June 2014 Busyness

First a picture I forgot to post when I took it. This is a waterfall viewed from the side of Hwy 11 a bit north of Seneca. South Carolina has a lot of pretty waterfalls in the upstate.

waterfall

Well, I have had good and bad in the past few weeks. The good was seeing friends I do not see often, and going to my brother’s wedding. The not good was all the driving I did, making me very tired and sore from gripping the wheel and sitting too much. The bad was not getting the old house on the market.

I had not heard (email) from the realtor I had planned to use, so I called the office when I was in Roanoke – found she had retired. I went to another company whose signs were frequent in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, her market analysis of 6 nearby homes that sold over the past year gave an average of less than the city even evaluated the house. I have put quite a bit more in upgrades (not maintenance) and want more out of the house. I will talk to 2 or 3 more realtors next month when I’m in town. I may end up waiting until next spring to see what increase there has been. With so many houses for sale again, the prices surely are increasing. I may be biased, but I have been looking online at homes for sale in the neighborhood and do not see any with both bath and kitchen upgrades and a number of other things my house offers. I do worry that I may have made it nicer than the market will handle now. I can’t stress over it, and I know I can handle the second mortgage right now. (But, I was hoping to buy a new car soon, with my old one having over 100,000 miles and 12 years.)

A couple of days resting and not making any jewelry, and my hands are no longer sore from the steering wheel. My back has eased off its tightness – which I am really sure was from anxiety over the house.

The wedding was very nice, held in a restaurant (Spiaggia) in downtown Chicago, with a great view over the lake, beautiful room, great food, and wonderfully efficient staff. Dale and Jim have been together for almost 28 years, with the last 2 in a civil union, and now finally legally married, one week after the date the state of Illinois allowed it. They have a stable, longer-term relationship than anyone else in the family, and I am very happy for them. Especially as we age, they have already had to worry about legalities when one was in the hospital, and this eliminates so many problems or complicated work-arounds. Since Jim’s family is mostly from Illinois, and there are quite a few nieces and nephews, they made up most of the guest list. I had enjoyed meeting them at the 25th anniversary party, and again at the wedding. Both families have welcomed the partner, and rightly so, as these are two generous and kind men. I am so glad they are family.

Dale and Jim wedding ceremony