When we sold the Melrose house I think everyone was sad. That was a beautiful home and we all would have loved to stay there forever but it had one fault that could not be corrected. That fault was that Joe could never join us there. There just was not a Taco Bell store there that paid enough for Joe to transfer there and still be able to make the payments on that house. Holly had a good job that she liked very much but it didn’t pay enough to support a house as large and beautiful as that and there were still things that needed to be fixed so the choice was made that we should sell the house and move. I came to Iowa to live with Joe while Holly stayed behind and got the house ready to sell.

Once Holly finished getting the place fixed up she put the house on the market and even though the market was no longer as hot as before she found a buy for the house. The sale did not cover the cost of the house and all the repairs we had put into it but each month that we did not have to make that big mortgage payment was a reason to sell to the first buyer that was interested.

Once Holly had packed up all of our things she began moving the family. The first load with the U-Haul went to OK into storage as Holly had decided she would move there and take care of her parents now. The second load was ready to go and Holly found she was not needed in OK so she could come to Iowa and join Joe and myself. But again there was a problem. Joe and I lived in a two bedroom apartment . There was another large bedroom in the basement but that was being rented to a co-worker of Joe’s and we needed his share of the rent to make ends meet so Holly get onto the internet and found a place that was nice and we could afford.

That was our introduction to Western Hills. A very nice Mobil Home Park. I liked it as it was very much like Spanish Lakes where I had been living for three years only this Park was friendlier in many ways. Holly and the two boys, Luke and Landen moved in and settled in very quickly. Sally, their little dog liked the place but had to walk on a leash at first so she didn’t wander off. Each day after work Holly would take Sally for a walk up the hill and around the neighborhood.

Meanwhile Joe and I were looking for a place to move to. We needed something smaller and less expensive as now he would have two places to pay for and renting a smaller apartment seemed the best choice. However one day on Holly’s walk she saw a place for sale that was smaller, a single wide and very cute. It seemed to be in pretty good condition and when she inquired about the cost found it was only $20,000. So she showed the place to Joe and he told me of it and when we went over the figures we decided we could afford that. When I went to see the place I found it wasn’t half bad and I could afford that myself, then Joe could live with his family and still take care of me as we would be only half a block away from each other. And thus began the newest adventure for me. I do hope this is my last as now I want to spend my last days right here – no more moving.

There were no promises made but that was alright and we went ahead with a real estate agent, Katie to look into buying it. When we went into the home we found several things that needed fixing even before we could move in. First I had to pay cash for the place as here it is impossible to get a mortgage on a mobil home older than 25 years old and this one was built in 1980. Also there were two things that had to be fixed before moving in. One was the water heater. The one in the house had a serious leak and was dripping water into the ground under the house. That had to be replaced. Also the fuse box was an old one, one that had been recalled years ago. I knew that as soon as Katie pointed it out to me as I had the same problem in Spanish Lakes and the insurance company would not insure the house until I replaced that. Which I did at a cost of $1000 which was a special price for me as I had just had the walk in tub installed by the same person and he cut me a very good deal compared to the price Lori had to pay for hers to be done. There was also quite a few things that needed upgrading and fixed so we settled on a price of $15,000 for the house which was agreed on by both parties with the agreement right in the contract that I would replace the water heater and the fuse box before I move into the house.

That being done I set about the sale of the place and getting it insured while Holly and Joe set to work doing all the little things that needed doing before moving in such as replacing the ceiling in the kitchen, fixing the ceiling the living room, finishing the molding and mop boards that were started but never quite finished, cleaning every inch of the house as only a professional like Holly can do, painting the bedrooms to bring in more light and get rid of the black woodwork. We saved the rest to do after I moved in such as fence in the yard so Otis could go out without me taking him on a leash as I could not do that all winter, and plant all the spring bulbs I wanted to get in before winter just to name a few things.

Thus began the new adventure. I will now go and study how to add pictures to my blog and tomorrow I will take you though the improving of my home and moving in. I am still making repairs and will not be done paying for these for a few years yet but already it is a snug little place, just perfect for me and room for Joe to stay any time he needs to come. Whenever any of my children find they can come to visit I have his room for them to stay in. Have a good day I’ll see you again tomorrow.