2024 Update on the House

It has been a whirlwind year. When last I posted, it was July and things we were recuperating from our Big Move. We’ve done a lot to the house this year:

New walkway and steps installed

Stairways and upstairs rooms professionally painted

Whole house power washed

Foundation repaired

New heat pump HVAC system installed

New roof

Solar panels installed

Two large trees that were hovering over the house removed

Electric vehicle charger installed

Insulation blown into both attics to increase to 49-R-value

New back door installed with the help of son Tim and grandson Alex

While we did most of the work ourselves in 2023, this year the majority was done by professionals. Age is finally catching up to us I think, and the couple of jobs that we might have tackled a couple of years ago (power washing and using scaffolds to paint stairwells, maybe even installing a walkway) were now beyond our abilities. Having said that, Bob has started demolishing the downstairs bathroom with the help of Alex, our 18 year old grandson. We purchased an antique oak dresser and will be converting that to a vanity, and we still have flooring left over from the kitchen/living room…so aside from a new toilet, there wasn’t much else to purchase. Bob can take his time converting the dresser to a vanity once the rest of the bathroom is finished. It’s going to be a big improvement.

And while Alex and Bob tear things up, I get to play with Jillian! She has asked to learn to knit, and has taken to it quickly! She also wanted to learn to spin yarn yesterday so we played with that as well.

Bisbee has settled into NJ living very well, and has even decided that our family is his family. He was standoffish at first but now enjoys when people stop by. He’s such a joy!

We had a wonderful Christmas gathering on the 22nd, and it was such fun to have everyone over. It’s amazing how many people can fit into this little house.

Until next time, wishing you all a happy and prosperous New Year.

Our last winter in AZ

So much has happened since the last time I posted, dear reader. In November Bob and I adopted Bisbee (named after one of our favorite small towns in Arizona.) A DNA test showed that he is 55% Chihuahua, 20% poodle, and the rest is Pekingese, Pomeranian, Cocker Spaniel, and American Eskimo. We just call him a long-haired Chihuahua mix. At just 4 pounds, he is a little bundle of love!

Bisbee is about 2 1/2 years old and was rescued from a hoarder house in Yuma, AZ, with over 100 dogs. He’s a cuddler and now gets all the attention that I’m sure he missed in his first couple of years.

Not long after adopting Bisbee, I came down with a sinus infection, that progressed into an ear infection in both ears. My doctor (and all the other area doctors) suddenly became unavailable around Christmas time and it took weeks to get in to see an ear/nose/throat specialist. I lost all hearing for over six weeks, which was incredibly isolating. I was unable to talk with people since I couldn’t hear what they were saying. I couldn’t talk on the phone. I couldn’t her the TV. I didn’t feel as though I could drive, since I couldn’t hear honking or sirens. Or hear cars approaching when walking across a parking lot. Bob had to shout to be heard, which he hated to do.  

Eventually I was able to see an ENT and he put tubes in both ears, which made a huge difference. I also got bilateral hearing aids. Hearing in crowds is still a little hard but things are so much better than they were. 

While we were going through this, we got a phone call from daughter Catherine who was tasked with checking regularly on our house in NJ. We had a foot of water in the basement. Uh oh. Bob called around and got Roto-Rooter out there the next day. They pumped it all out (twice,) dried out the basement with multiple fans, then had a new sump pump installed. After paying a hefty bill, which was well worth what they did, we were all set. But we realized that living so far from our home was really not for us. So Bob and I decided it was time to sell our AZ home and move back to NJ for good.

The first person we told about selling our place told his sister who lived across from us. By evening we had people touring our home and the next day the deal was made and a closing date was set. Our good friend and neighbor was looking for a house with a new AC system and low maintenance, and since we had replaced everything in our house including a new roof, windows, appliances, water pipes, downstairs flooring, bathroom shower, etc, it was just right for her. And we were thrilled our home was going to someone we cared about!

Bob and I rented a 16 foot Pod and moved all our stuff into it, including my two floor looms. It was a big job!

But it all fit, and off it went to NJ. We were delighted to have one last visitor—our nephew Danny who was taking a much needed vacation out west. It was great seeing him!

We had made the decision to drive our Honda CRV rather than sell it and fly back (mostly because of Bisbee, to be honest) and we made the trip in five days. Staying in dog-friendly motels limited our choices of places to stay but Bisbee traveled like a champ and we got through the ordeal without picking up bedbugs (my #1 fear.)

It’s good to be home! I’ll write more in another post on what we’ve been up to since we arrived.