Done!

May is done and I have only written two posts on my blog, so I better make it at least three for the month. The time just flew by with the house project, but finally we too are done! Or at least the house is presentable for prospective buyers. We still have a few small things to deal with, but it looks pretty good. Even a week ago though, I wondered if we were going to make the June 1st deadline. Now, unless we get a contract and inspection quickly, we should be able to take our time to complete the remaining projects.

Meanwhile, EVERYTHING is blooming and the days of grey and brown are way in the past. Green rules..as does the grass! Now I have an additional property to mow this summer and the tractor has to be loaded on the trailer and taken down there weekly. Plus here at the Pashley Ranch, and of course mowing the never ending thick fertile grass of Ticonderoga (must be all the cows in the area. HA!). Thank goodness for our lifesaving weedwacker friends Kevin and John who worked so hard at the two properties here.

My three rhododendrons are gorgeous this year, but next to the pink and purple ones, my white one is definitely queen of the yard. The flowers are so heavy, it is drooping to the ground. The bees, hummingbirds and other birds love it, including the robins with an active nest.

Today we celebrate the spring and have our premier trail ride of the season. First the trails and party spot need to be cleaned up, and everyone is going to pitch in to complete this quest. With everything else going on, I barely even remember that we live at the edge of the woods. Hopefully all that will change now. It's time to get on with spring and look forward to summer!

In Case You Are Wondering...

We have been diligently working on the repossessed property and house. Raking of about 3 of the 4.8 acres of land is complete (thank goodness for the New Holland tractor and the special leaf scoop that Dave made for the bucket). I weeded out all of the strawberry plants that massively invaded the flower garden behind the house and put 6 huge bags of red mulch around.  We have had to pick up tons of garbage strewn around, and out by the point where the fire pit is, there were two gigantic piles of old roofing and plywood that we disposed of. Dave has been power blowing like crazy (he tripped and fell  while we were moving stuff and scared the heck out of us both, but it was a soft landing on leaves and he’s okay). I pressure washed the lower garage that was moldy green, plus the doors on all the garages, including all pass doors. Now I need to paint them once this next bout of rain is over. We found used appliances on Craig’s list and have a washer/dryer, fridge, furnace, and brand new hot water heater that are ready to be installed. When I looked inside the house, it didn’t look too bad at first, but now that the power is back on, we certainly have our hands full. I have never seen dust so thick and so sooty from them burning wood and the oil furnace having issues. I don’t know how they could breathe. Thank goodness there is no furniture and we have carpet cleaners coming. The upstairs shower ceiling is black. They took weird stuff like the smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detector, curtain rods, and towel racks, but left all the brackets for them. Don’t ask me how  they will use them elsewhere. The kitchen faucet has to be replaced because parts are missing. The downstairs bathroom faucets are totally corroded and we need to get that too. The upstairs bathroom sink is cracked and broken...how do you break granite/marble? We just bought a used vanity and sink, since it will be cheaper and easier to switch over. The closet doors in the lower bedroom had slats totally out of it and Dave has rebuilt it. He has also been working on replacing trim in the kitchen. They moved the free standing pantry to make room for a dishwasher, but then sold the dishwasher and incorrectly put the pantry back, but there are huge gaps and holes in the trim. The list goes on and on. Plus we have to have this all done and ready to be shown by June 1st. At least the leaves are out and the flowers are blooming, making everything look inviting. Dave is trying to juggle work at the shop and work at the house, so you know where you will find us and what we’re up to. Did I mention that we are buying stock in Aleve...one bottle at a time?

 

Pickers Dream

We couldn't let a little rain and cold stop us from attending the Antique fair at the Washington County Fairgrounds today. It didn't stop a lot of people from attending this huge event (it must have been a record attendance day). Just about every building on the premises was filled with antiques from different vendors. They even had a gigantic tent set up in one of the fields in case of rain. It was overwhelming, but people were definitely buying. There was a New Holland tractor towing a trailer/wagon that spent the day transporting anyone and their goods back to their vehicles in the parking lot.

 

I loved this brass bell in the archway.

 

 Dave had his eye on this tandem Schwinn bike.

 

 Mirror selfie

 

 You name it, it was there.

 Some folks came with their own carts to haul away their new possessions.

 

 This is a strange conglomeration of items!

 Nice hay rake wheels, small plow, and the plane propeller too.

 

 A field of metal statues including a 5 ft. chicken.

My mother would have loved this carousel horse since she has always wanted one.

 

 The question is...is it for real or just a reproduction to look like one? We just aren't a good judge.

After all our window shopping, we ended up coming home empty handed this time. We were prepared though...we brought the truck! You never know what you might find that you can't live without!