09:31 – We made a run down to Winston-Salem yesterday. Frances was working yesterday, but Barbara had arranged with Al to meet us at the house with his pickup to load up on stuff for a dump run. She’d also arranged with Goodwill to meet us at the house. They provide only a day and a three-hour window, which in this case was to be 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., so we figured we’d be getting home later than usual. But when we were on the way down, still 20 minutes out from Winston, Barbara’s cell rang. It was the Goodwill driver, calling to ask if they could come immediately. Apparently, they had several cancellations. I told him we could meet him at the house, but it’d be 20 minutes or so until we got there. He pulled up in front of the house about two minutes after we arrived. He and his helper unloaded a huge rolling bin from the truck and made short work of picking up the stuff, which was probably two or three full pickup loads. We then got to work in the basement and my lab. We got Al’s pickup loaded to overflowing with stuff to go to the dump, including stacking large boxes on the tailgate and securing them with bungee cords. We got mostly finished in the basement and my lab, including pulling down shelves and brackets.
We probably have another two or three Trooper loads worth of stuff remaining to be hauled up, not counting a full pickup load of yard equipment and various miscellany that Al is going to keep for himself. Then it will be back to work for us, getting the house cleaned up and ready to go on the market. We decided to do the relatively quick, cheap stuff ourselves. In addition to a general deep clean, we’re going to paint ceilings and walls and do various minor repairs. The deck is only a couple years old and we replaced the front windows last year. The other windows are about due for replacement, and the kitchen and bathroom could stand updating, but those are things we’ll leave for the eventual buyer to do. My goal is to get the place looking reasonably decent, in a state where someone could move in without having to do anything. If they want to do bathroom or kitchen upgrades or refinish the hardwood floors, we’ll leave that to them. But we’ll do stuff like punching wall anchors through, spackling, priming, and putting on fresh coats of a neutral paint like eggshell or whatever women call it.
But we’ll do stuff like punching wall anchors through, spackling, priming, and putting on fresh coats of a neutral paint like eggshell or whatever women call it.
The last house we sold, we found a small contractor who did all that on the cheap. Well worth it and they had all the equipment, supplies, etc. They even got the paint and added it to the bill. The time saved on not only doing the work, but shopping for all the supplies was well worth it.
Good idea to avoid redoing the bathroom. I did that in my place in Canberra (it really needed it, it was 36 years old) and it was a complete PITA. Made a terrific mess. Did the kitchen about a decade earlier, was simple by comparrison – only three days.
I would be very tempted simply to apply two coats of a primer, and leave it at that. Anyone who purchased the house would have it ready to choose their favorite color.
5 yards of gravel delivered. 4 yards spread. That last yard is going to wait for tomorrow. My hands are too soft. Too much desk work.
On the upside, it was my hands that gave out. Back, arms, legs, and lungs are in better shape than last year, and probably could have gone another 5 yards.
Prep work this weekend: Bagging and tagging bulk flour, sugar, and salt. Made lemon confit. Studying cooking and preservation techniques.
Sometimes food skills feels like a lost art.
Well I’m just back from the hamfest. Sold about 1/2 to 1/3 of what I wanted to and what I did last year. Everyone was slow. Fewer people in the swap meet area, a whole lot fewer buyers, and no big ticket items. I sold one guy $50, and another $40, but those were my biggest sales. Of the things that sold last year, none sold this year so I was WAY overstocked on CBs and antennas. Did not make enough to buy another receiver or transceiver. I did have some good chats about prepping, self defense, and the economy. As one guy put it, “if you don’t have at least 2 months of food in storage right now, you’re an idiot.” (Keeping in mind, we’re a natural disaster waiting to happen down here. Idiot may be a bit strong, but you can’t argue the sentiment.)
Got my new phone, and changed my cell plan. Now I’ve got to reinstall the stuff that didn’t automagically install. Your carrier will not tell you when they have better plans available without being asked. I could have saved >$300 by changing to a better plan a year ago.
Ate some more carrots and asparagus from the garden. Getting ready to put in some beans. New variety for me, the other 2 common ones in this area didn’t thrive.
Vac packed and froze meat that was onsale.
Added to allergy and antihistamine stocks. Added more itch creams, and anti-poison ivy soaps and treatments.
Switched the front yard landscape lighting to LED. Since they are sealed, they stay on better during and after storms. Good lighting deters crime.
I’m sure there was more, but I’m wiped out from being out in the wind and weather all day, and I still have to unload the truck.
nick
Deposited wife’s pay check, past her employer’s 30-day deadline for issuing it, let alone mailing it out via snail mail, instead of direct deposit like the office people and top matriarchy have.
Arrived at the neighboring county’s fish and game show down in Essex and found the vast unpaved parking lot replete with potholes and bumps and ridges and also jammed with hundreds of vehicles. OFD does not do crowds anymore and gave it all a pass. I didn’t dig crowds anyway in the years after mil-spec and cop work and now avoid them for obvious security reasons, too.
Tried to get to Confession but downtown Burlap traffic sucked and I was gonna be late, which OFD also does not do; OFD is not only always on time but more commonly early. Bagged that, too; I’ll go on Monday morning, when at least half the pop might actually already be at work at jobs.
Made it to the Staples, however, and got some electrical gear, small pooter workstation cart on wheels, and an office chair on sale. Unpacked it all and hauled it up to the attic space I’m developing. I’ll be all over it for the next two to three days.
Hauled in more firewood and then ran outta gas.
Having studied the matter at length for a while now, OFD has decided not to put any money into buying and modding WWII-era Mausers or Mosins; why bother with the expense and time and effort when more modern firearms will do the job even better and for the same or less total expenditure? So unless I find some real gems at bargain prices at gun shows or auctions, I’ll give ’em a pass. If I want a long-range scoped rifle for whatever reason I’m gonna go with something like a Remington 700 bolt in .30-06 and the relevant optic. Their predecessors worked very nicely for Carlos Hathcock and his colleagues during the Late Unpleasantness in SEA. And few of us are cut out to do the contemporary sniper rifle stuff that the celebs and stars out there have been doing in the various wars, with insane distances and gear that weighs a ton. I might need to employ it across the bay at a marine craft or down the length of a cornfield up here. But I’m not gonna be trying for the Vampire State shore.
Updating my various go-bags, meds, pistol, and EDC. Moving prep-related books and documents up to the attic. Organizing which seeds I hope to start soon; it was 23 here this morning, though, and got up to 29 eventually; now it’s dropping to the low teens tonight. Temps in the 30s all week and later scattered rain and snow showers predicted. Plenty of yard cleanup and other work still to do.
Mrs. OFD winging her way from Denver to East Bay, Kalifornia, visiting son and DIL and grandkids for several days. Back here late Wednesday night and home for about ten days, IIRC. Then back to Denver. She didn’t get much sleep this past week due to neighboring dawgs barking all night while being left out by whichever bozos. And Denver got about eight inches of snow the other night, I guess, more than we’ve had all winter here.
Your carrier will not tell you when they have better plans available without being asked
I call about every 2 months and ask if there is any way I can cut my bill. Running fairly slim on cell plan now, two phones, one is smart and requires data, plus monthly payment on the smart phone and I am at $94 a month. 0.5G of data, unlimited text and calling.
I am sure you have your reasons not to rent rather than sell but I sure do wish I had kept our last home and just leased it out. On 40 acres with pond and outbuildings we sold for 65k and can’t touch anything close for under 250k today. Plus we would have the renter buy it for us. I had access to excellent rental management but never considered it.
Hmmmm….this sounds an awful lot like that hateful stuff OFD has said in the recent past…
http://www.barnhardt.biz/2016/03/19/wherein-i-comment-on-electoral-politics-its-professional-wrestling-without-the-wrestling/
And more violent hate and rayciss stuff here, to start off the first day of Spring! Haha, lol; in the low teens here right now.
http://americandigest.org/mt-archives/the_top_40_by_instigating.php
Spring is here. The mosquito sprayer truck just went by.
It was 88 F yesterday. High of 65 F for the next few days due to a cold front.
“reasons not to rent rather than sell”
Renting is such a lottery, especially if you only have one property. If you get good renters, you’re golden. Get bad ones, they trash the place, and you are so screwed. I remember my parents tried this, when they moved out of their first house.
The renters had dogs (so did we, so no problem, right?). Only, their dogs apparently weren’t house trained. When the renters moved out after a year, the carpets through the whole house were trashed. I was too young to know about the finances, but I imagine fixing the house cost more than the whole year’s rental income.
“Spring is here. The mosquito sprayer truck just went by.”
Be glad you don’t live in Kuala Lumpur. Their trucks blanket the place in a thick fog of insecticide, and the mozzies that are left could easily carry you off to be digested at leisure.
Renting out property is for professionals, I’ve heard too many horror stories about unpaid rent, careless and malicious damage, and so on.
Just go my subpoena in the mail to go to criminal court to testify against the guy on drugs that caused my accident two years ago. His lawyer moved the case from traffic court to criminal court with a jury trial. I suspect I will be grilled by his attorney.
Is he risking jail time for the move?
We rent our house in Leavenworth, KS. You have to have a pro do it for you. We found a retired E6 who started a property business and has handled our house for 25 years. We switched renters late last year and the house required painting and other upkeep. SSG “Good Guy” got it all done, found a new renter, and deducted all costs over three months from the rent (he normally does this unless it is a major upgrade like A/C). He has the advantage of going on Fort Leavenworth and finding renters. We usually rent to a foreign milspec student for a two year crack.
Is he risking jail time for the move?
I don’t know the rational for moving from traffic court to criminal court. It will be a jury trial and I suspect his attorney is hoping there will be a sympathetic jury. This first date I am not sure what will happen. The state is the one pressing charges, I am just being called as a material witness since I am now considered a victim of his criminal actions.
The DA is pushing for six months in jail, permanent loss of drivers license, and registration as a habitual motor vehicle offender. This will bar him from getting a license in other states and if found driving immediate incarceration. I personally want the bastard shot, a couple hundred times, starting at the knees and moving up.
How about, shot … out of a canon … into a piranha tank?
Everything I know about life, I learned from James Bond movies.
“I personally want the bastard shot, a couple hundred times, starting at the knees and moving up.”
I’m your man, just say the word: OFD, former M60 gunner with some Ma Deuce experience.
“Everything I know about life, I learned from James Bond movies.”
That’s orders of magnitude above what today’s yoots are learning from their pixels and classrooms. Be proud. Stand tall.
This guy seemed to start out OK but something went seriously amiss in the mid-70s; another candidate for my waterboarding seminars:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Armitage_%28politician%29
And most def this guy:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%A9lix_Rodr%C3%ADguez_%28soldier%29
I remember certain lifer maggot NCOs and officers were gaming the system big-time near the end of the First Indochina War but they were very small fry compared to these other gummint criminals. And apparently plenty of bureaucrats in Mordor not only had zero interest in returning POWs, but actively thwarted any efforts to do so. If true, some of them knowingly betrayed their brother soldiers for power and thirty pieces of silver.
Be nice to have some straight answers while a lot of us are still above ground.