1 1/2 Days to Go!

The house and garage are starting to look like a box recycling depot. There is only a change of clothing left to pack. The visit to the lawyer yesterday showed no problems so we should be good to go Friday noon!

The Final Count down Begins!

On Friday, we gain possession of our new home. In the meantime, we are living in a sea of boxes all labelled as to where they go. We are also making do with 3 plates, 2 bowls, some cutlery, one pot and a frying pan. The ladies came and packed everything which is great! it makes us realize just how little we can get by with.

The conditions are off our place and the new place and we are just waiting for the word from the lawyers that all the paper work is in order. The gas supplier, electrical supplier, satellite suppliers for internet and television have all been notified, as has the County and town of Whitecourt.

Left to do basically is get the dogs some town licences and update their shots.

Sometime between December 6 and 12, I will be off air as far as blogging and emails go, hopefully not for long. Already it seems there is much more red tape in Town Vs County!

The dogs know something is changing. Since Boots "retired" from horse watching, he has turned into a real lovable, skritchable dog, not like his previous self. He is much more laid back and is actually enjoying inside life, except at night even when it is -28C (-18F) where he still prefers his dog house. When inside, this is his favourite place.

December 6 is D day. Over the next three days we are told to expect 20 to 45 cm ( 8 to 17 inches) of snow, near blizzard conditions and Zero visibility, depending on which forecaster you listen to. Following this, a cold front is moving in for 3 days with lows of -26C (-15F) and highs of -12C (+10F). Great weather for moving!

We moved in 10 years ago at -35C (-31 F) so this should be a wee bit warmer.
Have a great week out there in Blogland!

It's a Good day!

This morning, Elaine and I were informed that we have sold a house, and bought a house! All that is left now is the paperwork at the lawyers and a LONG wait until December 6 when we can take possession. In anticipation, a whole bunch of ladies from the Church came over and packed up the kitchen. The help was very much appreciated!

As if to help celebrate, this gal showed up in the pasture. I am going to miss stepping out the back door and seeing these magnificent animals.

A Speed Bump On the Road of Life!

Due to one of the people in the domino chain of house purchasing, turning up late with a mortgage rate on our house, the whole chain of house moves ground to a halt for a while. Briefly, it looked like our house acquisition and sale would not happen. However, it turns out the issue was resolved, but with a delay of our purchase from November 16 to December 6. It appears that things will go ahead but not as originally scheduled. (sigh!)

In the meantime, Boots is starting to show his age. He is turning into an inside dog that enjoys the lazier things in life. The outside dog house seems to be more and more abandoned as the temperature drops.

Our oldest son showed up all the way from Houston Texas to help out with the packing and such. We managed to disassemble the wheelchair ramp and stack the lumber ready for the move. Elaine is still improving daily and managed to walk from the house to the car and down 10 steps for the first time today! Our youngest son also was involved. the help and visits by both sons was much appreciated by Elaine and myself. Alas, Andrew headed back to Texas today. I did capture a photo or two of him playing in the snow.

 Note the smile!

Hope you all, (all y'all for my American friends) enjoy a great Remembrance Day on Monday!

Nobody Said it Would be Easy!

Today is "D" day, so to speak. Conditions on our future house are to come off, and the conditions on our house also. However, it appears the buyer of our place has not got his ducks in a row and has not got his financing in order. He has to 9:00 pm tonight to do so, or the House of Cards risks coming down. It appears that he did not get the paper work to the bank in time.

If the house of cards does not come down, it is likely that the closing date and possession date may get punted out a bit, plus packing and moving parties will have to be rearranged.

Have I mentioned that I dislike moving lately? Plus a few other things? Like winter is upon us and we could be moving in deep snow.

Bah, humbug!

How's it Going, eh?

Elaine continues to get stronger day by day. It likely will be a while before she is at 100% though. The medications seem to have leveled out and the tremors are almost gone, except when hungry or tired.

I managed to get all the stuff out of the outbuildings and boxed, taped or otherwise prepared for the big move. The timing is great and I just got it done before the white stuff really fell. I am slowly getting over not seeing horses in the pasture, and still feel the need of a good horse hug now and again.

 Notice the absence of tracks out back. There is no need to go walk about any more.

We are coming down to the wire as far as the move goes. All property conditions should be removed by November 8. The bank bridge loan is in place and the possession date is November 22. If all goes well, we have to be off the Acreage by November 27 (noon).

A bunch of ladies from the church are going to descend and pack up the kitchen on November 16. A couple have been hired to clean this place prior to departure, and the same ladies are going to go over the new place prior to us moving. Guys from the church are going to show up with trucks, trailers and manpower to get all the stuff moved. We are planning to park Elaine in the middle of the floor and direct traffic. In other words, that part is going well!

I had a surprise the other day, when the surgeon's office  (University Hospital) phoned and said that my back surgery was scheduled for November 26! I explained the situation..Elaine in hospital for 8 weeks, in the midst of a move and that I could not be laid up for 2 to 6 months at this time! After waiting 5 years for the surgery, I figured, what the heck, let's move it out to March. They agreed, thankfully!

I am not posting as often due to the business of the moment, such as packing, getting Elaine to doctor's appointments, physio, etc, but I read what I can, when I can.

Have a great week, and thanks from both of us for the prayers! They are appreciated!

It's Been a Busy Week!

It seems that everything happens all at once. Our health provider phoned to say my back operation was scheduled for November 27th, the day  we take possession of our new house! After 5 years of waiting, why now? I explained the situation, the fact that Elaine was now home after 8 weeks in hospital and that I am the primary care giver, plus we were moving that week. She agreed to punt the operation out to March.

Elaine is home and doing well. each day she gets stronger and stronger. she is now putting on some weight and eating regularly. She is starting to sleep and things are sorting themselves out. She is still very weak and tires easily. Parkinson's Disease is a nasty one with lots of bad side effects related to the medication. That too, seems to be coming around.

Today we had the house inspection on our new (to us) place. Monday is the inspection on our Acreage. November 8 is the date where all conditions should be removed by both parties and November 22 is the possession date for us, and the 27th is when we have to be out.

In between there will be meetings with the Realtor, the banker (for bridge financing) and a few other folks. Somebody please tell me when this becomes fun?

Sorry no pictures lately. There just doesn't seem to be time in the day with all the things to collect and put in the garage so we can find them when the snow hits Sunday.

Hope things are going good for all you folks on Halloween.

A Much Better Day!

Today, Elaine came home from the hospital. After another week and a half I hope that she can last longer. She is now eating and putting on a little weight, plus is much more alert than last time home. Eight weeks in a hospital is way too long!

The other good news is that we put an offer in for a house in town and had it accepted. Elaine has not seen it yet, other than pictures, so I hope it is acceptable. For the last two weeks we have been involved in a Domino effect, where the people that want to buy our place had it conditional on their selling their place. We had it conditional on finding a suitable place. It seems that the ducks are lining up. Now comes the bank for a 5 day loan and a lawyer to sort out the details.

I have all the garage and out building packed up with 5 loads to the dump so far. Remind me, if I ever store stuff in a shed again to put down mouse poison. The little darlings really made a mess in some of the boxes.

Hopefully, November will be a great month!