My first 100% organic shopping trip

I’ve been doing a bunch of chores this morning, as I can’t get into the state database I need to do the work I had planned today. I ran down to the local grocery store (Bayview Thriftway in Olympia, in case you’re wondering), and did a quick shopping run. Only after I got home did I realize that I had bought nearly 100% organic products - without even thinking about it, other than the usual attempts I make to generally buy organic. This has to be some kind of important milestone, that it’s even possible.

Here’s what I bought, all organic:

Apples and strawberries (west coast, carefully avoiding South American produce)
Colby jack cheese and parmesan
Three varieties of cereal
Two cartons of milk
Three kinds of yogurt
Kettle corn for snacking
Four frozen dinners (various organic brands)
Two frozen veggie packs (from Oregon, in little recycled paper bags!)
Four kinds of chocolate (small stuff) for Mother’s Day
Bread (local)
Toilet paper
a latte

There is one thing I bought that isn’t organic - Mother’s Day cards for my Mom and Grandma. If I had been thinking about it, it’s even possible those could have been at least recycled. But when it comes to Moms, it’s more important that the message be right :)

And then I had a fairly long conversation with the produce manager about whether it would be possible to separate out and make a little section for local organic produce apart from the stuff that comes from all over the world (using up lots of petroleum and generating carbon emissions in the process). He was actually receptive and said that in the summer and fall, they do that, and they actually take surplus from local farms. Not many big grocery stores are willing to go to those lengths.

I did tell him that, from the shopper’s point of view, winter is the hardest time to get local produce so it would be the most important time to highlight any they do have, for those of us purists who just won’t buy it if it had to come on an airplane (yes, I eat a lot of apples in the winter). He agreed that maybe increasing the size of their “grown in Washington” price labels would at least help us find what there is.

Anyway, good stuff :)

Turning over a few new leaves

Well, the last day of April I was sitting around in my little apartment (650 sq ft) and it was rainy. I was feeling really cooped up and exhausted, which I had largely been doing to myself by working too much and just kind of hiding inside. I moved to Olympia to support a healthier, more fun, and less expensive lifestyle, but lately it’s been all work and house-hunting, and a serious sleep deficit from my landlord’s little dog barking loudly at 5am. No fun.

I decided things have to change. I’ve been putting everything on hold until I find a new house, but that may not happen soon. And putting everything on hold like that increases the pressure to find a house, which might push me to buy something that isn’t exactly right. I have to do a better job of starting to make the changes I wanted to make, even in this temporary place.

So, May 1 I went to Curves and got signed up. At least I will be exercising three times a week - that has to help a lot. The program is short enough and close enough that no matter how tired I am I should be able to do it. I also researched yoga studios in Olympia and found one that looks like it will be great - and not too expensive. Once I get on a regular schedule at Curves, I’ll start adding that in on alternate days.

In spite of her dog, my landlord and her partner are also being encouraging. They have a neat new electronic exercise cycle that they’re encouraging me to use, and also to go walking with them. They also decided to make for me a little patch of garden that i can putter around in. I already got the dirt prepared and compost mixed in, now I just have to find a minute to go get some little plants to put in. That feels good.

The weather is changing for the better and both I and my cat can spend a little time outdoors on the property, and enjoying all the beautiful gardens as I go around looking for homes. While houses for sale have been few and far between for some months, it seems For Sale By Owners are really picking up just this weekend, even if there are no new MLS listings. Apparently people are feeling like if they’re going to lose money, they should eliminate the agent commission. This makes it a little challenging for me since I’m very loyal to my agent (especially after the last house fiasco, which she really helped me with). I’m going to make sure she gets her commission one way or another.

And the really good news is, my landlord is finally convinced that the dog barking is really a problem for me. She tried keeping him in the house and taking him out onto another part of the property in the morning, but he wakes up at 5am and now she’s tired!! (after only 3 days) So she has ordered a citronella collar for him, which apparently works by spraying a bit of citronella on them when they bark. Supposedly they hate that so much that they stop barking (I know my cat would), and it’s more humane than a shock collar. This dog has never been socialized (not his fault) and is just now being trained, so we’re all hoping this will help.

No such luck

Well, it didn’t take them long. They turned it down flat and said that no matter what the contractor estimates said, they would only take $15000 off the asking price. Sounds to me like they are going to try to dupe some poor soul into taking it off their hands. We replied and said that if they should find that it’s hard to sell, they are welcome to keep our offer in mind.

This made it an easy decision, anyway. With $40,000 worth of work to do, there is no way I’d take it for that price. Guess I’ll just keep looking… I’m glad, anyway, that I did the work of verifying to my own satisfaction what it would take to fix the house. It leaves me with no regrets about this decision, other than that they are not more honest or reasonable.

Decisions, decisions

Well, the saga of the house…

So, I got two contractor bids. The first guy made me feel better, as he was very knowledgeable, personable, and exuded confidence and skill. One of those quiet, competent guys that you feel will do right for you. Sure enough, his bid was detailed and thorough, and addressed all the elements we talked about. The second guy was … well, less inspiring, but still seemed very knowledgeable, just less able to communicate it well. His bid was hand-written and lacked detail, but matched in almost all categories the first one. They were very close, with a couple of exceptions that basically balanced out.

The damage - about $40,000 in structural and code repairs needed. In the process of which, I would get most of my cosmetic things done (painting inside and out) because it would have to be done. Both mentioned that the price of materials is going up due to gas prices rising, etc. But both have availability to do the work, though my sense was the first guy would use more of his own crew and the second might hire random people if he had too much work to do.

Anyway… After much thinking about it and further visiting of other houses out there, I decided to go ahead and make a revised bid based on a level I will feel comfortable with and one which, if they don’t take, I will be happy with looking elsewhere. I reduced the bid $55K, which gives me room for unexpected costs, extra for permits and inspections and living expenses in the meantime, and enough left over to make more than a 20% down payment - important for loan terms.

We’ll get it to them later today and then it will be their turn to decide - 3 days of waiting :)

Well, actually, I may have a house :)

So here I thought I had my dream house, posted a blog about it, sent an announcement to all my friends, and THEN had the inspection. I’ll never do that again! This is the fourth house I’ve bought, ranging in year built from 1920 to 2000, and I’ve NEVER had serious inspection issues. Of course, I do avoid fixers, and this didn’t look like one. But it is.

It needs 1) a new roof, 2) siding replaced, 3) plumbing upgrades to code in the studio and water pipes replaced to the street, 4) electrical upgrades to code throughout, 5) pest eradication (powder-post beetles and carpenter ants), 6) structural damage underneath the house from said pests fixed, 7) structural repairs from improper framing under the house, and 8) repainting of some interior walls due to past water damage and cracking.

Why, you might ask, would I even consider not just walking away? Well, oddly enough, while I was sitting there getting all that bad news, I still felt good there. I still like the house. I get this odd feeling of pleasure at the thought of making all these repairs and making this wonderful house new from top to bottom. The newly remodeled kitchen and bathroom, he confirmed, are every bit as good as they look. So what they did do, they did well. The garden is still amazing, the location is still perfect, the neighborhood wonderful.

I have the cash to do the repairs if they will accept a commensurately lower offer, which they have agreed to consider (but who knows if they will take). I am also here in Olympia, can keep an eye on the general contractor. I’d get to pick out my own colors and do a bunch of things now that I was planning to do later in the summer, like paint and move the laundry into the house. Plus know that just about every last thing that could go wrong in an old house had been newly replaced and upgraded before I moved in. I could even come out ahead if things go well (a big if, of course).

I still feel pretty neutral about the whole thing. I’ve always been anti-fixer, but the issue is not wanting to do it myself. If I can hire someone to take on the whole job, for a fixed-price bid, that would be different. Still, today we have a whole round of inspections and estimates occurring, and my realtor and I plan to use the time wisely by going to see other houses in the neighborhood :D That should help me decide if this is really worth the trouble. After all, I have been looking for more than six months for just the right house, and thought this was it. But if there is an alternative to all this work, I may take it. Wish me luck, and an easy decision in the end…

I have a house!

Well, you haven’t seen much of me lately, because I’ve been buried in selling my house, moving, and subsequent house-hunting. Mostly the latter, lately, since I’ve gotten to Olympia. I knew that the perfect house for me might be in a popular area and a good price range, so I’ve been making it a point to jump out and see houses on the very first day they’re listed, if possible.

And here its (details of the listing here):

Yes, it’s an odd color, but that’s totally normal for this part of Olympia :D I have seen bright red, purple, black, bright blue, and all kinds of other interesting colors in the neighborhood (I’ll change it sometime this summer to colors I like better).

This is one of those rare houses that actually looks better than its pictures when you get there. The garden is beautiful, with mature trees, shrubs, herbs, and bulbs all just coming into leaf and flower. Yet, there is still room to add some things of my own, like rose gardens, and there are already raised beds just waiting to tempt me into food growing, something I’ve always wanted to try. The garden has nice spaces, like a circular paved patio and a grassy private area.

This is “technically” a small house - 760 sq ft - I say technically, because it has clearly been added on to in ways that aren’t counted, and there is an additional 200 sq ft of storage and a 200 sq ft studio apartment in what was the garage, none of which are included in taxes (which keeps the payment down). And for a small house, it has a HUGE and completely beautiful renovated kitchen. The little eating nook in the corner has a perfect view of the state capitol and the city.

The living room and two bedrooms are nicely renovated with new paint, refinished fir floors, and radiant heat (yay!). The bathroom (not shown) is as nicely done as the kitchen with tile floors and shower. I will probably change the purple before I move in :)

Around to the right of the garage is this separate entrance to a finished studio, with full kitchen, 3/4 bath with shower, and sleeping loft (which also has wonderful views). It has its own parking, garden area, and small deck. I could sublet this for extra money if needed, but in the meantime, it will make a wonderful mediation space once renovated.

The interior needs a little TLC to look professional, a new carpet, paint job, and painting over the kitchen cabinets should go a long way:

There are many wonderful things about this location that just add benefits - I feel like it will really support both a healthy and economically self-sufficient lifestyle that I am hoping for. It is quiet and peaceful, yet only two blocks from the main street where there are many professional offices. This makes this location as a mediation office ideal.

Also, I can walk to a yoga studio, hair stylist, vet, and just about any other service I might need. On top of that, it’s only 4 blocks to the bay, and a short bike, bus, or driving distance to anywhere in Olympia. While it was a little out of the price range I was initially considering, the payment is about the same since its size keeps the taxes low - and being in a very desireable area of Olympia it should hold its value well. Plus the potential for extra income from mediation or subletting really gives me a sense of safety and relief.

The Universe is smiling on me :)

Obama’s speech on race

OK - I finally got to listen to the whole thing in its entirety. I have never heard a better speech from a politician in my lifetime, or one more appropriate to our time. Please don’t limit yourself to what you’ve heard on the news - go listen to it. It is now the most downloaded ever video on YouTube. It is 37 minutes long - and he wrote the entire thing himself.

You can find it here. Go listen, for the future of the country. We need this type of honesty, intelligence, personal fearlessness, and character in office.

Here’s another video from Portland that’s pretty interesting - it’s Obama’s comments on getting endorsed by Bill Richardson. Listening to what Obama says about Gov. Richardson, I wonder if we’re seeing a possible vice-presidential candidate… He’d be a very good one, far better than most people had any idea of during the election.