Finally Vertical

The drive up to Nevada on Sunday was during the huge winds which caused PG&E to do massive power outages across the State again.  For us, the drive confirmed the intensity and danger of these winds because we've honestly never seen or experienced anything like it.  Many instances of gusts that would move your car - or the truck next to you (really scary).  Watching debris swirl against the freeway median wall like mini-tornadoes everywhere.  Truly hurricane gusts (strength wise) which then whirled into vortexes that you could actually see.  It was scary even just driving. 

PG&E has majorly screwed up for decades in terms of not maintaining the power grid and we're all paying for it - but it is what it is and I do think shutting power off was the right call.  I wasn't thinking that on the way home yesterday when I stopped in Colfax and the entire town was shut down.  No power = no lights = no bathrooms.  But shutting down the grid vs. risking sparking another fire - seems like the better option.  Yes, I wish they had worked on putting more underground across the last decades....but they didn't.   And, on the drive home, I also saw Cal Trans working on trimming trees and vegetation along the freeway that could get sparked by nearby power lines - so it's not just PG&E that needs to be tending things - it's everywhere. 

But now, for the drive up.  As we rounded the corner on the final approach to Carson City, I was pretty sure I saw our new house with actual walls!  I was right!  You can now go in and 'see' the rooms and that's a huge thing 'cuz it's very hard to have size perspective in a 'flat' house.

Our last round trip up and back and now we're 'home' (in Tracy) for a few more days before we trek back up permanently.

I've had some tears this past weekend - wrapping my head around this massive change and already missing my friends and our beautiful house (here).  We spent time in the town house this weekend and it will be OK but wow, it is hard to feel like we'll be living 'between' for months in what feels like an oppressively small space.  I'm sure it will get easier and once we're in and get more settled, we should be fine - I hope, anyway.  It will have to do - because the new house will be well worth whatever the wait is and we just have to get through our first winter as Nevada residents.  Spring will be even more our favorite season in 2020 and we're sure hoping our 30th anniversary gift to each other will be a house.

We're taking some drastic steps with H. - in hindsight, we really messed up getting him to Texas so quickly after finishing his DUI classes and counseling.  Realizing that he's living in a suburb of Houston with absolutely zero public transportation of any kind - yes, really - we've checked multiple times - he is completely stuck without wheels.  First step in getting some kind of wheels is getting a license and he can't do that it appears without getting the California DMV involved.  So we're likely flying him back to Reno in a week or so and he and J. will trek to Truckee, CA (about an hour and a half away) to wait in line to figure out next steps.  It's a complicated mess and has been really revealing of the things that happen that make it impossible for people to move forward.  One thing leads to another and leads to another - and yes, all these 'things' are issues that H. is responsible for - solely - but we are willing to help him sort it out.  He sounds motivated and positive for the first time in a long time - there are great jobs to be had - we just have to navigate all the steps that go with getting him squared away in Texas.

He really messed up by not prioritizing better and he knows that.  But leaving him 'trapped' in Texas isn't a great choice so we're going to get him here to help get things taken care of on the California side of the issue.

It's cold here and we both slept fitfully lacking warmth.  J. turned on the heat in the early morning hours and I finally got a blanket - it is feeling like Fall.  It was 18 degrees in Carson City this morning so yikes, that is going to be quite an adjustment.  The heater will be running a lot there.  The garage was super warm this weekend and we realized it's the doors - they absorb the heat from the sun and put it into the space - it truly was the warmest place in the town house and it felt so good to go out there and feel warm.  We're still figuring out the heater settings.

J. took the back route home so he was able to stop by the new house again and the trusses were delivered!!  We will have a framed roof shortly!

I hear J. taping boxes so I'd better get moving - lots to pack up still.

Eating Off the Land

We've spent two days packing up the kitchen - brutally tossing things that aren't worth moving.  Eating what we have so we hopefully won't have to worry about refrigeration for a week.  I don't know what we were thinking or why when we asked for the refrigerator to be delivered on the 8th?  But that's what we did and J. tried to change it and there are no earlier delivery dates available so...we might need to use plastic tubs with dry ice to keep condiments and stuff cold.  And it's already pretty cold up there anyway so that will help.  We have at least one ice chest in storage somewhere but no idea where and we don't see it in either unit - so it's buried.  Guess we could buy a new one.  We'll see what's left when we're doing a final pack up on the 4th. 

Dinner was cornbread made with some Jiffy mixes that were a smidge past their 'best date' and two cans of Hormel chili.  We'll be eating weird things the next week or so and then calling H.'s friend K. to come over with his wife and take what's left in the freezer.  We've really cleaned out a lot so we aren't wasting much. 

We don't have motel reservations for the 4th here in town either, yet - we need to do that.  We could sleep on the floor in the house but...that will lead to not great sleep and sore bodies and the next day, we'll be driving 4+ hours with two cats who will be not at all happy about the drive. 

I just chatted on Facebook with a friend that I'd really hoped to see again before the move - but that isn't going to happen.  Luckily, she lives in Elk Grove and we can easily meet up once we're both settled - she's moving into a brand new house in the Spring, too! 

It's down to the wire on number of days left here and while it's been 16 months of planning, it's all come down to this last mad dash week we have ahead of us. 

We'd told H. we would get him a TV - but getting it shipped seemed silly.  He found the same TV we found at Costco for $10 more at Walmart so he bought it - I sent him a check to put back in his bank account.  Having that allows him to watch Netflix, set up his PlayStation and have something to do.  Better to keep him busy, I think.

We head up to Nevada tomorrow - last round trip up and back until we start doing that to visit friends here in Tracy and Livermore. 

The new owners are coming over next Friday evening (8PM! - the Friday commute from Hayward will be awful so that's why it's so late) to get info on appliances, thermostats, pool equipment, etc..  They also wanted help with utilities - we've already provided both water/sewer/trash and PG&E with our stop date so I replied they just need to contact the City of Tracy and PG&E to get things set up in their name.  I'm fine with helping them but....we've got lots to do - not wanting to spend hours walking them through everything.  We have all manuals, etc. ready to leave for them.  They'll have to figure it out -

It's just after 5:30PM but it feels much later - we've worked pretty hard today and we're beat. 

Hardest of Weeks

Tuesday had J. making two trips to the vet.  The first with Chloe who needed a vaccine booster.  Chloe has been not well for some time - literally peeing everywhere - constantly.  We'd started using a 'pen' to keep her in at night with the floor covered by washable puppy pads - doing anything we could to keep her from peeing on the tile - which then travels the full route of the grout.  One pee could result in 10 square tiles and grout requiring deep cleaning - and with the house sold, we were trying to avoid needing to do a huge clean of the tiles again.  (No amount of grout and tile sealant works against rivers of pee.  Trust me.).  We knew she couldn't help it and was mortified every time it happened.  We'd mentioned it to the vet repeatedly and it just seemed age related.

While at the vet, they tried to do a urinalysis and realized there was some sort of blockage.  Xrays confirmed a very large bladder stone.  Only option was surgery.  They also discovered that one of her vertebrae was off and was likely causing her pain.  The vet agreed that we were looking at quality of life issues - so we planned to bring her back on Thursday to be euthanized.  We decided we'd let the boys know, do some Facetime with them and spoil Chloe rotten for another couple days.

J. took the cats for their vaccine boosters at 1:30 - everything went smoothly.

In the mean time, something was clearly off with Chloe.  She could barely stand - her feet would slip out from under her body.  She was standing perfectly still as if she couldn't move - possibly (likely) in pain.  We phoned the vet back to inquire and J. took her back in.  We agreed to move forward with euthanasia then instead of waiting.  She was clearly suffering - and it felt like she was telling us it was OK.

We called the boys later that day and of course, they were both sad and upset.  She was a love of a dog and I'm sure they both would have liked to love on her some more before.  But we feel like we did the right thing - seeing her barely able to move - it was very hard.  

We quickly realized how quiet the house was shortly after J. returned from the airport on Sunday.  He and H. had an emotional goodbye - and H. was winging his way to his new town.  We checked in with him Monday and Tuesday and he was 'fine'.  That's what he said.  Only he wasn't.

On Wednesday morning, his friend J. took H. to the ER near their home - H. was so dehydrated, he couldn't feel his hands or feet and J. had to help H. walk to the car and get into the ER.  Around noon our time, a doctor from the hospital phoned us - I answered the phone and they asked for J. - he was in the shower so I said 'I am his wife - is this about H.'?  It was.  The doctor asked me to tell him about H.'s history - H. had filled him in on the cancer diagnosis, his drug use and his history.  The doctor asked me if there were any other addiction issues or medical issues or diagnosis that H. might not have said - and I stated no.  I did tell the doctor that H. was stating he had been clean and sober for 18 months wasn't quite accurate.  

H. was diagnosed with a compressed duodenum which resulted in an intestinal blockage.  Once he got fluids, he felt better - and they were able to get the vomiting under control.  They didn't let him eat because surgery was possible.  He had a rough Wednesday but was better on Thursday morning - and they let him go home.  (We're pretty sure if he had private insurance they would have kept him longer?).  

The duodenum is between two major blood vessels - the aorta and the superior mesenteric artery (SMA).  It is usually cushioned effectively by fat - which keeps the duodenum open and positioned between the two blood vessels.  It's possible that H.'s continued issue with keeping weight on resulted in a lack of the fat cushion which in turn created the compression.  A slight narrowing is what the doctor described but clearly - it was not slight for the day that H. started throwing up everything he ate or drank.  He had stomach stuff happening the week before he left - but we thought it was likely just stress about the move.  There is a very rare 'syndrome' of a compressed duodenum though the doctors (apparently) didn't mention that to H. .  Again, possibly related to him not having insurance. That syndrome has 'wasting' as one of it's symptoms and that really describes H.'s inability to put on weight.  Sure, we know some of the weight loss was related to drug use - but he's been clean for quite a while and still struggling to add weight to his very lean, tall frame.  

His first week in Texas hasn't been great.  He is home, able to eat, says he's doing OK and I sure hope that's accurate.  He knows to eat small meals six times a day, consumer plenty of water and other liquids (emphasis on water) and to never let it go that long again if a possible blockage is happening.

Today, he confirmed he's homesick, missing us very much.  I'm sure he feels as uncertain and unsure about this big move.  Cypress is a Houston suburb but there is absolutely NO public transportation and everything is very spread out.  He's heading to the DMV on Monday and if/when he gets a drivers license, we'll figure out what to do - he will likely need a car.  First priority is a job.  Trying to coach him to 'chunk things up'.  Focus on something you CAN do instead of fretting about the things you can't - so for example, maybe do a Google map search of a 2 mile radius from the house and find places you could possibly work and use a bike to get there.

I'm struggling more than I like to admit because I worry so much about him being there - if he is in a place where the people around him are doing everything they can to help him, great.  But if he's in a place where he can stay there with people urging him to be on his own in a very short window, that will be very hard for him.  I'm not sure (actually pretty sure they don't) understand his addiction and mental health issues and how hard those things are on him in terms of any kind of change.  And then I think 'he's 26 years old, Majah.  He's got to pull it together and get through it'.  If H. were B., I wouldn't worry a bit - because B. hasn't had issues that make moving forward on your own hard.  H. said today (on the phone) 'in a month, if I don't have a license and don't have a job, then I'm doing something wrong'.  Which is true.  Because there are plenty of jobs out there.  But that statement felt like it is something someone there said to him vs. something he would say to himself.  And that kind of pressure is something H. has never handled well.

When I crawl into bed nightly and pull the warm covers up and get snuggly, I take a couple deep breaths, ask God to watch over both my kids (and a host of other people) and  ask Him take a special interest in H. at the moment...and then I try to let it go - it's super hard but I'm trying.  We can support and encourage him as much as possible but he has to make all these things happen on his own.  He's an adult and he needs to adult.

Because of H. being sick, J. and I moved our departure for Nevada from today to Sunday morning - we will trek up with two fully loaded cars, drop stuff off at the town house and then have Monday up there as well.  This will be the LAST round trip we'll be making as residents of California and I am super happy and excited about that.  Today, I worked on packing the kitchen - threw out so much food but decided there's no point in keeping things that are super old, small amounts of things aren't worth moving (example:  a bottle of red wine vinegar with less than a cup in it).  We're going to head to Winco when we get up there and restock pantry staples and plan to shop weekly.  I've told J. that I truly don't want to buy much at Costco - if we need canned chicken, get one or two small cans instead of 10 humongous cans.  We wasted a lot of food and I don't want to do that as we enter this next phase of our lives.

We scheduled the City of Tracy once a year pickup for a week from today - we have the couch which we can't get anyone to take (even on the curb with a free sign, no one wants it).  And likely some other trash items - we can have up to 10 32 gal. bags of trash also picked up - we won't have anywhere near that amount since we've been working on this move for well over a year now.

Leaving Tracy feels hard sometimes...I miss my friends already.  But J. and I are really excited about our new home.  New adventures.  More (new) friends.  

Goodbye for Now

My alarm went off at 4:55AM this morning and my body/mind did a huge WTF!.  While getting up that early used to be a daily thing M-F, it is rare post-retirement and boy, howdy did I feel it.

J. and H. left for the Oakland airport just after 5:30AM.  J. parked and got H. checked in and to security before he headed to his car.  He's pretty emotional about the departure - he and H. are each other's bestie so...it's a hard goodbye for them.  Hard goodbye for me, too - but I mostly feel excited for H.'s new adventure(s) and fresh start.  He's needed a reboot for a long time and as the departure day approached and he worked on packing and sorting through his room, he said he was just getting  more and more excited.  I'm glad he left feeling exhilarated and ready 'cuz if he had been super sad and upset, my heart would have broken more than a little bit.

But he's off in high spirits and will be there in a few hours.  He'll text us, I'm sure.  At least I hope so.

I toyed with going back to sleep but decided I'd rather take a nap later so I tried to help J. out with laundry.  I've noticed when I get a fresh bath towel that there aren't many in the linen cupboard and I've been thinking 'well of course, we packed them'.  No, we did not.  They were in H.'s room - SO MANY TOWELS.  I've done two loads so far and there are still some left.  We'll dry them, fold them and put them in a box for the moving van 'cuz we have enough to get us through - being a house of just us two has it's advantages.

The wire transfer was in our account mid-afternoon on Friday so we are officially no longer the owners of our Tracy house.  (I'm half expecting the new owners to show up today for a visit - Sunday seems to be their day off.  I doubt they will show up unannounced but we'll see).  We need to notify our insurance company that we are officially renters at this point - we already have a renter's policy in place.

Today will be more packing.  I'm trying to have extra inertia this upcoming week to compensate for the five days we will have 'away' this coming weekend.  Still not sure we will go but we probably will.  We've got a lot of stuff ready to take up and the more we take now, the easier the final trip up will be in early November.

Safe travels, H. .  You have been a huge help these past few months and we can't thank you enough for all the work you've done to help us ready the house for sale and get things packed up.  This fresh start is your chance to reboot - so do it!  Just do it!  We love you and are always here for you.

Closing Delay

We finally received confirmation that the buyers loan funded - after two days of waiting.  Technically, we didn't stop owing the house two days ago - we will stop owning it tomorrow.  We hope.  I had weird dreams all night about people bringing huge amounts of cash - only not enough to pay what we sold the house for.  It was a long, weird night.  No explanation for the two day delay - the first day, it was because the lender was doing a final doc review.  But the second day?  Crickets.  No idea why they took an extra day but oh well.  It funded today and it's truly just waiting for the sale to be recorded which should happen tomorrow.  They took down the For Sale sign and removed the lock box on Monday.

We're in a packing frenzy with H. getting his stuff into two huge suitcases and a small carry on.  He and J. dismantled the master bedroom headboard and brought it all downstairs.  If Salvation Army won't take it tomorrow, we'll have to get some help to make a trip to the dump.  I'd put it on the curb but the mirrors make me very nervous - someone getting seriously injured trying to take it off the curb would be a disaster.  I'd rather just toss it.  J. thinks he could keep/use the nightstands until he gets new bedroom furniture so we might add those to the moving load.  And if Salvation Army won't take the sideboard, I'm taking it with us.  No way I'm taking that beautiful piece to the dump.  I'll try again to sell it up there and use it in the mean time -

We have reservations to travel up there again on Friday, 11/25 for 4 nights and we're not sure what our plans are so for now, we're keeping the reservations.  We'll have to decide by 11/23 - we could definitely get some more stuff up there on our own which lightens the poundage for the moving van on the 4th.  But we'll have to see how far we get on the packing by then. 

I feel overwhelmed and when that happens, I lose all inertia.  But I made a bit of progress today so hopefully, that will help.  It's just overwhelming.  We've packed so much already but there's so much more to go. 

One of H.'s friends came over and took a huge package of frozen chicken legs, some pizza rolls and some donuts that I got just for him and his family.  I went to Stockton yesterday (where Krispy Kreme is) and had lunch with my CBO friends - very fun and very sweet.  I miss all of them so much and it was great to see them! 

Hopefully there will be no crazy dreams tonight so I'll feel more rested tomorrow.  For now, I'm determined to get two boxes moved out to the garage.  Two down, Lord only knows how many more to go.

Town House Visit

We had a fun weekend in Reno and Carson City and enjoyed spending time with H..  He played slots with  me and Black Jack with his dad and while we didn't come home ahead, we didn't come home broke either - so that's a win.  We called it a Family Lalapalooza weekend - J. and H. also had massages yesterday morning before we headed home - a nice treat. 

We got the keys to the town house we are renting in Carson City and got to see it for the first time - it is nice and will be fine.  The decor is a little 'dark' for my tastes - darker brown carpeting, darkish taupe paint on the walls and dark wood cabinetry throughout - but it's pretty.  J. took measurements and we're starting to figure out how to fit the pieces of furniture we are moving with us into the various spaces.  Half the size of this house - so things like the electric piano are hard to place.  But we'll make it work. 

There has been progress on our house as well - tons of lumber there and pretty sure a lot of framing will happen this week.  We also have subfloor down - so we can start to see the rooms.  When we look at it as it is now, some spaces seem so small - but I'm sure the house will be fine - it's not a small house. 

H. will head to Houston this coming Sunday and I shared with him yesterday how I was feeling emotional about it all.  Then I realized I was being a terrible mother - focusing on me and my feelings primarily - when he burst into sobs in the car on the way home.  He said 'I'm just going to miss you guys so much'.  And I said 'we feel the same'.  It's a good fresh start for all of us.  Later, when our emotions were a bit more in check, I asked him - saying "I'm going to ask you something and I want you to be honest about it - do you really want to go to Houston?".  His immediate reply was 'yes, I do'.   He said he's had offers from friends to stay in Tracy?  But he really doesn't want to stay here.  I think he feels like we do - we love Tracy and have been very happy here - it is and always will be (and will always feel like) home.  Time for fresh beginnings and new adventures. 

I'm planning on saying my goodbyes here at the house and J. will do the airport transport.  I think both of your parents losing it as you get in the security line to leave would be bad.  I'll lose it in the privacy of our house and will hopefully be better by the time J. gets home. 

We should get champagne out and celebrate - and we just might.  But more low key since this is the third time H. has moved out. 

We signed all the mortgage docs on Friday in our realtor's office.  I nudged the new owners about the payment needed for the furniture items they are buying.  They asked if they could drive out and drop it off on Sunday and I said 'no, we're out of town. Just write me a check and put in the mail to me - it should reach us by Tuesday'.  Sunday, I'm sitting at a slot machine in a very noisy casino when I get a call - she said 'I can't find your mailbox to put the check in'.  I said 'I'm sorry - having a hard time hearing you - but you can't put something in our mailbox since it's a US postal mailbox and you aren't the mail delivery person'.  I asked her to put the check under the front door mat - and she sent me a pic of her having slid the envelope between the door and door frame - so I immediately called and said (to her husband who answered - I think it is her husband - at this point, I'm honestly not sure they are married) 'please don't leave it there - it will get stolen.  Please put it under the mat so it isn't visible'.  It was there when we got home yesterday and I'm heading to the bank to cash it. 

It is 11:45AM and in 15 minutes, we will no longer own this home.  Feels a wee bit sad but mostly feels great to have it sold and to be a huge step closer to our next great adventure. 

This week, we will get H.'s stuff packed up and organized.  We have a Salvation Army pickup scheduled for Friday and whatever they won't take will be put on the curb for a city trash pickup.  Today, we'll put the free couch out again - so far, no takers.  But there's still time. 

I shared how sad I felt about H. leaving and how I felt like I'd messed up being so emotional about it with my friend C. (who by the way texted me just as I was starting an email to her) and she said 'give yourselves permission to have all the 'feels' (as they call emotions at her house).  There have been a lot of big changes for all of you so of course there's a lot of emotions happening'.  And J. basically said the same thing - we'll all be having our fair share of suspense, sadness, etc. about H.'s departure - but we can also all remind ourselves how grateful we are for technology that makes it easier to be in touch.  Facetime, email, texting - as H. said 'I'm going to be in touch with you guys all the time'.  I hope so!

To fresh beginnings and new adventures.  To being renters for the next five-ish months.  To getting used to a new state, new city.  To watching our dream house be built before our eyes and not having to drive 3.5 hours to see the progress!  And to looking forward to friends, family and our sons visiting often. 

Words Fail

My aunt passed away early Wednesday morning.  Peacefully.  I've been trying to synthesize the impact her life had on my life and there truly are just not adequate words.  I guess the best way to say it she was just always there. 

My earliest memory of her - a memory that is seared in my brain - is her helping six year old me get my shoes on.  Sitting at the kitchen table in her home with her husband not far away.  She's putting on my shoes and I see my brother walking up the driveway - in his dress Marine uniform - and I say 'Auntie M., why is S. here?'.  She says 'he's going to be so happy to see you and he's going to take you home'.  He was with my older sister and our Uncle from Oklahoma. 

Not too long into that car ride home, my little sister and I would find out that our father - who we had seen in the hospital a day or so before and who said he would be home soon - had died.  Suddenly, tragically.  Gone.  Forever.

There are a lot of parts of my childhood that I know I've blocked memories from.  I frequently have 'zingers' of scattered memories that I try to place - sounds or smells or random fleeting snippets of things that I can't quite form into something meaningful.  But I know from that point on, my Auntie M. was always simply just there for us.  She willingly opened her home to us whenever we needed a place to be - tons of fun play time spent with our cousins.  She pitched in helping our mom navigate doctor appointments and other childhood events.  She sent her husband to any and all Father/Daughter events with me and her husband and two sons were frequently at our house helping with things - Christmas morning finding Hot Wheels tracks from the family room up the steps into the living room, weaving through the house.  My new bike put together by them.  Not to mention any and all household repairs and/or any issues we had.  If we as kids were needing anything - like when our Mom was very sick and we didn't know what to do - we'd call Auntie M. and Uncle J. and they would be there to help.  They helped a lot.

Christmas Eve was always at Auntie M's house - food and fun - always a pinata for the kids.  She created magical memories that I do have total recall of - and I feel so blessed to have her in my life. 
I've had some wonderful women mentors in my life and she's one of the very best - strong, loving, matter-of-fact. 

I was a Girl Scout because of her (she worked for the Girl Scouts for many years) and would push myself way outside my comfort zone because when camp counselors found out who my Aunt was, I didn't want her to ever be disappointed.  Leave the place better than you found it is still my mantra. 

She taught me to cook for an army whilst setting limits.  (Two slices of bacon was a huge treat - but when you're cooking for 20-30 people at whichever cabin we were at, unlimited bacon was out of the question).  Her kitchen was always bustling and the heart of her home. 

When my mom died, J. and the boys and I were staying at a hotel - and she insisted we come stay with her.  I never want to impose on people - but she was absolutely adamant - 'I have tons of room so come here'.  One of my fondest memories during that very hard week was my two sons laying on the floor watching the movie "With Six You Get Eggrolls" with Auntie M. and their parents.  She didn't have a lot of what would be considered 'kid movies' - but the boys loved that movie - and so do I.  She said 'I'm so glad to have a chance to get to know your boys and spend time with them'.  And she said 'they are really good kids'.  They were....and are. 

She created opportunities for her grand kids to spend tons of time together and same for all the cousins.  So many memories of time at the mountain cabin with our cousins.  Seances and rock climbing.  Hiking.  Napping.  Playing crazy card games like Nertz.  (I can't remember the names of all the card games we played). 

We all miss her so much - but mostly, I just think how blessed we all are to have had her in our lives.  I was sad when I heard she had died - but immediately thought 'but she's with J. (her husband who left us decades ago) and her mom and her two oldest children - what a reunion that will be!'.  And Bridge with my mom, too, 'cuz I'm sure heaven has great Bridge games. 

I love you, Auntie M.  Thank you for always being there for me - and for all of us.  You've left behind a legacy of people who continue to grow close to each other no matter the distance. 

Almost Another Two Weeks

Every-other-week posting appears to be the norm.  Time is flying by so incredibly quickly. 

Today, I called Atlantis and booked reservations for us during the week we will be waiting for the moving company to confirm their arrival with all our stuff.  If we don't need the room, we'll give the hotel notice and leave - but we might be grateful for a respite from what will be organized chaos. 

I just emailed the boarding kennel in Minden (a bit south of Carson City) to confirm they will have space for our dog and cats during that waiting week.  As soon as we're in the town house and somewhat settled, we'll go get our animals and get them settled.  We just didn't want them roaming the townhouse and getting spooked (or getting out of the house) during all the hubbub of the unloading furniture and boxes. 

Glad to report that J. (bless his heart for getting this off the list so quickly) took both cats to the vet earlier this week.  The were howling in their carriers in the car (which I heard when he phoned me from his car while I was driving home from Reno in mine - I stayed a couple extra nights up there and he headed home) - but he said once they were in the exam room, they chilled pretty quickly.  A little more 'crying' on the drive home but they were back to themselves - although a bit tired and a day or two of not feeling great from vaccinations.  They are both very healthy and each weigh the exact same weight - 10.1 lbs. 

And another milestone of sorts - I also entered a slot tournament at Atlantis and told the reservation person 'and I don't need the offered room for the event - I will be living there and can just drive in for the event.  Felt super good to say that.  'I won't need a room'.  Yay!  We will be residents of Nevada soon!

The new owners threw a couple curve balls - decided they wanted a pool inspection.  That report was fine - identified what we already knew:  the heater needs repair.  But the inspector also tested the water quality and found the water to be 'poor' - high phosphates and high chlorine.  So the new owners are asking for us to drain the pool and redo the chemicals.  We are replying 'no' to that.  AND they also threw in a repair back from the original home inspection report - which is really not OK because we are way past the point of asking for additional repairs.  We close escrow in 7 days. 

I had a feeling they would be throwing things in last minute to get us to do additional things.  Sometimes in this process I think they're going to end up backing out because they seem to be constantly manipulating and adding things here and there.  I am super grateful to our realtor who also agreed with the 'no, that item should have been requested as a result of the home inspection - and you didn't ask for it then so no.  It's off the table'.  Fingers crossed.  (It is yet another code issue identified by the builder of our house - exterior doors are to be hard core and the one in the garage isn't.  Never knew.  Never had any issue.  But it isn't up to code 'as is'.  (We've lived here 19 years and nothing has ever happened related to that door).  And we've had attempted break-ins on the front door which is a hard core door - so go figure.

Hopefully one week from today, we'll have the cash in the bank and they will be the owner.  We're only renting back one additional week past our original 'out' date - instead of 10/31 we will be out by 11/5.

My Aunt in Arizona entered hospice care earlier this week - was of sound mind and signed all the documents herself.  Her body is giving out and she's had a lot of health things happening and she made the decision it was time.  I'm grateful she was able to make the choice and additionally glad there are wonderful, caring people to help make her wishes happen.  Her kids and grand kids are there to see her and I've been thinking about her and the family constantly.  Glad they are together.

In just a little over two weeks, H. will be heading to Houston.  He's excited. 

We celebrated National Taco Day with Taco Bell tacos.  I'll take any excuse to eat tacos!