August 25th

This afternoon I was at the condo to pickup the two movie posters that I had left in the upstairs closet, and I noticed that the vertical control on the west side of the patio door is no longer operational. I know that when I left the condo, this worked! 

I think (hope!) that it has just come off the track, but it's going to take a visit to Lowes to find out how to get the magnet back in place. Tomorrow I'm tied up with The Book Club and lawn mowing, but later in the week I'll see if one of the clerks at Lowes can show me how to get it back on track. When Anderson Construction installed the door, it was missing a magnet, and when I called Pella Windows windows on Wabash they were absolutely No Help (they were the rudest nitwits I have ever talked to, and I would never buy anything from them). Lowes was aware of the 'missing magnets' because they told me that kids were stealing  them because they were such strong magnets.   

When I visited the condo today I also removed one of the standing lamps from downstairs. It wasn't even plugged in, and I need it back at the house. I'll leave the other standing lamp, but I can't see what one 60 watt bulb can do for 'the look' of that area since you have to turn on the lamp after the overheads are already on. 

Last weekend I took the welcome mat that was on the patio (I liked it), and today I replaced it with one that was in the garage on Westview (It'll do) . 

I have the number  of the Boys Club on the eastside I'm going to see if they want the exercise equipment that's still in the basement. I called last week but didn't get an answer. If they don't take donations, I'll call Goodwill, but if they will take it, I think it must be on the ground floor, and I think I can drag all of it up to the patio, but I think we are a long way from worrying about what is in that basement recess.

But, the patio door is a major selling point, and I want it to work just as well as it did when I left the place.    seeya..kw 

Joe Brandenburg

We had a realtor from the group show it Monday evening Im waiting to hear back from them. I will ask about the door.                      

Final Inspection on the renovation

Meeting set for 830am, Fr8/21/15

Beautiful sunny morning with temperatures barely in the 70's. Highly unusual for the last weekend of the Illinois State Fair.

Eric arrived at 820am and two inspectors from the city arrived at 830am on the dot. The man that checked the electrical was the same guy that surprised me several weeks ago, but he seemed OK today.

We went downstairs and spent about ten minutes talking about music, and the frame guy just said 'fine job' about the remodeling work, and the electrical inspector only tested to make sure that the arc-breakers were in the new addition (I'm not even sure that he was aware that there are old breakers in the bedrooms and I didn't bring it up). 

The inspectors were gone in ten minutes, and Eric stayed a bit longer and filled in some details about his problems with the city. It began several years ago when he was undercutting other city roofers prices. As a general contractor he is technically allowed to bid on any job, he just can't do the work, and they never actually caught him doing the work. Eric was the focus of a 'sting' operation and sued by the city, but he was able to have the lawsuit dismissed because they couldn't prove that he had actually done any of the work. 

Thankfully, the paperwork is now gone from my front window, and it will be stored in my safe. 

Now I can begin the serious work of moving into the renovated area, and I hope the arc fault breakers work flawlessly. But, Lucas said not to hesitate to give him a call if they give me any problems. 

By Sunday I had all of the books in the new room. The stereo was connected and the PC was hooked up. All of the shorter free-standing bookshelves have been used, and the bookcase that sat next to my bed at the condo works perfectly as the lampstand in the living room.

Washer Fiasco Tuesday, 8/15

Lucas and Justin arrived after work, about 4pm on Tuesday to finish up the electrical work on the renovated area of the basement. Since they were going to set up the dryer,  I wanted to have a load of washing finished so that we could test the dryer.

As Justin was working on the electrical box, dirty water started to shoot out of the vertical drain to the washer. This produced a bad smell and brackish water. Lucas called a friend who was a plumber, and the guy was going to come over later that evening, but changed the appointment to Wednesday, 4pm.

I hoped that the drain was clogged because that particular drain had not been used in almost a year. The Rapps have lived in their new home for at least a half year, and the washer and dryer has been gone since then.

Brian Flemming showed up at 330pm on Wednesday, and I didn't get back from the FitClub until 340pm. He stayed a little over an hour, and snaked the drain. Everything seems to be OK, and he charged (only?) $50.00.

An Email to Joe on August 11, 2015

Hey,

  

 I jogged over to the condo around 2pm this afternoon and talked to Ernie while he was painting. He said that you were over around 11am to do a 'walk thru'. Did you make it down to the basement to see the leak? That might cause a real problem because I don't think that we can convince anyone that the leak will 'go away' once they hook up their washer and dryer. However, maybe someone can make those 'caps' hold back the tide. That leak has to have been my blackest moment since I closed on the house.

I really wish that I had just left the old appliances in the condo, and I know I wouldn't have gotten the full value back, but at least I wouldn't be paying for plumbing issues that are going to be like throwing money out the window. I could have left the old stuff in place, and then upgraded. And, I'm sure that you read the email that I sent to Janny about the issues that I have with the shutoff valve in my unit and the problems with our building shutoff in unit #33.

 If you feel that the carpet in the upstairs bedrooms, hallway, and staircase are salvageable, I think I will schedule Stanley Steemer to do the job. There's no way that I could do an adequate job, and it would only be about $150, and I think that the professionals would make it look as good as can be expected.  

I won't have phone service until early afternoon on Thursday, but shoot me an email as to what you think about where we are about putting #43 on the market. 

And, I would like to just paint over the 'anchor damage' caused by the hanging cassette cases in the downstairs at the condo. I spoke to Ernie about it, but I think he wants to put too much effort and time into it (MONEY!!). I just want to gloss it over because most people don't relate to the '70's popcorn/stucco' anyway, but I think that Ernie will do a great job on the living room/kitchen areas.

Ernie might not be up to Lloyd's standards of meticulousness, but he's certainly in the ballpark..

Send me a note because I won't have phone service until Thursday, and  I'd like to contract the job with Stanley Steemer if you feel that this is the way to go. 

seeya...kw   (PS....still no answers on the Jenn Air Induction foolishness).    

7/12/15- An Email I sent to Janny before their trip west

Sent July 12, 2015

I'm sure that you're looking forward to your trip to Phoenix next Sunday, but he seemed a bit hazy on the details. He knew that you and Joe were coming, and he thought it was an excellent idea, but he didn't seem to realize that it was next Sunday.

These days he's a much better listener rather than an instigator of hardheaded biases and points of view, and I have to say that I like him tons more now than I did thirty years ago. 

Today I mowed my first lawn in over twenty years. Last night I bought a dynamite, $158 lawn mower from Walmart, and I gave it the acid test around noon today. I thought that there was no way that I could just take it out of the box, add oil and gas, and the thing would work, but it did! The engine kicked over on the third pull, and I was off and running (literally). The front and back lawn took just over an hour at a ferocious pace. That back lawn is by far, the biggest yard that I've ever mowed, but almost a third of the back lawn is in shade, and it's covered in clover so it will be easy to keep up. Numerous flowerbeds and weird natural grasses will probably force me to consult a landscaping nursery to find out the best way I can keep all the plants going. But, I think I can wait until next year for this, but I'm committed to keeping the 'wildlife going'. 

I signed the contract with Anderson Construction on Friday evening and he'll begin work tomorrow morning. I had some problems with the lock from the breezeway into the kitchen so I bought a new one when I purchased the mower on Saturday. He'll start with replacing this lock, and then remove the living room and hall carpets. I hope we don''t find anything bad under those carpets, but I'm committed to the 'hardwood look'. If it takes sanding or whatever, Eric and the guys can handle it. 

I've moved three of the small bookcases from the condo (and the books) into the basement area at Westview, and I plan to get all of the things that I can move by Accord into the house by early next week. Then, I rent a van and move the seven large bookcases and books. At that time, I should be down to the barebones and I'll be able to realistically tell the movers what they can take. But, you'll probably be back from Phoenix before this occurs. 

I've hired a handyman from Waverly to paint the garage door and hang the new shutters. He wants at least two days of No Rain so that the paint can dry properly, and he says that Wednesday looks like the best window of opportunity. He's also going to hang the shelving from the condo when Eric completes the basement renovation at Westview. I'm also going to see if he can hang the TV in the living room and help me move the other 42 inch TV from the condo. This guy is an older man and reminds me of Lloyd, and he sounds like he cares about the quality of the work (I hope).

I haven't begun to delve into the massive problem of my new Internet connection. I want to keep the ATT discount but I don't know if I might be better off with cable and dropping all landlines. I don't even know if I can have ATT without the landline, but all I know is that I don't move until I have a secure and fast connection at the new house. On the bright side, this looks like the best time for me to make the jump to Smart Phones. But, for the time being, I'm more concerned about lugging a couple thousand 'old school' novels from the 60's and 70's a mile and a half away.

Enjoy the trip west....seeya kw

Fr 8/14/15 Anderson Construction Completion and New Carpet at Condo

Eric and his helper arrived on Friday morning about 830am to clean up the area and get paid. I gave Eric a check for $7,625.00 for his final payment.

The actual name of the color of the walls is, 'Stonewall Jackson Gray'.

He told me that Lucas and his crew would be in late Saturday morning to complete their work. They have to install the switch plates and the final touches on the overhead lighting. I hope that this also includes dryer hookup. I know that they will have to create a new electrical outlet for the dryer.

And, Eric will handle the final inspection from the city. That is one meeting that I do not plan to attend.

Eric recommend his carpet guy for new carpets at the condo. I figured that if I was going to offer a $1,500.00 carpet allowance anyway, I might as well have it done on my end to make the condo look its' best to all potential buyers. I called Tom Serra Thursday evening and arranged a meeting for noon on Friday. I rode the bike over to the condo and we both arrived at 1150am. He says he can do it, and I even left him fully in charge to select the color, pattern, etc.  He might be able to begin work as early as today, Saturday, 15, 2015.

Email to Joe Th 8/13/15

Eric suggested that I talk to his carpet guy and see what it would cost to do the upstairs bedrooms and the stairway at the condo.

If I'm going to offer a $1,500 'carpet allowance' off of the price of the condo, I think it might make more sense to have this done before it goes on the market. Essentially, I'm paying for it anyway, so I might as well put 'the best foot forward' to all potential buyers.

I called the carpet guy this evening, and I'm going to meet him at the condo at noon tomorrow for his estimate. He seemed to understand what I want, he said that I might even be able to use the existing carpet pad to cut costs, and he didn't balk at the fifteen hundred dollar price. . 

I stopped by the condo early this evening, and I saw that Ernie has successfully installed the new valves for the washer and dryer..... No leaks!!!!    He still hasn't finished the painting or the patching work downstairs, but what he has finished looks great. When I talked to him this afternoon he hoped to be done with everything by late Friday afternoon.  

Eric and his helper have finished painting, laid the carpet tiles, installed the trim, and mounted the door to the new basement area at Westview. The walls are dark gray (the color of duck tape) and the carpet tiles are gray/black. And, the door and trim are bright white. It looks great!

The electricians haven't completed their work and the inspector for the city hasn't signed off on the job, The electrician  work day jobs, and I would imagine that they'll drop by tomorrow around 4pm to finish up and get paid. 

And, I called Todd, the previous owner at Westview, and he stopped by this evening and revealed the mystery of the induction range.   

So, that's where I'm at, and as of 1215pm this afternoon I Have Phone Service  at Westview...seeya...kw

Email to Janny August 11th 2015

Hello,

Twenty minutes ago (1215pm) I got Internet, but still no phone. I thought that you had to have an ATT phone before you could get on the internet but I guess this isn't the case. I have a temporary wire running along the fence that borders my neighbors on the south, and this will require ATT to dig up part of the yard and bury the cable, but this is no expense to me and I don't have to be present, so let it be. According to the tech, this could be from two weeks to many weeks in the future, and I'm not involved at any level. 

The move went very well except for one very dire consequence. 

The movers will not disconnect a washer and dryer, so I had to do it. When I disconnected the washer, there was a pretty steady leak and I couldn't get it to stop. It wasn't anything that I did, it's just that the connection was ancient and should not have been messed with Later in the afternoon I went to Ace to get a 'cap', but it didn't completely take care of the problem.

This could really create problems because when I had Rebath remodel the bathroom I learned that they can't turn off the water to my unit completely. I have to go down to the first unit in my building and have it shut off there, and his connection is not in the best of shape, and he doesn't want to take any action because he has a bathroom in the area where this connection is located and plumbers can't access the necessary pieces. 

Since the movers charge by the hour and it caused so much trouble I wish to Hell I had just left the washer and dryer in the condo and bought new equipment at Westview. If I have to do major plumbing work at the condo, this is just money thrown out the window for no reason. Maybe I wouldn't have gotten the full value of the washer and dryer, but at least I wouldn't be paying for unnecessary plumbing work, and nobody will buy a home with an obvious leak in a pipe. On the slightly-bright side, the water is near the drain and not causing any further damage. It would be a horrendous nightmare if this occurred upstairs and ruined the flooring. 

And then when the move was over I spent some 'non-quality' time with this idiotic stove. It seems that the stove is not recognizing a pan when it is placed on the stooopid 'ghost' burner. You can pay hundreds of dollars for a set of 'induction cookware', so I went to Walmart and they didn't know what I was talking about. However, at Target I found a 2 quart saucepan for just over thirty bucks!  A conventional pot of that size can be found for under twelve bucks. And, when I got home, the stove gives the same error message as it did with a regular pot. I had planned to call Todd Rabb, the previous owner, but I don't have phone service. It was after 8pm last night when I found out that I still had no idea how to work the damn thing and I don't want to barge in and be 'one of those kind' of neighbors. But, as a general rule, If you need to consult a manual to boil water, I don't want anything whatsoever to do with it.

The windows in this place are a major pain in the ass. Either you can get the screens and storm windows to move, or they are more or less welded in place. It was such a beautiful morning and I wanted to open the windows, but I could only budge a few. I would be willing to bet a high-quality induction stove that the reason that the windows are in the garage is that there is no way in Hell that they could get them into the windows.     

My phone service has ended at the condo and hasn't started at Westview, and after connecting all of my devices to the Internet, the U-verse tech spent an inordinately long time on the phone with the central office  to find that the earliest opening will be this Thursday, between 11am and 1pm. I don't fully understand it, but this time I will be getting my dial tone through the internet, and this will be cheaper. The downside is that during a power failure, I won't be able to make or receive calls. With my old setup, I'd be able to make a call regardless. This shouldn't be a factor with me anyway. 

Buddy was not a happy camper about his new change of address. He cried in the car on the way over, he cried when I showed him around his new house, and he basically cried all night long. And, because of the stove fiasco, I had to leave him and go to Subway for food. We did watch a dvd, but he stayed under the couch, and although I couldn't hear him crying, he might have been silently weeping. And when the U-verse tech, the drywallers, and Eric's crew arrived this morning he was terrified. He is eating, but not his usual voracious appetite and I hope that he will soon settle into an acceptable routine. And, for that matter, I hope the same applies to me.

Well, off for a run back to Durkin, and I hope to find Ernie painting his heart out on the downstairs at the condo. Yesterday I didn't do any form of workout, but I did manage to stop at LA Fitness on the way back from my useless errand to Target for a sauna session, the whirlpool, and a dip in the pool (Buddy was still living at the condo).

That U-verse tech is still in front of the house doing work on his computer and talking on the phone. He's been here since 855am this morning, and it's 130pm.     seeya. kw 

August 11, 2015 Internet Comes to Westview

August 11, 2015 The Second Day at Westview

Late yesterday afternoon both Eric and the drywallers assured me that they would both be working on the renovation by 830am. However, it's after 10am and they haven't arrived on the scene, but the guy from U-verse/ATT showed promptly at 855am, and his scheduled appointment was between nine and eleven am so he's very much ahead of the game. It's now after 10am and the U-verse/ATT guy hasn't even been in the house. He checked the box on the back of the house, stared at the pole in the neighbor's yard, and then drove away. He also informed me that he was only here to connect the Internet, the change of phone service was not included in his order. It's not clear as to whether both orders can be done today. I can't believe that you can have Internet without phone service, but he acts as if this is quite common.


It's a beautiful day and I would love to go for a run as the temperature is only in the low 70's without a trace of humidity, but I've got to be present as long as U-verse is here.  Once the connection is made, I'm outta here!


I spent some time trying to get the storm windows up and the screens down, but this doesn't look like it will be possible. Wherever they are now seems to be the way that they'll stay. ...One fun at a time... I'm still trying to boil water, but my thirty dollar pot won't recognize the signal from the stove. I can't describe how much I miss my relatively new gas stove. 'Cutting Edge' does NOT mean that you need to consult a manual to turn the appliance ON. I did manage to get the microwave to operator, but to change the time seems to be a graduate level endeavour.


I hope that Ernie is painting the downstairs at the condo. I still don't know what to do about the basement leak. I'll email Joe as soon as the guy from U-verse/ATT gets things running, but we're already into extra innings. And, still no sign of the construction crews on the basement renovation.


At 1025am another truck from ATT has arrived on the scene. Just a few minutes ago I saw the first guy in the backyard with crime scene tape(?), mark off an area, and then he threw up his hands. My confidence is evaporating quickly. On the bright side, the Boze radio in the kitchen is picking up the signal from 90.9 FM in Champaign perfectly, but he stereo in the living room can't seem to grasp it (at all).

1035am- Anderson Construction has arrived.
1045am- The Drywallers are here.

ATT guy has informed me that a temporary line will be installed along the fence on the south side of the property. Sometime later they will bury this cable.  Apparently when the brick patio was built, the line was cut. This repair is of no cost to me, and I don't have to be present when the work is done.  I wonder what type of Internet service the Rabbs' had, because it was certainly NOT ATT.

The easiest way to put in the Internet is to connect the modem to the exiting wires in the living room. He assures me that this would be easier than routing a connection to the back bedroom. Buddy shows little interest in the computer wiring, and I hope the same holds true for the modem.

I took a few moments to make sure that the Blu Ray/TV connection is working, and it is. A guy from ATT is now at the pole in the southeast corner of the alley (I don't really have an alley, but there seems to be a break in the property lines from the houses on the street directly east).

Eric's plan was to spray paint the ceiling before the drywallers started sanding. Sounds risky to me....dust in fresh paint?, but Eric assures me that this is quite normal, and I think that he hopes that it's quick drying paint.

Two hours and fifteen minutes since the first guy arrived, and no Internet and I don't hear much activity below decks. However, we all heard some colorful swearing from Eric. He and his helper are out on the street by the Anderson van.
 
1120am- The drywallers have just left the scene. Are they done? These guys have been on the job for eight days, and I don't think they have done even eight hours of work. The feeling seems to be that most of their 'work' involves 'waiting for things to dry'. Nice work if you can get it.

U-verse guy says that since I'm using the same modem, everything should be the same as it was before. But, we'll see. The PC has a wireless connection and before, the modem was hooked to the laptop which doesn't have wifi.

I connected all of my devices to the Internet by 1215pm. The U-verse tech is now in his truck finding out when I can get Phone service. It's cheaper for me to get the dial tone from the modem, I wasn't aware of this and he told me it's called 'voip'. The downside is that during a power outage I would not have phone service, but a small price to pay.

Email to Joe Thursday August 6, 2015

Hey,

  Move Day begins Monday between 830am and 930am. I'm 98% moved already. The only items 2 MEN will take are the bed and headboard, the leather chair, the kitchen table, and the washer and dryer. My weight set and bench I will take later, and I think I might have them move the Nordic Track unit. I'm going to call the city later today and find out what I can do with that damn recliner. I don't think it qualifies as 'salvageable' so Goodwill and Habitat won't touch it, so what do you do? No wonder the city has a problem with 'fly dumping'.

   Ernie is going to paint the downstairs of the condo beginning Tuesday. Just the kitchen (powder room is OK) and living room over to the staircase wall. The upstairs bedroom walls are in reasonable shape, however the carpet in the second bedroom doorway is noticeably flawed. And, the cassette racks and book shelves downstairs came off the wall without any trouble, and the holes in that area can be covered with white grout. The 'popcorn' surface should work to my advantage.

    Today I'm going to finish moving the basement area (several hundred vinyl records) and removing everything from the closets (upstairs and downstairs) and pantry.

    After the movers have finished on Monday I'll transport the TV and PC that remain in the condo. I'll also pull the modem/router and take it to Westview. The tech from ATT arrives on Westview at 9am on Tuesday to hook all my devices into the new wifi, and in my mind, this is when I'm 'officially moved'

   On Tuesday I'll just leave the paint and materials at the condo and tell Ernie where the outside key is located. He said it will probably take him two days. By early afternoon on Tuesday I should be done with the ATT tech, and I'll come back to the condo to vacuum and do some cleaning, and that should be it for the condo preparation.

   I guess we should plan a meeting around Wednesday of next week to make sure that everything is ready and to sign any paperwork. In fact, maybe you could swing by the condo on Tuesday while Ernie is working and see what you think. I'll give you a call Saturday. I hope I'll be done with my part of the move by then.

   So, that's where it stands now.....seeya  kw



Just after I sent the email I heard some activity on the parking lot. The unit that has been vacant for a couple of years was being cleaned out. A group of guys working for a repossession outfit were cleaning out unit #47.  They were there for several hours and even used a power washer. I gave one of the guys my old USA Full Face motorcycle helmet.

I sent an email to Joe saying that I wish that this were not happening and the timing could not be worse, but he feels that my unit would appeal to a more 'upscale buyer' (not his words).

Kinda like a used Porsche going on the market shouldn't have to worry about a used Ford Focus (my hope).

Hey,

  Move Day begins Monday between 830am and 930am. I'm 98% moved already. The only items 2 MEN will take are the bed and headboard, the leather chair, the kitchen table, and the washer and dryer. My weight set and bench I will take later, and I think I might have them move the Nordic Track unit. I'm going to call the city later today and find out what I can do with that damn recliner. I don't think it qualifies as 'salvageable' so Goodwill and Habitat won't touch it, so what do you do? No wonder the city has a problem with 'fly dumping'. 

   Ernie is going to paint the downstairs of the condo beginning Tuesday. Just the kitchen (powder room is OK) and living room over to the staircase wall. The upstairs bedroom walls are in reasonable shape, however the carpet in the second bedroom doorway is noticeably flawed. And, the cassette racks and book shelves downstairs came off the wall without any trouble, and the holes in that area can be covered with white grout. The 'popcorn' surface should work to my advantage. 

    Today I'm going to finish moving the basement area (several hundred vinyl records) and removing everything from the closets (upstairs and downstairs) and pantry. 

    After the movers have finished on Monday I'll transport the TV and PC that remain in the condo. I'll also pull the modem/router and take it to Westview. The tech from ATT arrives on Westview at 9am on Tuesday to hook all my devices into the new wifi, and in my mind, this is when I'm 'officially moved' 

   On Tuesday I'll just leave the paint and materials at the condo and tell Ernie where the outside key is located. He said it will probably take him two days. By early afternoon on Tuesday I should be done with the ATT tech, and I'll come back to the condo to vacuum and do some cleaning, and that should be it for the condo preparation. 

   I guess we should plan a meeting around Wednesday of next week to make sure that everything is ready and to sign any paperwork. In fact, maybe you could swing by the condo on Tuesday while Ernie is working and see what you think. I'll give you a call Saturday. I hope I'll be done with my part of the move by then. 

   So, that's where it stands now.....seeya  kw

Joe Brandenburg	Aug 6 (2 days ago)
to me

Sounds like you have everything under control. Talk to you Saturday.

 Then I no

Mount Living Room TV Monitor and Hanging Bookshelf

Monday, 8/3/15

Ernie and I worked from 11am till after 5pm and the following is a note that I sent to Janny on Tuesday morning. Apparently Melissa brought over a peach pie and some sweetcorn Monday evening and Janny asked me to stop by late Monday, but I was still working at Westview.

Sorry to miss the get together, but yesterday I worked right thru until almost six o'clock and then hit the club.

Ernie (and I) were able to put up the wall section in the living room (I put the books on the shelves and connected the stereo), mount the TV Monitor, and he fixed a small leak in the bathroom faucet. I also had to rearrange and move two bookshelves in the bedrooms. Now, the two bookcases in the study are the same height. It doesn't sound like much, but all things dealing with moving or renovation seem to move slowly and require a maximum of effort.  

The drywall was hung by late afternoon and it will be another couple of days before the 'mudding' (I don't really understand what this is) is complete, and then Anderson Construction can finish on the room, and Ernie can begin to hang the shelving in the renovated area. 2 MEN AND A TRUCK are coming on Monday, 8/10, so that will be my first night at the new house, and Eric says that he will be 'almost' be finished with the work.  We'll see, but I'll be in the front row.

I also have contracted Ernie to paint the downstairs of the condo, and he'll be starting Tuesday, the eleventh. It will take two days and he's only going to charge two hundred which is reasonable and he does good work. 

The electrical work is not complete and yesterday I noticed that I have no power to half of the living room and both the study and the bedroom. However, the computer is up and running (no internet, but it is picking up wifi connections, but all of my neighbors have encrypted their signals). I can watch DVDs and listen to CDs on the computer. Ernie is from Waverly and he's an authentic 'country boy', and while we were working I was playing Jimmy Dale Gilmore, George Jones, and Merle Haggard, and this was from just a few random CDs that I'd brought that happened to be on the computer table. He was amazed.

 I hope that the power issue is just that the electrician hasn't completed work on the new electrical box. I think his biggest concern was to provide power to the new area in the basement. He works until 330pm and he'll be getting a call from me. Oddly enough, he is working on installing the electrical system at the new Calvary Temple on the south edge of town. He was saying that when the electrical boxes were installed at that location the inspectors didn't even open the boxes, but at my house, they went through everything with a fine tooth comb. 

Today I'll be moving the final few boxes to 940 and then I want to transport the six hanging bookshelves. Each unit comprises six, six foot long boards and three vertical shafts with the brackets attached. This kind of a move would be impossible if I lived any farther away, but I can get to the house in about three minutes. But unfortunately  it takes much, much longer to drop off a load. 

I'm hoping that by the end of next week I'll be settling into my 'New Normal- Life On Westview'. My next anxiety issues will probably center on the sale of condo which will involve me calling Joe daily, and asking, "Are we there yet?,  Are we there yet, Are we there yet?"  seeya kw

Sunday, August 2, 2015

Today is Monday, August 3rd and I'm to meet Ernie Cummings at 940 Westview at 11am. We are going to hang a six-foot section of bookshelf in the living room and also mount the TV monitor on the opposite wall.

Yesterday I got a lot done, and it seems that another UHaul rental will not be necessary. On Sunday I delivered the stereo from the living room and seventeen boxes of books to the basement area of Westview. I could have lugged in more stuff, but around 4pm Todd Rabb, the previous owner, gave me a long and convoluted (over an hour- I even got a mini-tour of his new home) horticultural tour of my new yard. Seems like a lot of work and power tools will be required. He did say that he would be happy to help me with the Fall cleanup before the Winter.

Two Emails to Joe about the status of The Move

The following are a couple of emails that I sent to Joe about the status of The Move. The plan was to get the condo 'market ready' shape as soon as possible, but this seems far from reality.

1. -To Joe on July 27

  I hope you had a great trip west.

He was not at his sharpest yesterday morning when I called Elsie's House, and he didn't seem to remember seeing you and Janny last week, but he did remember going to McD's.

And now to the 'move'.....

This is going like a mudslide in slowmotion. When the electrical work was being done it was decided that the old panel would have to be replaced. This was not a surprise, but there were problems with the permit and that shut down all work on the job, and that was very much a surprise (a long and convoluted story on that) 

It's my understanding that the work should be done by this evening, and then the work must be finally inspected. This could be accomplished as early as tomorrow or Wednesday. Then, drywall can begin, and I don't see the renovation being completed any sooner than early next week.  

All upstairs bedrooms at the condo are empty except for the bed and the computer table (and an old recliner that I don't know what to do with). These were items that I will have the movers take. Last Thursday I moved all eight standing wooden book cases and the books to 940 Westview. I rented a U-Haul van and had help for part of the job from the guy that painted the garage door and hung the new shutters. He will be hanging the bookshelves in the renovated area at Westview and will also do any touchups at the condo. However, I can't finalize this deal since he has other jobs and I can't give him an accurate and solid start date on the work. 

All the hanging bookshelves in the living room at the condo are down except for the one holding the stereo on the wall between the kitchen and living room. The books are all in boxes along the walls.  

In the downstairs area of the condo one out of three hanging bookshelves is down. I will go to County Market this morning to get more boxes. I'm going to wait until the basement area at Westview is complete until I start moving more boxes since there is no room over there and I only want to move all this stuff One Time. The theory is that the day the renovation is complete I can have Ernest Cummings hang the shelving and then I can begin moving the boxes to the new house and put them on the shelves.

Sometime later in the week I'd like you to take a walk through the condo and tell me the absolute least that I can do to get this ready for sale. My tentative move date with TWO MEN AND A TRUCK  is still August 10, and I hope that this happens on time (even with all the setbacks, the tenth seems doable). After I am living at Westview I can get serious about sprucing up the condo, but right now I'm more concerned about getting over to the new house. 

I still don't know how to move the two large television/monitors, and I haven't contacted ATT about establishing new internet service at Westview. I'm not 'moved' until an internet connection has been established at the new house and Buddy is in the Accord on his first visit to 940 Westview. ...seeya kw

PS...and to add to the excitement I have an appointment this morning for a 'somewhat emergency' root canal at a new dentist. My dentist of over fifteen years is not on the list of preferred dentists in the Cigna plan and any major work is not covered. The insurance covers routine exams and procedures by any dentist, but almost nothing is covered for major work (such as root canal) if your dentist is not on the list. I have had numerous root canals, but none since I've been retired and luckily I contacted Cigna before I had this new procedure or it would have cost me hundreds of dollars out of pocket. For the past couple of weeks I have been practically swigging from a little bottle of oral analgesic, and I never leave home without it. 

2.- To Joe on  July 30. (Janny and Joe were in Phoenix for a visit to Elsie's House and other things....)

Hey,

No need to visit the condo until I get further along with the move.

Yesterday evening I paid the guy for half of the work on the new breaker box. The total for that job is $2,100 and he told me that the 'arc-breakers' that the city made him install are unreliable and cause 'nuisance failures'. That means that the power kicks off for no reason (a nearly non-detectable surge in power which is entirely normal) and you have to go down in the basement and flip switches. He said that if it causes too much of a hassle he will reinstall the old breakers after the city is out of the picture. That whole procedure makes me livid, but nothing I can do.

This whole 'electrical process of waste' set back the renovation at least a week. The drywall might be done by Monday, and they still have to paint, trim, and apply the carpet tiles. Eric and his people must be done with the room before I can bring the thirty or so boxes of books from the condo to the house, so there's really no point in wasting your time to look at the condition of the condo until early next week. 

As soon as the basement room is ready, I'm going to rent another van from UHaul and move all the boxes and the bracket shelving to 940. And, also whatever else I think I can get out of here. I hope I can still make the 2 MEN AND A TRUCK move day on August 10th, but we'll see. 

Today I have to be present at Westview from 9am- noon to wait on a chair from Ashley Furniture. When the couch and sofa were delivered last week they found that the chair was defective. It had to go back to the warehouse to be fixed (sheared bolt in one of the legs made it impossible to attach). I'm also going to mow the lawn, for the fourth time! 

seeya, kw