Touch of Grey".  I sang along with him until I started crying like a baby, but  "It's all right, I will get by, I will survive".
  

My first potential buyer is going to come and look at the house tomorrow at 1pm, and I am going to be positive about it.  The house was inspected this afternoon by an inspector for the real estate company.  He was here for a long time, so he must have checked absolutely everything.  I will get by, I will survive!  Have I mentioned I'm moving into my new place on May 15.  I am not sure if I can get all my belongings there in one day,  but I'll certainly try 

I took Rocky for a long walk this afternoon, and people going by on bikes, in cars, and walking, all called out "Hey there's Rocky!"

Well, I hope you all wish me good luck tomorrow (Wed.) at 1pm!  I hope they can open the dog park back up by then - it rained pretty heavily last night and it's closed all day today.  It would be a nice place to hang out while my place is being checked out.


 

On the Market Today

I put my house on the market today and hope it will sell without much delay.  I really like the agent and am happy to have found her.  My daughter was here to help me go over the forms and paperwork, and now the sign is in front.  I hadn't wanted a sign up, but the agent and my daughter thought I should, so if it helps then I'll do it!

Now the hard part will come - keeping my house in good enough order to show it on short notice.  That isn't going to be easy with a big dog living here, but I'll do my best.  My new landlord would like for me to move in about the 15th of May, which really doesn't leave me a whole lot of time.  I signed a 3 month contract with the realtor, but once it sells I will have a lot of work to do packing things up.  It's not something i can do while there are prospective buyers coming through.  It's no wonder I'm suffering from indigestion!

I spent the afternoon in the dog park with like minded folks and their dogs.  It is a beautiful spring day here, and it's nice to get outdoors.  No one there mentioned the sign in my yard, and I hope they don't.  I am looking forward to having prospective buyers come and look at the house, but I don't want to talk about it with my current neighbors.

There were dogs of all sizes there this afternoon, and I am becoming a lot more comfortable with little dogs.  Some of them hop right up on my lap, so I must not give out any unfriendly vibes. Somehow they have discovered I usually have a bag of treats in my pockets, and they all come around sniffing at my pockets and giving me the pleading looks.  I'm going to have to go there tomorrow better prepared.  Rocky is the juvenile delinquent of the bunch, but he's getting better a little bit at a time.  Any improvement is wonderful to me, no matter how small!

Well, I'm glad this day has come and nearly gone.  I can't tell you how traumatic it's been - I don't have any qualms about what I'm doing, but the steps to be taken, the paperwork, and all the little stuff to do is taking its toll on me. 

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Long Time, No Write!

I didn't mean to let the blog go this long without updating, but I've been under a lot of stress lately - mostly to do with moving, selling my current place, etc.  While I have done a lot of updates over the time I've lived here, there are still some things I'd like to have taken care of.  But today I talked to an agent who specializes in the mobile home market and she was very supportive of what I'd like to do.  It ends up that I am going to set a price below most of the houses in this market and the agent thinks it will go fast.  I certainly hope so.  I have had severe indigestion the past week which I'm sure is attributable to the uncertainty I've been facing about my move, selling this home, and all the things that go with such a move.

In the meantime Rocky is having so much fun with friends at the dog park and I'm happy for him.  It certainly wears him out.  Galaxy's owner has been talking about bringing her over to visit me at my new place, where the two dogs can run in my back yard to their hearts content!  They certainly make a fine pair.

So I'm hoping I can sell quickly and pack up my belongings quickly.  I never did let myself accumulate a lot of "stuff" after living in an RV for a couple of years, but I think my downfall is keeping paperwork.  I need to purge my files and throw out a lot of it.  I've already gathered clothes I haven't worn in a long time, and think my next step will be getting rid of  some camping equipment.  I have two tents, one being a large 4 person cabin tent that worked so well for Lady and me.  I also have a 2-person backpacking tent which is easier to set up but of course has less room.  I'm sure Rocky and I would be comfortable in it if we ever go camping.  There are numerous other items in the camping department that I could let go of.  I'm about ready to drop the sentimentality factor in most of my things, so that should help.

Thank goodness for my wonderful kids.  They are all so supportive and helpful, and my daughter is especially helpful in remembering things for me, and helping me make decisions.  When did I get so old?  I used to be the strong one and now I have to rely on my strong kids!  I'm so grateful to have them.

I hope you are all having a great week, and to those of you who are in the track of stormy weather, please stay safe.

When Rocky Meets Galaxy

All Hell Breaks Loose!  We were out for a quick walk this morning before the rain starts, and things were going very well as far as leash walking goes.  Then we met Galaxy and her owner.  Galaxy is one of the three black dogs of the same size that I wrote about in a previous blog.

We both tried to hold on to our dogs, but she has had foot surgery and is using a walker, and I'm not as strong as I once was, and the two dogs broke loose at the same time.

What fun they had and it was difficult to get the leashes back in our hands, and then the dogs kept tangling them up.  I finally pulled the bag of treats out of my pocket and got Rocky to move off to the side and sit still long enough to get the dogs apart.  With all the rain and no place to run off their energy, they really needed that fun, although it wasn't in the best place.  Once we separated them they were manageable.  What a way to start the day!

I am so anxious to have the lady come to look my place over to see if she is interested.  The people in the duplex are moving at least a month ahead of schedule, and I'd like to get started on my move.  I may as well face the future with hope and acceptance, but the one thing that will certainly be a trade-off is the back yard - great for Rocky to run off leash, but he will really miss the interaction with other dogs, especially those his size and temperament.

My washing machine is just about ready to give out, and I'm hoping it will give me a few more uses before it dies.  I have been wanting to get a new one but would rather have it delivered and set up where it will remain for the rest of my lifetime!

I'd better get started on my day.  Please keep your fingers crossed that the lady will come and see my house soon, fall in love with it and the location, and sell her house in a hurry.  I don't think I'm asking for too much !  I walked down to the office yesterday to pick up one of their monthly booklets that lists all the benefits available here, activities, etc.  If she likes to do things like that, there are so many such as bingo, crafts, bridge & bridge lessons, dinners, etc.  I see that they are starting a class in line dancing which sounds like fun to me.

It finally happened!

I wish I had a magic wand that I could wave and have everything packed and ready to move!  I think the current renters are leaving somewhere around the last week in May,  As it is I have more boxes sitting around than I have room for, and I haven't done a very well-thought out plan.  

Rocky continues to take most of my energy and time.  He is growing and his behavior is a little better (but not much!).  He loves the dog park but with the rain every few days, it is closed half the time.  We spent almost two hours there last week with two other black dogs his size.  He was so tired from that he took almost 3 days to get back to his normal self.

 He finally did it!  I just took him with me to put a load of wash into the dryer across the street.  A man was sitting on the other side of the room waiting for his wash to dry, and Rocky pulled so hard to get to this guy that I fell (and let go of the leash).  Fortunately I was able to get back up (slowly) and my knees had taken the worst of it but they weren't even scratched and I'm walking ok.  I am so mad at that dog I don't know what to do.  I doubt he even realizes he made me fall.

I have another load to do - I'm leaving him in his crate this time and I don't care if the neighbors like it or not!

It's an overcast day with drizzles off and on.  Not conducive to long walks, for sure.  I hope everyone is having a better start to their day than I am!   (I almost feel like erasing this entire post and starting again tomorrow!)