NEWS BULLETIN!

Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2008

Whew! It’s been anything but a quiet week in my life.

Yes, I know that’s how I started the last blog entry – but it is ever so appropriate for this one.

How’s this for news – I bought a house in Prescott Valley! Actually it is in the paperwork and finance stage. Escrow closing date will be Dec. 22.

I’ve known for quite some time that I would be moving back to Arizona, and one project on my days off from the park would be spent looking for a house in either Prescott or Prescott Valley (the two towns are about 14 miles apart). The son of my grammar school girlfriend is a Realtor in the area and I chose him to work for me.

First we looked in Prescott – there were very few in my price range, and because of the mountainous terrain, very few were just one-story. And the ones I did look at would all take a lot of renovation and therefore additional money. Kevin then searched the Multiple and emailed me info about homes in Prescott Valley that met my criteria. I narrowed the listings to about 10.

Last Monday (two days ago) I met Kevin in Prescott Valley (PV) and found the one I liked. It is a happy house, immaculately clean and not needing any renovations or cleanup. The bonus is that the house is completely furnished – including pots, pans, dishes, linens, furniture, wall décor, and even the tools in the garage! The seller, a widow who will be going to live near her daughter in Southern California, was eager to get moved before winter. Basically all she is taking is her toothbrush and clothes.

On Tuesday afternoon, I signed a contract to purchase at a price $16,000 lower than the asking price. The seller’s Realtor presented the offer and it was accepted this morning (Wednesday). I had expected a counter-offer.

Three busy days! I’ll be driving up on the day the house inspector is there, and I’ll take some photos to put in my next blog entry. The address is 4906 Spring Drive, Prescott Valley, Arizona. It was built in 1979 by one of the area’s best builders.

The house is light and airy. It has three bedrooms, two full bathrooms, a large gorgeous kitchen with three bay-windows to the backyard, 2-car garage, covered patio, all appliances, and a place to keep Jeremiah when we are not on the road. And it is on about 1/3 acre.

My New Mexico townhouse (3 bedrooms, two bathrooms, on a gated "island" surrounded with a lagoon and the Chamisa Country Club; great view of the Sandia's) will go on the market sometime late summer or early fall. If you know anyone interested, let me know.

Compared to that, my other activities seem kind of tame. I did finish the bird watching area, including a rock-lined walkway leading from the Clay Mine trail to the picnic table that will hold binoculars and a bird identification book.

My RV friend, Carol Rayburn, arrived and has her motorhome parked on the next road over. She’s the one that leads the Winnebago caravan to Alaska – the one I’ll go on if the caravan gets a few more sign-ups. That will be this summer. Carol brought a beautiful bouquet of flowers for Jeremiah.

That’s the news for this time. I leave you with this quote from Pastor Chuck Swindoll:

“Let’s do our best to make the time we have count. Rather than live with reluctance, let’s live with exuberance. Instead of fearing what’s ahead, let’s face it head-on with enthusiasm. And because life is so terribly short, let’s do everything we can to make it sweet.”