The Peabody Kill Pen - To the Rescue.

     See what I did there, with the title? Yeah, I'm clever like that. So, the Peabody Kill Pen in Kansas is a horse rescue venue where you can (and should) go to get your next horse - or seven. You should and could go there, or online, if you think you're just weeks away from owning property that will need to be fenced so you can host and/or provide shelter for said animals. It's a must, and it is exactly what I did. You just can't trust me around sites like this one, not when I'm about to buy a house with land. The fact that it has a barn on it already was a deciding factor, but let me just say that the Peabody Kill Pen is an awesome place to do your last-minute or pre-minute horse rescuing. 

    Laura and I do quite a bit of pretending when it comes to horse-shopping. We haven't had our own land since 2011; it's been 14 years since we've had horses on land that we lived on, so she can look out the window and count their fuzzy noses. Copeland was just a baby -- it was Thanksgiving 2011. Then, when we moved back to Oklahoma, we lived in an apartment for 10.5 years and this house for 1.5 years, and we just never had the same experience. We boarded for a while, but it became too expensive to continue. When our board was the same as our rent, we knew it was time to let the horses go. That was 2020, I think.

    Now, we can hope and dream, and even do a little horse shopping for real. We have the barn and the plans for the new fencing to go in on the first or second day we move into the place. The dog fence is being done professionally, and the horse fence will be sort of us helping the professional to cut down on some of the costs. By "us," I do mean Laura. My contribution to the building of anything starts and ends with me funding the project. That's fine by me, too; I'm not a builder. 

    Knowing that we had a place coming and a barn to house a horse made it all too easy for us to go online and start looking for what we would eventually buy -- you know, down the road. That lasted a good thirty minutes, and then it was my turn to hit the message button on Facebook to ask about a horse we both liked. We both liked it for me, which is weird, because I usually don't have a teenage sorrel and white pregnant Paint mare topping my list of must-have horses. I typically say I'll look for a teenage gelding, probably sorrel, but definitely not a mare, and most definitely not pregnant. 

    What we both found - separately, because she was looking online in her office and I was in mine- was a teenage, sorrel and white Paint mare that stands about 14.2H, and she was just starting to show. Her teats were drooping, but not dropping. She's likely about four months pregnant, which will put the baby's arrival in the summer or late spring. I liked her eyes. They were kind, soft, easy, and relaxed. She didn't try to push or outwalk the man handling her. She was quiet, soft-footed, sweet, and just sort of rambled. She had no intention of pushing through or even lifting her head to take control of the situation. She was content.

    Laura liked her eyes as well, and the comments from the lady running the facility helped. I don't know who was talking, but she said the mare was about 15 years old, had been ridden in the past, but not recently. She was covered likely, and recently, by what she said was a grulla stallion - they all say that. They say the mystery sire is a grulla or a blue roan to get you suckered into buying the mare and keeping or selling the baby. I know us, we'll keep it. We'll keep it no matter what color it is, no matter what sex it is, and listen, if it comes out a big-earred mule baby - we would do the dance! We'd love that.

    So, Laura is sitting there in her room thinking about the mare, and thinking about how she could train her for me, while I was thinking about the mare and how Laura could train her for me.  I love my sorrel quarter horse geldings, don't get me wrong, but I am not picky. I'd be just as happy with an Appy. I'd be just as pleased with a bay, roan, you name it, I'd love it. I don't mind good quiet mares - it's the you-know-what mares that I don't like; who does? Well, that's another story for another time.

    The little mare is solid. She has thick stout legs, all four of them are white. Her blanket, top, and backside are sorrel, as is her head, and she has a big side patch over one hip, a couple of splashes, one on each side, and her neck has a white patch with sorrel dots. Her mane is mostly white, but her forlock is sorrel. Her tail is a mix of both colors. She is gorgeous!  We'll never know her background. We'll never know her original name or what others called her. We won't know if she's been scared, abused, turned out, forgotten, used, loved, or whatever -- but we know we'll call her "Jace" and we'll spoil the tarnation out of her.

    The moment we get her, which will be around my birthday, we'll have her teeth floated, her hooves trimmed, her shots given, and her worming done. She'll have an indoor bath at the vet's office, and she'll be groomed every day and probably every night, because when we have horses, we don't do much else other than hang out with them. Laura doesn't care if she has one for herself yet - she's gonna be too busy getting this one all toned up and ready to go - and after that baby is born, Laura will be even busier!  It's just the way it is - at least I know where she is at all times.

    That's it. Peabody Kill Pen to the rescue! It was EASY! We saw her, we asked about her, we paid using Venmo, and they'll take her to QT for us too; it's a small charge, but worth it. We have a man to watch her for 2-3 weeks, then she'll be hauled down this way -- I can't wait. I think the most exciting part of it is the cost -- it's not as much as people may think. It's reasonable when you go the route we usually go to find an animal. We don't buy them from breeders. This horse will be registered as an American Pinto in the American Pinto Association, but she's a grade horse; no known pedigree.

    The rescue bail was $950. The transport to QT is $150. The QT is $15/day, and the hauling to the house is $2 per loaded mile. That's about $350 from where she'll be located in southern Kansas to our home in El Reno, Oklahoma.  All in all, somewhere around $1800-1900, and for a broke mare that's going to give birth to something beautiful -- that's a steal anyway you look at it. Two for one!

Photo Credit: Peabody Kill Pen

PENDING!! (Our House)

     So, we looked, and our house is listed as PENDING on all the MLS websites! Yep, that's right, it's no longer up for sale. The contract has been signed by both sides, and the inspection(s) have begun. Today, we had two of those inspections. The actual physical inspection took place, followed by the pest control inspection.  Let me just say that when you decide to buy a house, you really should consider all the little expenses that can certainly add up rather quickly.

    My real estate agent is the best, but I don't remember her telling me that we'd need a pest control inspection. I think she mentioned it, but it was more of a thing we needed but wasn't required. Then, after the regular inspection guy was scheduled, I was told that the pest control person had been out at the same time—two invoices! Oh, OK! The home inspection was $620, and the pest inspection was another $129; doable! Nothing was out of line or too expensive, but when you aren't expecting it, it can be rather surprising.

    One of the best things about looking for houses is seeing what's out there. When you're actually hoping to buy, if you're like me, you'll want to exclude anything listed as "Pending" because it's under contract anyway, and you can't see it. You can't even hope to peek into the windows without someone notifying someone -- at least, I think so! Our house is now in "Pending" status!! It won't show up when others look for their new home. I wasn't too worried about it, but then, I sort of was. 

    When I was first looking, I didn't exclude the pending listings. I wanted to see anything and everything that was out there—to get an idea of what I hoped to end up with. I remember the first time I saw the house I just went under contract on; it was for sale, and they had a rather steep price attached to it. I saw the photos, we set up a time to go see it, and when I opened the door, I knew it was overpriced and no one was going to make any offers.  I was even more sure no one would buy my house out from under me when I saw the outdated kitchen, wallpaper, bathroom vanities, windows, and light fixtures. It was, for lack of a better term, a time warp machine right back to the yesteryears.

    Though the sellers had replaced the flooring in the bedrooms, they hadn't finished the cabinets, countertops, tile in the kitchen and baths, and they hadn't even attempted to replace a single old, old, old window. This house was going to be mine - no doubt about it. As for the price, that's always negotiable. In the end, we ended up spending even more than the posted price, which sounds crazy, but it's true. In the end, we wound up buying twice as much land as we thought we were buying, and only paid $12,000 more for those seven acres—that's a steal, anyway you look at it.

    The inspection told us two things we had no idea were happening at the place, and about 35 things we knew would need attention. The sellers will have to pay for some of these fixes, but even if they balk and refuse, we'll end up buying the house and going down on the price to compensate for our own investments. I can see that happening if you want the truth. There's nothing about that that would be too much for us to handle—we won't cancel the contract. We're moving into that house! It is mine! (She says, smiling, and inhaling a long, deep, and very satisfying breath.) 

    The kitchen cabinets, the gun cabinet in the hall, and the bathroom vanities in that house were made around 1980, a few years after the house was built. A man in his late 40s built them, and they are rock-solid, gorgeously fitted, and feature some of the best craftsmanship I have ever seen.  Having been raised in a home where the garage was made into a make-shift carpenter's haven, I grew up discerning the smells of wood, their grain, and the way each tree species sounded when being sawed in two by a table-top spinning saw blade. The shrill of it lingers in my brain.

    Now, you're probably asking yourself how in the hell I would know who built those cabinets, when they were built, and how old the trim carpenter was at the time -- because the man who built the cabinets, and topped them off the way he did, and put in the countertops of the house I'm going to buy was my daddy! MY DADDY built those cabinets - I knew it the second I walked into the house. I knew it the second I saw them - I was going to buy that house come hell or high water, and I did! Nothing will stop me from getting it —at least, I hope not. 

    Some things are worth investing in—and this is one of them. If we have to pay for all that the inspector found, we will.  I'll replace the Formica countertops, but the rest will stay just the way it is now -- perfect.  The seller didn't know what I knew, and he was going on about the cabinets' ageless design— how they were just as beautiful today as when the builder put them in. I smiled, and then I corrected him. "These weren't built in 1970, sir. They were built sometime between 1976 and 1990, but not before." He shook his head, saying he didn't think so—and then I told him who the trim carpenter was.

    Some things are just worth investing in—and I am doing that right now.

Photo Credit: Me

Let the Comparisons Begin!

     Laura and I are about to move to a city that is 25 miles west of where we live now. The challenges and the changes will be there, of course, but it is certainly with an open and grateful heart that the two of us have the feelings and opinions we have regarding the matter.  The two of us, my daughter and I, were born right here in the middle of Oklahoma City.  We were raised in and around the area, having left it for about 5 years when we moved to Indiana. I won't go into all the places I have lived; we're talking about where we've lived since 1989, when she came into my world.

    I should have figured it out in 1995, when the day of the Oklahoma City bombing (and I was misstaken by her father as being one of the people who had passed) that I wasn't going to be able to shake Laura loose from my side -- that was literally 30 years ago, and she's still making decisions for me; for us both. I can't hardly go to the other side of the house without catching her secretly watching to be sure I've not gone somewhere -- she was shaken once; she won't allow it to happen again! I am most assuredly under her watchful eyes at all times.

    We are living in a very nice house; a renovated 1937 stone and brick home with three good square bedrooms, two very nice bathrooms, a big dining and living space, and a kitchen that could be better if either of us had designed it, but it's really very pretty until you look a little closer and realize there isn't any true countertop space. There isn't a dishwasher either, but the pantry is nice!  It's a really nice house; I'll give it its due. We rent from the same complex we've been at for over 10 years, since we returned from Indiana. It's time to buy our own place. It's just time.

    I think I held out and didn't buy anything because I thought surely, Laura would fall in love and get married and move away -- when that didn't happen, I decided to do the next best thing. If I want any peace and quiet or "me" time, I'm going to have to get the woman a horse...or five.  In order to make that happen, I had to buy a place that could host at least five horses, and by God... yes, by His grace, we have found it. It has a very lovely home on it, and the 14 acres (already fenced for the most part) will suffice -- my plan is working! 

    Let's compare.  Oklahoma City has 712,000 people. I'll narrow it down to my zip code.  Our current zip code has a population of 33,000+. The one I'm moving to has about 17,800.  The area of my current zip is 7.6 sq miles, while the new one has 80.5 sq miles. The density factor is amazing! We're virtually living on top of each other now, but where we are moving to, there are only 142 people per square mile. I can deal with that. The crime is different, too. Where I live now, the prevalent crimes are property and violent in nature, whereas where we are moving to, it is more about drug possession and public drunkenness (and usually after midnight in a certain area far from where I live).

    There are approximately 150 uniformed police in the zip code I currently live in, and 26 in the one I'm moving to. Let's do the math:  Old = 1:220, one cop to 220 people. Where I am moving to is: New = 1:712 — oops, that's not good. Lucky for me, it's a much less dangerous area, and of course, we're armed.  I think it's a given that every home in my new zip has more guns than residents - let's see what the stats say. Oh, wait, you don't have to register your guns in Oklahoma -- not like other states. I have 3, and there are 2 of us in the household. It's the same here and there, but I may buy a shotgun just because we will live a bit further out.

    One of the best differences and/or changes will be the sounds. We have constant traffic sounds now, but we won't have it there. We have cars, buses, sirens, and large trucks. There's a highway literally 1/4 mile from my window, and two hospitals within a stone's throw of my backyard. That won't happen where we're moving. We'll hear the dogs bark, but no one else will - and that's awesome! There are two neighbors now who like nothing more than to complain about our dogs, even though they're the ones making them bark constantly! I won't miss that.

    OK, here's a funny one -- we have our groceries delivered to us by Kroger. It's just the way we prefer it. We don't want to venture to the stores here. We will do more of it when we move, but we'll still ask Kroger to deliver the bulk of it. Our nosy neighbors literally asked the Kroger deliveryman how much the groceries cost and how much the delivery is, rather than taking the time to Google it. I was super happy to hear the driver shout out, "You can Google that, or you know, go to the Kroger website yourself and apply online. I'll stop by your place if you do." I think of just how many fewer noses I'll be dealing with, and how many fewer eyeballs! I've stopped going out into my backyard to work out -- if that tells you anything.

    One last comparison -- It won't just be the lack of traffic noise, but the lack of any noise that I'm looking forward to. Like I said, we'll hear the dogs bark, and that's about it. The street we live on is a rather busy street for a small town, but our house is 1.68 acres from the ingress -- silence. Unless it's a siren, I won't hear it.  No more car alarms. No more honking horns. No more screaming fights from those who just can't remember that they live in a civilized neighborhood -- unless you count Laura screaming at the computer when she's died in the games she plays online -- that won't change.

    To say I'm excited is an understatement. I've not had a dishwasher in about 5 years since the one we had gave out in the other place and was never replaced.  That one thing is so very wonderful -- and yet, it is only one of so many great and marvelous changes about to take place in my life. Being happy is good, but being thankful is more. I choose joy!! Thank you, God, and thank you, Jesus, and Spirit. I am so very grateful. By the way, we're also bringing the angel we asked to protect us in this house - he's going to join his friends at the new place.  He's ours -- the new renters can get their own guardians!

Photo Credit: Havenlight.com 

Packing and Praying !

   Today is our Employee Appreciate Day at work, so we're off for the day - it's actually a little more complicated than that; it involves us doing a great job for X-amount of $$ to bring in, and yada-yada, so we earn the 1/2 day, but then the other 1/2 of the day is a semi-annual thing where the company gives us off the top 1/2 of the day and wants to celebrate with us at a certain venue. Wow, was that all one sentence? Crazy.  I didn't go to the venue; we have a family matter, but it's OK -- I know I'm loved, appreciated, and respected--I don't need the validation. I'm just really happy I was able to sleep in, pray a little, pack a little, and get things moving forward.

    The move is less than a month away now!! It's 28 days, only four weeks! We are so excited. We're doing the packing thing ever so slowly so that we don't strain ourselves. I have about 40 boxes, a bunch of tape, and a big fat black Sharpie to mark them all. I'll end up taking stuff to the dumpster, to Goodwill, and keeping only what we need.  (I say that every time I move, but this time I really mean it.) I'll ask Jeannie to help. She's really good at telling me what I need and don't need.

    I opened up a bookshelf today to pack it, and there were no less than 6 completely unused notebooks that I could have and should have been using this year. I went out and bought others because I didn't know I had those. I won't buy them this coming year! I blame the "Back to School" advertising for any excess supplies I may have. I can't stand not buying cheap notebooks when I see them at the stores. I don't think it's reached the point of addiction, but it's close.

    If I had gone to the corporate meeting today, I would have shown up in my new onesie. It covers me well, and it's pretty. I could pull it off because they were having a costume contest. If anyone told me I was supposed to change into my costume after the meeting, I would have said "Oh, I didn't know that" and just smiled. I'm sure if everyone had thought of it, we would have had more people show up, and we would have been both relaxed and had a good time. 

    It will take us the full four weeks to put all that is in our house into boxes and have them stacked up and ready to be loaded into the U-Haul. I'm getting a dolly so we can make it as easy as possible. I'll drive the U-Haul right up to the door and use the ramp thing so I don't have to bump down the stairs and then up the ramp - nope, I don't care if I park in the grass for the hour or so we'll need it there. It is what it is. I'll take two loads: one that doesn't require my son's big muscles and one that does.

    When we get to the new place, there is only one step, so I may have to pull or bump the dolly up it to get everything inside, or I can unload everything into the garage (most likely going to do that) and just unload the boxes from there -- that's a good idea. After we're done, we'll donate the boxes - I'll put it on the Facebook page to see if anyone needs 40 good boxes to move. I bet someone will be happy to take them. Of course, if not, we'll have our fire "wood" for the year!  There's a thought.

    I went online to watch Bowie's Livestock Auction so I can pretend to buy a good broke horse for under $1000 or right at $1000. The three I pretended to buy last night were $800, $900, and $1050. All quarterhorses, all 11-14 years old, all geldings, and all broke to ride without bumps, scars, knee issues, or stifle problems. It's amazing what you can find. There was a Jack mule I pretended to buy for $1450, and that would be an amazing price for one. He was broke to drive and ride, but needed more time under saddle. I would do it in a heartbeat!

    Since I'm only going to get one, it will likely be an 11-16-year-old gelding, probably a quarterhorse or a gaited horse (Tenn. Walker, Standardbred, or Fox Trotter) for about $1000. It will be between 14.1 and 15.1 HH, and I don't care if it's registered. It will likely not be since it's going to be on the red light, sold as-is; those AQHA horses tend to pull in more $$$ even if they are old, broke down, have health issues, or buck under saddle. The people want those papers. I really don't care.

    We watched a mare being abused by her owner in the sales ring yesterday, and although I don't necessarily want a mare, I wanted to save her from her owner. He was beating on her to make her move, and she was clearly not in the groove with the guy -- I came close to "buying" her, but again, it was pretend anyway, and she did get sold, so someone else hopefully did the job for me. People never cease to amaze me, and not always in a good way. I think you can tell a great deal about a person by the way they treat their animals.

    Four weeks. I can smell the newness of the place. It's actually older. The house was built in 1970, and the land has been there for literally the entire time the Earth was created; it still feels good and new to me.  Our sellers put in new carpet, new appliances, paint, HVAC, water heater, and roof so they could sell it. We gave them the exact price they offered; we never even tried to haggle the price. They were happy about that. We did that because it was worth it. The house appraises for a good amount, and the 14 acres just seals the deal. We couldn't and wouldn't have moved there without the land, and having been on a property with great land and a bad house, I am very happy to say this house is awesome.

    One of the quirky and fun things about the house is that there is a gun cabinet at the end of the hall. It doesn't have a lock because in 1970, you never needed to lock your gun cabinet. It's where you kept your weapons - you didn't worry that your kid would shoot you or anyone. You didn't want to find a key to unlock if someone was outside, and it was just a better and simpler time. I love the cabinet. I may actually buy a rifle and stick it in the ready-made, beautiful gun cabinet because I can.

    I can't wait to move - and by that I mean I can't wait to be moved. I'm not really looking forward to all the packing and the moving part. I will be really happy when everything is set up, put away, and ready to just live in -- yes, that is what I mean when I say I can't wait to move.

Photo Credit: Bowie Livestock Auctions

Happy Birthday To Me!! (November 22)

    Because I can, I bought myself a little present for my upcoming birthday. I won't open it until the night before, and I may even do the official unwrapping at midnight, just to be traditional. I bought myself (and my daughter) twin-sized air mattresses so we can sleep in the new house on the 21st, and I can wake up in my new house on my 64th birthday. Happy Birthday to me! That really is probably the best birthday present I have ever bought myself, if I had to think about it.

    When I unwrap the mattresses, I'll be sure to have the compact air pump with me. I don't want to have to huff and puff my way through a heart attack just to have a place to sleep the first night. There's a reason I'm not going to sleep in my own bed the first night -- it's because the bed will be back at the old house for another night!  I take occupancy of the house on the 21st, my birthday is the 22nd, but my son Jonathan can't move me until the 23rd, so that's when the big stuff gets taken over.

    Laura and I will move about 3-18 loads in the car, probably on the first two days. Then, by the time we get the U-Haul, most of our stuff that doesn't require big muscles to move will already be taken over. We may have one more load in the truck before Jon and his helper take the one big furniture and/or stuff load. Once he does that, we should be OK to rest from the 24th to the 26th, and then come back to the old place on Thanksgiving to sweep, mop, wipe down, and clean out the fridge and oven. We're not going all-out because I have a $$$$ deposit I paid last year that I'm forefeiting. Why am I forfeiting? Because the complex would never give it back, no matter how clean I left the place. (Sorry, that sounded mean, but it's true.)

    We've lived in the complex for just over 10 years, I think, and I've lived in the complex another 3 or 4 times in my life. I have a lot of experience with their rules and regs when it comes to giving back the deposits. No one gets it back. The lady who lived in the house (the only house in the complex) before me nearly sued them because she put in over $500 to have it immaculately cleaned, thinking she'd get back her $1500 deposit for the house. And nope, she did not. She had it steam cleaned!! This place was amazing when I moved into it. 

    Our last place to rent; it doesn't seem real. I'm 100% for renting if you can do it. I enjoyed letting others do the lawn work, take out the big trash, and fix things that broke. It was great to have so many wonderful, crazy people around and near me for as long as I did. I truly will miss and love some of them. Many of the old folks I've lived around have passed - it's almost as if the complex has changed to the point that it's no longer the hub it used to be. The neighborhood has changed as well. It's time to leave.

    My birthday will be celebrated first by waking up in my new house. Then, Laura and I will go to the little bakery in town and get pastries. I may get 3! I can!!  I will force her to get at least one load before noon and then force her again to go out to eat with me in El Reno -- I'll even pay for it. She just has to enjoy herself. I think she can do that. There are a dozen really good places, maybe more. I'm thinking Sid's Diner, Las Vazquez, or maybe Swadley's BBQ!  

    We'll bring the dogs and cats, as well as her new lizard. I thought we were lizard-free for a minute, but she couldn't do it. She broke down and got a Star Agama. If you have to Google that, go ahead. It's really cute, though. We'll have the crickets delivered to the house, which, when you say it out loud, makes one laugh.  We'll return to the old house (this one) a couple of days later to clean, sweep, mop, wipe, and straighten things. There won't be too much to "repair". I don't know that we will have anything that's broken, just muddy from the dogs—nothing a quick rinse from the hose can't fix.

    We're really hoping that the new house isn't as dusty as this one is. We think that because the dogs run in from the backyard and traipse through the mudroom into my bedroom that it accumulates, but it's just the way the house sits and where it sits - there's a natural spinning of air around it. It's rather hard to see it, but in just over a week, we find ourselves sweeping and wiping down dust constantly, where we didn't have to do that in the 2nd story apartment we lived in, or in any of the ground floor houses or apartments we've ever lived in. This house is a dust magnet. 

    There you go - 30 days! Just 30 more days and nights, and we will be in the new place. We'll probably visit it 3 or 4 times before that and just walk the 14 acres, checking the fences, taking pictures of the inside of the barn and the creepy storm shelter - we need to get estimates to fix them both. I will leave the shelter in the ground, but I want the entrance improved so it doesn't let rain into the place. The thing took a BIG hit in 2013 when the F6 came through -- BIG hit! I want a safer and more attractive front to my storm shelter!  The barn will either be demolished or refurbished. It's about the same amount of money either way.

    I have to pinch myself -- I'm giddy!!  Can't wait. Oh, and I have a fence guy! He's been contracted and will be there on the 21st to put in the fence for the dogs. 75' basically, 5' tall - new wire, posts, and accessories, a 5x5 gate, and two small areas that connect the house and barn to the existing fence on the other side.  The dogs will be thrilled. 🐶

Photo Credit: Amazon.com

Onesie Season Approaches.

     I don't know if you know me well enough, but if you do, you know I am a big fan, a huge proponent of the adult onesie. I have a few - and I just bought another one online. They're some of the most comfortable things ever, and most of them are under $20. I mean, sure, you can buy more expensive ones, but I have a nice little collection including animal-themed onesies, and I think the most I've ever spent on one was $19 if I'm honest. I bought my mother one as well -- I'm really nice like that. I believe the world should relax and just chill out wearing onesies.

    What I tend to do is to wear a T-shirt under them so that when I do have to strip out of it to go to the bathroom, the top half of my body won't freeze in the Arctic air. It's not quite that bad, here in Oklahoma, but it can be rather chilly at times. Those times, however, have not arrived - not as of yet. It is October 19, 2025, and we're still hovering in the lower 80s for the most part. I'm not happy about that fact. What I am happy about is that the forecast for the next 10 days does show promise. We won't enter the month of November in sweltering heat!

    Tonight, while browsing Amazon as I often do, I decided to see if they have any of their onesies on sale - sort of a pre-season thing. They did!! I was pretty happy to see it. One of the problems with cheaper pajamas or any other attire is that they are often made of polyester - not my thing. I don't like polyester really, preferring the material of the old folks. I am a cotton fan from many years back. If it's 100% cotton, I feel as if I can justify paying a bit more - but I didn't have to do that; they were all $14-19, and yes, I bought one.

    Because I'm expected to be on camera at least once or twice a day at work (I work from home, but we have TEAMS meetings), I do buy the onesies that could pass as regular clothes - for work. I didn't get anything to pajama-oriented or wild and crazy -- my options were slight, but I found one.  The boss will never know - I mean, sure, he knows, but he won't point it out - it won't be obvious.  It's not like my Tigger one, or the shark one that someone else wore last year on our "Onesie Day" TEAMS meeting - that was a good day.  One guy wore a Woody from Toy Story Onesie, and another had on an Eeyore, so we hung out! 

    Onesies just make the world a better place. No one can take you too seriously, and you can't take anyone else too seriously when you wear one. You're not upset about anything, and the air is cleaner while the colors are more vivid and clear. Onesies can change everything to a very good degree, and more people should find themselves collecting and wearing them when they can. I can't sleep in mine, I get too hot, but as soon as I wake up, I can put one on and keep it until I go to bed. (It could be the four dogs in my bed that keep the heat in...I may have to think about that.)

    If I could change one thing about corporate America, it would be their attire. If the entire country could just relax, pull on a onesie, and get their job done, I think they'd be so much more productive. I think they'd be so much more apt to listen to one another and to help others who needed help. It's really next to impossible to be mean or nasty to someone while wearing a onesie and/or someone wearing one. I just realized I haven't used the word "an" in front of the word "onesie," and you'd think you should do that. Huh...see, even the English language takes a break now and again.

Photo Credit: Amazon.com

32 More Days!!

     Laura and I will move to our new house in 32 more days. To say we're excited would be so understated. We can't stand ourselves. We're browsing Pinterest and shopping with fake money online. We're literally going over the photos we took and putting the final touches on everything in our heads. We know things take time, effort, and money, but pretending is free and it's fun. We even made a long list of the things we won't miss about where we live now. The list is something we do literally every time we go from one spot to the next, whether it's a job or a place to live. We just like stating out loud and in writing what we're not going to miss. It just gives us another reason to state what we're really going to love at the new or next place.

    So, to give you an example, and it won't be comprehensive by any means, I'll start bullet-pointing what we will not miss and explain why.

• First, the lack of safety at the old place. It's right on the corner of a semi-busy area with apartments literally on 3 sides of us, with a business on the other side. We live in a house, and the apartment tenants get a bit envious of anyone who lives in this house. They can be a challenge.  We haven't had our packages stolen, but my flag has been thrown to the ground, and there are just too many homeless people walking the streets. Some even decide to take refuge in our carport.

• The backyard is nice, but they didn't put the fence all the way to the ground, and the dogs try to dig out to see the people teasing them, or the squirrels making their way through the trees behind the fence. We put up those spikey things (and will take them with us when we leave), but it doesn't stop them from trying to get out to play with the people walking by - and yes, there are a lot because the school bus and the city bus stop right in front of our house.

• The noise (we have a one-story place) from the traffic and the people walking by makes it impossible for Laura to stream or record. It resounds into her room, even with the foam soundproofing she had to put on her windows, which means she has no windows.

• The city we live in has 500K people, and we live just north and west of the downtown area. It is highly populated. There are two hospitals, several businesses, stores, restaurants, and shopping centers within 1 square mile.  There are 33,000 people within our current zip code, with 4000 people per square mile.  The new place has 18,000 in the entire zip code and 142 people per square mile. Yes, thank you!

• We certainly will not miss the loud music, the booming and the screaming, and the loose dogs that the people in the apartments think is acceptable because they're too lazy to walk their dogs or put leads on them. Those dogs then run over to our fence and bark at our dogs. We end up putting ours inside and letting the landlords know AGAIN that they aren't putting leads on their dogs, and they just let them out! There are a hundred cars that could and have hit those dogs! They don't care. The managers at the complex don't care, and that brings me to my next statement.

• I really love our manager. She is wonderful. The manager before her was her mother-in-law, and I loved her. The maintenance...not so much. They're nice, but they don't do anything. They do have our lawn trimmed and edged; we pay for the service, but they routinely leave the gate open, and we have to close it. We've taken to locking it so they'll have to let us know when they're going to be there; instead of coming at 6:05 a.m. on a Saturday! No, thank you!

• The maintenance at the old place (because we are the maintenance at the new place) has never come to fix the stove's hood. We've lived without one for the entire time, and that means we have to open the windows when we cook bacon, hamburgers, or anything in a skillet. It's so dumb. They know it needs to be fixed. We went 4 months without a security light outside after complaining every week! EVERY WEEK! (of course, we were nice about it, but we mentioned it.)

• The old place, the crowded city, has too many people driving who don't have a license, don't have insurance, don't know what they're doing, and who aren't legally allowed to drive.  We've been nearly hit a dozen times and therefore, we have taken to ordering groceries and everything else we need online. In the new city, we can drive and be out in the world again -- the law is strict there, and we appreciate it. They actually do a good job, and they're not overwhelmed by the ratio of cops to citizens.  We have dozens of neighbors now, and won't when we move.

• Finally, and this will be my last one - there are more, but I want to be as positive as I can be. We will not miss the expense of everything. Our smaller town has a lot more mom-and-pop places to eat, and the food there is amazing. We pay about 15-20% less for dining out, and about the same for food in the grocery stores. The gas is even cheaper by about 9-18% depending on where you go. If you stay away from the off-highway stations, you'll save more.  

    And now, for things we'll really love about the new place, that we just didn't have at the old place.  It's not as if we will miss it here; it just wasn't an option.

• The vet is literally across the street from us. Our vet (God bless him, we will miss him the most) is about 27 miles from our house, but we trusted him, so we took our animals to him. His son was the horse vet, and he was even further away. The new vet is within walking distance, and by that, I mean, leave my drive, cross the street, and go 100 feet.

• We have to have two accounts with Cox Internet service here because of how many people are using the lines and service. We couldn't both be hooked up at the same time and expect good service. We had to have two separate accounts. In the new place, we have one account, and it's 1000/sec just like it is here, and instead of being $143 a month per line, it's $120.

• We'll have horses!!  We haven't had horses in over 3 years. I think it's been almost 5 for me, I'm not sure. Laura kept one and paid board but when board went from $350 to $450 I quit. She paid another year or two and gave it up. We have our own land, so we will not have to pay board - but yes, the place did cost more because of the land, but the benefits are soooooooo wonderful. (no neighbors)

•  Last one, because the blog is really long -- the new place feels like home. We can put our framed pictures and paintings on the walls. We couldn't do that here. No holes were allowed to be punched. We own it, so we can paint it. We can decorate, we can hang flags, we can run around dancing, singing, screaming, or just being ourselves without all those watchful eyes -- I can park my car outside without feeling that it could be damaged.  It just feels like home.

    OK, a few more, but that's it. We go outside and into a garage area now to wash clothes. At the new place, the laundry is attached to the house. The fence goes to the ground; there is a storm shelter (creepy as hell, but it's there, and we'll fix it).  We have a sense of community there already; the folks who know we're moving in have come by to welcome us. That was just amazing!! There is a little cross in the front yard. It was carved out of an old dead tree that fell -- instead of pulling out the roots, the owners carved a cross -- we'll keep it. I'll even pour polyurethane on it to keep it from decay. There's just a lot of little wonderful things about the new place that seal the deal and keep us thanking God for His wonderful gifts.

    We have 32 more days, and because we're really smart, we have 9 more days from the move date to actually move. I have the old place paid for the entire month, or will have, so that I can move slowly and do it right. We are starting the packing now, and getting the loose things taken care of -- by the real day, we'll likely be able to move 90% and use the last 9 days to clean and be 100% certain that we've left nothing, wiped, swept, and cleaned the place. I won't miss it. I won't miss the city, I won't miss the crowds, I won't miss the hub-bub, and I won't come back unless it's 100% necessary to do so. If friends need to see me, they can make the drive! 😆😆😆

    This girl is smiling - and is humbled beyond belief. 

Photo Credit: Online (it was a drone shot from Homes.Com) The barn will be demolished and a new barn or sheds brought in. The oil lease behind us is on our land. I will end up selling that portion to them possibly in the future. 

New House Jitters!!

 It's really exciting that Laura and I can get so excited about moving because we really don't like to do it. We moved in 2015 and again in 2024, so there was quite the reprieve. However, before that, we moved so often, usually for very silly reasons. We just hate packing, moving, shifting, streamlining, and deciding what to keep and what to donate. We don't do the whole garage sale thing; we'd rather just get rid of the excess by donating it to Goodwill. Not this time!  We are taking our own sweet time - 9 days in fact. We'll do it right.

    This time, it's a little different. We will own the house; no more renting for us. We'll step over the threshold as owners, and where that can be both good and bad from a financial point of view, it's unbelievably wonderful from a soul-feeling point of view. It's our turn!  We have waited so long for this. Now, to be honest, I have owned a house in the past - but it was long, long ago, and every attempt at doing so since 1997 has been a floundering mess. I have really ugly stories I can tell, but I'm choosing not to. I'm choosing to be both positive and forward-thinking. 

    Because it's the World Wide Web, I won't give out the address. Those who need to know will find out where we live, and we might generalize when we talk about it, but it's just safer not to say exactly where we live. We will say that it's in Oklahoma, in the city of El Reno, which is a lovely place, and most of its 18,000 residents will agree with me. There are more dogs, cows, and guns in El Reno than there are people. We have two of us living in the house, but we also have four dogs, two cats, and two guns. I'll buy a rifle soon -- just to keep the numbers up where they should be. We may get another cat because we're not helping out on the cattle front. We will get a few horses! 🐎

    Laura is going to start her horse rescue and training facility, and I'm just going to ride my horse around the land. There's enough land to say we are a good distance from our neighbors, and one of those neighbors is an oil refinery (we own that land, but they lease it), so they're pretty quiet. Not as quiet as the cemetery up the road a bit, but relatively quiet. Our dogs can bark without being turned into the police for disturbing people, so Kiah won't need her bark collar (it doesn't work anyway).  Laura can sing (she does that now) and not worry about the neighbors - we'll not have to worry about folks coming up to our door in the middle of the night -- we have a ring bell sensor at the gate (Yes, there's a gate) and that gate will be closed after dark.  

    Some of the great positives and truly wonderful features of the place, of course, include the spacious land, new appliances, water heater, HVAC, paint, roof, and the brilliant brick and stone fireplace in an oversized lounge or living room. I can't wait to decorate for Christmas! We're moving in at Thanksgiving, and there will be a few things set up for that, but Christmas will be the first holiday we'll celebrate in the new place, and I can start planning that now.   We do actually move in the day before my birthday, so yes, that will be celebrated there -- woo hoo!! (going to the El Reno bakery on Main Street, you bet!)  One of the big plans is to tear down and remove the old barn so we can build a new one, with the rescue horses on one side and our horses on the other.

    Some other plans for the place? A dog fence is being set up immediately on the day we move. We've got that ordered and deposits paid for. I'll get a new fridge, it wasn't in the agreement - need that. I'll have a front fence added for extra security, a horse fence (already mostly fenced around the land, but the front part will need paddocks and a round pen as well as an arena area fenced off.  I'll have to weed-eat the front area and install a few potted plants, big boulders, and other landscaping things, too.  I'll save to have three trees trimmed and one cut down. I'll have the top of the stump leveled at table height, and add a nice iron table top on it so Jeannie and I can sit outside and pretend to watch my non-existent neighbors! (always fun) 😆

    Laura and I have always called our future homestead the "Double S Ranch," and she's designed a logo so we can get someone to make the metal plate (about 20" x 30"), and we'll set it up on a post outside the front gate when we get the front part completely fenced. She'll open a 501(c)3, and of course, at that time, people will know where we live, but it's OK. We're not scared of people -- they may need to be scared of Laura,  just saying. Someone threatens her ponies, and she turns into a wild varmint for sure. If you thought I was protective -- geez! People write songs and tell stories about red-headed monsters carrying shotguns. (Speaking of that, she'll do her mounted shooting in the back part of the land too...pistols, not shotguns, and the loads aren't deadly) 🤠

    Kroger delivers and so does Amazon, so we'll be good - the vet is close by, Tractor Supply, Atwoods, the hospital, shopping, tons of family-owned shops and restaurants, and of course, Ft. Reno!!  This is a great place - Jesus really helped us on this one, and we thank Him!! There's simply no way I could have done this alone.  If people wanna say that the power of prayer is nonsense, they would be wrong. They're allowed to be wrong, but they would be -- just a fact. 

Photo Credit: elrenook.gov 

Cumberland. (The Book)

     My 13th novel (21st book) is titled "Cumberland," and it is going to start in a few days. I'm not going to write it just yet, but I am getting the details down and making sure I have the storyline all worked out in my head. I do that. I write the entire book as a basic concept in my mind, and then I pretend I'm writing it for real -- while watching movies, shows, clips, videos, and things that will spark thoughts and ideas to enhance it once I actually start writing. I'm just pretending to write it right now, which is fun.

    "Cumberland" takes place in the Tennessee hills and will dart up and down the Appalachian trails from Georgia to Pennsylvania. I'm not sure I need to go any further than that, but I haven't met all the characters yet. There could be one or two living in Maine. I have no idea. They'll show up. They'll tell me who they are when it's their turn to make an appearance. I've not written a book yet where I wasn't absolutely pleased and surprised to meet some of its characters; people I had no idea existed until they did.

    I won't tell you too much. I'll say it's darker and a bit detailed. It involves a span of time; a lifetime, in fact. It takes place from about 1972 through to 2026, which is when the book will be published. It's full of real stories, real facts, real happenings, but also made-up stuff to keep it fictionalized and interesting. I can't say it will be a fun book - it may be fun for me to write, but it's not a fun book to read. It's a drama, and a bit heavier than Pride & Prejudice. It's not an easy-to-read book, but it will be both entertaining and thought-provoking. That much, I know.

    I wasn't thinking of writing "Cumberland", but it came into my head and started writing itself, so I just let it unfold.  I wrote four titles down on slips of paper and held them up for Laura to choose one - unseen. She had no idea what she was drawing. I was thinking I wanted the title to be "Cumberland," but I like to see if others agree with me, too.  When she drew it, I let her see the other titles, and she liked "Cumberland" best.  The others were "Secrets of Pinney Hill", "Silent Holler", and "Where the Creek Bends"; hint, that's where the body is!  She liked "Cumberland" best, and so do I. 

    There is a body! There's always a body - at least one in my books. There's always trouble, and there's always a way out of it. I tend to be a little churchy with some of the characters, and a little loose with one or two of them as well. I try to keep things realistic. I try to keep things both honest and genuinely true to the nature of the culture I'm dealing with in the book. This one is not a time-sensitive book, so I don't have to worry about keeping all the dates straight, or wonder if I said something completely off track...I've done that, you know. It's rather embarrassing.

    So, maybe I'll start on Saturday or Sunday with character development and prepare myself to write on the weekends. But we are moving soon, and my weekends also involve packing and preparing for that. It may take me a minute to get the thing written. It will be the standard 5" x 8", with 32-34 chapters, about 330-360 pages, and should take about 6-8 weeks to write unless I'm really interrupted by the move and the holidays. You just never know. If I stick to the plan, I'll have it written by Christmas and out around the 2nd week of January 2026. That's a doable plan. I'll keep you posted.

Photo Credit: Me. I don't want to show the back yet.

Spoiled as all Get-Out!

     First of all, let me just say that not enough people say "all get out" anymore. They should. It's a very good and unique idiom. It sizes up exactly what it is you're trying to say. Just please, for the love of all things, don't put the emphasis on the last part. Don't say "all get-OUT" as if you're from the North or something. Geez Louise, that makes the rest of us sound so strange. (you can't see my smile, can you?) 😁

    Yes, it is so true, I am one spoiled rotten woman. I know it, and I admit it. I will not try to hide that fact. When it comes to being annoyed by first-world issues, I can be the Queen of Annoyed. I really can be, and it's never pretty to see or watch. I can only imagine how badly I must come across when I silently revolt and do what I do, and anyone who sees me starts shaking their heads in disbelief because I have been known to become quite petty when called out by an annoyance or slight inconvenience. I wish it weren't so, but it is. I live with the shame.

    Today, I broke my own rule, and I went into an actual grocery store. I haven't done that (except when I did it last) in a minute. I went last week to walk and get my steps in; does that count? I wasn't buying anything, so I wasn't bothered by the fact that there were only 3 open lanes and about a million people standing in line. While walking, I dodged people, moved rather quickly, and when I was finished, I left. I didn't buy anything, or I would have been peeved.

    Most times, 9.99 times out of 10, I use Kroger delivery to bring my groceries to my doorstep. I don't even pop in, nip in, or drop by to pick up a can or this or a pint of that. I just added it to the list I'll put in next time -- wait, and it magically appears at the porch! I am just too spoiled. I really am. Thank you, Kroger. I truly mean that. Today, for just one reason, I stopped by Winco, a larger bulk-type grocery store in OKC, which usually offers a 15% discount. I don't know how or why, but it tends to be a bit cheaper.

    I went in to get a quart of half and half for my coffee. I have a little left, but rather than bother Kroger with it, because I won't do that, I went into the big, fat, ugly, mean, and nasty Winco and I forged my way through the many throngs of people, who I swear are NPCs in the first place. They don't make eye contact, they don't speak to me, they just exist. They can't be real. They were lined up 10-15 at the self-check-out aisles, and the other open aisles (all three of them) had 6-8 people with fully stocked baskets waiting -- NOPE. I am not going to walk to the back of the store, pick up one quart of something, then stand in line for 10-12 minutes to do the self-check thing. 

    Nope..not this girl. I went home, fired up the computer, and ordered another $96 worth of groceries. I can freeze it if I don't need it right away. I will not be bothered by lines or stores whose staff can't raise their heads to see that they need more cashiers and more lanes open. They say it's commerce - Bull! If the people are lined up, that's your commerce! I am the only one in line when I'm shopping online, and I don't care if the big stores go out of business - at least if they did, I wouldn't have to fight through the crowds of pajama-wearing freaks who can't put clothes on to be in public. Did I say that out loud? I guess I did.

    What happened to being civil-minded? What happened to having pride to look good and be well-behaved in public? If I could, and I can, I'll move to a small town (soon) where everyone is decently dressed, polite, uses their southern manners, and waves at you even if they don't know you. They let you pass, open the doors for you, and if they see you have one or two items, they let you go first. I am that person too. I want to be around people who treat me the same way I treat them -- that is, without being a drama queen when I get pissy. There's that.

    

Photo Credit: New York Times 

Yege! (Trying this one)

     So, I'm trying Yege medium roast mushroom coffee now. It's the 4th one on the list, but I love it. It's a good roast with a good flavor, and it doesn't have chaga, so there's another benefit for me. I'm sure chaga is awesome, but I don't want any potential kidney issues if I can avoid them. I'm good.  The coffee would be rather earthy if I didn't add creamer to it. I add half and half, but I can see people using other things. I also put a little honey in my second cup, because I have two in the morning.

    I haven't noticed any real weight loss, which makes me a little sad. I was truly hoping all the hype was real. I may have shed a pound or two, but nothing to sing about. I really wanted to wake up 10 days into it and be svelte, but no, that didn't happen.  I will say my hip feels a lot better. I don't have the terrible muscle pains in my thighs like I had three weeks ago -- that's definitely something that I can say is very different. I couldn't stand up without having to rub the tops of my legs and wait a few seconds before moving around.

    I've not had coffee in literally 3 weeks - but I don't miss it. I'm giving my coffee machine to Goodwill, even my cappuccino machine. It's going away tomorrow. More room for things I need, and less clutter. It's a win-win. I do not miss my coffee like I thought I would. I'm awake during the day, and I sleep well at night. I hope it all works out to be the best thing possible. If I like Yege, and I think I do, I may not even try others. It's relatively cheap and works well for what I want. 

    I buy all of my coffee on Amazon. I tried to find a brand or two at the stores this past weekend, but didn't see anything there. With Amazon, I can buy it and not have to pay shipping. I can buy a cheaper brand at Kroger, but it has chaga. Alas, I am OK -- no chaga for me. I tried Atlas, it was earthy - I ended up giving it to my friend who also drinks Yege. I just can't stand Atlas - nope. They sold me 2 bags for $37, I think, and it was on sale if I joined their little club. I wrote them within the first week, saying I didn't like it and wanted my money back - NOPE. 

    Don't believe their money-back guarantee. They want you to send back the product at your expense, which is more than they paid for postage. I would receive back $14.70 out of the $37 I spent -- no thank you. I literally had 1 cup and hated it. They can stuff it. I won't advertise for them; in fact, I'll do what I'm doing now, and tell the truth about their dirt-tasting coffee substitute. Don't believe their hype. I can only imagine that the other, more expensive brands may turn out to be just as bad. I won't say it because I haven't tasted it - but I won't taste them now, since I like Yege. 

    It's sort of like going to the pound to get a dog. You find one you love, you don't keep looking. Unless you're like me, and end up with seven or eight new dogs -- that could actually happen. I don't want seven or eight coffees. I have two. I have Joey and Yege. I love Joey too - and I drink it every third day or so. It has a sort of chocolate vibe to it - very nice. I make it for my 2nd cup when I have it -- just sort of a treat. It's nice. I didn't have any issues with it tasting differently because it was pleasant -- not dirt.

    So there you go - it works for me, but it could do so much more if it's helping others lose weight too. At least my joints feel better. It must be affecting the cortisol levels in my body; that's what's been making my hip and right knee hurt. I have really learned so much over the past month about how cortisol in the body can destroy tendons and make you feel much older than you are -- amazing!!  The mushroom coffee does stop that in its tracks.  It flares up a little, but not as badly as it was.

    I'll post again in a week or so to see if I'm losing weight or maintaining. I know I'm not gaining weight. The coffee does make you less hungry, and I don't crave snacks -- so maybe my weight loss is coming!! I hope so. I really do.

Photo Credit: Pinterest.com 

Small Strip - Big Mess

     We have the most amazing real estate agent. She hasn't given me permission to say her name, but she's awesome. We found a great place and all seemed to be working in our favor. Every little detail was falling into place. It was really wonderful to see it happen and to know that we didn't have to do anything really to force this or that - it just came together; until it didn't. 

    I'll call her Ann. That's not her name, but I have to call her something when I write about her. Ann, the fantastic real estate woman, asked us if we knew whether the land had been surveyed. We didn't; it's not something we would know, but it is something that the agents know should be done. I say that; the good agents know that it should be done. Apparently, the agent who sold the property to the current owners didn't know this, and they got stuck royally! 

    Ann had the survey pulled, but it was absolutely off. It wasn't anything like the land was being described, and it had a few "details" missing as well. The first detail was that the county had the house on 1.68 acres, not the 7.0 acres we were told went with it. That's a problem for me.  When we pulled the survey plot maps for the surrounding plots, it was apparent that there were 4 separate panels or plots and they totalled 14.40 acres, not 7, not 1.68. This was very concerning because we weren't about to buy a house in the middle of other people's property if they refused to sell it.

    

    It turns out that the current owners own about 80% of the 14.40 acres (they didn't even know that), and a good 5 acres of it has an oil company lease. The oil company is paying the previous owners, not the current ones, to use the land. The entire time, the current owners could have had the previous owners give them rent for the lease, but they didn't know they owned it. They wanted me to buy it without any guarantee that the previous owner would pay me to have the oil company pay them—so yeah, NO. If I own it, it's MINE, and if the oil company wants to stay on it, they can pay me. I get that it is a 99-year lease, but the owners SOLD that land (but kept the lease money). There's something fishy there!

    

    Well, we told Ann we could buy the land with the new survey giving us the property we want, not including the oil-leased area, but there was ONE more problem -- and as small as it may be, it was a huge deal. The land survey showed that the land between the street going to the oil company lease in the back, belonged to the previous owners or the current owners, they weren't sure, but it led through our land to the oil leased land, making it impossible for us to put our fences up in the front and on the far side where our horses would be. We'd have to use a one-lane drive to drive trucks pulling trailers down a very narrow strip where we couldn't turn around until we passed the barn!  Again -- NO!

    15-20 feet of land running south from the western ingress to the far south side belonged to someone else. If they wanted to put in a drive, they could. If they wanted to sell it, they could. If they wanted to block it, they could. They wouldn't mow it or keep it, but they owned it. NOPE.  Not happening. It's mine or it's not mine. I won't put in a short fence, share my land, or let others on my land. It's my damn land, or it isn't.  It may or may not be. I've asked them to replot it, do what they need to do, or we're pulling out of the sale. We have the right because they misrepresented their side.

    The good news is, we are fine where we are, and we will stay until we find the right place. If they can get the sellers to redo the survey ($5000) and sell it to us without any strings, we'll consider it. We won't offer more because we thought it was included to begin with. They can take the loss or try to sell it to someone else and be told no again. They'll have NO ONE buy the place under those conditions—unless they're really dumb. Our agent had our back, and she still does. We'll use her no matter what - but it may be in the spring instead of next month.

    It will happen. We'll find a good place. The right place. God is good.

PHOTO CREDIT: "Ann" but not really - it's from Adobe Stock.

God is So Good.

     God is always good. He's just always really good to us, and I don't mind sharing that information with anyone willing to hear me brag on my King.  Laura and I have been wanting to move to our own place for years; I mean, years! I haven't owned a house since 1996, and I only owned it for a minute before I divorced, and he took it out from under me - our judge was very partial to men; she hated women. Her record(s) reflect it. The fact is, however, I just never got out of the rut. I was either in debt and couldn't buy one, or I hadn't had my job long enough. There was always something stopping me from settling down and buying a home. That stops now. 

    About 11 years ago, Laura called me out of the blue after moving back to Oklahoma from Indiana, where we had been sharing a rented home. I also moved back and was renting again. She stated, rather than asking, that I needed a roommate. I didn't think I did, but it wasn't a question. She became my roommate, and she's been a really good one ever since. She's not interested in dating or getting married, and frankly, neither am I.  We're just two old biddies, I guess, one older than the other.

    Now, after finally finding permanent work (no thanks to Covid and employers who don't understand the value of honest and ethical individuals), I have a really good, steady, and wonderful job. I've been there for about 18 months, and I earn enough to buy the house I want, not just something I have to settle for. It's taken a very long time, but it is time now, and God had everything to do with it. We pray about everything, and He listens. He moves, and He works. We don't have to. We just have to use our brains and do what needs to be done - He opens the doors so we can pass through them - in His time.

    I have been steadily building my credit by paying off almost everything, except for my car. I keep that one going (revolving) so I have a good score on the credit reporting agencies. They allowed me to add all of my bills, including my rental history for the past 10 years, which has been nearly perfect, so that significantly increased my score. I am beyond the point where I need to be for a lender to say yes, and I'm heading toward the marks closer to the "best" or "excellent" credit range. I'm a solid "good" at the moment! It feels really good too! Really good.

    I can't say where we'll land just yet. I don't want anything to happen -- we haven't signed the papers yet.  What I will say is that it is in my favorite city, within city limits, but on an acreage. Although it has city water, electric, gas, and internet, it's far enough from the neighbors to feel as if I'm mostly in a rural setting. We'll say this, there are about 5 acres or more between me and any other neighbor, and 15-20 acres from those in the back-- and they're a business, so no worries there.

    The veterinarian is literally across the street from us! How convenient is that?  We're 3 city blocks from a roundabout that takes you into the city - with restaurants, doctors' offices, dentists, chiropractors, grocery stores, and more, less than a 1/2 mile from our doorstep. (The doorstep is a good 3/4 of an acre from the curb! I like that.)  I can fly my American flag and not worry. All of my neighbors have one too!  We'll have horses soon, and though we could probably get more dogs, we're going to stick with the four we have.

    We are both (Laura and I) cave dogs. We don't want a big house. We're far more concerned about the size and shape of the barn than we are about the house. The house is a 1,400 sq. ft. house with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, an office space for Laura, and a large extra space, including a two-car garage, for her gym and tack room. (My car gets to share it, of course, and I have the third bedroom for my office.) Laura gets the Master bedroom because its window faces the horses; she'll love that. We have a great fireplace so Santa can come down it if he chooses to, and the cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom are IDENTICAL to those my daddy made in houses out that way in the '70s. They could have been built by his hands, and I'm not just saying that.

    We're hoping they'll sell the mowers, tractor, and flatbeds with the house. We're offering $ for them. The owners are in their 80s and won't use them. We'll eventually have to demolish the barn and build a new one, but that's a while down the road. For now, we're focusing on the new fence for the dogs (an immediate project) and building two paddocks for our horses. This should be an amazing holiday season for us. We move on Thanksgiving Day!! You can't get more thankful than we are for this opportunity - God, and of course, Jesus, and the Spirit are simply too wonderful.  We feel as if we can finally breathe.

    

Photo Credit: Me (the acreage)