We are in contract.
The buyer that made the original low offer last year came back with our counteroffer price. It is, over all, the contract that we were asking for. Contingencies should fall off this week; closure should be sometime near the end of April.
The fact that - up to the time we received the offer - I had only booked trips through April - is not lost on me.
Kindly enough, The Ravishing Mrs. TB made a trip back with me this past weekend to review things and take a look at what we are keeping to size up a storage locker.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, I have very mixed feelings about the whole matter.
If anything, the realism of the past two years is enough to convince me - or really any sane person - that this "divided attention" scheme does not work. As The Ravishing Mrs. TB pointed out, home maintenance and being a landlord are two of my least favorite things, and both are things that - over the past two years (five years, really) I have had to practice to some extent. And it is not as if we are even really "there" anymore: the house is completely empty, and my visits are pretty much to see that we have no new leaks or critter issues.
There is certainly no sense of "living there", the illusion I granted myself from 2020-2023 when I could spend a week there at at time.
On the other hand, of course, it remains as beautiful and rooted in my family history as ever.
What happens next? Well, we still have some equipment to sell and a barn to empty (via estate sale or mass "come and take it"; there is almost nothing I can store and/or use at this point) and our own items to store. The Cowoby and Young Cowboy will move their things off the property, Uisdean Ruadh will move to his next home. By my last trip in mid-April, I anticipate there will literally be nothing for me to do except walk an empty house, cabin and barn for a check, walk the property one last time, see my Aunt and Uncle, and turn in the keys.
And after that? I told The Ravishing Mrs. TB this was my "biggest" thing: I simply cannot imagine an "after that" at this point. Yes, there will not be as many trips and yes, the concern of getting a phone call for an unexpected issue or repair will be gone, but so will what for many years I had thought my future would be.
That was okay, she suggested. For now, perhaps simply being done for a bit will be enough.
That was okay, she suggested. For now, perhaps simply being done for a bit will be enough.
ReplyDeleteA wise woman you married. She understands you well enough.
Letting go is so final, but it's as the scripture says
1 Corinthians 13:11, which states, "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things."
Context of the Verse
This verse is part of a larger passage in 1 Corinthians 13, often referred to as the "Love Chapter." The Apostle Paul uses this analogy to illustrate the difference between childish and mature understanding, particularly in the context of spiritual gifts and love.
Let the grief pass as such events do generate grief. A HT to Herberts Dune Mind Killer poem.
Thanks Michael. I did marry up.
DeleteHerbert's poem is a good one; I have used it more than once.
Walk out the room, make sure the lights are turned off, shut the door and onwards. Less of the future invested in the past TB, good luck with winding things down. One suggestion, if you own a camera now is the time to use it in addition to a cell phone, different formats ensure survivability.
ReplyDeleteNylon12, that is kind of what the next two months is going to be: a last sort of grand tour, walking around, and then turning out the lights. As you say, onwards.
DeleteThe different format idea is a good one - although to be honest, I do not think we even own a camera, at least here. I can least start printing out some of the photos that I have.
Walmart has disposable camera's. Wish I had used them the last year of hubby's life. Phone blew up one day and only few photo's remained. Hard lesson to learn.
DeleteDisposable camera. Shows you how blindered I am by modern technology.
DeleteI'm sure you are having a flood of emotions right now. I know I would be. Perhaps because I am optimistic by nature, I tend to focus on the positives in such situations. You will now have a chunk of money that you can use to improve your life in some meaningful way that having a piece of property that wasn't feasible to live on could.
ReplyDeleteEd, this was more of an emotional visit than I expected; I am glad The Ravishing Mrs. TB was able to be there.
DeleteTo your point, this does potentially open up other opportunities. That was the point she made as well. It is just hard to see what those are right at the moment.
W. in CA
ReplyDeleteTB, You are blessed with special memories. Keep them as they are and move on to make new ones. Hold onto what you remember as they were and don't watch the past deteriorate because you will carry the burden to preserve something that you can't and that will only increase your grief. Lean on the Lord for direction and comfort. Praying for you!
Thank you W. I am sure this sort of thing will come in waves for a bit - to your point (and Ed's), a good idea to look to the future.
DeleteScrapbooking all seasons at the ranch along with family photos would create a special memory collection of the family abode.
ReplyDeleteI have inherited all of the family albums - but yes, that would be a great idea as well. Thank you.
DeleteGod bless, TB.
ReplyDeleteThank you Linda.
DeleteI'm guessing the 'what's next' will have to reveal itself in its own time. Just getting to this point has been quite a journey.
ReplyDeleteLeigh, I think so. Honestly, the most difficult thing I am working through is simply being okay with the idea that what is next may be delayed for some period of time. That is odd to me, living as I have in this idea that such a thing was right around the corner.
Delete