I am bummed out this week. I sold my house that my partner and I remodeled over the past 2+ years. Last night I cried with my realtor as I showed her this diary in my office.
Johnnie and I have worked hard to build our sanctuary from the storm, but the storm caught up with us.
We are in business litigation, so Johnnie and I are sueing my business partner. We are being forced to sell our home to pay all the damned attorney bills. I have little faith in the word Justice anymore.
I am holding out for a settlement or a buyout.
I wish I could blame George Bush but it really is a personal business dispute.
Oh WTF! It's all George Bush's and the Republican Party's fault!
Luckily I got a contract (in this crappy real estate market) for almost full price, however it is little consolation. What's money? As printers it is just paper and ink to me.
This is my sad farewell to a lot of sweat equity and a place that I thought I would stay a long time. A place where we have put in our hearts and souls.
Goodbye my Shangri-La...
I know a lot of you may not feel too sorry for me living in such a beautiful place. There are lots of families and people who are losing their homes and everything they have and own during this housing crisis and economic recession. Their pain and sorrow is mine. Many of us are only a full gas tank or two away from financial disaster.
Regardless of my lost income and illusory financial status, I am now one of its casualties.
I have a negative amortorising ARM loan that I cannot refinance and it is resetting; however, I am one of the lucky people who has sold in the nick of time. Believe me...it has been a scary ride and the end is not in sight.
Curiously, I listed my house way over the market price for my neighborhood and got it. I expect to break even now. We are moving in with my ex-wife into her basement apartment. Johnnie got a new job and I am still looking. My son is going back to the bedroom of his childhood. The transition should be gentle as we have a good relationship and friendship with my Ex.
Losing our jobs, selling our house, a mountain of debt, moving into a basement apartment. If people like us can't make it in America, then we're all in for a bumpy ride folks.
Call me foolish...criticize my choices... call me a whiny petit bourgeois but Johnnie and I have worked like galley slaves for the little piece of heaven that we created and it's devastating to sell it ALL off to banks, and attorneys.
The buyer liked the furniture and artwork so much that he bought everything with the house too. We are taking our clothes, dishes, tools, camping gear,toiletries and everything else stays with the property.
We're traveling light this time. We haven't sold the cars...yet.
Below are before and after photos of the house for your viewing pleasure. One of the first things we did was buy a paint sprayer and spend $1000 at Home Depot on paint. We painted inside and out, top to bottom. The bright red, yellow and blue paint we covered was enamel based. We had to paint everything with a special primer first. Soon all the Republican neighbors were coming by to thank us for painting that butt ugly bright red house and fences. I agreed...that had to go.
This was an ice skating rink (??!!) We disassembled it and recycled the wood by making an organic box garden area. Last year I had a bumper crop of tomatoes, squash and chard. There is nothing like picking fresh dill,Cilantro, Basil, chives, sage, onions and garlic from a garden where no fertilizers or insecticides are used.
Before After
We fenced off the side yard and created a water feature from a bare patch of ground. It was a joy trading flowers with the neighbor ladies and shopping at the local nursery. Boy are they going to miss me!
Before After
We called the swimming pool... La Brea tar pit. We drained, acid washed and filled the pool and presto! Woo Hoo! Instant party house.
Before After
The kitchen was a mess so we gutted the place and put in a modern gourmet kitchen and I am gonna miss the 6 burner gas stove and double ovens. Johnnie and I should have been Interior Decorators and chefs. Of course I have a slight lisp... to add authenticity. :>).
Before After
That is a 1928 Chickering Grand Piano that I found in a shop on Broadway. The good times we've had with all my fun and talented musician friends has contributed to a lot of alcohol consumption and spontaneous dancing.
Before After
In our bedroom, I cut, sized and glued every piece of wall paper in our bedroom. We are great bargain shoppers and found three different patterns that I combined together. ( We were planning on putting up crown moulding eventually.)
Before After
I love the before picture of the dining room. It looks like a vignette from a Parisian whorehouse. Love the pink and gold guilded couch. Ohhh la la Mon Dieu.
Before After
A shot of the family room and guest bedroom. Many a friend has slept in here. In fact I have had 3 waves of company in the past 3 weeks!
I have been fortunate to share the rich diversity of wildlife and plant life with my friends in garden blogging and bird blogging. As a result I have been able to photograph many different and unusual species of birds and insects. Last fall a Townsends Solitaire was coming to my stream to drink every day. I had fun snapping a few shots of this Monarch butterfly flitting around my zinnia bed.
I counted almost 7 different species of bees that came into my gardens. They all had their particular flowers that they visited. Most interesting are the miniature neon green
Cannas and Fleur de Lys grow in the bog and stream with cat tails and all sorts of cool water plants.
Check out the mourning dove getting a drink in the stream.
Rare Bohemian Waxwings found a free meal in the crab apple trees all winter. Many birders wait a long time to see a Bohemian Waxwing. Goodbye Goldie and Shadow...I will miss you both. Schmooch.
Early in the morning I would tip toe around taking pictures of birds and flowers in my scivies. This shot of a female caliope hummingbird eyeballing me is one of my favorites.
Natural beauty is often very sublime.I have learned a lot about lighting, shadows and luck when taking photographs. Once I noticed this black swallowtail fluttering around one evening when I was cooking dinner. I ran out of the house and ripped off an amazing string of photographs with the light "bubbles" in the background. Then I ran back in and stirred dinner like nothing had happened.
Christmas Day 2007. A peaceful quiet white christmas. My beautiful Johhnie built the gazebo and bridge with his great carpentry skills and creative spatial imagination. My garden is a treat in all the seasons.
Do you believe in magic?
On fairies wings
And pixie dust sparkling
Through wonderous scenes
Of griffins flying
Through open skies
Songbirds warbling
A sweet lullabye
Gargoyles grinning
Through fountains of flowers
Catapillars racing
Galloping free
As hobbits dance
In the garden green
Leprechaun's cobbling
And banshees scream
Butterflies and hippogriffs
Dwarves and elves
all scattered through the scene
Do you believe in magic?