I am here for you.

"If you whisper 'Bungalow' three times while looking in the mirror the Restoration Fairy appears to give you aid."

I am so excited for you and yours, Hec! It will be an exciting time, and a whole lot of work. Pace yourself! You don't have to do it all at once.

Post lots of progress pix, Zmayhems! So exciting.

I'm so sorry your Papa was in pain; that's hard, but I 100% know that seeing you was a balm, sj.

Thanks for all the good thoughts for DH. He has a consult tomorrow, and we're hoping to get the colonoscopy soon rather than later.

The worst part of a colonoscopy is the preparation. I got pictures after mine; I'm very pink inside.

The lender has funded the loan, which means we are now Fully Chonky with finance and the title will transfer this afternoon.

Woo Hoo! That's fantastic news.

Thanks for all the good thoughts for DH. He has a consult tomorrow, and we're hoping to get the colonoscopy soon rather than later.

Good luck. I know booking medical tests has been hard lately around here. I hope things are better near you.

The worst part of a colonoscopy is the preparation. I got pictures after mine; I'm very pink inside.

Last time TCG had one he had a much easier prep than I had. He only had to drink two things of liquid, as opposed to the 8 or so I had to drink. So, definitely ask about that if you can.

This article and my realization that nobody under 35 probably remembers card catalogues is making me feel very old:

[link]

Timelies all!

Yay, Hec and JZ!

The lender has funded the loan, which means we are now Fully Chonky with finance and the title will transfer this afternoon.

I'm so thrilled for you! I so clearly remember the feeling when we got all of that done on this house.

I'm so thrilled for you! I so clearly remember the feeling when we got all of that done on this house.

We have the keys!

We wandered around in the Garden apartment which we can start furnishing immediately. And....it's not big enough to have a full diner booth. But JZ correctly noted that one bedroom can be the main bedroom, and the other bedroom will be a living room/convertible couch bed room. And that the window nook area is still fine for a smaller dinette set.

The garden however, is lovely, and has warm glowing lights out there, and we have five trees in our backyard and a view of St. Ignatius' two towers: [link]

I think we're both in more shock than elation. I feel much the same way I did on the first night I did when I arrived at college where I walked around with my high school best friend and we said, "Welp. Here we are. This place that will change our lives. I wonder how that's going to work out."

(Spoiler note: it worked out very well, but there was just no context for that first night and there's no context for a new house until you get in there and make it your own.)

I personally am feeling like a dog that went chasing a car like an idiot and actually caught it--not only caught a car but caught it the very first time out. Look, I was TOLD and TOLD by experienced car-chasers that (a) I might very well never catch one at all, ever, and (b) I definitely wouldn't catch the first, or second, or third, or fifth, or in this town even tenth, so I'd better be ready to play the long game. So I took a random lunge at one and now I've got it and as God is my witness I have no idea what to do next.

OTOH, the night before we did our last walk-through and decided to put in the offer, Hec and I watched a YouTube reaction video of someone watching It's A Wonderful Life for the first time, and we watched Mary working hard on the old Granville place ("It's full of romance, that place." "That place? I wouldn't live in it as a ghost."), cosseting it and coaxing it into life and warmth out of sheer love and refusal to give up on something nearly broken whose essential worth she deeply believes in. And it heartened both of us. And then tonight the owner's DIL told us, "I'm so glad you got it, and not someone who wanted to wreck it or push everyone out."

So we'll tend to it and care for it for however many years it takes, inch by inch, crack by crack, nook by nook and cranny by cranny.