purple room vents: AND…..WE OWN ANOTHER HOUSE (SHOVEL LIST)

Well we did it. We went up to Nanaimo, I say so easily. The traffic was insane, holiday traffic and around Duncan I honestly began to think we were not going to get through. But, I happen to know that on this particular Friday several things converged to make it so bad: beginning of a long week end, Sunfest Music Festival just north of Duncan, attracting thousands, and also just north of Duncan, convention (our old religion I used to belong to has conventions each year) wasn't far from the Sunfest and there would be about a thousand attending that starting Friday, and just general summer traffic. It took us three hours just to get to Nanaimo…a trip that should have taken an hour and a half. And just as we finally got through Duncan we were stopped again near the Nanaimo airport. Monte, who was ahead of us reported back that there was a really bad accident in the midst of being cleaned up.

Anyway we finally made it to the property and the outside was surprisingly cleaned up a fair bit. There was still some garbage around and that awesome pretty 2000 Jaguar was parked beside the house with for sale signs on it but all in all it sure looked better than the last time we saw it. And clearly they had moved out. Whew!!! As much as I hoop and holler about kicking old ladies out of houses, I don't actually like doing it for real.

Of course the house was totally locked up so Spod went to work on the back door. He had thought ahead, bless him, and brought all the proper break and enter tools. Meanwhile I toodled around and I was able to look in the ground floor apartment windows. Such a cute and extremely clean little place. That is where her mother was living and it was cute as a button and shiny clean. All the appliances were there from what I could see.

Meanwhile, I don't think Spod would make a good crook! He did finally break in but not until he got a big hammer and set the knob flying in ten different directions!

And, such a pleasant surprise, the upstairs, first floor, was clean and very livable! The bathroom was spotless. The kitchen is a cute little ikea kitchen, almost identical to what Aryn is going to build for us. There was a stove but no fridge. It isn't the Ritz by a long shot but all in all in pretty good shape!

Unfortunately the upstairs/loft is in a very unfinished state, and there is some junk up there to clean out. I put pictures of that below.

The very unfinished, dark, cementy basement has a washer and dryer and some shelves of junk, basementy type junk. So all in all we were pretty happy with what we found. I will probably hire Monte and Pat to clean the place out and clean the yard up. Either we will fix it up to rent or we will put it on the market to sell it. Not sure yet.

Yesterday was a lost day, at least for me. I have been so sick and I spent all day yesterday upside down in my chair, hacking up a lung and sleeping. I feel a thousand times better today. But poor Sod, he hasn't been feeling well for some time now. He has been to the Dr. but you know what they are like. 'You have a virus…just wait it out….don't drink milk.' That is all they ever say. And that is exactly why I never go to them. But Spod did go. He has a belly ache again and still, the horrible runs (sorry tmi) and very very tired. Also he seems to have his night and day mixed up. He isn't sleeping at night but sleeping a lot through the day. I am kind of worried.

Today is put the closet back together day. Yesterday, in spite of feeling shitty and it being five hundred degrees in this house, he put the long long hanging pole up in the closet. He did such a good job too. So I have already emptied two containers, hanging stuff up. Now I have to decide what clothes I am keeping and what I am not. So much fun…NOT!

Now I am HUNGRY! for the first time in days. We bought some corn on the cob so I think I shall cook up a couple for breakfast. Then, after the closet is all done I must head down those stairs and clean up the basement.

I talked to Kevin last night and they are coming for the rest of the summer!!!!! I am so happy!!! They can have the basement, where its so much cooler I might add. They can just use the house as their jumping off point for summer activities on the Island. I shall cook and babysit!!!! So there you go Cookie…you aren't the only Gramma doin' it!!!! They arrive here sometime Tuesday. I am so excited! So I shall now sallie forth and execute!!TTYL!!

THE BACK YARD

THE BACK OF THE HOUSE….MY 'NEW' POTTING CART IS ON THE BACK PORCH

THE FRONT ROOM…MISSING A WOOD STOVE, THAT THING THERE IS FULL OF WOOD. YOU CAN SEE THE PETRO CAN STATION RIGHT ACROSS THE LANE THERE OUT THAT SIDE DOOR.

CUTE LITTLE KITCHEN

ONE OF THE TINY BEDROOMS….LOOKING RIGHT INTO THE NEIGHBOUR'S HOUSE

THE STAIRS DOWN TO THE DARK CEMENTY BASEMENT

I AM ON THE VERY STEEP STAIRS GOING UP TO THE LOFT LOOKING BACK DOWN INTO THE KITCHEN

THE FIRST PART OF THE LOFT…NOT FINISHED AND DARK

THE SECOND PART

VIEW OF THE BACK YARD FROM THE LOFT BACK WINDOW..MESSY NEIGHBOURS. THAT LANE BEHIND THE BACK FENCE IS ACTUALLY OUR PROPERTY…THEY DO NOT HAVE AN EASEMENT THERE YET