www.jhoadley.com - Celebrating Spring in a New House

Celebrating Spring in a New House

(2009-03-23) - On January 1st, our landlord raised our rent 15% and we decided we'd had enough! Within a month time we were plunking down our savings on house. It sits 3 miles from where we've been living in Walnut Creek, and 3 miles from the my office. It feels like we're in the same neighborhood--we'll shop at the same Trader Joe's and Ringo can maintain his friendships at the dog park. We've come to love this area, here near the base of Mount Diablo.

The lot is big with an oval driveway and wrought-iron gate. Plenty of room to garden and try out landscaping ideas. It's a relief to finally get a home in the Bay Area! We hope we can stay here a long time--economic downturn willing.

It wasn't "move-in ready". Dot spent all of February working with a crew of 6 contractors to get the old tile and carpeting removed, the slab floors levelled, installing wood floors and carpets, replacing the water heater and furnace ducts, upgrading the electric, installing doors and fixing a leaky roof. Fun projects like painting all the rooms, cleaning the pool and landscaping are put on hold until we shore up the basics.

The neighbors seem very nice, although we haven't gotten around to meet them all. Many have lived here for 30+ years so it has a friendly, stable feel. We are already used to the swoosh of the BART train as it passes by. Hearing the train makes us feel connected to The City. Ringo is enjoying the new vistas. The yard is flat and the windows low so he often sits for hours surveying the greens. We have a lot of plans for our new homestead so stay tuned for updates.

Meanwhile, my parents have been busy with home plans of their own. They decided to transition from their cozy home of 3 years on Tremont Way in Bloomington to a retirement community in Franklin, on the far southside of Indianapolis. They feel this puts them in a secure position for the challenges that might come with aging. As active as they are, it's difficult to believe they're both past their mid-seventies. I hope to travel back to Indiana later this year to check out their new digs, and they are planning to visit California in the fall.

Dot, Ringo and I are all doing well. It's been an extremely busy time planning, coordinating a house purchase, a house sale (in Bloomington), and the moving ourselves to a new town. Dot's incredible energy, planning skills and ability to quickly make tough decisions were put to good use. I'm so fortunate to be teamed up with her. :)

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