House news….the time is near!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lots of bits of information…we are really reaching the end of our time limits. The house frame is to be delivered next Thursday, six weeks from then we should be able to move in. We have only a one week clearance on this now. Seven weeks from next Thursday we have to be out of the house we are in. I guess we are moving in whether the house is finished or not.

The special requirements (certain anchors secured in the block to which the house is secured) of the foundation are to be finished today. I then have to send a photo of the foundation to the house man in Georgia to prove it is finished. If it is not to him this evening, he will not be able to bring the house next Thursday. I totally understand the need for him to have proof that he can actually assemble the house, but I don’t think it takes a week to get it on a truck. He also has called for other requirements, but has not asked for all the green M & Ms to be removed from the bowl. (Which rock star was that, by the way? I don’t remember the details.)

First we were told we needed to have fourteen bails of straw at the site for them to use to lay the panels on the ground. They don’t want to get mud on the panels or inside the house, I appreciate that.

Then he told me last week that the straw had to be spread on the property. OK, we will do this. Then he called yesterday after 5 and told me we needed to gravel the property before Thursday. What??? I was told by the guy that did the ground preparation that the spot was so hard we did not need the gravel. That is really an extra expense considering we will be doing gravel on the driveway when it is finished. The house man is not worried about getting stuck as much as he is worried about sliding in the mud. I reassured him that we would have the whole area, including the driveway covered in straw before he arrives. What will be next?

Other news….Little, well not so little ( He is four to five months old and weighs 34 pounds.), Brando was neutered on Tuesday. He did well, but would not leave his stitches alone long enough to even get out of the vet’s office, so he is wearing one of those pathetic plastic collars. He is doing well otherwise, but this collar must be so annoying. He bumped into walls the first night, he was still a bit out of it from the surgery. This is the third day, and he acts as if he has always had it on. The only thing he cannot do is scratch his head. We are planning to take it off tonight when we can see if he will now leave the stitches alone. He has not seemed to interested in them since the first night when he tried every position he could to get at them with his collar on.

This first photo is Brando when he first got home, and as you can see, a bit high.

He was of great interest to the other pets.

Took a great photo of Xena the other day. My advice to anyone who adopts a feral dog is: Think long and hard about it first. She is a wonderful dog (to us), but is so afraid of everything. Her loyalty is amazing, but it takes years before she will look someone in the eyes. There are honestly only a handful of people she will even let touch her. She will, however, take cheese from any stranger.

And finally, we found this print in the mud at out house site yesterday. We were certain it was a bear, but after looking at bear prints on the internet, we know now it is a dog….a very big dog.

Wish us luck. I will have the final foundation photos today and straw photos next week. Once the house frame is delivered on Thursday, there should be daily update photos. We cannot wait. Of course, I go back to work on the 13th, so that will make this move a very busy one.