Man on a Crapper of a Mission

He's a man on a mission... a mission to install a "crapper" in his new space. I came home this evening to a jack hammer operation. Hey, it is progress! Gotta love it :-0

Now There are Four

Articles 3 and 4 were published today. One more is coming. Click on the orange AC box, on the upper right hand side of this page, to go to my AC home page. Please pass the word.

Beyond that:

1. Aaron is working on his space here at the house and still crashing in Baird's "studio." His piles dominate the living room for now :-) Lovely. Hopefully he will be able to settle into his new space soon. He's working full time at Antonio's, doing web page development for UMass and taking only one course this Fall: Portuguese.

2. The hillbilly's trash piles (see previous entry) for the dump are still in the driveway. Another dump run is scheduled for Thursday AM.

3. The first Dead Sea Cafe of the 2006-2007 academic year is this Saturday at the Ark.

4. Jess is busy teaching in West Springfield, putting in 12+ hour days. Here is the link to her classroom page, if you want to see what she is up to:
GreeneClassroom.com

5. Ben is back at his grad classes and TA' ing a grad course and doing carpentry besides.

4. I have begun teaching my 3 sections of Dean's Book Course. We are done with week 2 now. It is going well. This week I have 45 papers to grade. Yahoo!

Second Article Now Published!

My second article is now on Associated Content. Below is the direct link to the article:

Depression and What You Think

Other articles will be up soon; two are gardening related, one on worm farms and another about rain barrels and then also one about trust and relationships. You can get to my AC home page which shows all my published articles, by clicking on the orange AC box in the upper right hand corner of this page.

You Can Be Published Too!

If you like to write and want to see somethings of your published on the web, try out Associated Content. If you use this invite link, I will get credit for referring you. They only pay $3-$40 per article, depending on the traffic and ads your article generates but it is a low stakes way to try getting some of your writing out there.
AC Referal=2030

I've Been Published!

I have begun submitting articles to Associated Content and my first article was published today. Whoohoo! At least three more are coming. This one is a short piece about home schooling but the others coming are on a variety of things from worm farming to depression.

Check out my first one at:
10 Reasons to Homeschool Your Kids

My payment for future articles depends on how much traffic my articles draw, so please read and then pass the word! :-)

Hillbillies Arrive in Town

Today was the day that the last of the Shute-ho hillbilly's possessions arrived in Amherst Center. Pictured here is mister hillbilly himself with the final load of his landfill loot. Pictured below is me - Cabs, mister hillbilly's wife, hauling pea stone and making paths in my Sweetside Garden. Many dump runs will now flow from Sweetside to the landfill but every last drop is out of Shute-ho now.

El Closing Anticlamactica

It is done. The closing on the Shutesbury house happened today. Our lawyer signed it away for us. We signed stuff on Monday. I had always thought the day would be a celebration but it wasn't. Nada. It all just feels quite anticlimactic. I am grateful and relieved that it is sold.... but... hmmm.... I don't know.... it just sort of feels..... very blah. Post-partum depression I guess. Better days ahead... one hopes.

Cats at Rest ~ Men at Work

The weekend flew by.

Just wrapped up a 2 day Tag Sale at Lessey Street and then made one trip, getting yet one more van load of stuff from the garden shed in Shutesbury. The Tag Sale bought in a few bucks, got rid of a bunch of stuff, saved us some dump runs and we met several college students living around us and other neighbors in the process. The trip to Shutesbury was fruitful in that we were able to meet and talk to the buyers (they have already moved in).

Pics here from today: Arthur and Surely get snugly (I actually even saw him grooming her.... a first as far as I am aware) and Aaron and Ben poured concrete outside Aaron's (back) door to prevent water seepage ender the threshold. Tomorrow AM Baird and I sign some papers at our Att'y office. The closing is still set for Thursday.

Closing Moved Up

So we got a call today that the Shutesbury closing has been moved up to next Thursday, Sept 14. Guess the bank has all the paper work ready early. That is super. We still need to get the wood stove out of the house and a few things that are outside in the sheds but the task is almost done.

I am having trouble posting my Amazon aStore link in the sidebar (still trying to figure out why it doesn't seem to work like the other links did) but here is the URL:
http://astore.amazon.com/terranovaamhe-20/
Check it out.

Tag Sale tomorrow. I am very disorganized about it but hopefully it will come off OK. Baird and I spent over 2 hours pulling stuff out of storage and bring it home to the driveway. Still have stuff to pull out of the cellar and then to set it all up. Whoa!

New Link - New Venue

Been wanting a reason to write more and a place to publish. So I have joined and submitted a couple of articles to Associated Content for publication. It takes a couple of days to get articles approved and published so nothing is listed on my Home Page yet. Hopefully soon. I've added the link on the right sidebar so you can check it when the spirit so moves.

And.... I joined Amazon as an Associate so from the my articles and web page, I now will be able refer people to books and even get a little commission out of it.

Also am beginning to plan for a web page for my counseling practice and more......TerraNovaAmherst.com. Stay tuned. The web piece requires help from one of my family web gurus, all of whom are swamped with other projects at this moment... so it is on hold for a bit.

Surreal Day

Thus far is has been a rather surreal day. This morning a friend stopped in who is going thru a hard time. All very fresh and raw and seemingly un-real. I am fixer... I long to mend. It is pretty impossible to do any mending tho if people don't or can't provide the torn pieces. In this sitation it is hard to know how best to be helpful. Listening and reality checking was today's attempt. I hope it helped in the moment. I am sure much more is to come.

I absentmindedly ran errands and returned home to 2 scenes- a red tailed hawk in the grass across from our house and a transient cross dresser picking fowers in my garden... literally up in my garden too... not out near the sidewalk. Reluctant to tell him he was on private property, I waited and caught a quick snapshot as he walked away. I got the hawk pretty close up too..... before he decided I was too close and flew to a lamp post across the street.

SIGNED

The Purchase and Sale agreement has been signed by our buyers, as has the rental agreement from now until the actual closing (9/22). They may have moved in tonight. The deal makes it very tight for us..but..it allows us to move forward. I am breathing again.

Resolution?

Looks like we have some resolution on the Shutesbury house sale impasse. The mason verified that the chimney/foundation etc is safe. The settling happened a long time ago, like we said. There is still the issue of the old oil tank and it looks like we will need to reimburse at closing for that but, at least it is movement forward. Off to work.... more later.......

Labor Day Update

Otherwise known as a day to try to keep one's mind and body busy so as to not freak out about the house sale situation..... big deadline coming up tomorrow.

Baird spent most of today up in Shutesbury finishing cleaning out the cellar. I spent the AM unpacking a van load of stuff from the other day and doing 12 of the 30 continuing ed credits I need to do in the next couple of weeks. The topic was adolescent girls and the book was Reviving Ophelia.... one of my favorites..... tho as Jess points out we really wish Pipher would do a follow up book or a revised edition. Anyway, it was a good study and I passed the on-line exam. So, 12 out of 30 CEU's done.

I also worked in my garden a bit and made a couple of bouquets. Here is a of shot of that.



Later on I went to Sunderland to pick up Jess and Ben who had done an 8 mile kayak of the Ct. River this afternoon. They saw a balk eagle and 3 loons. I met them and drove them back up north to get their car and we ate dinner at the Shady Glen Diner in Turners Falls. Six years ago the Greeen's had just moved here and we went on a hike in Shutesbury with them on Labor Day. The following weekend Jess and Ben did their first kayaking together.





Other news:

Aaron has been working the 6PM - 2AM shift at Antonio's. This includes the famous Bar Rush time, around 1 AM, when the local bars close and hundreds of young adults pour into the tiny Antonio's for a slice before heading home. The weekend was very busy but tonight is the first night all the students are back in town, and classes don't begin until Weds, so they are expecting a huge night. On top of that, Aaron has to switch shifts and be back at work there at 10AM (until 6PM) tomorrow.

Baird and I just got back from a walk bringing home hand packed ice cream from our neighborhood Ben and Jerry's...yum...yum.

The saddest news of today tho is that Barbara Hamilton (Gordon King's wife) died of the injuries sustained in the blast at their condo 2 weeks ago. See previous blog dated 8/17/06. Mr. King is now in fair condition at Mass General.

So, We Wait

The inspection period for the buyers of the Shutesbury House was to end last Friday..... and they were planning to rent it and move in, until the closing day later in Sept. But, alas, their home inspector raised questions about a section of the foundation on the older part of the house near the chimney. This part of the foundation was "settled" when we bought it 12 years ago. We were told it had settled back when the house was built (1960 or so) and had been fine since. As far as we know there has been no additional settling but, alas, it is a buyers market here. So, the inspection period is now extended until Tuesday and.... so we wait. We don't have much wiggle room with the price we agreed to...so... who knows.

Moving moving moving..... and more....

Trips # 13 and 14 were made from Shute-ho to Amherst yesterday. Not only that, but I went up there to pack/move stuff and the inspection was in progress. I had been told it was Fri AM. So...now we wait to see what stuff the inspector found and if the buyers want stuff done.... I hope not. There is not much time and not much $ either. Correction..no time and no money...would be more accurate.

Today is is pouring out. So no garden job this AM. We are currently waiting for the gas plumber to come and do our stove and drier work. Aaron needs to move in next week. Must get drier and washer out of the room that is to be his bedroom. Later on, Athena, Kristin and I will go with Jess to move her stuff into her new classroom in W. Sfld. It is her first classroom !! She has only this afternoon to get it ready and decorate it b/f school begins. She will add things as she goes, of course, but it would be nice to have it looking pleasant when the students arrive.

Athena's Here!!

Athena arrived tonight from NYC. At 8PM Baird and I walked from our house to the bus stop to meet her and walked her back to our home. We introduced her to all the pets, showed her around the house and then about 9 PM we set out for Amherst Chinese (which is just on the other side of the Sweetser Park from our house). We ordered up an array of things made with fresh organic vegetables from the owner's local Chinese gardens and had a feast. Afterwards we were walking around town and Jess and Ben spotted us, parked their car and we all hung out talking near Antonio's Pizza (but Aaron was not working tonight). Ahhhhhh..... what a great place to live.

Welcome Athena!

PS - I made trip #10 to Shutesbury for another load of stuff today. Back up there in the AM with Jess.

Six Loads Down - ??? To Go

This weekend we focused on trying to get stuff out of the cellar and 2 sheds up in Shutesbury. Big project. You collect a lot after 12 years, lots of renovation projects and raising 2 kids.

We borrowed our friend Glen's big truck for the weekend and filled it 3X with bulky items and items that we prefer not be in our cars (like yard furniture, cans of paint and lumber). I also filled my car 3X. We made a dent in the project, but it still has a ways to go. I'm off to Shutesbury again tomorrow afternoon, after I garden for Deb in the AM.

On a brighter note: Athena comes Tuesday! AND -- Jess goes to her new teacher orientation in W. Springfield on Tuesday!

Buyers at Last

We have buyers for the Shutesbury house. Yeah!!

After further reducing the price to reflect the current (sad) market, a family moving here from Ohio came for a viewing. They made an offer the same evening and after a day of back and forth, we settled on a price. I met them breifly in the driveway when they came to see the place. They have 2 kids who I would say are about the age Jess and Aaron were when we moved there. We moved there largely for Jess and Aaron's sakes and much of the house was designed with them in mind. It is really designed to be enjoyed by kids, elementary thru high school. It is just a really fun and somewhat magical place, with it's lofts and ladders and spiral staircase, fire pit and the tree house on top of the woodsy hill, 16' up in an oak tree. And then there are all the trails and the bog nearby and the lake 2 miles away. I think they will also love it and I am happy a family is buying it with younger kids to enjoy it.

There is a home inspection there this week (Weds??). It is imperative that it goes well. We have no reason to expect otherwise, but, it isn't done until it is over.

AND: The family wants to rent the house from Labor Day wekend until the final closing so they can get their kids into school at the beginning of the year. That means we have 2 weeks to get all the rest of our stuff out of the cellar, attic, and 2 sheds! YIKES!

At the same time, Aaron is moving into Sweetside (our new house) before Sept 1 and his rooms in the basement need to be livable. They are extrmemely far from that right now! Should be a very interesting 2 weeks. Stay tuned.

Pray for Mr. King the Christmas Tree Man

Gordon King is a famed arborist, one of international renown I am told. A retired Umass professor. A local man, a neighbor of sorts, who owns the tree farm in Leverett where we have cut our wonderful trees for the past several years. A few years back his wife had died. It was a sad Christmas season for him. Then, perhaps it was the following year, he told us of a wonderful woman friend from his younger days, as I recall, that he had reconnected with. He was happy again; they were to be wed. They would spend some time at his place in Leverett and some at her place in Amherst.

Today, Mr. King and his wife, Barbara Hamilton (ages 87 and 82 respectively) are in intensive care in the burn unit at Mass General. Yesterday, their condominium in Amherst (just up the street from my office) exploded. The place was instantly and completley destroyed. They were apparently blown outside by the force of the blast but sustained extensive severe burns. Both were transported to Mass General in Boston. Barbara was flown by a Life Flight helicopter from the high school parking lot near our home. I was up in Shutesbury at the time, for a showing, but Baird and Aaron and our friend Julian witnessed the air evacuation. Today Baird and I went by the scene. Incredible. Four townhouse condo units were destroyed by fire within minutes. Eight others are damaged. The cause of the explosion appears to be gas related, but specifics are not yet known.

I plan to send Mr. King a copy of this photo taken at his tree farm December 2005. I don't know when he will be alert enough to see it but his family is likely there with him and maybe it will be meaningful to them. It is only a small gesture but it is something I can do, at a time when there is little anyone can do. Please pray for Mr. King and his wife, Barbara.