The house I want

This is the house I saw on Tuesday. I'm going to look at it again and probably make an offer.

The siding is actually yellow, with green trim (yes, it looks white in the photo, but it's not.)

The landscaping, especially in back, is beautiful. And it has a picket fence around back and a workshop building at the back of the yard.

And it has a deck and hot tub that is accessible from the dining room through french doors and the huge master bedroom.

Plus the seller is HIGHLY motivated, I'm told.

It has a large basement (walkaround) with the laundry area. They put in extensive white wire shelving down there for uber storage!

The master suite is huge. I think the closet once was a bedroom. The master bath has been redone, as has the second bathroom.

I think the now-second bedroom once was the master. It's also large.

There is a third bedroom upstairs which I may use as a den/retreat.

Large dining room. Yeah!

All the hardwood floors have been refinished.

And the living room has a fireplace.

I'm kind of inlove with it.


Here's a link to more photos and a description: Are you my house?

Just a quick check-in

It is 8:10 a.m. Thursday and I'm getting ready for the final push to get ready for my move Saturday.

One word: GAH!!!!

Yep, I've got to the point where I have a truck reserved and a place lined up -- temporarily. Let me emphasize the word TEMPORARILY. This is the place I went to see Sunday afternoon. It's a block and a half to the office -- I can see where I work from the front door. Two blocks east is the nice big park. About 5 or 6 blocks to the library, city hall, fire station.

The place itself does not thrill me. But it will be OK. For now. I came to an agreement for a month-by-month tenancy with the landlord, fortunately.

Tuesday I looked at a couple of houses. I happened to drop in to a real estate office and came face-to-face with a former classmate who was able to show me two houses. One is my dream house. I want to make an offer on the house ASAP. I've been talking with a banker up there to see if I can get a bridge loan until I sell my house here. One of today's major tasks is to fill out some forms she e-mailed me and fax them back to her.

My temporary quarters are a one-bedroom apartment in an old fourplex, so I am taking the bare minimum with me for now. One bedroom. One living room. One dining area. I don't want to move my big dining set now, although it would fit in this dining room, surprisingly. I'd rather leave it here as part of the furniture to stage the house, then move it once into my next house.

In a way, this feels a bit like going to summer camp. I don't want to get TOO cozy in this place -- I want it to motivate me to get to the next good place. Frankly, the place is a dump. I dont' want to be there when the weather turns cold; at least the landlord takes care of the mowing. And it is cheap. And I won't have to drive to work unless it rains or snows. (sigh).

Well, I've got some dishes to put in a box. I'm only taking a place setting for four because I think that's all my cabinet will hold. Oh, actually there are two upper cabinets and two lower cabinets. But still. Minimalism will reign.

Goodbye, piano, old friend

I just waved goodbye to my baby grand piano. No, I didn't take photos of its departure -- enough is enough.

I've gifted the piano to my church as a farewell gift. This solves my dilemma of "keeping it in the family" without having to move it and find a place for it. And yes, I fee a H-U-G-E sense of relief and gladness knowing where I'm sending it.

My house looks amazingly bigger. Another huge plus, with the house soon going on the market. The living room is brighter and airy. All those things the professionals recommend when selling real estate!

I'll scale back with my "next" piano -- assuming I have another piano in my future. Frankly I can't imagine my life without a piano. I've had one most of my years since I was 4 years old. There were a few years in there after my first piano left me in my 30s when I didn't have one, but I then did get a Yamaha electric piano when I lived in an apartment, before moving to this house. My baby grand came to live with me 11 years ago, almost to the day.

It's all grown up now, no longer a baby. It's time for it to go to church before those troubled teen years arrive.

Bye, Piano! I'll come visit you!

Just back from today's search for a home

I have been up since the rude hour of 6:30. My handbell choir played at both services (Pachabel's Canon in D and Great Is Thy Faithfulness). As soon as I had put my bells away after the second service, I was on the road up to my soon-to-be-new-hometown to meet with the Realtor and look, look, look some more. I think we saw eight houses today, in addition to the ones I saw last Monday. Three are on my list to consider making offers on. I will get up tomorrow, make a pro and con list of each house, figure out the best price and decide on a house to start the process on. I'll also need to talk to a local banker about the money first.

I'm dead tired tonight -- my eyes are crossing I'm so tired and I can't focus on words right now. So I bid you a good night with good sleep and pleasant dreams. I'll keep you posted.

The hunt is on!

I spent the day yesterday looking for houses in my old new hometown. The two houses in the post below are OFF the list! The Victorian? It was impossible to find a place in the house with a floor that wasn't slanting one direction or the other. It was hideous. The living room and kitchen had laminate flooring, but the rest of the house had really ratty old wood floors (not pretty wood floors). And there was no trim or threshholds to cover the raw edges of the laminate. T-A-C-K-Y!!

I also saw the weirdest thing I've seen in a house in my memory. There was a secondary staircase in the kitchen. I opened the door thinking I'd go upstairs, but the owners were using the stairs as a pantry. And things looked weird. I finally realized the stairs went to the ceiling -- and stopped. And there was a hole in the wall where the rest of the stairs should have been, but weren't. So if you took the stairs up and made the turn, you'd fall flat on your boom-boom on the kitchen floor. Ka-ra-zeee! I couldn't get out of there fast enough!

The Tudor? Interesting, but impractical. The front door wouldn't open. We had to go in through the side door which entered the kitchen. I liked the character of the house, but the basement was wet and there was an old freezer down there that had been there decades, I'm sure. And it smelled.

Also odd: We could not find anywhere where the refrigerator could be plugged in. And believe me, we looked.

The bathroom had all of its original 1930s fixtures. Character, sure, but not practical.

And the two-car garage? It had no doors. And no evidence that there had been doors!

I looked at four or five other houses. I'll have to make another trip to see more than that. I'll also have to look for rentals in case, at least for short term. I have 19 days before I start working up there! The heat is on!

A friend went up with me. We had a great day, working in a tour of the town as we drove around. We had lunch at Enrique's, a Mexican restaurant at the municipal airport. Lots of people fly in from all over just to eat lunch there. It was fun watching them fly in, land and taxi to the gate next to the restaurant door. They were as casual as though they were parking a car.

Well, keep your fingers crossed that I find the place I'll be sleeping three weeks from now. I'm growing faint.

Breaking News of My Own

It took E.R. a while to get to the point of telling us Dr. E.R. had left him for the Rocky Mountains, temporarily. Now he seems to be getting with the program and is imagining himself actually living there too. (See his blog: E.R.'s Rocky Mountain High )

Well, I've been sitting on a secret of my own for a few months. Today I can tell you that I've been offered a job as an education/government reporter at my hometown newspaper in Ponca City, OK.

I've had mixed feelings about this since the beginning, but I'm pretty excited about this opportunity now. One of my major notes in the "pro" column is a sharp reduction in the amount of driving I'll be doing.

The town has a population close to 26,000 and the paper's circulation is 10,000. Both are considerably smaller than I've been used to since 1976, when I looked at it through the rear-view mirror of my 1971 Datsun station wagon headed south.

The newspaper is in the heart of downtown, surrounded by an old residential neighborhood. I've been scoping out houses within walking distance since I first learned there was a job opening there. One house I'm most interested in is an old Victorian about three blocks from the office. Yes, I would WALK to work and use a COMPANY CAR!


Here's a link: First Mayor's Home.


The house is directly across the street from my favorite park, straight across from the bandstand where community concerts have been held every Tuesday evening in the summers for decades (I remember going to the concerts when I was 5, so that should tell you everything!)

This house is also within walking distance of a magnificent public library, the YMCA, the town's old downtown shopping area and banks, City Hall and the Civic Center auditorium, the Poncan Theater and one of the four Methodist churches in town. I'll have to see which of the four churches I'll attend. I'm leaning towards the one where I grew up, because it looks to be a very mission-oriented church and it still feels like home. But I want to check out all the churches so I don't just return there out of habit!

There are several other houses on my "look at" list, and I'll keep shopping until I find the right place. It's the chance for me to find a home with some history - the Victorian I'm looking at so strongly was the home of Ponca City's first mayor. It was moved to its current location to make room for the city hall!

Another home I'm lookiing at was built in 1930 for George Miller of the historic 101 Ranch. It has me all a-quiver just thinking about it! Here's a link: Miller house.



I cannot believe I have to pack all this junk and move! So much to do -- first move would be to call and accept the job and find out when I have to start!! I'll do that in the morning after I have a chance to talk to some friends and sleep on it. I have to have a garage sale. SO MUCH TO DO!!! What have I gotten myself into?????? AGH!

Oh Mercy!

This might be a pretty good indication of what makes Okies different from other people. We've all heard about the devastation caused by the tornadoes this past weekend in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska -- something like 170 tornadoes recorded and watched by us weather freaks.

A couple of my closest friends are United Methodist ministers. Both of them have been appointed to new churches starting June 1. And wouldn't you know it, both of their new churches were scarcely missed by tornadoes this weekend! Lord, change is hard enough. Please let my friends have a church for their ministry when they go where You have led them!

I finally got worn out from watching weather reports last night and went to bed. About 2 a.m. (more or less, I really didn't wake up), I heard very strong rain, wind and was awakened (sort of) by lightning. I was coherent enough to know I needed to reset the alarm clock because there was a brief power outage. I immediately went back to sleep.

I didn't get a chance to watch any weather reports today until the late-night news broadcast. That's when I discovered there was a tornado within three miles of my house that caused the power outage, as I slept.

Yep, I'm an Okie girl, so much so that I ain't 'fraid of no tornadoes!

Your Vocabulary Score: A

Congratulations on your multifarious vocabulary! You must be quite an erudite person.

How's Your Vocabulary?

Saw this over at E.R.'s place and decided to accept the challenge.

My group has finished its study

One of the things that has kept me busy for the past four months is leading a Grief Share support group at my church. It's the first time we've offered this curriculum, and though the group was on the small side, it was tremendously effective for those who attended.

It is a 13-week curriculum, but with class breaks due to weather or other obligations, we went 16 weeks. I am surprised, but I found myself somewhat sad this evening as we went through the last session and said our goodbyes at the end.

I hope to lead this group again someday, if the timing allows. Instead of an evening class, I would like to offer it as a morning class. I've been keeping notes about how to offer it to more people, and I've learned that the typical age group that would benefit does not like to get back out at night and drive for a meeting. If they are still driving, it is only during the daytime. It might be a benefit if several people could carpool together for class and then perhaps go to lunch together when the sessions finish.

It's been good material for me to go over, too. Even though I was the leader, I may have learned as much as the others. I have had a lot of losses through the years; all of my nuclear family is gone, as are plenty of other relatives and friends. In my teens and 20s, I had six people -- friends and family -- who died in separate drunken driving accidents. There were others who came too close.

I feel like I'm coming to the end of a good book. The auction is done; that was a happy chapter. Grief Share is completed. Not a giddy chapter, but satisfying and fulfilling.

Nothing is on the immediate horizon to replace these events. But it is summer and my yard is completely out of control. I'm thinking it would be a good thing to put some of that time into creating a fabulous garden. Something nice that would keep me from getting citations from the city and bring a smile to others who have to pass by my house.

I had someone who was willing to come this afternoon to mow my yard, but then we had a floodin' rain come through. I think the grass is 3 inches taller and the mud is 3 inches deeper, so I can only hope I can get a mower through it in the next day or two.

But try I will! I can imagine making myself a chair like those at the auction -- someplace to sit and sip lemonade and enjoy the perfume of fresh-mown grass.

Ta-DA! The results of the auction!

UPDATE: I have learned I can apply for a community grant from Wal-Mart, which will match the funds raised in the auction up to $1,000!!!


The Tie-One-On Chair-ity Auction was held yesterday after church, along with a potluck dinner. I was amazed at the number of chairs and aprons that were brought in! And the quality of work? Amazing also!

I was very pleased to have a guest attend -- blogger buddy and real-life friend ER dropped by for some brisket and side dishes for lunch. He even made a few bids, which boosted bids made by others. I'm sad he didn't win any of the things, but I'm grateful he motivated some competitive bids. In total, we raised $1,440! (I would have been thrilled with $300. So multiply "thrilled" by 4 and you'll know how I feel!)

Every item sold, except for three photographs. I'd held an online photo contest with some friends from all across the U.S. and Canada and sold framed prints.

Here are a few photos -- the auctioneer (Santa Claus, working his off-season job as executive director of Mustard Seed Development Corp., a Partnership With God); some of the aprons and chairs; me, getting a ride around the gym in one of the chairs.

Catching up

OK, I think it's been long enough since my last substantial post. Time to catch up!

It's been a worrisome time, with taxes coming due. The hit is incredibly hard for those of us who are self employed, especially if we make very little money. See, the IRS doesn't much care that income is barely sufficient to cover utility costs. Come April 15, they want a BIG chunk of the year's money, along with Social Security taxes and who knows what else. It stinks having to shell that out along with paying for all the equipment necessary to work and along with car expenses that come out of pocket. And this year, on my 12-year-old car, expenses were extraordinarily high, but not deductible because the car has been primarily a personal vehicle for the duration of the time I've owned it. I can get a little relief for my mileage, but it's not close to helping me.

Throw in the unexpected and immediately urgent cost of having the sewer cleaned out last week, and this little pauper's purse was turned upside down, inside out and every which-way but loose. To say I was suffering a panic attack and anxiety attack daily is no exaggeration!

Enter my friend and accountant Tony. He did my taxes for me and I thought I would have a seizure right then and there. I did start hyperventilating but Tony talked me down from the ledge. We discussed options. Tony is great for that. And after I left his office, I went directly to my bank and applied for a home equity loan.

The banker treated me with dignity and respect, and was as reassuring as Tony that there is a solution. I think I spent all of 10 minutes going through the application. Later that evening, I got a call from the loan processor saying there were just a few things they would need copies of. That will take me about 10 minutes. They need a copy of my driver's license, my last credit card statements, the house insurance policy and copies of my last two tax returns (one in my hand, thanks to Tony, and the one he did for me last year, which is in an envelope in my filing cabinet. I just need to drop them off at my nearest bank branch. We'll close on the loan in 7 to 10 business days. My life will be tolerable again. The 30 percent credit card debts will be gone, absorbed into the 8 percent loan.

I slept like a baby last night. When I awoke today, there was no anxiety attack. It was replaced with a sense of peace.

I was amazed at how simple and fast the process was. Seriously, an investment of 10 minutes at the bank changed my life.

It's funny. With all of the economics courses I took in college, my experience in editing personal finance stories, my personal experience buying, selling and managing real estate, and generally being a well-educated consumer, I had allowed fear and panic to take over. Consolidating these bills all into one loan has given me back my personal power. It's given me a clarity of vision. I don't have to have self doubts any more. They have been a painful illusion, not the truth. I can take care of myself and this was a joyful reminder of that.

I also was reminded that it is OK to let other people help you, even if you just need to have them listen while you consider your options. It's great when they can say "you can do this." It's great when the banker says "That happens sometimes. Let's see what we can do to make it better."

This will get me over a very painful hump as I move on down the road to whatever comes next. Changes are coming, probably long overdue. Somehow I let myself get off track over the past few years and I came to believe that I needed to "settle." Who the heck was I kidding? I don't need to settle! No one does! Why did I believe that?

Maybe it doesn't matter why I thought I needed to accept less. The point is, I see more clearly now my own worth and value. I got lost for a little while, but I don't need to believe the lies any more that have been telling me that I'm not worthy of a full life. I have value and I don't need to keep believing that I should be grateful for a life of deprivation. I'm worth more than that. God loves me enough to provide abundantly, and now I'm walking into that promised life.

No, wait. I'm not walking; I'm running.

On the Lam

This was fun!

Some of my online friends found a site where you can create a cartoon image of yourself to share with others. I thought it worked pretty well! This may be the best photo of myself I've ever had! LOL!

Too funny not to tell on myself

Earlier this afternoon I was in a hurry to get something eaten and get to a 6 p.m. meeting. So about 5:15 I was in the kitchen putting some shredded cheese on a tortilla to roll up for a quick snack.

I was going to put some picante sauce on it too and started shaking the jar. Then I discovered I'd already unscrewed the lid.

Yep, it came flying off the jar, landed on the counter, and picante sauce suddenly rains down on me, with the approximate velocity of the rain we had in central Oklahoma last week. It was in my hair, all over my clothes, on the counter and the floor.

So I took a quick shower, shampoo and clothes change before rushing out. I've got a lot of mopping, not to mention laundry, to do tonight.

Happy Birthday to ME!

It's been a good one. I've gotten many great cards from even greater friends, plus today is Palm Sunday. It doesn't happen often that my birthday falls on Palm Sunday or Easter, but usually it's around the same time.

I love Palm Sunday, especially watching the little kids waving the palms around the church sanctuary. It makes me cry, every.single.time. It's the good cry, of course, the kind that takes my breath away.

Good friends Anne and Cliff (plus Anne's son and his girlfriend) took me to lunch today at Chili's. We had an unusually long wait so we filled up on chips before we got our food and everyone wound up with go boxes for the leftovers. That's OK -- I got a free chocolate shake with sprinkles on it for dessert, which was shared all around.

This afternoon I had a delightful nap, so it's been a happy day.

The week coming up is Holy Week, so it will be a busy week. I'll be at church every day. Monday's a committee meeting; Tuesday is my Grief Share week (four more sessions!) Wednesday is choir rehearsal; Thursday is Maundy Thursday; Friday is Good Friday with the choir cantata. Saturday is the kids' Easter Egg hunt (I think I'll be skipping this) and Sunday next is Easter.

There's lot going on in the "regular" world this week, too. Some working, working on things for the auction coming up April 22, etc. I'll probably have to haul clothes to the laundromat too, because of the problems with the floor drain in the garage.

The weeds in the yard are getting pretty tall, too, so it's time to do the first mowing of the season. I'll have to wait for the ground to dry up some before I try to put the mower on it. I've got a neighbor a few houses down on the other side of the street who, for reasons unknown, removed all the grass from his yard and replaced it with a few large boulders with his house number written on them. Hm. It was real interesting (and "entertaining") driving through the river of mud after the torrential downpours we had this week. I wonder if I can find the city ordinance which requires grass to stop soil erosion -- new home builders are required to put down sod to stop it so mud doesn't get in the storm sewer.

Anyway, that's the news from Mount Pilot today. I wish everyone a wonderful April and an amazing experience this Holy Week!

As Dr. E.R. and E.R. head west

Know you are in safe hands out there in the wilderness. Yes, I bring you ...



Vigilante Peeps O' Justice!!

Just for ER, to show him I understand:

What's been going on

Tech posted a run-down of what he's been up to. What a busy guy! Out producing plays, writing novels and keeping up with work!

So taking a cue from him, I thought I'd post a run-down of some of the things keeping me busy.

There's the usual "trying to make a little money" thing. Trust me, I'm gooood at making little money. I'm working on beefing that up so I can pay my gas bill. (rolly eyes). Eh, that's another story for another day.

Most of my time is spent at church lately. I've been serving as a facilitator for a Grief Share group for a couple of months. There's another month or so left in this group. I won't be helping with the Divorce Care group this session -- after helping lead three series of Divorce Care, I'm taking a break.

It's a little hard to keep identifying myself as a "divorced person" 17 years after the fact. I don't feel "divorced" in the same way I did years ago. Sure, yes, I remember I was married for a brief time, but I more identify myself as a single midlife adult now. In all honesty, I cannot remember what my ex-husband looked like without going back to the photos. I don't know where he lives, what he does for a living or anything at all about his present life.

I'm also the chairman of the Care Team this year. We have a team of 12 members plus the associate pastor. Recently we have divided the congregation into "pastorates." Each care team member is responsible for their own pastorate, making sure everyone in the church has someone staying in contact with them, especially in a time of illness or loss. The care team also prays daily for those in their pastorates.

In my role I often make hospital visits and try to do followup care with those who have had losses (hence the implementation of the Grief Share course.) I had a hospital visit last night after the class ended, as a matter of fact.

I have a couple of other projects on my agenda this spring. The first is an auction set for April 22 -- the "Tie One On Chairity". I've challenged the congregation to rehab worn-out, old, ugly chairs into works of art and then bring them to be auctioned. They are limited only by their imaginations. I expect some fabulous contributions! Some of the men are being very secretive about their projects. I think some of them have some side bets going!

Even the kids in the church are getting into the challenge. Our preschool kids took one of the chairs, and one of the Sunday school classes took another. They have been working on sanding their chairs to get them ready to paint. I cannot wait to see what they come up with!

Besides the chairs, a second component of the auction is aprons! Yes!! Like my chicky apron in my avatar! I'll be making a few or 20 aprons for the auction myself. One will be made of men's neckties and I have some pretty interesting designs in mind for others.

All the money we raise in this auction will be given to a nonprofit group I'm familiar with that will use it to rehab housing for those who need affordable housing. I don't know how much money we'll raise, but I am optimistic and I know God will use whatever we raise and multiply it many times over. I'll keep you posted as things develop!

The other project is producing a couple of CDs with musicians in the church. One will be a CD of lullabies which we will give to new parents and grandparents. The other will be a CD of hymns which we will take to people in the hospital (along with a loaner CD player with headphones). I'll be working to find the right songs for vocalists, the handbell choir, a harpist, clarinet player and flutist. I may even be able to get the OCU brass quintet to help.

A story worth sharing

One of my very good friends shared this story with me this morning. It's one I think is worth sharing, although I have edited it a little. Yes, it's one of those "Pass this along the internet" stories, but the point is worth taking. I don't know where it originated, or whether the "facts" are as they are written. It doesn't matter.

Breakfast at McDonald's

I am a mother of three (ages 14, 12, 3) and have recently completed my college degree. The last class I had to take was Sociology. The teacher was absolutely inspiring with the qualities that I wish every human being had been graced with.

Her last project of the term was called, "Smile." The class was asked to go out and smile at three people and document their reactions.

I am a very friendly person and always smile at everyone and say hello anyway. So, I thought this would be a piece of cake, literally.

Soon after we were assigned the project, my husband, youngest son, and I went out to McDonald's one crisp March morning. It was just our way of sharing special playtime with our son We were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away, and then even my husband did.

I did not move an inch... an overwhelming feeling of panic welled up inside of me as I turned to see why they had moved.

As I turned around I smelled a horrible "dirty body" smell, and there standing behind me were two poor homeless men. As I looked down at the short gentleman, close to me, he was "smiling". His beautiful sky blue eyes were full of God's Light as he searched for acceptance.

He said, "Good day" as he counted the few coins he had been clutching.

The second man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend. I realized the second man was mentally challenged and the blue-eyed gentleman was his salvation.

I held my tears as I stood there with them.

The young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted.

He said, "Coffee is all Miss" because that was all they could afford. (If they wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy something. He just wanted to be warm).

Then I really felt it - the compulsion was so great I almost reached out and embraced the little man with the blue eyes. That is when I noticed all eyes in the restaurant were set on me, judging my every action.

I smiled and asked the young lady behind the counter to give me two more breakfast meals on a separate tray.

I then walked around the corner to the table that the men had chosen as a resting s pot. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue-eyed gentleman's cold hand.

He looked up at me, with tears in his eyes, and said, "Thank you."

I leaned over, began to pat his hand and said, "God is here working through me to give you hope."

I started to cry as I walked away to join my husband and son. When I sat down my husband smiled at me and said, "That is why God gave you to me, Honey, to give me hope."

We held hands for a moment and at that time, we knew that only because of the Grace that we had been given were we able to give. ; We are not church goers, but we are believers.

That day showed me the pure Light of God's sweet love.

I returned to college, on the last evening of class, with this story in hand.

I turned in "my project" and the instructor read it.

Then she looked up at me and said, "Can I share this?"

I slowly nodded as she got the attention of the class.

She began to read and that is when I knew that we as human beings and being part of God share this need to heal people and to be healed.

In my own way I had touched the people at McDonald's, my husband, son, instructor, and every soul that shared the classroom on the last night I spent as a college student.

I graduated with one of the biggest lessons I would ever learn: UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE.

Much love and compassion is sent to each and every person who may read this and learn how to LOVE PEOPLE AND USE THINGS - NOT LOVE THINGS AND USE PEOPLE.

To handle yourself, use your head. To handle others, use your heart. God Gives every bird it's food, but He does not throw it into its nest.

Time for fun