139 - Picture Blog

Everyone's favorite, right? Not all that blah, blah, blah, just pictures... the world through our eyes so to speak. Well you're not so lucky buster. I'm going to talk you through it anyway. ;)

Since we had to go back to the Dodge dealership in West Point a third time to get the globe light cover replaced, we decided to make the trip fun. We had decent Tex-Mex, stopped at a pawn shop, and then went to the Aberdeen Historical Cemetery because I'm weird and I like old cemeteries. They're peaceful and interesting... what can I say?

The Confederate section of the graveyard. Some markers are illegible, some are more recent so maybe some historical society has been upgrading them.

Thought it was interesting that the gate was made in Knoxville, TN. Most of the soldiers were made in Mississippi, Texas and Tennessee.

Closeups of some sections of the monument.

Upshot of tree bark. Yes, we're back to that.

Mike's version. The trunk was cracked and splintered to he stuck his hand in there and did an upshot. I still have Flash Gordon flashbacks so I refuse to stick my hand inside a tree trunk. Flash Gordon family fun night at the movies was not a good night for me... that's all I'm going to say about that (for the young whippersnappers - I mean when it first came out in movie theaters).

Rain drops keep falling on my head. They keep falling.

Railroad bridge across the Tombigbee.

Been thinking about my grandpa a lot, as I usually do when we're in MS. A great portion of his life was spent working on the railroad (yes, all the live long day), so when I see trains and railroad crossings, guess who comes to mind?

Been wanting to take a pic of train tracks. Mike was taking his own pics of the bridge so I wandered off. And there was a train whistle, so I thought I'd get a pic of the train (yes mom, from a safe vantage point, not standing on the tracks...) but we went on a wild goose chase and while we did find the train... we couldn't figure out where the hell it was going. Bollocks.

Dam.

Dam flower.

We went down a long gravel road somewhere along Mrs. Todd's Shortcut and this was just kinda cool (yep, I never miss an opportunity to reference this little known short story by Stephen King whenever I can... not because it's a particularly good story.. just because).

Kind of unremarkable until you enlarge it and realize that I caught a dragonfly meandering across the sky above us as I snapped this pic.

Cool tree at my cousin Jeremy's house. Which used to be my Aunt Wanda's house. Which used to be my grandparent's house.

Mike made like a goat and climbed up a hill to get this pic of the railroad bridge. Showoff... Have to admit it's nice though.

And he found this.

More wetlands (by Mike).

Cool little waterfall (Mike).

Flowers. Yes. Dam flowers. (Mike)

That's about it. Bank called and said the loan paperwork should be done about the time we close on the sale of the Texas house, so we may be able to get into our TN house before the 28th. Termite inspection should have been completed this afternoon, not expecting any issues. The well water will need to be purified, but we can install a system pretty easily. We spoke to Amerigas about installing a propane tank so I can have a gas range/oven... which I now prefer, having used one in the RV. I may have a job and I'm pretty darned excited about it because I'd be working with people I really like (and I'd have a job!). Mike is going to go through his pre-employment physical soon, so hopefully that goes well and he'll start working on the oil rig and helping out at the other job (cuz we'll be able to work together) on his days 'off'. We have confirmation that this little girl, heretofore known as Duchess, will soon be ours (yes, the cutie in the picture): http://www.golsn.com/listings/pets-more/dogs/3453637.html?ref=1369948905 And we will be headed to TN on Saturday or Sunday to bide our time until the house is ours.

Feels good to have things coming together, because frankly - LAST YEAR SUCKED! 40 is going to be so much better for us. :) Now I'm going to go eat some leftovers and watch Ganster Squad, because Emma Stone is awesome and there's nothing on tv... can't wait to have our cable back...

138 - Home Sweet Home

Made a short overnight trip to Tennessee this week, the majority of our time was spent on the road, but we did manage to accomplish quite a bit. And we found a way to skirt Nashville which is nice, especially since we would have been in the middle of rush hour on the way home.

Stopped by the house to see it in person a second time. It's still as I remembered it, light-filled, a tad on the small side, but cozy. We already want to tear down walls, but we'll start with little things like paint, fixtures and hardware and do the rest over time. The barn isn't much to speak of, the framing seems sturdy enough, the walls... not so much. Didn't realize we have a HUGE magnolia tree out front, needs some trimming, but it's full of blooms.

Next day we signed the loan paperwork at the local bank. We have been approved with a very good APR, better than I currently have in fact. We also opened an account with the bank so that we can have something available nearby, and we are wiring the proceeds of the sale of Prissy Lane to that account as an act of good faith (and it's convenient since the new loan is through the same bank). Then it was off to Cookeville to meet Hannah at the title company and officially sell the Prissy Lane property.

Have scheduled an inspection for Tuesday afternoon and once that is done we can schedule the appraisal. I don't foresee any issues with the appraisal and hopefully none with the inspection either. So it seems that we're moving right along and by June 28th (happy 40th birthday to me) we will have a place to call home again. Didn't realize how much we'd miss having that. Living in the RV wasn't bad, but if you don't have a homebase... unless you're a minimalist, it's hard. We're so happy at the prospect of getting our things out of storage.

And we're puppy shopping. Hannah and Bombdog breed German Shepherds and just had a litter. There is a female Mike is eyeing and Bombdog thinks it would be a good match for us. I'm happy it's a puppy so that maybe she and Gracie will bond a bit, but I have never house trained a dog before and am also unsure about my allergies. I have been paying attention lately and it appears that *maybe* if I'm around a certain dog on a regular basis, my allergies seem to lessen over time. At least that's been the case around Jericho, Mike's brother's chocolate lab who is indoor/outdoor. Of course, we won't be getting this puppy until we have the house and are moved in. With Mike's 21 on-21 off schedule I am going to end up being the primary caretaker... *insert 'the look' here*... but at the same time, I love German Shepherds, and while we do have neighbors, it is a little rural out there and it will be nice to have a dog around for company/additional protection.

Yesterday we went to Country Squire for catfish. Today I'm catching up on housework and we're watching a Longmire marathon. The lead character reminds me of Lee Majors, so much so that it's almost distracting. Cool show though, we like it.

The a/c issue has been fixed and we have the truck back. Still working with Dodge to see if we can get some of our money back. The transmission is still not shifting correctly and for some reason they couldn't replicate the issue when they had it so it will hopefully get us to TN and then we won't really have to use the truck a whole lot. That buys us time to get it fixed in the future. I don't know what the problem is but it is extremely annoying. Guess we'll be heading out on the first. Mike has to fly to Houston for pre-employment physicals on the 9th and will return on the 12th, then I don't know exactly when, but he should start the 21/21 schedule soon afterward and we will once again have money coming in. It's getting tight but I think we'll just be able to make it, and we're holding on to enough money (I think) from the sale of the land and the house to get things we need without having to put those on the card (mower, stove, refrigerator, window units, utility deposits, moving expenses (Austin)).

Also, since I keep forgetting to call, if mom and dad read this before I do finally get around to it: the tick problem is back. I was taking pics of pics and when I looked up, two ticks were slowly (but with eerie determination) marching across a couple of the pages toward me. I killed them, but it has creeped me out. Gracie doesn't seem to have acquired any, or they aren't bloated enough to register when I feel around. And also, I did put a septic tablet down the toilet. There is a whole box in the guest bath on the top shelf as well, just for future reference. And I bought a bag of cat food for Doug. Poor thing was starving.

137 - Digger

Been doing some digging around while I'm here, lots of old photo albums to rifle through. I don't want to disturb them so I leave them as they are and take pictures of pictures so I can have a copy for myself. Figure I'll post them on a family website and that way everyone has access to them instead of just one person. Some really neat stuff in there going back about four generations or more. This is the kind of stuff I've been searching for... for decades.

Yesterday the sun finally came out, so we got to drive around and take pics of Amory, missed a couple of things I meant to get, but captured most of the memorable places.

136 - Back East

We made it to Mississippi.

As usual, it was not without incident. Either our bad luck continues, or Mississippi hates us.

As we made our way east, the sun beat in through the windshield which is always a hassle, but especially so once your a/c stops working. Unfortunately the cold snap was over, so it was an uncomfortable ride... putting the windows down only helps so much.

Mike realized this was the same thing that happened to the truck to cause us to take it to a dealership in Athens in December, so our plan was to bring it to a dealership here in Mississippi where we could hopefully get it repaired under warranty. Given our luck, you know that's not what happened. What did happen is that the dealership in Georgia did not perform the repairs correctly or completely, so after the dealership in Mississippi examined the truck we were told that no parts were replaced, so there is no parts warranty. They also didn't flush the line, so debris is causing issues, and I know we discussed flushing the line because I remember that the warranty company specifically stated they do not pay for that. So we paid for the flush. Working under the mistaken assumption that our after market warranty had a vested interest in this information since they did pay a (small) portion of the bill, I contacted them to see if they could add any muscle to our fight, but was told that "they can't be held responsible for incomplete repairs," as usual, defensive. And oh by the way, since they paid for it once, they won't pay for it a second time.

Next call was to Dodge. They have gotten a portion of it resolved, they will replace the compressor at no charge, but to fix the rest will cost us $800. We don't feel we should have to pay for any of it since we already paid once, but each dealership is independently owned, so Dodge can't really force two dealerships to cooperate with each other. We have one more iron in the fire, a school friend of ours works for Dodge and has offered to help.

Just really sick and tired of dealing with this.

So that wasted a day.

Next day we had catfish at Pickle's, and went to see my grandmother. She seems lucid one moment, and confused the next. I'm worried she may have Alzheimer's. She seems to be creating multiple fantasy worlds. She kept imploring us to go to the house at the end of the street, claiming it belonged to my great-grandmother and they turned it into a nursing home where the rooms looked just like the one she was in. When my aunt voiced her theory that grandma had dreams and couldn't tell the difference between her dreams and reality grandma said, "Don't tell them that! They don't need to know that!" And when my aunt said G.G. never owned a house on this street, she said, "You don't know, you haven't seen it." A little while later she told my aunt to find her shoes and when my aunt asked if she was going somewhere, she said since they wouldn't take us to see the house, she would. It would be funny if it weren't my grandma.

After that we went to my cousin's house. He invited us to his house for steak, who am I to refuse? So we drove to Alabama and hung out. He brought out a rifle and let me fire it. The recoil on the first one was about what I expected, it felt like might leave a bruise, but I think I did okay. I've always aimed using sights and never through a scope, it was difficult for me because the slightest twitch makes the sight move and I lose my target so they let me kneel down where I could put my elbow on my knee to steady it. It helped. Then he brought out an AK47. This one was bone stock with a metal sight, more like I'm used to, nothing fancy. Once I figured the sight out I hit my target. He was pretty stunned that I'd never fired a rifle before, and was spot on with a gun not known for its accuracy. Here's how I shot:

Then he put a beer bottle up and we took turns shooting. It took me two tries but I got it from 32 yds away. I couldn't really see it to be honest, I had my glasses on, but had to use my bad eye because using my good eye put my face too close to the buttstock and I didn't feel comfortable. I kind of went with where I knew it should be and sighted that area in. You should have heard Mike and Jason when I hit the bottle. :) Makes my head swell a little bit.

Today was low key. We stopped by the RV to drop a few things off. Still there, no foul odors, no mice, all good news. Then we drove around looking for a throttle to replace the one on the Harley that was damaged. No dice. Had a Bill's Hamburger, very similar to Country Boy's but thinner slice of onion and different kind of fries. Country Boy wasn't open, that's been the case the last four times we visited, so I give up. Now I'm defrosting some pork and rice that we had in the freezer and taking advantage of the 3G signal while it lasts... the last couple of days the internet has been slow or nonexistent.

Talked to the bank this morning, they sent more paperwork and it sounds like we're moving forward. It explains the terms and estimated closing costs, so I *think* we are on our way to getting the house. We have also discussed how long we foresee being in the house and we're pretty sure that as long as we like it out there, it's probably our forever house. We will keep looking for land that Mike can use for hunting, and maybe we'll build a small vacation home out there for a weekend getaway. Basically, we hate the idea of moving after we've put in a lot of work into this house (landscaping, renovations, gardening, pens for livestock, etc.). Moving means we'd have to start over... neither of us is keen on that, especially as we get older. So over time, we will do things here and there to make it what we want it to be, and that makes me happy. I'd like to find a place to settle, and I have to say - being out here for only three days, I'm so much more relaxed... no traffic... slower pace of life... yes, it will be a lot of work, but it will be a better quality of life.

Tomorrow I think we'll go take pics of the area. Have some ideas already. It's what we like to do, and we don't have plans, so it will be our entertainment for the day. I'm in a sort of nostalgic mood. I see things that have meaning to me from my childhood and I'm seeing things I never notice before. So we'll see what we come up with. (Picture blog!)

135 - Bit-o-Honey

You can't find them anymore... we looked. We're on the road so much lately that I've started looking for treats I ate as a child on the road... Bit-o-Honey just doesn't exist anymore. Sadness.

Anyway, a bit of good news: Out of the blue we learned that we had a potential buyer for our land. He was planning on coming to see it Saturday to make sure he liked it in person. And he did. So we will be closing on the sale of our land within the next couple of weeks. That brings us one step closer to getting a house, which is what we need to get us back on track.

We've realized that not having a home has not been working for us. Living in the RV is not the issue, but pulling it around and paying for a place to park it has. And not having access to our belongings means we've wasted money replacing things we already have. We also eat out a lot more than we would if we have adequate pantry space. Part of it stems from having to find a grocery store and/or not knowing how long we'll be in one spot... by the time we arrive we're usually tired and eating out is easiest. Then lunch has to be eaten out because you don't go grocery shopping... and the cycle may repeat itself every few days because the refrigerator is small and not as cold as a home fridge so things spoil more quickly.

So... we need this to happen. The seller is willing to do owner finance, but in a strange fashion, he's willing to co-sign. So we have to figure out how to make that work without us having jobs. Mike has one coming, he just has to pass the background check and physical and then we'll have an income. But it's a fine line between waiting until then, and risking that they will think we're flighty because we don't respond. I don't know what to do at this point other than call the bank and see what they say, try to negotiate something.

134 - Sheltering in Place

So... we're still here in Houston. I guess it's been about two months now and I've given up trying to nail down a departure date. We've been going out to eat a lot lately because I didn't want to commit to another week of groceries, but I give up and I am cooking again. It's cheaper, and my gut doesn't react as much. I'm honestly tired of dealing with my gut and feet that hurt every time I stand up, but that's a story for another day.

As for the rest of the saga, we have come up with a plan... another iteration of a similar plan, but one that is feasible for us. And this is one we're going to stick to if everything falls into place.

Us starting a business is on hold until such time as our finances have improved. When we started researching and writing the business plan it seemed feasible, but the last four months have undone all that. Now we have some catching up to do, and while I'm hopeful about that, the liquid capital we would have had is no longer there... the land deal fell through, the tax refund is being used to keep us afloat, and the proceeds from the sale of my house are not going to be enough to get us anywhere businesswise. We had a tidy sum, and now we don't. That's life as far as I can tell.

What the proceeds from the sale of my house will do, however, is make a nice downpayment on another house.

We spend $625 in storage fees every month. It's wasted money, and it costs us even more because we keep reinventing the wheel... buying things we already have but can't get to. Those bills were going on the credit card, *but* I was paying a percentage of the balance *plus* $625 each month... so in that respect it is in the budget as long as we have enough money coming in.

There is a house we looked at several months ago, but I felt it was overpriced at the time. It is smaller than my previous home, but it has an unfinished basement that could add to the square footage if we feel the need to expand someday. What it has that my other house didn't have, is a country setting and 24 acres. And it is nicely appointed. Yes there are things I want to change, but I can do simple upgrades and actually look forward to that kind of thing. My favorite aspect of the house is that it, like my other home, is filled with light. I cannot stand a dark house. Some houses are dark because people close all the doors or put up curtains... I don't like closed doors and drawn curtains except at night... but some houses, by their very nature, are dark. You know what I mean? Even with plenty of windows, something manages to suck the light out.

Anyway, they have come off the price quite a bit, and I am now interested in buying it. We will have 20% down, and it looks like Mike is going to have a job soon, so I feel good about moving forward with an offer. The only hitch is that there is no way a bank is going to lend us money. We still have the same issues we've always had... all the debt is in my name because Mike's credit is bad, so I'm maxed out - and I don't have a job. So the whole thing hinges on the owners being willing to do a rent to own or owner finance. With a rent to own we can keep my money in the bank until we refinance, or if they can owner finance we put the money down and pay them for a couple of years before we refinance. I'd rather do owner finance, but I don't know if they own the house outright to be able to do that. Plus the deed goes into our name right then.

In any case, I'm tired of not having an answer when people ask where we live, trying to figure out which address I gave to whom. I'm tired of living out of a big suitcase (RV), I'm tired of not being able to get to my stuff. And I want a garden something fierce. And a pantry. And the Samsung refrigerator I found online last night. And an upright freezer. I want to be able to purchase in bulk, and "shop" out of my own supplies for a month or so... what do I want for dinner tonight? Pasta. And just go grab a package of hamburger meat from the freezer, make some noodles with my hand crank pasta roller from the eggs I froze and the flour I bought in bulk, pick some tomatoes and basil from the garden, and get an onion from the pantry. And if I make enough sauce, I want to be able to can it in my pressure canner for another day when I'm feeling less frisky. I want to be able to build some of those neat food storage boxes I saw online with the potatoes under the apples to keep the potatoes from sprouting and the apples fresh. I have a million and one things to do and I am ready to get started.

Also, once we are settled, I can begin to look for a job in the area instead of trying to guess where we might be or go somewhere that we don't have any interest in. I think I have a decent chance of finding something. I may not get something I want immediately, but even something part-time would be good until I can find something. Or I may get lucky and find the perfect job right out of the gate... although, as a condition of receiving unemployment, I have been looking... and there ain't much out there that I can tell.

Anyway, having a plan makes us both feel better, and we are both excited about the possibility of the house... brimming with ideas... immediate things and eventual things. And I'm sure Gracie will also like settling down. She actually let Christi pet her a couple of days ago and no longer runs when people come into the room. She is still easily spooked but she has come a long way.

Well... that's all for tonight. Tomorrow is another day... and your guess is as good as mine.

133 - Whammo

Much like an author tears their hero down, down, down to make their triumph more dramatic... our life seems to be preparing us for something great. Something spectacular. Because we keep getting torn down.

First off, our land deal fell through. Would have been nice to have the money in the bank, but it wouldn't appraise for the price we agreed on and we've reached our limit with losing money on it, so we will keep it for $65/year in taxes.

Also, after three months of no work and little communication from Tempest, last week Mike got a call to go back to work. I was feeling hopeful for the first time in weeks because we would finally have money coming in again, and we desperately need it. But instead of instructions on where to go, this morning he was laid off instead.

There are so many irons in the fire right now, we just need one of them to come through.

I can't deal with this for much longer. I've stepped out of my comfort zone a lot recently, and on the whole it hasn't been bad, but these last few months have tested me. I don't like having to ask people for things, and I appreciate everyone who has helped us out and taken us in, but it's no way to live and I need to feel independent again. I feel like us starting our business is the answer but then the money issue rears its head again. Creditors used to throw money at me, but not so anymore. We're overloaded and I'm afraid it will stop us from getting the loans we need. And there has to be money coming in in the meantime because even when everything falls into place, it would still be 6-8 months before we could open. You see my frustration? I feel like we have an out but the road is blocked. Once again... trapped.

I don't have anything good to say right now so I'm just going to shut up until the feeling passes.