Settling In

It's been 25 days now and we're getting settled in comfortably.

The new house's front yard has really taken off and is lush and green. NOT like the back yard that faces south where there is either corn or quack grass. They sort of look the same. I pray it's corn but I fear it's quack grass.

O'Well, pick your battles. The plan was to see WHAT came in and then go from there. We have seeded twice and both times 90% of the seed has washed away from huge thunderstorms that very night.

The downspouts are evil when it comes to newly sewn grass seed.

Before I get to the INSIDE of the house let me talk about the landscaping that we are planning and have ordered.

The back left of the house on the golf course are three Basswood trees and our neighbors have a couple ash trees. The Basswoods are flowering and have a wonderful aroma and millions of red admiral butterflies.

What we plan to do is put in a clump of River Birch. This will give us a little shade but not totally block the view like a Maple would do.

On the right side of the backyard where the sun will really heat up the house in summer we're putting in an Autumn Blaze maple.

This will give us a ton of shade in a few years (grow 3 feet a year) and spectacular color in the fall.

In the winter it will have no leaves and let the warming light through.

In the front yard we are planning on having an Donald Wyman Crabapple tree. It will not be smak dab in the middle but off to the left side a little so we can still see out of the "quite rooms" window.

The next project is planting Palace Purple Coralbells and So Sweet Hosta's between the sidewalk and garage. It's in shade most of the time and will add a little "something.

OK - we're skipping in front of the front porch until fall (also called regrouping our financial solvency).

However beside the garage where the air conditioner, air outtakes and outdoor faucet is all bunched together we have a plan.

First of all there will be a Burning Bush (Euonymus Tures) in the front. Then three Carefree Wonder Rose Shrubs. Then on the end to give a darker background a Summer Ninebark (no photo available).

Thats the outside - pray for us!

But - what of the inside. Well, we're a little more eclectic and have to work with what we already had. No going out and buying new stuff and starting new like the landscaping.

The living room (also called the Great Room because it is attached to the kitchen I guess) turned out great. It's a little smaller then the previous house but with 17 foot ceilings it seems bigger. I know my sub woofer is not quite so awesome in THIS room.

The kitchen is right off the living room and while we were a littel worried about the two being so close (fear of the unknown) it has worked out great!

Standing in the kitchen if you turn south you will see the sun room/breakfast nook that walked out to the porch. This had a surprise moment the third night in the house when a previously unknown sprinkler from the golf course went off and started blasting the house at 2:00 in the morning. We had water on the floor up to the close chairs you see in the photo.

We have not informed the golf course just yet because we can a free watering every few nights and all we have to to is close the window. When the grass comes in totally we will speak to the golf course.

The Master bedroom is nothing to get real excited about. It's the only room with blue carpeting. The rest of the house all blends together but we wanted something different in one room - BINGO! The room has a vaulted ceiling. Most of the house as 9 foot ceilings as the default with the kitchen, sunroom and living room having reaching to 17 feet at times.

The Master bedroom is 9 foot but goes up another foot for the ceiling fan.

There are two other rooms. The Quite room in the front of the house. It's just a peaceful little room where the animals go when things get to hectic and for some reason it's just a nice calming room. They my study which I will not show. It's also called the clutter room or the computer room.

It's very secret with secret things in it that the government will not allow me to show the public because of National Security considerations.

SO!

That is where we stand at the moment.

All is well. I'll have more when plants and trees arrive.

Rod and DJ - cheers!

27 Signatures and 25 Initials Later

I'm sitting here in my "study" (also called the second bedroom in the plans), looking out a rain dotted window at the land between fairway and tee box on the 16th hole of Kestrel Ridge. I have Sirius Satellite radio playing Aaron Copland's Rodeo: Four Dances Episode and thinking . . .WOW. We did it.

Going back in time seven days ago DJ and I loaded the car with a few plants and other comfort things and drove the twenty minutes to Columbus WI to meet with the lawyers and other parties to seal the deal on our little 1700 sq foot house.

One hour and 27 Signatures plus 25 Initials later we were the proud owners of ### Vista Circle.

We unloaded the two cars with a few things and once the guests and left we sort of ran around from room to room with little squeaking noises of glee.

After we got tired we headed back to Madison for more packing and that sort of thing, plus I had golf league to take care of.

Friday we woke up and saw that not only was our internet connection disconnected(making it an internet DISconnection) but our DISH Network had also lost many stations. All we could watch were religious channels and porno plus one Japanese News station that was broadcasting in French. hmmmm, I'd like to see the meeting where they decide what channels to give canceled subscribers.

SO, with no other option we packed both cars and started moving boxes in earnest. When we got to the house there was a new four inch layer of top soil with grass seed and hay on top of that. Things were a little . . . .dusty. No problem as we set to work cleaning and unpacking.

Side note - we tried McDonald's coffee for the first time - pretty freaking good I'd say!!

I hooked up a hose and sprinkler system and started watering our new lawn like a proud father until the clouds darkened and it started to rain. Perfect - we would not have to use OUR water and we both loved hearing thunder. Blake, our Corgi was not too keen on the thunder thing and found the bathtub, jumped in and proceeded to hyperventilate. AHHH - just like home.

The storm passed and the sun came out and standing on our deck we smiled as we looked out over the fields at a full double rainbow. DANG - no camera, grrrrrrr!!!

After a few hours we once again had done all we had to do and we needed to get back for more packing. The movers were coming at 8:00 in the morning.

After a sort of restless night which was sad because a thunderstorm with rain moved in in the early mourning, perfect sleeping weather but . . . . . . we got up and the movers moved in as the storm subsided. Three hip hop dudes worked their tail off and we could not be happier with Mayflower Moving. It took six and a half hours and we were all moved in . . .. well, 98% of our stuff was now moved 20 miles north but so you could CALL it moved in but not really livable.

So there we were, a whole house of stuff and everything to put away.

DJ, me, Milo, Sierra and Blake all went our separate directions looking or each comfort zone. Well, Blake sort of followed one human or the other . . . . actually he did that for the next two days. Sierra headed to the under the bottom of the basement stairs and hid, Milo roamed around aimlessly, DJ went into the bathrooms and started unpacking bathroom stuff and I started to put together the Home Theater.

We all had our priorities. And it rained.

By this time our lawn was soaked and it was not normal mud! It was normal DEEP mud. Step on it and you sink and the mud flows over the top of your shoes, literally. And there was one small problem. The down spouts were making little Grand Canyons in the yard and our top soil was washing away.

By Sunday much of the clutter was put away and Sierra was now upstairs and both cats were LOVING the house. Low windows on all four sides. In fact with the move both cats are much more like friends. Or maybe it is the fact that Milo is on Prozac and not irritating Sierra with his howling.

Yes yes yes - Milo is part of the Prozac nation - long story, don't ask, it was the last resort.

Still no internet or TV Sunday and we had a cook out with DJ's daughter (Little J - 25 yr old) and husband (Big J) and just basked in the new house glory.

Later in the day DJ went over to Little Js house and I was still putting electronic things together when I hear a low rumble. I go to the deck and see this charming image.


SWEET - you can see one canyon on the bottom of the screen. We only get a little rain but other areas got 3-6 inches. WHEW.

Monday - The DIRECT TV guy comes to hook up the system and he bypasses the mud by going over the house and installing the dish on top. Then the Charter Cable guy comes for the internet (has anybody heard of something called WildFire or something like that??). Well the cable guy sees the DIRECT guy and before you know it they are in the mud fighting and punching and so forth . . . . . . . what? ok ok, they never did that, but it would have been cool!

SO - now we have TV, I have internet and I spent a little MORE time hooking up the wireless router (maybe our neighbor should try to see if they can get it).

Tuesday we had a landscaper stop by and we talked about stage one of landscaping and he will be coming again Saturday when he can measure without sinking up to his knees.

We plan on one Autumn Blaze Maple and a clump of River Birch in the back yard (oddly, there was a river there Sunday morning) and a White Crab tree in front.

I planted a lot of Day Lillies (one word??) next to the house which were planted by DJ's mom in the old house many many years ago. Once then grow I'll dig them up in the fall and separate them from the clumps of 15-20 . . pod thingys.

SO - I leave the cell phone in the car for a few hours and when I retrieve it I see there is a message. HEY - we have a showing in an hour a voice mail says - but it was actually two hours ago and the house IS A TOTAL DISASTER!!

We just moved out and there has been no time to clean and pick up!! AAAAAAGHHHH! Toss that one away I guess. Another showing Thursday.

We seem to be in a crack with the price. The house is assessed at 204K. First time buyers are in the 180K range in Madison and the larger money are buying in the 250K range. Our agent is saying our price is in the retirement range.

Well - I hope a lot of people are retiring soon LOL

ANYWAY - it's now night and I'm dry on words.

I leave you with a nighttime photo of the outside and one of the living room - don't get excited about the content on TV - I was watching Las Vegas!


This is an early Saturday shot = probably looks better larger so click on it. Just a quite beginning of the day!

Until next time

Rod and DJ - g'nite