January 23, 2013

• It Was The Wallpaper (edit)

  Remember a few days ago when I told you we were buying the little two bedroom house on forty acres?

  Well, scratch that.

  The sellers were being less than accommodating with anything, so we opted to not sign their counteroffer.

  Neither one of us were feeling comfortable about the size of the house anyway.  I mean, we want to downsize, but going from 3700 sq ft (plus 1400 sq ft guest house) to only 1300 sq ft was a bit too much.  And the fact that so many of you complained about the wallpaper, made the decision even easier.  You can rest easy now. 

  So, we got busy and tackled the real estate listings again, because we will be homeless in five weeks.

  Can you hear that giant clock ticking? BOOM BOOM  BOOM BOOM BOOM

  Found this listing Sunday evening.
  Looked at it yesterday at noon.
  Agreed on terms and signed the deal this afternoon.

  Not homeless.

  What the photos do not reveal, is this home is a Mexican style structure. Stucco, wooden beams and beautiful tile.  I did not realize this until we got out of the truck and got a closer look.  I was thrilled.  They just don’t build these in Oklahoma.  I consider this a more than fair compromise for not moving to the desert.  Ironically, this property is wooded.  hahaha.  I HATE being closed in with trees.  I’ve always needed my horizon, open prairie and big sky.  But for whatever reason, it felt right.

  The house is half the size of our current ranch house (1800 sq ft) but the ceilings are high and the windows are plenty and big.  I know this makes a big difference for my claustrophobic issues.  The decor is very Mexican farmhouse.  It’s perfect for me and will only need a few touches here and there.

  And the best part is, it has a building I can use for my doggie kennel playroom.  The folks lived in this building while they were building the house, so it is already insulated and has all the plumbing I need for two dog washing stations. Walk-in shower for the large dogs and sink for the small dogs.  It also has washer/dryer hook-ups so I can wash the blankies right there in the kennel.  And a toilet.  It has a toilet. This is a glorious thing for a crohnie. 

  

  It already has a hen house, though we will enlarge the coop area for a more free-range feel.

  It has a small loafing shed for horses, but lacks perimeter fencing around the whole property (ten acres).  And there is not much area to graze since this is a wooded piece of land.  Since we will be investing for the dog fencing, we really don’t want to invest again in horse fencing. We’ve yet to make the decision to bring the horses.  We may ask the buyers of our ranch if they would like to keep them.  I know they would be happier here on the familiar, beautiful, open land they know. 

  I cried today.
  Again.
  Knowing we will be leaving this place.

  But, many good things are on the horizon.
  Or should I say in the woods.

  

  Thanks again for being there for me as I make this transition, and a special thank you to @bohemianlotus for offering to foster some of my neurotic puppies.  That meant a lot to me.  Thankfully, they all get to stay with me now, though they will stay in a boarding facility in between moves.  We will obviously close on our ranch before we close on the new place, so we will put all of our things in storage and stay in a hotel during that time.  All is good.  Now we just have to sell the guest house.

  I have to get busy packing, not for sure how well this will go considering I am still weak.  But, thankfully my daughter and best friend from Kansas have volunteered to help pack.  I love you Macy and Dona!  All this to tell you, I still will not be around xanga much, but know I will eventually return.

  Unless this deal falls through and I come back to tell you we are moving to Montana.

  (edit) for those folks who could only see one photo of the house, just click on IMAGES in the left hand corner of the photo and that will bring up the slideshow.
  

  • 10:29 am
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