The saga of our move to our new condo continues. We’ve had more than our fair share of setbacks, and alterations, but we’ve made arrangements for a second mover. That crew is scheduled to arrive at 8:30 tomorrow morning. We’ll see. Unless we have a major glitch, this will be my final post on the subject. Here’s a summary of Ruth and my life for the past three plus months. You’ll note a series of events that summarize how crazy the past 103 days of 2020 have proven to be.
August 4 – Ruth and I had been talking about, and looking at, new pontoons for a couple of weeks so we bought one. We spent part of our kids’ inheritance in the process.
August 7 – In celebration of our new ride, we booked a flight to Denver for a three day stay in Deadwood so we could visit Mount Rushmore.
August 12 – Our 43 year old dock didn’t look good next to our new pontoon, so we bought a new one. Chump change compared to the cost of the pontoon.
August 20 – We learned of the birth of Mangus Strongbeard but took a vow of secrecy. This was truly exciting news and the best thing that has happened all year. Mangus Strongbeard Tebo will join Brady in carrying on the Tebo legacy.
August 29 – My sisters, Sharron and Jackie, their daughters, Lisa, Nina, and Susan visited us at Lake LeAnn for a ride on our new pontoon. Nina’s son, Marco, joined us as well. While we didn’t know it at the time, this was the final gathering of the crew on the lake.
August 31 – A couple of days prior, Ruth and I learned that a good friend, Dave, had moved to Canadian Lakes. I had heard of the place before, golfed there once in fact, and after checking on a map, learned that it was mid-way between our oldest, David’s, home and cottage. We’d been exploring options to move closer to David’s family, and this looked like it might be a good choice. We took a look at a few houses and a condo. We liked what we saw and decided to explore a second time.
September 4 – We visited more homes and returned to the condo. We decided if we were to move to the area, we would focus on the condo.
September 5 – We canceled our scheduled trip to Mount Rushmore. There were huge fires in the area and an impending snow storm. It reached one-hundred degrees in Denver on the day we were to fly in and a high of 39 the next. We were happy we stayed home.
September 8 – We visited the condo a third time, and submitted an offer that included finishing the lower level. We bid $10,000 less than the asking price, and it was accepted. They agreed to turn over the condo at closing. Exciting times.
September 11 – We celebrated our 49th wedding anniversary. We met with the builder to review the lay-out of the condo’s lower level. Ruth picked out flooring, bath tile, and hardware. The builder verbally confirmed an October 16 completion date. We ordered a washer and dryer to be delivered on October 21.
September 16 and 17 – Ruth and I interviewed two realtors to sell our lake home.
September 18 – We listed the house and scheduled a trip to visit our California kids for the week of November 28 – December 5. We booked our flight, reserved a car, and a one week stay at a resort just outside of San Diego.
September 19 – One of the interviewed realtors brought in people to see the house.
September 21 – We received and accepted an offer.
September 23 – We interviewed two movers and struck a deal with one. We would move on October 19.
September 26 – The offer to purchase the house was rescinded. We learned later that the potential purchasers planned to use the property as a rental. Lake LeAnn prohibits weekly rentals.
October 4 – We canceled our trip to California. Covid-19 was heating up again, and we didn’t want to put Kate, Michael, and Mangus Strongbeard at risk. We decided to error on the side of caution for their sake.
October 5 – 14 – We have lots of lookers, at least a dozen, but no buyers for Lake LeAnn.
October 8 – After forty-three years, I hosted the last poker game in our house.
October 12 – The completion date for the condo was pushed back to October 30. Possession was still set to take place at closing. We rescheduled our mover for November 3 and the delivery of the washer and dryer to November 4.
October 16-19 Elizabeth came home for one last week-end before we moved.
October 22 – We received a second offer on the Lake LeAnn house. We countered and they accepted.
October 25 – We received a third offer on the house. We countered, they accepted knowing that they are in a “back-up” position if the other sale doesn’t go through.
October 26 – The condo completion date and closing are pushed back to November 3rd. We tried to move the washer and dryer delivery to the 5th. The company refuses to change the date, so we cancel the order. The buyers of our home have a home inspection completed. We received a verbal report that all went well.
November 2 – All didn’t go well. After having their attorney review the inspection report, the buyers requested several improvements. We agreed to update three ground fault receptacles, but that was it. The closing on the condo was pushed back to the 6th. Never a dull moment.
November 3 – We confirm a moving date to the condo for November 11 and 12. We’ll pack on the 11th and move in on the 12th. We buy a different washer and dryer, with a different vendor, and schedule a delivery date for November 17.
November 4 – The closing on the condo is pushed back to the 9th.
November 5 – The closing on the sale of our house is set for the 10th.
November 9 – The closing went without a hitch.. We dropped off a car load of lamps at the condo and discovered it hadn’t been cleaned and several small items remained incomplete. We made a punch list to be completed by the 12th. I checked in with the mover to be sure that everything was a “go” for the 11th. He text his reply, “We’ll be there at 9:00 a.m.”
November 10 – First thing in the morning, as I was getting ready to cancel our Xfinity account and get a final reading from Consumers, I received a text from the mover. He was feeling ill and on his way to get tested for Covid. We spoke on the phone. If things went well, and who knew if they would, he couldn’t move us until the 17th. If he tested positive, he and his crew would be quarantined for two weeks. Ruth spent the morning calling moving companies that could move us on short notice. She made eleven calls and located a single company. The closing on the house was in the afternoon. It went well.
November 11 – We identified a second moving company. They are going to charge us $1,200 more than the first company, which means David , Elizabeth and Michael will each get $400 less down the road.
November 15 – The mover is scheduled to arrive tomorrow. Today is Lindsay’s 40th birthday and the last night of our forty-three year run in the house on Lake LeAnn.
On a positive note: The delays in our life make it possible for me to play cards with the boys one more time before we head south for the winter. The next game is Thursday, which coincidently is my friend, Ed’s, 103rd birthday. Perhaps the comings and goings of our past 103 days were predetermined so I’d be around to help honor his 103rd year.