Loosey Goosey at the SUS2.5

With temps above freezing this week, and some of the snow melting, nothing would do for Hick but to travel down to his creekside cabin and retrieve his goose. I didn't even know he had a goose. I knew he had a deer head down there that the mice ate. So I was not too optimistic about getting Hick's goose. Turns out it was just fine. He loaded it in SilverRedO to take to his SUS2.5 (Storage Unit Store 2.5).

Of course he had to send me a picture of it hanging. Not that I can make it out clearly. There are a lot of distractions in the background. Again, I don't even know what some of that merchandise is for.

I can see a clock. Some belts or straps. A few pictures. Some fishing lures on the shelf on the right. Some tied flies in a frame to the left. I could not figure out what's on the pegboard behind the goose's head. At first I thought they were lead sinkers for fishing line. Then I decided they were just some kind of clip to hold things on the pegboard. It wasn't until I tried to get a closeup of the goose that I figured it out. I believe those are pistols, and we are just seeing the back of the grip. My dad always took a pistol when we went fishing. For snakes.

The goose itself looks a bit worse for wear. Like some bully tousled its head. Then again, it's pretty old. Hick said he bought it with a bunch of other stuff, because the guy said it was just hanging there, doing nothing. Which it has done in Hick's creekside cabin, and now in the SUS2.5. I don't know that they EXPECT it to do! It's a dead stuffed goose. Hick paid $50 for it. I imagine he would sell it if he got an offer.

Val Has Been Knocked Over by a Feather

Did Not-Heaven just freeze over? I know it's been excessively cold around here, but that doesn't explain a sudden turn of events. The cake has been taken. My flabber has been gasted. Pigs are surely flying above Backroads!

On Tuesday, Hick was offered a payment for his wrecked trailer!

"I talked to The Buddy today. He asked me if I would take $1500 for my wrecked trailer. Said his relative (the one who actually wrecked the trailer The Buddy had borrowed from Hick) was giving him $1500, to see if they could call it done."

"I'm shocked! I didn't think we'd ever see a penny for that trailer."

"Yeah, I'm a little surprised."

"What did you pay for the new one?"

"Nineteen hundred."

"What did you pay for the one that got wrecked?"

"Fourteen fifty, two years ago. But I had just put $600 worth of tires on it."

"Well. I'm surprised he's offering you this amount. I'd say go ahead, and then The Buddy can quit worrying about it."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking. But I wanted to see what you thought."

"The Buddy isn't the one who wrecked it, and his relative didn't do it on purpose. They thought they had insurance on it. It was an accident. Nobody got hurt. They need the money more than we do. I'd say take the $1500 and be done with it."

"Okay. I'll tell him."

Thursday evening, Hick came home with 15 hundred-dollar bills. The trailer chapter has ended.

Hick Knows How to Make a Buck

Hick had some sad news last week from the senior apartments. One of the residents passed away. Not IN her apartment. Her family had moved her into a care home in December. They were still paying the apartment rent. I asked Hick if she was having issues, and needed assistance.

"That's the funny thing. She was just fine. Cuttin' up with them other gals at lunch. I'd tell them jokes. Like 'What's the difference between a pregnant woman and a light bulb? You can unscrew a light bulb.' She'd just laugh and laugh along with them. I didn't see nothin' wrong with her, except she was 89 years old. Then all of a sudden, they tell me she died!

The gal who runs the lunch service said the son-in-law asked if she knew anbody who could clean out the apartment and get rid of the stuff. I said that I'd do it for $250. To ask and see if he wanted to talk to me. He did. He said they'd go through and get what they wanted, and then they'd pay me to clear out everything else. He asked if I'd take the clothes to the local ministerial alliance, so they could go to somebody who needed them. I said I would. He said that's what his wife wanted. I said if it was nice stuff, I would." 

Well. A few days later, Hick said he had the apartment almost cleaned out. "Except for the clothes. They're going to the dump when I take some other stuff to throw away."

"You can't do that! You promised you'd take them to the alliance store. I think it's terrible not to carry out a dead woman's wishes."

"It wasn't the dead woman. It was what her daughter wanted. Nobody's gonna want the clothes of an 89-year-old woman."

"Still. You said you would do it."

"They'll never know."

This was upsetting. If you say you'll do something, you should do it!

Yesterday, Hick said that he'd be meeting with the son-in-law so he could look through the apartment, and then pay Hick his $250.

"Oh, and I took the clothes over to the thrift store. So I did what they wanted."

Good for Hick. It was only the decent thing to do. Also, Hick said there was a family picture.

"I kept it and showed the son-in-law. I figured since it was family, they'd want it. He said no! 'Nobody wants that! It's my wife with her first husband, and their kids. She sure doesn't want it, and I don't, either.' He was pretty clear on that. But I thought I should ask."

Anyhoo... the apartment has been cleaned, and Hick rented it to somebody else. Plus, he made almost his monthly salary with the clean-out. Less the cost of the dump.

He Said/He Said/He Said

Remember the hubbub Hick and Business Owner had over HIS LAND that is being used as part of a business driveway? They reached an agreement on January 8 for Hick to get $1200 for HIS LAND in exchange for his silence at a variance meeting about the property. Then both agreed to pay half the costs for a title search.

I signed the paperwork on Thursday, January 15. I remember it well, because it was Thursday errand day, the day after my yearly lunch with my best old ex-teaching buddy Mabel, and the day before the big cold snap on Friday, when I started staying home due to the weather.

Hick asked me that afternoon if the gal at the title company gave me a check. No. She said that Business Owner hadn't been there yet. From what I recall, they were expecting him later that afternoon, though I don't remember her exact words. That was just my impression. Hick said he figured they'd call him to come pick up the check. The call never came.

This Monday, February 2, Hick went by the title office. To ask about his check. They didn't have it. Said that Business Owner hadn't signed the papers yet.

"She said they had called him several times, but he hadn't come in. So I sent a text to his son. I said, 'I know you're just the middle man, but I did my part. You'd think your dad could at least have the decency to do what he promised.' He said he'd talk to his dad. A few minutes later he sent back a text that his dad was on his way over there now to sign. That nobody from the title office had ever contacted him that the papers were ready."

"Well, you seem like the rumpushole now."

"How's that? I did what I was supposed to. He's the reason I didn't get the check."

"It's the way you worded it."

"I didn't say nothin' bad! Only that I did my part, and he should do his. I'll read it to you..."

"See? Right there. When you said, 'You'd think he'd have the decency.' That was not necessary. It's like trying to start a fight."

"Well, HE's the one who didn't sign the papers. And I did."

"Yeah. It's been two weeks. But you didn't need to have a chip on your shoulder."

Anyhoo... Hick got a call the next day, and picked up the check. It wasn't from the title company. It was from Business Owner. A business check, made out to Hick for the $1200. Which meant we had to write a check to the title company for $147.50 for our half of the title search. Not a big deal. Just an unexpected inconvenience. Usually at a closing, the buyer pays the title company, who then pays the seller, after deducting out fees.

I'm not sure who's the reason for the delay. It's not Hick, because he signed the papers, and I went the next day and signed. MAYBE the title company called Business Owner, and he didn't recognize the number and didn't answer. MAYBE they left a message and he didn't get it. MAYBE he knew all about it, and was just making it difficult for Hick to collect the check. 

For being such a "nice guy," according to his son and some of Hick's acquaintances... Business Owner sure seems to have an odd way of doing business.

Courtesy of Hick's Two Feet

In the midst of my open house here, showing the interior that is finished, though cluttered, of Bargain House... there was a development behind the scenes. Thursday, Hick came home with some news:

"I was getting my toes done this afternoon (his monthly pedicure), and The Gal said she was living with her husband's family, and she was really unhappy about it. I told her I had fixed up a house and was ready to sell it. She wanted to look at it. So I showed her."

"You took her in the house? With all that junk laying around?"

"It didn't hurt nothin'. She could see the house. She said she liked it. Several times. She really liked it. She asked how much I wanted for it, and I told her that amount we agreed on. She said she was going to tell her husband."

"Do they have kids? It's only two bedrooms. They'd have to share a bedroom."

"Two boys. One is at least old enough to drive. She said they already share a room now, where they're staying. That's not a problem. If she wants it, we can just go through the title company, and we won't have to pay a commission to a realtor."

"Is she from here? Does she know how to get loan and all that? Maybe she NEEDS a realtor to walk her through what to do. I AM from here, and I would be lost. I'd rather have a realtor handle everything for me."

"I think she's from Vietnam. Her English is okay. I assume she knows how to get a loan. I was talkin' to one of my buddies, and he said, 'You never know. They might just pay cash for it. Maybe they've been saving.' Which is true. I said I could show her the house in the evening, but she said she had another job then. So we went in the day."

"Well, I'm not going to count on it."

"She really wants it. But we'll see."

On Friday, Hick came home saying that The Gal had brought Her Husband to see the house. 

"He wasn't as excited about it as she was. He didn't like the bathroom floor. The small bathroom. Because it's not the same flooring as the living room. If that's all that's stopping them, I'd rip up the floor and replace it to match. It's only about $150 and a couple hours of work. They're coming back on Sunday, and bringing somebody else to look at it."

"Who else would they be bringing? Like, an appraiser? Or family?"

"I don't know. Only that I'm going to meet them on Sunday afternoon."

It was actually starting to sound like this deal might be serious. But then on Saturday night, Hick got a text from The Gal.

"She says she can only get a loan for $100,000. Because she just bought a car. So they don't have enough. She was letting me know, so I don't have to meet them tomorrow."

"Well, that's too bad. She really wanted it. But at least she knows how to go about getting a loan."

"Yeah. It would have been a good deal for both of us."

You never know. Hick might charm someone else into taking a look at Bargain House. But I doubt his feet will have anything to do with it.

Bargain House Progress: Kitchen

There's really no new progress on the kitchen. You've seen the pictures of it completed. These are just pictures The Pony took after cleaning. Though I don't know how effective that cleaning could be, what with Hick having junk strewn across the counters.

See what I mean? At least this picture gives you an idea of how the kitchen is situated, at the end of the living room. That kitchen window looks out on the side street where Hick parks SilverRedO.

There wasn't much cleaning to do for the microwave, stove, and refrigerator, since they're all new. I like how Hick left the tag on the oven door. Again, there's his assorted clutter.

Here's the other side of the kitchen. Room for a table. That door goes into the hall that goes past the big bathroom, and leads to the big bedroom.

This concludes our progress tour of Bargain House. But there's a story about it coming up.

Bargain House Progress: Large Bedroom

The large bedroom of Bargain House has been done for a while. It is also remarkably free of clutter! Plus it includes artwork from Hick's collection, heh, heh!

I don't consider that box on the bed to be clutter, after seeing the state of the other rooms. That's a twin size bed Hick had in the Beauty Shop. He might nap there while Old Buddy works! There is plenty of room in here for a larger bed. That's a decent closet.

This bedroom has two windows. The left one looks out into the back yard, and the other is on the side with a view of the neighbor's house. I like the black baseboard trim. It goes well with the flooring.

You get to this bedroom through a door off the kitchen. There's a little hallway without a door to the actual bedroom. The big bathroom is off that hall. Here's an older picture to get an idea:

That white door leads into the kitchen. The opening on the right is the door to the big bathroom. This is before Hick put down the flooring.

In looking through the older pictures, I discovered where Hick is getting his artwork! Seems there's a plethora of wall hangings that were in the house when we bought it.

There's the picture that hangs in the living room now! The closet here was enlarged to make the small bathroom. A door was put in where those pictures are stacked, to access the living room. And a closet was built where the wardrobe is standing next to the pictures.

Hick is kind of a wizard when it comes to renovating an old house.