Relative Something

Hey, cycling friends, look what Cyndie found for me while we were cleaning out the nooks and crannies of our house:

Do you think there will be enough open space on this year’s trip to make it worth bringing along?

To the uninitiated, the Foxtail throw-and-catch game achieved legendary status one year on the bike trip when it became snagged high in a tree. The exact details have grown foggy over time, but the hilariousness of the event remains strong for me. It isn’t the fact that it got stuck in the tree that is so funny, but what happened after that. It was a scene right out of a cartoon.

In attempt to free it from the branch it was caught on, heavier objects we thrown, trying to knock it loose. It was as if we were dealing with the kite-eating tree from the Charlie Brown cartoon.

The branch was so high, it was at the limit of distance that we were able to throw things. The challenge was to find something that could be thrown that high. I think the first thing was a ball of some sort. Easy to throw. However, since the height was near the top arc of how far a person can throw, the ball lost all momentum when it arrived at the apex of its trajectory. Eventually, the ball made it high enough to be over the branch, and then it gently settled right there on that same branch.

That seemed pretty funny, at the time. Little did we know what would come next. Pretty much everything we could find to throw, seemed to end up with the same fate. I recall a water bottle being grabbed by the branch. One after another, as the object would go up, and then not come down, we would find ourselves wracked with new levels of laughter over the ever-increasing fiasco. Each attempt to fix the situation, actually ended up compounding the problem, with comical display.

I wasn’t able to throw anything that high, so I just watched and laughed. I remember Curt taking the most turns throwing. Eventually, I think there was a split log from the firewood pile that was being thrown. By that point, there was a certain amount of exhaustion that developed, and since increasingly heavier objects were deemed necessary, the effort was nothing short of heroic.

I don’t remember if all the objects eventually came free and returned to earth, but I do know we gave up and wandered off to some other activity, probably dinner, while the Foxtail still dangled above.

Upon returning, as I leaned down to zip open my tent, I discovered that Foxtail, placed nicely in front of my door. I think the tree eventually took pity on us and just gave it back, after we left. Someone then found it and deposited it for me to find.

There is probably a lesson in that, but I still am so caught up in how funny the situation was, and how deeply it made me laugh, that any lesson gets thoroughly lost in my guffaws.

Even though I have been preparing the house for months, now that the time to show it has arrived, it feels like it has happened very quickly. I’m still not ready. There are things I want to address that remain to be dealt with. I haven’t even started the project of cleaning the garage.

I think our realtor recognizes the situation and senses that we are close enough to ready. Taking the step of scheduling open houses for today and tomorrow has forced my hand. Either I’ll take care of things in time, or I won’t.

It is exciting. The house is now listed on MLS. Pictures were taken on Thursday. First open house, today.

Adding to our excitement, we have discovered the first property that appeals to us as a fit for our dream vision. When I met with our realtor on Thursday, Cyndie called to join us by phone, from Boston. We were able to clarify our priorities for the horse property we are seeking, and by the end of that same day, there was a link in our email to 75 potentials for us to look at.

The properties were sorted alphabetically, by location, and the very first one struck me immediately as being ideal! It was startling. It made looking at the rest of the list almost academic. I felt a need to contact Cyndie right away, to get her to look at it. There is a feeling of urgency that occurs when you find a place that appeals.

I tried and tried throughout the evening, but she never answered. I went to bed, frustrated. In the morning, I was preparing to call her, when my iPad rang with her call to me. She was filled with excitement. She was looking at the email and had only opened the first property of the 75 listed and felt the need to call me right away.

We both had the same reaction to the same property!

When it feels right… Could we be so lucky to have found what we are looking for on the very same day we put our home on the market? Our realtor advised me to “stay cool.” We need to find a buyer before we go shopping for our horse farm.

Could we be so lucky to find a buyer for our home on the very first weekend of showing by open house?

Stay tuned.

I am my own worst enemy. I can’t remember where I put things that I have packed up, and moved multiple times, while we have been fixing up the house. I’m trying to find a document that has the total finished square foot area of our house. I just don’t have a mind for these kinds of details. Do you know the square foot area (or metric equivalent) of your living space? Some people seem to have that number available for the asking. Not me.

For the record, I also have no idea what size engine is in my car.

Today I will be meeting with our realtor to show off the work we have had done, and to discuss the final steps toward getting the house listed. We have waffled a bit about what price we want to start at, and that will be one of the topics to be covered. I have reviewed the numbers for homes in the vicinity of ours, and my initial impression is that prices are strong, but have ultimately been selling for a bit less than we are hoping to get.

I need to get the square foot number so I know what I am comparing. Imagine if I could just call Cyndie and ask her if she saw where I put the files when she was home last weekend. That would be great. (I tried and tried. No answer.)

I still haven’t cleaned the garage, and I didn’t get the window cleaners scheduled until next Wednesday, but otherwise, we are darn close. Just little details left. I don’t know how heavily the little details impact the impression of people walking through for the very first time.

This coming weekend, I should be able to make progress on a good portion of small details still needing attention. That is, if my limited ability to remember details doesn’t cause me to overlook the very tasks that need to be done.

Yes, I make lists for things like this.

And sometimes, all you need to do is write it out. Take your time. It just might come to you, like it did me. Before I could finish writing this post, it occurred to me, where I put the files I have been seeking. The square foot number is smaller than I thought it would be. I found an appraisal we had done in 2003 when we went through a refinancing. It doesn’t include the finished area below grade. Really? Whatever.

Here we go! No time to write. Cyndie’s home and we have work to do. We haven’t had breakfast, yet, but she doesn’t hesitate to dive into a chore. She’s sitting in the kitchen sink. It wasn’t on my agenda, but that’s no surprise. This is how we do things. I love it. She brings this house to life with her presence. Having her back home for just a few hours returns energy to this home that has been noticeably absent.