Unloaded the Jeep from a run to the little place we were staying at, and then went back for another load.
I was up there Sunday afternoon helping the in-law guys move a bunch of stuff around in the shop. We pulled out the big-block Chevy (454, sixty over, I asked) jet boat that the tree guy owns, and I loaded up the Jeep to the max. Our contractor in-law and I loaded up his F150 with the lift-gate, and we brought those two loads here and unloaded them, along with "Uncle Bob", who hadn't seen the house yet.
After today's run, I now have all but one of the shelves empty from the two shelf units I had filled up when we emptied out the U-Haul I towed out here behind the Jeep.
The in-laws keep telling us we got a "screaming deal" on the place for $375k, and that when were done with the current punch-list of about $20k worth of stuff, the house would be "worth" the $420k it was originally listed at, and could probably fetch $450k at the peak of next year's buying frenzy.
We sure aren't selling and moving again, but it's a nice thought that we wound up with some "move-in equity" even though we've never used a house for an ATM machine, and have no intention of ever doing that.
Then I took the dog for a walk, broke down some more boxes to drag to the recycling center, and rearranged/found stuff out in the garage. Time to wash up and head out for dinner. Tonight we're going to the little Mongolian BBQ place in Old Town Fort Collins. We haven't been there in maybe a year, but it was "5 stars" for that kind of food here, maybe "3.6 stars" compared to the Golden Camel back in Torrance, but plenty "good enough".
I'm working on some posts about being a newcomer to the area, and my observations on being back in Free America again after spending 35 years "behind-the-lines" in Kalifornia.
As some of you have noticed and commented on, the move has definitely agreed with me, and I truly feel at home here.
My wife, having lived in Long Beach since she was six years old, is definitely suffering from some major-league "Culture Shock", and I'll relate a few instances of those.
So I guess my focus for the blog (as if I ever had any) will be changing a bit from what it was "in the before" when we were still in Kalifornia.
Welcome to Colorado. We made it........
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Merry Christmas - <i>He Is Born</i> -
I'd like to wish my friends here a very Merry Christmas, and a very Happy New Year. We'll be having our Christmas Dinner with family...
Having moved from the greater St. Louis area to Alaska, 14 years ago, I understand pretty well what you're going through. Looking forward to your take on it all.
ReplyDeleteOh, yeah...you get it! Big metro area to relative wilderness....YOW!
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying it immensely, and she sometimes gets in a social situation that has her go...."HUH???", and I try my best to explain some alien concept to her.
She's taken aback that kids play freely in their driveways, and the grade school kids leave their Razor scooters, in a pile, no locks, on the corner of this and that street, and Mrs. Brown will watch them for us while we're in school.
And she's dumbstruck that the clerks at some of the stores we've been going to since we got here in September recognize us, and not only say "hello", but will strike up a conversation with you.
Yep, Big City Gal goes rural, and hilarity ensues.
Oh, well.....she's better off here even though she misses her friends dearly.
I am in there with you on the change. Tomorrow is my last workday and I retire at the end of the month. I am moving to a very rural area but it is only about 1/2 hour to 1 hour from various parts of a big city.
ReplyDeleteI think your wife will come to love living in a place that is friendly. When my family moved from Oklahoma City to a small town in Texas 50 years ago we were amazed. The usual farewell at a place of business was "Ya'll come back now ya hear." People were polite to one another at least in public and everyone was just a friend you hadn't met yet.
Congrats on the retirement! It's a big step in your life. Try to watch what you eat, and by all means keep active.
ReplyDeleteI would have preferred a place a bit more rural, but the wife wanted something more "in the city", so here we are.
"Contact Light....ENGINES OFF!". Just like the first stage on the LEM, we're planted here for good.......
I just love reading your blog! I look forward to reading it everyday and following your move to "Free America" :) I have never lived in California, have honestly never wanted to...But I was born, bred, and still live in Illinois, so I can easily understand many of your feelings regarding your move. I live in the Republican conservative part of Illinois....Not in the "Blue Chicago" area....I'm in "farm country" and we all continue to fight hard as voters to make some common sense changes in our State....We fought hard to get our republican Governor Rauner in '14...But he has been basically powerless against the Michael Madigan Cartel who has run our Assembly since 1997...But we continue to fight because it's just what we must do. Thanks for taking the time to blog and share your incites and knowledge.
ReplyDeleteThanks, lynne!
DeleteI grew up in Northern Illinois (Joliet) and moved to Kaliforniastan in 1982 to work in Aerospace.
I'm _VERY_ familiar with Chicago-style politics, and grew up watching Mayors Daley, Bilandic, and Byrne rule the city in their own "Democratic" way.
I will do all I can to help prevent Colorado from turning into either Kaliforniastan, or Illinois.
Parts of Denver are slowly turning into "Chiraq", and the Boulder area has a lot more in common with San Francisco (at least the richer parts of SF!) than I would have expected.
We appreciate your extra effort to stem the blue tide! But I've been watching CO move leftward for 30+ years. As in other states, it's primarily the large metro areas. The People's Republic of Boulder is in a class by itself. Years ago, Denver sent Pat Schroeder to DC -- our own little Pelosi, and then Dianna DeGette, cut from the same cloth. The D candidates are quite safe in Denver. Ft. Collins has changed a lot in 30 years too, and moved significantly leftward. Also Longmont and Broomfield. Still, we ain't California ... yet. Last year, or was it the year before, there was a little secession talk among the NE counties.
DeleteWe ended up with Amendment 22, post Columbine, and the 3 awful gun laws passed a couple years ago, which the legistlature will likely never repeal. OTOH, we have shall-issue concealed carry.
It's a real mixed bag. But I'm glad you're liking it here so far.
I have no intentions of voluntarily going to Boulder....And I'm sure Denver has all the same "big city" problems I saw in SoCal, except there's not so many of them due to a smaller population.
DeleteI seem to remember Pat Schroeder for some reason, and after her reading her bio, she was in Congress while I was still in Illinois.
I thought that at least one of those 3 gun laws had been repealed? IIRC, those laws cost the Dems who supported them their seats in the next election. One of our in-laws daughters lives in Cheyenne, and her husband was quite happy that Magpul moved because it cut his commute time in half.
Any good websites for Colorado-specific news? Well Seasoned Fool sent me some links, but they're on my main PC, and I've been on this laptop since September 20th!
No, Colorado sure isn't Kalifornia! My wife has culture shock, and I'm finally back "home"!
Complete Colorado is a Drudge-style site, with selected stories, and a buttload of links to CO news sources.
DeleteAFAIK, none of the gun laws has repealed. The Rs try every year, and the bills go to the "kill committee" to die. There was a bit more success in the recall area, and yes, the Rs did pick up some seats, but have done about as much with that as the Rs in DC.
Thanks for the link, I'll read through it later.
DeleteOK....jog my memory, please.....what were the "Big 3" gun bills. I had thought that one was a 10-round magazine law, which later got changed to allow 15 rounds?
I was at the capitol for all the debates and now I can't seem to remember all of what happened. The mag ban that drove MagPul out started out as a 10-round limit but got bumped when the Golden police chief checked and reported his gun held 15 rounds. No shit, he had to step out and check. To see how well that's working, visit any gun store and note that "repair kits" for pretty much everything are on the shelves.
Delete#2 would be the mandatory background checks for all sales which amounts to all sales being recorded with the ATF. It is widely ignored.
#3 might be the proposed ban on CCW on college campuses. As I recall that one was withdrawn and things said in the hearings resulted in a couple of recalls and one resignation.
Another source of CO specific info is Colorado Peak Politics https://coloradopeakpolitics.com/
The three gun laws restricted ammunition-magazine capacity to 15 rounds; mandated background checks on all firearms purchases and transfers, including private transfers; and required gun buyers to pay for their own background checks.
DeleteSo, it's really only two issues.
And it's far better here than in Kommiefornia.
DeleteColorado Peak Politics is one I follow, and have in the blog list.
Glad you are feeling comfortable. Hope the wife comes to feel the same.
ReplyDeleteShe's still getting over the "Culture Shock" of SoCal vs the reality of NoCo.
DeleteI'm documenting all her instances as she tells me, and I'll have a post on it.
Glad you are settled in. Good luck with everything!!
ReplyDeleteThanks. The fence is almost finished and the dog will be happy to have free run of the yard.
ReplyDelete