Tuesday, May 19, 2009

One down, two to go


forsale
Originally uploaded by budandmary
If you have an extra $138,500, we'll be happy to take it off your hands. In return, we'll give you the best house we've seen in that price range around here. (We've done our open-house research, so we know!)

We met with a real estate agent this afternoon, and now our previous home is officially on the market. Still, it was a shock to drive by yesterday evening and see that sign in the yard.

Today, Bud will mulch the landscaping. Tomorrow, I'll add some color with flowers. And we still have those few paint touch-ups inside. Then, we'll really be finished.

And then there's Bud's mom's house and the building the newspaper will leave behind in a couple of weeks.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Outdoor Life and A Different Kind of Move


patio
Originally uploaded by budandmary
We've moved into summer mode a little bit early. Or at least we've hit "prepare-for-summer" at full throttle.

Last weekend, we bought this "chat set" for the deck. Unfortunately it has rained almost endlessly since then. Today, I ordered new fabric for the cushions of the wicker furniture that used to live on the front porch here before the remodel. I think the yellow we chose will work much better with our decor than the orange floral we inherited.

Bud has moved a ton of plantings from the old house to the new yard. He also moved the house plants from the sunroom to the deck, so we've got a bit of a tropical feel out there now.

Sadly, we recently found out that the newspaper where I work (and from where Bud retired a few years ago) will be moving to a new office at the end of the month.

We're disappointed to see the paper leave Main Street for the first time in its 132-year history. For me, working in a shiny, new strip-mall-type office will feel soulless compared to showing up every day to the same place where my predecessors, including Bud's dad and grandfather, melted lead to create type for each edition.

The paper hasn't been family-owned for more than 30 years, but it has taken 'til now, this impending change of scenery, to finally rip away all that was left of that family feeling. The connection to the past won't seem as strong somewhere else, and right now, it feels as if the staff members will be tossing history in the trash bin as they walk out the door.