Today has been pretty wonderful because the temperature fell down to 20 C (68 F), the sun has been shining all day and a slightly cool wind has blown all day long and with the exception on Monday when it will be hot again, this is what we’ll have 🙂 No rain though but a ten day prediction isn’t something that most likely will be right.
Do You remember when I wrote about why my neighbours down the road moved instead of buying the place? It was because the seller suddenly, after agreeing on a price, rose the price considerable. So the new neighbours will move at the end of this month, because he did it again! Three different businesses have made the same valuation on the place and still he demands almost the double when it’s for sale! Greed of course but it really doesn’t work when people know the real value of the place 🙂 🙂 🙂
It was 8 C (46,4 F) when we went out on our morning walk. The hunting sign was up so this time we had to walk elsewhere. They had forgotten to text me but as long as the sign is up it’s ok. We still have lots of dew so both the dogs and I were soaked when we returned back home 🙂 🙂 Still no ticks on us so it was worth it 🙂 Also the entire way was covered in Yarrow so that could have helped :-)We went out after most of the morning mist had risen but in the shadowier places I still could see some and today was easy to see spider webs 🙂 There were so many more than what You see in the photos.
I haven’t done much rest of the day, I baked s spongecake and put an apple in tiny bits and put them in the batter plus I also put some cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and cloves in it, I wanted that gingerbread taste. I did one mistake though, I didn’t think of how much liquid the apple would give 🙂 🙂 🙂 So it had to stay in the oven two times longer, I did reduce the heat after 30 minutes otherwise I would have had a charcoal surface on it 🙂 🙂 🙂 Tastes Christmas but to be honest I can’t taste any apple in it 🙂 🙂
It is time for that last cup of tea for the day and I’ll have a slice or two of that spongecake as well 🙂
The tomatoes are on the way as well 🙂
Have a great day!
The Cottage by the crane lake. 
Speaking of neighbors… the house next door, a twin to mine, was bought at least 25 years ago by a man who never lived there, but rented to a series of sketchy tenants who were problematic in a variety of ways. That’s another story.
The owner maintained it minimally. His last tenants were a couple with two kids who were OK, though I never met the wife in the 15 or so years they were there.
I met the owner when bought the place. We discovered we were at university together but never met, so he’s my age.
In June, the couple suddenly moved (kids are grown now). The husband once told me they wanted to buy the house. I guess they made an offer that wasn’t accepted.
The owner had a guy clear part of the backyard, which hasn’t been raked in 30+ years. A massive tree once fell and crushed part of the fence, but he left it on the ground to rot rather than pay to remove it. Now there’s fresh mulch covering what little grass was in the front yard. Then he had flowers planted and I knew he he’s finally selling it.
The For Sale sign went up last week. I’m SO HAPPY!
I checked the listing online. He’s asking top dollar. He’s done simple interior fix-up (painted everything white, even the woodwork, new flooring, appliances, tiled the bathrooms). It looks good, but I know that house has taken such a beating for decades with its serious issues (same as my house) unaddressed, it’s all lipstick on a pig.
Anyway, now it has a SOLD sign. So, bye-bye shifty owner (he was impossible to reach when his tenants were out of control; he’s online as president of several companies, but they have no phone numbers or even websites), and new owners who will want to take care of the property. If they’re nice and friendly, that’s a bonus.
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Hi catsworking!
Greed really is annoying, some people rather let houses fall apart than sell it to a lower prise. I’m happy that he did sell it and hope You’ll get as good neighbours as I have!
but didn’t those renting the place keep the backyard in good shape?
I hope the new owners really checked what needs to be fixed so they won’t have a nasty surprise later on.
Businesses that doesn’t have any phone numbers are shady so it’s good new owners are on the way 🙂
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This owner collected rent for decades while doing bare minimum (one tenant showed me an inch of black mold around the tub that she said the owner refused to remove). He’s selling it for top dollar (which I assume he got since it sold within days). It has been a goldmine for him. But he’s 71 and probably sick of hearing tenants complain, so he’s finally giving it up. I’m delighted.
I do hope the new owners get a good inspection because they will have a long list for the owner to fix that goes deeper than paint and carpet.
My house and that one were built in 1983. I bought mine in 1987, so I have seen and know a lot. The construction was shoddy, but my real estate agent (who was also my mother) knew the builder and said I didn’t need an inspection. I’ve learned the hard way over the years as things have gone wrong that I definitely should have known what I was getting into.
The backyard next door was never touched after the owner bought it over 20 years ago. His tenants only mowed the front yard. The back is full of trees (like mine) and a rickety storage building. I’ve always had my yard mowed and leaves blown so my yard is green. That yard is brown and probably full of wildlife.
The owner just had a yard guy clear a portion behind the deck, leaving most of it untouched. I laughed at the sales listing mentioning the “beautiful” backyard, which it is definitely not. I don’t think the tree that fell was ever removed, so part of the fence is destroyed, but under so many leaves, maybe you can’t see it.
Once, the house was rented to a bunch of college boys (I never knew how many, they came and went a lot). They threw a green velvet sofa off the deck (which is about 8 ft. off the ground) into the backyard and left it there for 2 years. I finally got the county zoning people involved because it was a good home for rats. The day before the boys had to go to court about it and be fined, they finally got rid of the sofa and moved out soon after.
I could never get in touch with the owner, and he obviously didn’t care/know that his tenants were leaving furniture in the yard.
The worst the most recent renters did was leave their trash and recycle containers in the street 24/7. In this neighborhood, everybody has their bins on the curb only on collection day. If they lived in the city a few miles from here, they would have been fined $50 a day ($300/week) for doing that.
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