Perfect

Today's high temperature was:  73 degrees

Today's humidity was:  39%

Sunny--breezy--Heaven

========================================================================

Up at eight o'clock.  A nice restful night with the windows open and the cool north-west breeze coming in and "cleaning" the house.  I have a privet hedge outside my bedroom/bathroom/kitchen/living room windows.  It is in full bloom and its scent passes my nose, every now and then.  It is way overgrown also--another big chore on the list, but cannot be trimmed until it is done blooming.  Besides there is a robin's nest in the bush by my bedroom window and I want to make sure she and her babies are gone before I trim.

I walked up to Pearl's this morning and Lily is doing better.  She and Tiger have not had a fit in 24 hours.  Pearl is feeling real guilty however, because Tiger stays under the bed all day.  Pearl feels that she has destroyed his happiness by bringing in another cat--and she probably has.  WHY IN THE WORLD she was so hell bent on getting another cat is beyond me!! It was something she got in her mind and no one could talk her out of it.  She has only had Lily 5 days and already doesn't like her because, "She is such an ugly cat!"

"Didn't you notice that when you visited her in the shelter?"

"Well, the picture I saw of her two months ago was so cute."

"Yes...I mean...when you went to get her...didn't you look at her?"

"Well, they had a sale that day--she was half-priced."

"That's because she is half the cat she was when her picture was taken!"

So--I flat out told Pearl that she CANNOT take Lily back to the animal control because they will kill her.  If she comes to the fact that she doesn't want her, SHE must find a good home for her.  "It is now your responsibility," I said.

The first of the week, she was trying to use Merle as an excuse--telling me that he was going to be furious when he got home because Lily had awakened him in the night.  However, when Merle got home, Lily jumped up on his lap and they took a nap together. So now Pearl can't use the excuse that she has to get rid of the cat because Merle doesn't like her.  HAH!!! 

While I was there, I noticed that Lily is becoming less nervous--less having to stay in motion all the time.  She is becoming quite content now and has started eating some wet food too, so maybe she will gain weight and look like her picture.  I don't know what is going to happen.. It all makes me so sad!!!  Maybe Pearl had a moment of a manic high and thought getting a cat was a good idea--at the time?
================================
Dar came over to borrow some cooking oil--she is making 150 brownies, or some such number.  I told her she could keep the half bottle I had, as I don't use cooking oil because I don't bake or fry anymore.  I didn't tell her it was purchased by Fred so it is nearly 2 years old!!!  

Then she told me that she wants to "run that business" because it is going down the tubes.  She thinks that around 12 people are going to quit because of the new manager.  "I could get that place in tip top condition in three months!!  There would be changes made that a lot of people wouldn't like--at first--but in the long run, they'd come to like it."

"If you feel that way...why don't you put in for the manager job?"

"Oh--I couldn't take it.  I'm exhausted now--it would kill me!"

She has worked there for five months and she looks terrible!!! Haggard--all of her 71 years and more.  I would expect her to quit any time myself.
=================================

So--I have been stalling, but I gotta write this down because....this is my journal.  

The lady I contacted who owns the Little House On The Corner, called tonight.  They would like to sell it for $100K, it is appraised at $75K.. they owe $96K.

Or--rent it for $750.00 a month.  They would really like to rent it to me--because they know I would take care of it and they have great respect for my father--who hired each of their sons to work for him at one time or another.

We talked for about an hour.  The last person who lived there had it on a land contract with them.  He put on the addition--a large bedroom, new large bathroom, garage and new roof.  He also fixed up the BASEMENT--yes--it has a REFUGE FROM THE STORMS BASEMENT--two small bedrooms, laundry room and furnace room.  They also added another small office to the main floor enlarged and upgraded the kitchen.  The guy that did all that, lost his job and gave them back the key--he wanted nothing for all the additions he had made!  He was packed up and headed to Tennessee and he stopped at their house, handed them the key and walked away.

Then they rented it for the last six months and those people kind of messed it up and couldn't pay their rent.

They are putting in new carpeting, painting and cleaning and putting in a Be-Dry system around the perimeter because there has been a bit of water in the basement lately.  

I am going out to Susan and Chuck's Monday for supper and I will go early so I can stop in and walk through the house.

HOWEVER

  

Unfortunately, I will not be living there.

The rent is twice what I pay here.  I would have to pay for garbage pick-up there, it is free here.  It has no air conditioning, so I would have to buy a window unit.  There are no appliances, but a new furnace. They use propane gas there which is way more expensive then the natural gas I have here.  AND to get that propane tank filled--is very costly--you can't just make monthly payments, I don't think.

I made up an Excel spread sheet tonight, putting in all expenses it costs me to live my life here and what it would cost me to live my life there.  It costs me around 1,500 a month living here.  It would cost me around 1,800 a month to live there--my income is 1,080 a month.  If I am nearly 500 dollars short each month here, how could I possibly be 800 short there and make it?

Wouldn't it be nice if we could be honest and unafraid that someone would take it the wrong way--to call my step sisters, who I have a good relationship with and just say, "Hi Dianne.  Yes or no...do you know if I am in your Mom's will?"

and if she said, "Yes," I would say, "thank you."  and if she said "No", I would say "thank you", but at least I would know--could breathe a sigh of relief and perhaps fulfill a dream.

==========================

So, Monday I will go to the Little House On The Corner, open the garage door and go in.  The back door is never locked.  And I will walk through the house and look at how I would arrange my furniture, and take pictures and look out each window to see what my view would be and maybe, sit on the front porch for a few minutes and just see what it would feel like.  Then...I will cry and get in my car, put my smile on and go down to Susan and Chuck's for a nice supper.

Then, I will drive home after dark (YIKES), come in and greet my purry furry's, look around and be glad that I have what I have and be very happy here AND never think about moving "home" again!!

So there--<sniff>