Blather

Met my realtor at the house and got the keys. He gave me a sketch of the house and other documents. The official title is still not there. My big son and I went to Home Depot and got some deadbolts, came back and installed 'em. My neighbor came over and said "Hi." She's a nice lady. We started a list of things that need doing, some immediately, others afterwards. We need the pump replaced, something we knew before I went ahead with the deal. After we have water, we'll get a septic inspection. My son and I will take ladders and remove some satellite dishes. We'll remove some flooring and see what we can do with the inside of the house. Once we have gas and electricity, we can do a bit more work.

I smoked my celebratory cigar while I was installing the deadbolts, then finished it on the walk around the yard. This cigar came with me from Iraq. I'd been saving the cigar for a special occation. I think smoking in my own house counts as a special occasion.

'Tis somewhat premature, but I'm hoping to have Thanksgiving Dinner there. A gazillion things to take care of- a new stove, new floors, yardwork, repair the sections of fence, etc. We've got to remove/replace some mudsill and fix a broken glass in the front door. Yep, there are a lot of chores in my future.

But we're talking about "my house," so that'll help a lot.