Activity and then some

After our trip to PA for my  class reunion and to Indiana to reunite with CA friends, 1827 total miles, $883 poorer for 218 gallons of diesel for the motor home and a much shorter trip than we  had planned, we came home.  It is not worth being ill  and in my case cranky away from home; I am not a good sick person, in fact I am downright miserable. Halloween approaches, but I could get my witch on early. 

We arrived home  September 25, over a week ago bringing along our remnants of the  crappy "cold bug"  from PA courtesy of the typhoid Mary at the reunion who spread germs amongst all.  Yes the reunion was wonderful and yes it was a superb time.  I loved reuniting with classmates, most of whom I'd not seen in 40 years since the  10th and some 50 years since we graduated.   First Jerry  caught this bug and then a week or so later me, but I amplify everything.  After two weeks now I did check in with my local doc who advised me that my body is doing its job expertly fighting this nasty thing.  Give it a few more days and if it  is not  better, then fill the RX for antibiotics which he wrote.  Jerry went last week and got heavy antibiotics which he is taking. He no longer coughs at night, I still do.  I am fine except for the night time cough that  interrupts sleep and leaves me feeling tired through the day, but neither of us  have  fevers and what I am left with is sinus drainage.  This is one nasty bugger.  Colds are supposed to take a week, well this one did not get the memo.  That said, here  we are enjoying wonderful balmy autumnal weather, the colors are changing all along the river and bluffs, reflecting a golden, orange reddish glow in the sunshine.  And with that I have tried to get in a little bit of outside trimming, weeding, etc as the days go along.  I will be much happier when I get back to my own level of physical activity and  walks and the like.   As it is I savor my strength for spurts of activity and hold those in check.

Here's good news regarding sale of my uncle's home which is  the last part to settle the estate.  And for my Catholic friends, know that St. Joseph is at work.  Nonbelievers will not comprehend this, but Catholics who trust in the power of intercessory prayer of saints will applaud.  I was getting despondent  as the home has been on the market for a year and nary a looker.  Yes it is small but it is a grand old house with a massive lot.  The area  has regressed to what it was when so many of us fled in the sixties, just poor economy and people are not buying homes despite the "buyer's market."  Well people just cannot get the loans and maybe that indicates their lack of credit worthiness and the rightful tightening of financial markets. 

This trip I took a St. Joseph statue along, as urged by several, and placed him on the shelf in the kitchen  with instructions to do the right thing and bring a right buyer and proceeded  with prayers.   After all, my uncle's middle name was Joseph and so what did I have to lose?  Viola on Saturday, September 29 my realtor called with an offer.  Actually the day after I placed St. Joseph in the home in September, a realtor who had shown the home previously called my realtor and asked if it were still listed.  That was a glimmer of hope. Thank you St. Joseph and "my people" the plethora of them who have gone on ahead and whom I  talk to from time to time. My own realtor asked me if I had buried St. Joseph as the legend calls for, face down  away from the front door.  No, I did it my way. 

 Now, it seems we may have a buyer, if all goes well, loan and FHA home inspection.  The price is way lower than originally listed and is a steal for the buyer, but after continuous payment of PA  real estate and school taxes, utilities, lawn maintenance, and the exorbitant insurance for vacant homes, I can accept a  low bid to be done with this  major concern.  Sure I could hold on and wait, but what for?  Someone needs to live there and keep the home going.  Someone with ability to update and tinker.  Someone, well, you get it a good buyer.  This will be such a weight off our shoulders to no longer be absentee owners.  So now we are in the midst of emailing and faxing and signing millions of real estate papers.  This is why I dislike realtors, with them comes  tons of paperwork, tree killing at its finest. I ask again of the realtor, "can't you initial all these documents for me with my permission?"  "oh no, indeed not, I'd go to Realtor Prison."  Well thankfully I have ability to email and print and fax....tomorrow it is faxing  35 pages which I printed from the email, each one initialed by me as executrix and this is only the  beginning.  There will be more, ever more as this buyer is  getting an FHA loan, more and more paper.  

There is more coincidence here, the potential buyer is a niece of a PA friend of mine. My friend was not aware of the circumstance, knew they were looking but did not know it was my house.  It is a small world indeed back there and so we look ahead to moving this last bit of estate work along. 

All things concerned have kept me from blogging.  But I have been on Facebook daily, posting reunion photos and  tracking and talking online.  As I hit time crunch I will likely have to avoid that too.   I am anticipating one less big issue to handle and the carefree ability to plan trips to other areas.  We will still return to PA, I have friends and a cemetery to visit.  But the visits will be leisurely and with out pressure to do anything over at the house.   You can only imagine how I am looking forward to being less concerned.  Whew I might even have time to blog creatively once again.