OK, so today may or may not have been my last day house hunting but I still ended up with the afternoon free. Course I started at 8:30 and it is 101 degrees outside but I digress. I used the time to fetch groceries, tend the pool, reintroduce myself to the pups and download three week old photos from the camera.

Three weeks ago during a mowing of the front yard, I put the rider in reverse and nearly backed right up and over this poor little creature that got himself in one heck of a tight spot, head first to boot. By the time I finished the mowing my mental note to free the fella had expired. Luckily something later that night jogged my memory so that Brian was able to dislodge and free our unfortunate friend. He peeked out, gave a thankful nod and was on his merry way. Reminds us that some days really are more difficult than others.

So the entire last month has been utter chaos. So much so that I was more than once confused on the day of the week and then the actual week itself. After four weeks of losing control, dear husband mine and I finally spent two entire days at home with these pups! We think we have every four legger back on track and also believe that we might be there too. I even managed to sneak in double digit pages in my book yesterday, in between naps that is. It felt so good to be and stay home for more than minutes at a time. I admit it, I am no longer cut out for running the roads. In fact, I rather detest it but find myself back at it today on yet another house hunt. Meantime, I wait for the appraisal crew to arrive and hope that they are much, much speedier at their work than the inspector. By that time the temperature should be well into the 90's so I shall do all of my road running then. Makes perfect sense, no? If you pray, please remember me - I will be ever so grateful.

Sadly, I am still reading the same book that is pictured just to the left and has been for quite some time. If I recall correctly, it is a darn good book but I am super short on time to read. This house hunting is wearing me down physically, mentally and emotionally. Anyone who tries to inform me of how "fun" this chore might be is sure to have a warped sense of humor. Do not trust folks such as these.

Brian was fortunate to rearrange last week's work schedule so he joined some hunts to make them a bit more manageable. Just wish we would find our next house already and put this mess behind us again. Believe me, you, the pups all display the same desire. They spent a day at the groomer's during last week's inspection (which lasted a punishable four and a half hours). This new hectic schedule has really taken a toll on them all.

Let's see, we had a white dog that was unbearably tired literally for days, a red dog whose mild separation issues became evident with an upset stomach and piles and piles of puke and sir kitty who insisted on peeing outside his litter box as payback for his lack of recent attention (and two pukes too). Thank goodness for the original Dio dog as he has been the only animal in this house of ours for six more weeks that kept his composure, appetite and bodily functions in check. Well, Brian did too but it ain't just all about us!

I am still here folks, rest assured. We accepted an offer on the house last Sunday, June 13 so things here have been topsy-turvy to say the least. Negotiations took an entire day as the other family was driving back to Ohio after touring our place for the second time that Saturday. At one point, we waited five hours for word on our counter-offer. At six, we had all but given up. We fed the pups and took them outside sans the phone. Of course that would be when we missed the call but managed to wrap it all up before nine that night.

Since then it has been mad-dashery on the house hunt front. Only two actual outings so far but I sure have racked up mileage on my laptop during said hunt. Out again tomorrow with high hopes for some shacks in Raleigh. No more outlying areas for this fam-damily. We are hoping to find most of what we desire in one of three chock-full-of-houses triangle big cities. It just ain't easy. Or fun. Brian was happy to come along on hunt number two two days ago. Been a long time since we have had to do this and hoping to narrow it down as quickly as possible. Having a deadline should make this simpler (but not less stressful). Getting used to the idea of not sleeping again until August, ugh.

Anyway, thanks for the thoughts and worries but all is well. Well, not well as in picture perfect but definitely well as in glad to be alive, with some sort of roof overhead . . . time being. Plenty of updates to follow, so stay tuned and happy first day of summer!

So I survived yard sale Saturday. The two and a half days leading up to it were brutally busy seeing as I had to tote all my sale stuff to a friend's garage and squeeze in a late Friday night showing. Friday was a whirlwind of a day and horribly hot to boot. With the whole house nearly cleaned, I carted the first of two car loads of stuff to the sale site, made a brief stop for a few groceries, came home to touch-up the house before packing up the pups and hubbie for a 7 o'clock drive-in dinner while the house was visited by potential buyers. Home again at 8 before falling into bed at 9 after setting the alarm clock for 5:30, which came early squirrely.

Up and out by 6:20 on Saturday. By the time I arrived and set up for the sale it was just after 7 and I about required a costume change from the early heat and humidity. We had a fairly decent turnout for the sale and I was glad to wheel and deal and be rid of most of what I took to sell. Of course, the big items that I especially did not want to tote back home, chandeliers for instance, did not sell even though I tried giving them away at $15. And when I really tried giving them away after the sale at the second hand store, I was told that they did not accept donations that mount to a house since there was no way to test them. Joy, another round of packing, carting and storing those blasted lights.

Funny how a pair of cheap, plastic sunglasses with a beach scene painted on the lenses that I bought during a trip to Florida after eighth grade graduation sold quickly for a quarter but a nearly new queen size comforter could not sell for any price. And shot glasses for .10 went like hotcakes yet a brand new Sonicare toothbrush only managed to garner one looker and no buyer. Reminds me why I usually pass up opting in for yard selling - it seems that one must have more genuine junk, actual crap, a bounty of bric-a-brac to sell to attract any and all attention. I was glad to get home just before 2 to lunch and relax in a much cooler climate. Cold drinks went down with ease after counting my earnings ($78) and discovering that our Friday night house hunters placed our house at the top of their list. My next goal - to be out of the yard sale business and in the house selling business!

A few weeks ago, a friend mentioned her large neighborhood having a combined yard sale . At that time I had asked if I might latch on and tote some stuff up for selling. The more the merrier in yard selling, right? Well, I rather blocked out the upcoming sale until a reminder message from said friend just yesterday. I now have two and a half days to find, gather, sort, price and pack items to perhaps sell all of which extend to me the luxury of rising before dawn on a Saturday to drive, unpack and haggle with folks about what will no doubt be fifty flipping cents. Why does the idea of a yard sale always seem more enticing and exciting than the actual work of one? Oh well, wish me luck!

Those low flying planes make my heart skip a beat sometimes . . . especially when I find myself on the second floor of this house.