~ Retired and Starting My Future In The Foothills ~ - Page 8

Uhhh, errr, uhhh.. welllll...   make that weeks.  I am gonna move EVERYTHING in over a period of three months, but I suspect I will be sleeping there within a couple of weeks of escrow closing.  As soon as I can get a fence up and the garage enclosed as the coop, and the chickens are relocated.  I have an AeroBed on which to sleep; that can be tossed in the car and brought up with linens and a GOOD ALARM CLOCK without any difficulty at all.  Other furniture will follow later....

Today I had an appointment with a co-worker and his FIL for them to come pick up some chicken poop.  They drove up in a pick-up, towing a small trailer with a wheelbarrow, a rake and shovels in it.  The last coop I needed to clean out is one I built, 4x8, currently ALSO housing a broody hen on eggs, in a large Kitty Litter box.  I picked up the kitty litter box and moved it outside temporarily; Shirley Welsummer took that opportunity to take her daily break. These two guys shoveled out my coop, swept it, and put down fresh bales o' shavings for me.  THEN they asked how much I wanted for the poop.

Uhhh..  after you clean my coop???  It's free - go forth and spread the poo!   (I also gave them some eggs, gratis, and in return, was given four jars of fresh, home made salsa.   Deal!!  )

The FIL works for the state transportation department.  He and my co-worker got into quite a lengthy discussion of exactly how to cut my newly constructed, not quite completed, 8x8 chicken coop off its posts, get it on a flatbed carrier, and move it to my new property.  "Heck, Linda, that's way too nice a coop to leave behind!!!  You can cut it off the posts, and then put it up on pier-blocks!"   Apparently, because I am not sure about such things, they're going to spend the next few weeks noodling over ideas and "resources" to borrow which might make the project successful. 

I still don't know if I can manage it.  I DO want to hire someone to move the other coops which are not so solidly attached to this back yard. 

Then I headed up the hill to visit HHandbasket and Farmer Lew.   I brought them one of the jars of salsa as a Mother's Day gift.   Hey - re-gifting can be honorable!  I told 'em how I happened to such a precious gift! 

I had wanted to visit my "almost house" again to put one of my more discrete yard art items somewhere in the yard where it might not be noticed by anyone, just to claim it for myself...  but I forgot the yard art.   (Two metal and glass cat-tail stalks, which I figured would be cool to have on either side of the abandoned, neglected Koi pond.  Next trip.)

But the things that made me smile as I made this trip:

3 little quail (with the bobbily head goodies) trying to make decisions about WHICH way to go on the roadway.  (Partridge are the ones without those doolie-bobs, right?)
A jack-rabbit pacing me for about 50 feet.
SERIOUSLY large hawks flying over expanses of open field.  (Gorgeous, but I hope they aren't as prevalent in my much more wooded lot.)
The bantams at Bantam Cellars walking around in the closed parking lot.
The regal German Shepherd sitting in the private roadway, facing traffic, checking out the visitors.   Right next to the "Drive Slowly, Children In Area!" sign.   You betcha, Hugo!   (I don't know if that's the dog's name.)

The small, scattered masses of jonquils still blooming in sunny curves, and the glorious, tall iris in the shaded areas. 

We spent a lot of time enjoying Chicken TV with HH and FL's flock.  Yes, darn it, the silkies in her flock are....  adorable.  <*sigh*>

Farmer Lew tossed a ball for their dog, Ginger, across the yard and it landed near some of the chickens.  Minor bokking about it.  Ginger dashed up the incline, weaving around two tween-aged chicks and nearly plowing through 3 older hens.  They scattered just in time, and with just enough lateral movement to get out of Ginger's way. Rico Suave, their dominant roo, watched carefully, but did not take action.  Although he did move a little closer to those 3 hens.

There's just something hilarious about chicks when they get the zoomies.  And one will trigger another. 

I just love to listen to happy chickens. 

I want mine to be able to range freely on my property, with the greater shade coverage provided by the Ponderosa Pines and cedars, the apple tree, the flowering bushes, instead of the near barren, open pasture they currently share with my land-lady's 3 Barbados sheep.  I, too, would like to spend my summer in the foothills where I might actually be able to come outside on the hot days.

Today's progress:  Received, read, printed, and initialed the heck out of the Whole House Inspection Report.  Scanned the heavily-initialed copy and had it e-mailed back to my real estate agent.  She forwarded it on to the Escrow company.

I asked her, "What's next?"  She said I needed to get Hazard Insurance, and recommended a local insurance agent, which I promptly contacted.  He provided what I thought was a pretty darned good quote.  (I'd already gotten 3 quotes for Homeowner Insurance from a service provided by my bank, and I liked this quote better.)  Told the insurance agent, yup, I'm good to go with this.  He thanked me for my business and told me to just tell Leedy (the real estate broker) he was all set up when she was ready to close.

I relayed that information to her.  She said the last thing we are waiting upon is the preliminary Title search from the Escrow office.  Once she gets that, she puts the whole package together and we go over the costs, I get a check from the bank, and we can close escrow.  She "suspects" we will close before the 24th.

At that point, I'll get the keys and can start gathering recommended names and numbers of home repair, fencing, electrical, well pump and other professionals. 


Is there a smiley for someone with an extremely wide grin AND top of the head exploding???