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All Things EARTH... part 2


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Anita!  Great to see you!  Love the braids, I can see the violet!  You are correct, I’m anything bright!  Here’s a photo taken yesterday. My jewelry was made for me by a friend in AZ. Melody

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Lois, I know what you mean bar seating is closed here in Sarasota . Which really limits singles going out to eat . We also like to eat at the bar .Maybe in the next opening ? 

Anita, Good to hear from you . Will your son be going back to school or continuing online ? My color choices are all over the place but I do not do brights . 

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2 hours ago, Sailor_Sally said:

Lois, I know what you mean bar seating is closed here in Sarasota . Which really limits singles going out to eat . We also like to eat at the bar .Maybe in the next opening ? 

Anita, Good to hear from you . Will your son be going back to school or continuing online ? My color choices are all over the place but I do not do brights . 

Hi Sally, who knows.......I called a couple restaurants in my neighborhood and both places could not give me

an answer on when it would be allowed. Actually one of the Managers made it sound like it would be quite a while

before it is implemented.  I guess it depends on what Tallahassee decides to do............

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Laurie, I don't get notifications for this thread either - and I do have it turned on.  I do get notified if someone quotes me or likes my post, but not the notification that there are new posts.

 

We are still mostly locked down in my part of PA.  We are on red, yellow, and green sections and we are yellow but not significant changes to what is open.  Still no sit-down food service, hair/beauty, massage/spa, or gyms.

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Sally...we don't know anything about the UK is doing right now regarding the universities and the fall. They have eased up on the lockdown restrictions and so those who have left their belongings in their rooms (in the university halls) are able to go back now and remove their belongings. DS will be relying on a parent of friends and that friend to get his stuff because no one drives in the UK...none of his UK friends have licenses and so it will be a joint effort there. Fortunately, he has made good friends and met the parents and so feels comfortable asking for such help. He was already planning on getting a flat with a friend and so that friend is likely to be the one to help us out with his stuff. We have until the end of the contract which is sometime in later June.

 

But as I said...no word on what the deal is with the fall. Currently, he could go back over there but he would deal with a 14-quarantine upon arrival...we'll see how that works out as the summer progresses. We're thinking that he won't be able to help much in the hunt for a flat and will be relying heavily on his friend/future flat mate. It is what it is. I'm just glad that he is a social man and has made good friends. He had a Zoom party the other night with a bunch of first years. They call them B1s for Bachelor of Music freshmen. From Singapore to all over...they all got on and had a good time. That was fun to overhear.

 

Meanwhile...we bought a house over the weekend! LOL. I can't believe it. We've been renting for 10 years or so. It'll be quite the change. I'm slightly anxious about the whole thing but everything has fallen into place in such a way that it feels like a divine appointment. We'll be closing escrow July 7 so we'll have from then until the end of lease August 21 to do a bit of work before we move all our stuff over. We're planning for painting, etc., things that make sense to do in an empty house.

 

I'm super excited. The big points are that we our half acre minimum...which was a requirement for a single family residence use to be able to have any chickens. We get to have 4 chickens by county code. LOL. And no HOA to tell us we can't! Woot woot.

 

So here we go moving again. I've been thinking about what to wear, etc., thinking about how I'll be meeting neighbors for the first time, etc., and caring about the impression I make, especially since ownership means that we will be around these neighbors indefinitely. OMG.

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Congratulations, Anita!  Your overlap sounds good to get projects (especially painting) knocked out.  Assuming this is a local move you can take a carful each trip too and make it easier for the final move.  I wouldn't worry much about what you wear, they should understand you are moving and painting - as long as it covers everything it should (and isn't pj's 😉 ) I'm not sure how much others will notice.

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Congratulations on the home purchase!!!  The first one is the hardest.  

I wish I could do pigtails like that again.  I lost a lot of hair when I was sick, so the tails don't look all that good.  I have to stick to ponytails.  

I sure wouldn't be going anywhere near that area on Wednesday or Sunday!!!!  WAAAAY too many people showing up for the SpaceX Crew Dragon launch.  Supposed to be Wednesday, but the weather may not cooperate.  Next day after that is Sunday.   Coco Beach is expecting 10s of thousands of people to show up.  That should make for an interesting experiment in mask wearing and social distancing!!!

Now, which little restaurant were you at in PC?????

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Exciting news for Anita & Family!!!!  Am looking forward to seeing some photos of chickens. :)  I had to pop into the hardware store (good health practices going on there, yay) and I got to hear the buckets of chicks peeping. So cute.

 

Today is a work day for DH so I am tackling the laundry and errands. We don't have a mailbox so I went to the PO for our mail, took one look and left. Too crowded in our tiny local office.  The upside to rural life is that the bank has a drive thru.

 

I have been dressing to be seen, i.e. no sweats or gardening clothes for outings, since we see neighbors during our walks and there is always the chance of running into friends around "town."  Last week our postmaster was soooo nice, he came out to say hi and that he was glad I was back, how were we doing, etc. They have been worried about the seasonal customers like us who live in the city. Last night we had a friend and fellow board member who lives alone and works from home over for cocktails outside on the patio. It was nice to catch up and he clearly enjoyed being out of the house and having some good conversation.

 

Tomorrow we head back to the city for an overnight to pick up mail and a few odds and ends that we'd like to have here. I have some things in the freezer that I want here too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Congratulations, Anita, on your new home purchase. Exciting times ahead!  Good to hear that your son’s living arrangements and belongings are now worked out. Hopefully he will soon know how his school will arrange things going forward. 

Sharon

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Thanks everyone for the well wishes and congratulations! It is very exciting.

 

@slidergirl This will actually be our fourth home. IDK that it's so interesting but because I'm feeling chatty...our first home was just outside Wichita, KS. We were really hoping to have found the house before DS arrived and we found a new construction house, closed just before the end of the year and were able to have New Year's Eve in our first house. DS was born Jan 17. Thank God for good friends! who helped us move...especially since I couldn't do much. The yard was 100% dirt only and I designed the front yard and DH and I installed it. We had a drainage issue with a low point on our property instead of the property line, so we made a dry creek bed from the gutter and the sump pump drain out to the front curb and when it rained it would actually flow. We also finished a huge living area and two bedrooms in the basement.

 

Our second house was another new construction house in Lenexa, KS. That one was basically finished but we got to pick out all the lighting, the stain color for the wood floor, and the carpet. Other things were already selected. We were only in that house for 6 months. 

 

Then we decided to fully do a new construction build in Fort Worth. We picked out the floor plan and the lot and EVERYTHING. We even snuck out in the middle of the night and installed insulation in the garage right before the dry wall so that we could have an insulated garage. (didn't want to pay the builder for the option). We didn't close on that house after it was all said and done and lost our earnest money because we felt like we were going to be moving again...and we did...down to Houston area.

 

There we decided to buy an older house in a more established neighborhood that feed one of the best elementary schools in the area. It was a project house to the extent that the flooring had all been updated but the walls and the wet areas were otherwise in serious need of help. The owner, original, had a thing for accent walls and wall paper in the wet areas. That was a mess because we bought right before the big economic downturn. DH ended up getting a different job and we were still in the middle of fixing up the house. There was a huge hole in the ceiling from where we had taken down the "peek a boo" cabinet between the kitchen and the breakfast "nook". And the kitchen walls looked like a disaster zone because only the wallpaper was removed without any further work done yet. DH ended up commuting 120 miles RT for over 2 years. That house ended up becoming a rental and several years later we were able to sell it, finally...we lived outside Atlanta at the time.

 

We never wanted to own more than one house at a time, we couldn't even, and by the time that house sold, DS was headed for 8th grade. It was like...hmmm...did we really want to buy then? We didn't love where we were living enough to think about settling down there and the house we would want to live in with DS at home is not necessarily the house we would want with him gone.

 

So we continued to rent for our primary residence.

 

Since college, when you expect to move every year, that'd be 1994, I've lived and worked in 18 different kitchens. Yes, that's 18 different residences. Point being...DH and I have had deep conversations about how we want our home to be working in our favor for the life that we are hoping to have. We even bought a journal and DH had me journaling about what was really important to me in house. It was a great exercise. It really helped us weed through all the houses on the market to narrow it down to what is really important. This isn't an easy thing because we basically have no guidelines except what we want...no need to worry about school district, etc.

 

We'll see what happens with the weather and the launch. We're totally planning on heading over there, but we'll see. We went over there for the first night time launch last summer and that's the one and only launch we've seen so far. This will be the first manned launch in forever...I totally wouldn't miss it! Has everyone read this very informative and helpful post?

 

https://www.erinbromage.com/post/the-risks-know-them-avoid-them

 

We were eating at Rusty's in PC. DS and I first went there when one of his friends was staying with us and DH was out of town. We went to Jetty Park and were totally in the mood for seafood. We went to Rusty's and ate on the waterfront deck with the live musician...and the dolphins and the pelicans...I just love that atmosphere and love to go there. It's a special occasion kind of place because it can be $$$$.

 

Melody...absolutely...it is the norm, that things take twice as long and cost twice as much as you might expect. Not always, but usually. Especially when you are dealing with NOT new construction. 

 

pacruise...I know I'll be wearing work/moving clothes...but there are degrees. KWIM? I can be a total mess and slob, or I could be a messy bun worker. LOL. I want to look sensible...appropriate...but not totally junked out.

 

Margaret...we have to get a few things sorted before we can actually get the chickens. For instance, we have to have a coop, county code. And we really need to sort out the yard situation and what will go where. We recently rewatched the Chip and JoAnna building the family garden episode. I love that idea of the chicken run around the raised be garden. The coop in that is also incredible. There's upkeep involved with chickens, obvi, DH did some preliminary reading on chickens in general but we need to dive deep to make sure we cover our bases and do it well.

 

Sharon...DS's future flat mate has actually started looking for flats. At least, researching the market. The key is to get near a Tube station on a direct line. DS says that his friend doesn't have a good monitor, etc., and he has told him that he could use his so that's some incentive for the friend to help him out by cleaning out his room, but that hasn't happened yet. 

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Anita - WOW!  That is some moving you've done!!!! 

 

Ah - Rusty's.  There are some good restaurants over there at the port.  If I get back to my friend's place (maybe November), I've got more places to hit up!!!

 

Good luck if you go over to watch!!!   

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LOL!! Yes it is.  There are others that have had similar experiences. I'm 48 and the longest I've lived under one roof is 4-4.5 years...high school years. Technically, I went home one more summer after going away to college...but I wasn't really living there at that time, though it was my permanent address. I have a weird memory for houses, or rather my home. I can recall layouts for places very well. I have 30 different homes where I have lived in my memory, including 2 different dorm rooms. I feel like the experience has really helped me to know what is important, what is nice, and what may SEEM nice but really isn't all that. Different features are more and less important at different times in life...It's hard to keep emotions out of house hunting, but after all this time...we really wanted to make the most informed decision we could, I guess.

 

If you're around in November...we should meet up!!

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Anita, My daughter lives in New York state on 5 acres and she has chickens . She got her coop at a food and grain store .She has had lots of adventures with the chickens . Mainly them getting loose and going into their neighbor's yard .Plus animals eating the chickens. One time an egg got stuck in a chicken and she had to pull it out . Not an easy task. Plus I gather cleaning the coop is not a nice job.They do produce lots of eggs .

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I am in the group who has stayed in homes a long time. I think as a kid we might have moved 4 times. Maybe 5

I am living in my condo 8 years and when I moved in I had been living in the same place for over 20 years.

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Last year on our spring break RCI cruise, we were seated with a couple from Michigan (my home state) who had some land and raised chickens, mostly for the eggs. I learned a lot about the care and butchering of chickens that week. 😧 We had neighbors at the lake who had chickens, years ago, on a very small property. The chickens were always wandering around and often were in the road so we had to be careful driving by. We ran out of chicken-cross-the-road jokes very quickly! They also had a big, ancient golden mix who used to fall asleep in the street. Interesting folks.

 

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I lived in one house from birth to 21. Then Les & I started moving around with the Air Force. 22 years & 23 moves later we moved into this house in 1987 (Yes, some years had multiple moves). I’m ready (more than ready) to downsize...Les is very comfortable. 
 

chickens, no thanks. My cousin had chickens, she figured out it was about $8 a dozen eggs & miserable to clean up after. Now she has geese, attack geese 🙄

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With all the talk about the number of homes one has lived in, I decided to count mine up. Including college dorm rooms and apartments I came up with 15. That surprised me. However we have been in our current home for 38 years-the longest of all. I too could go for a downsized home but haven’t found any that I like and DH isn’t really onboard yet.

 

Margaret, Michigan is also my home state although we moved to CA when I was 2. I guess that counts anyway. While I have been to MI a few times, I have not been to Detroit to see where we lived. Where are you from? 

 

Anita, I hope your son and his friend find a great flat that meets all their requirements. As for the discussion about raising chickens, I’ve heard that freshly gathered eggs can taste amazing. BTW with the amount of land you will have, are you also planning to grow your own veggies and fruits? Will we be calling you “farmer Anita”?

Sharon

 

 

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I have lived in nine places including my dorm . The house we have now we have been in for 18 years . We are looking to downsize and have been looking for a few years but I feel this will be my last home so I am being super picky . 

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I can only have 4 chickens. But I still look forward to it. I expect to have stories and fun as a result. DH and I have talked for a long time about having some serious land and having more animals, etc. And so the idea here is to just be able to get a taste of what that would really be like. Would we really want that or not?

 

I will definitely be FARMER Anita! One of my best friends in high school lived in a neighborhood where every house had a name.  It was a another large lot neighborhood, but most lots were at least one acre. Her house was named "Thimble Farm". I've always loved that name. I've been thinking about naming our home and writing about our adventures. I have a book of landscaping ideas (pages taken from magazines) that I have saved since our first house. DH and I are really looking forward to the yard projects.

 

Sally, you know how many chickens she has? 5 acres is a good size. I figure that cleaning the coop isn't lovely...but I've never been involved with chickens at all. Even Mom has on the Texas family farm...she was sharing some stories.

 

Margaret, there's actually a prohibition against breeding and slaughtering chickens on a single family use lot. You can keep them, but no rooster. And no mixed fowl. So...you can't also have geese, for instance.

 

Melody...attack geese! Are there any other kind? Geese...are SO. MEAN. Especially the Canadian Geese...mean hissers!

 

Sharon...are you northern or southern CA? I grew up in the Bay Area...went away to Texas for college and never went back to live in CA. I found a very informative blog written by a Florida growing enthusiast. It's where I first found this idea of an food producing forest. Basically...you plan your "forest" with the canopy, the lower trees, the shrubs, the herbs, etc. All the different layers...but you plan them as food producing plants. For instance, a pecan tree could be the canopy layer...etc. Anyway...this is an experiment that I want to research more because I have two huge mature oak trees on property...under them the lawn is, of course, struggling, and I wanted to underplant them anyway. I have no idea what may work but I'm going to research to see what may grow. 

 

The yard is big enough and there are very sunny areas enough...I definitely plan to plant some fruit trees. It's one of the reasons why we wanted such a big lot.

 

Sally...definitely be picky. The time I spent writing down my thoughts was good for me. Writing helps me sort thoughts. When you get such a clear vision, it makes it so much easier to sort through what is on the market. So many houses hit the market with the easing of the restrictions...I expect that will continue as the backlog of people who wanted to list their homes waited. We did have to sign a COVID release to go see the house in person...that was new and different...

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I'm another one who prefers to dine at a bar.  There's just more to watch than sitting at a table.  I really love a bar that is at the chef station - it's just fascinating to watch the cooking crew go through it's paces.  Unfortunately, bar dining probably isn't going to happen for awhile.  They don't want the bar to get crammed elbow to elbow with drinkers along with the eaters.  Plus, I couldn't imagine a bar being able to have more then 3 stools, allowing for 6 ft. between them.  

 

When buying a home - don't forget to ask if anything "hinkey" happened in the house!!!  I believe realtors are not required to disclose if murders/suicides/drug trade happened in them!!!   Just sayin' - don't want any bad juju or ghosts!!!

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So Farmer Anita it is! Yes, a name for your new digs would be great! Since you have already done some research into growing things, would you try going Organic? 

 

i grew up in So Cal-Anaheim, not very far from Disneyland. Then I lived in the Midwest while going to college, returned to So Cal before finally moving north before I was married but not the Bay Area. However, we made many, many visits when DS and DIL were living there. 

 

Sounds like you have an exciting adventure ahead!

 

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Wow, Kat! I guess that is something to consider. Here in CA I believe that owners have to disclose deaths, no matter what the circumstances, that occurred in the home in the past 3 years and maybe other things that the seller is aware of. Now there’s a possible loophole!

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