 |
| (Stock image from interweb) |
As the end of the year approaches, I figured I'd best post up a quick blog; it has been almost two months since my last one.
Nothing exciting has been keeping me away from posting, just the opposite in fact. Days consist of going to work and coming home. Our weather has been pretty chilly and we just finished a good 10-day stretch of freezing temperatures, luckily no snow.
As 2017 comes to a close I look to 2018 and the changes it will bring. My boss is retiring after 41 years of being an attorney. I have worked for him for 17 of those years. As of January 1st I will be actively looking for employment so that when I am done at the office at the end of January I will have another job to go to.
We are also hoping to put our house on the market in the spring. Long time homeowners beside us have sold and it has become a rental complete with 7 children, 3 large barking dogs, 7 chickens, and a pig. Yes, a pig. We are in city limits and didn't sign up to live beside a farm. So combined with the two-story monoliths they built against our back fence it is time to go.
 |
| (Two story houses - photo taken this morning - we miss the forest) |
Weekends are now spent finishing up home projects such as installing baseboards and trim around the doors. That will be followed by painting and of course the never ending yard work.
We have come to the conclusion that moving will be a good thing. We have been in our house over 11 years and we bought it to flip it in two years. It wasn't supposed to be our forever home. We are looking forward to a 2-car garage and a laundry room in the house. I don't really like going into the garage to do laundry when it is below freezing. Brrrr. Our current one-car garage is not heated.
We are not sure how Basil will feel about a move, but I am sure he will enjoy a quiet area with more room to roam.
As for motorcycles, we still have four sitting in the garage. With our weather and other obligations they haven't been moving at all unless it is to shuffle their order in the garage or start them to make sure the carbs aren't gumming up in the TW200 and DRZ400.
 |
| (On the way to Marys Peak, photo by Troubadour) |
I did order a skid plate from T-Rex Racing for the Versys 300x, which we received, but haven't installed yet. SW Motech Crash bars/engine guards have also been ordered from Twisted Throttle. They are out of stock, but hopefully will ship before spring.
 |
| (T Rex racing skid plate) |
We hope to do more riding and camping in 2018. Of course, every year it seems we hope to do more riding and somehow life just gets in the way.
Happy Holidays to all of you, and the very best wishes for 2018.
- Au Revoir
" If you are in a bad situation, don't worry it'll change. If you are in a good situation, don't worry it'll change. " - John A. Simone, Sr.
.
Hmmm, moving! A big, heated shop with a little bit of living space somewhere? It's good to see another post. Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteA heated shop with a little bit of living space sounds perfect, but hard to find.
DeleteMerry Christmas to you and Bridget as well.
Big changes for you in the coming year - best of luck in your search for a new house and a new job. Too bad about the view and the neighbours. As for the pig? well maybe they'll roast it for Christmas dinner.
ReplyDeleteThank you. 2018 will bring changes, but we are hopeful they will be good ones.
DeleteThey keep the pig in the house so we don't see it too often, just when it gets out and runs through our yard......with kids hot on its heels.
You guys have some big changes coming up... Wishing you luck with finding new and satisfying employment as well as a new home in a neighbourhood that will cater to your as well as to Basil's needs. Happy Holidays and a wonderful 2018.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sonja. Sometimes changes can be good and we are hoping the move will be a good job. Changing jobs after 17 years is a little daunting though. I actually had to come up with a resume.
DeleteI hate moving....it reminds one of so much crap one accumulates over the years, usually unknowningly....but Denver has become such a congested cesspool...Merry Christmas to you and yours!
ReplyDeleteI am not a fan of moving either, although it will give us a chance to purge all the crap we've collected over the years.
DeleteMerry xmas Brandy. It looks like you guys have had a lot on your plate this year. Good luck with the job hunting, I hope Donald is delivering on his promise and it will be a GREAT year in 2018. Cheers. Dave
ReplyDeleteThanks Dave. I hold no hope Donald will do anything but line his own pockets and that of his cronies. All we can do is keep calm and carry on.
Deletechange is good. it will feel great and you know what you want. I can only hope 2018 is somehow better.
ReplyDeleteChange can be good. We keep looking to the future and are staying positive that we'll find a house in a peaceful neighborhood with a private backyard and that maybe I'll find a job with benefits. I will miss the flexibility of my work, but benefits and any kind of pension would be welcome.
DeleteHappy Ho Ho to you.
Merry Christmas To you and brad. A new job can be daunting but I'm sure you will be fine. I hate moving house, there is just so much accumulated crap. Time to throw most of it away.
ReplyDeleteHappy new year to you.
Thank you Steve. I do agree that moving is the opportunity to throw stuff out. How do we collect so much crap?
DeleteHappy New Year to you as well.
Merry Christmas to you and Brad!
ReplyDeleteMoving is a great time to get rid of all that stuff you never use - I've done it twice in the last three years and am down to 4 suitcases! Plus of course car and bike ;) I hope you take time and find just the right place for you to live in peace. And good luck with the job hunting (something part-time so you could ride more might be an option :) ?)
Good luck with your plans in the New Year!!
Thank you John.
DeleteI can remember back when we were renting we'd move every year or two, but after we bought our first house we moved after three years, and now here we are at over 11 years. You being down to 4 suitcases is commendable. Something tells me we won't get down that far.
Part time would be nice but it wouldn't pay the bills. Oregon is pretty expensive to live in.
Enjoy Spain!
Every good wish to you and Brad and hope you find that you find a job that you love. Yep, moving home is a wrench, especially with all those home touches like your gorgeous garden. I'm sure that there will be some real plusses with the move. If our cats were anything to go by, they love where we are now even more than where they grew up - best wishes to Basil too! Have a fantastic 2018!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Geoff. All the best to you and Jennie as well.
DeleteWe were just going over how much work we've done to this house over the years and we have found we got emotionally attached to the darn thing. But we know the forest won't come back and we've dealt with annoying neighbors before and don't want to go down that road again. Not that we can pick our neighbors in a new place, but we will go in with eyes wide open.
All the best for 2018! Make sure you delete this blog before potential house purchasers see the benefits of moving there! Xs E and N
ReplyDeleteThanks Nikos, all the best for 2018 to you and Elektra as well.
DeleteOne thing I've never done with this blog is put our actual street address in it, so hopefully a potential buyer wouldn't make the connection. All folks could tell would be Corvallis hopefully.
You both seem resilient though I sense the subtleties in your post.
ReplyDeleteWishing you the very best for the new job and home. I know both will be positive outcomes.
I think we are just resigned to the fact our property is no longer the sanctuary from the world it once was. We are hoping to find that again. Looking for work is a whole other ball game, one I am not used to......
DeleteMerry Christmas Brandy, best wishes for 2018
ReplyDeleteThank you Warren. Best wishes to you for a wonderful 2018 with even more riding travels.
DeleteA late Merry Xmas and all the best for the New Year! Hope you find a decent job somewhere and yes, can't wait to see more bike riding posts in 2018!
ReplyDeleteTo you as well Andrew. I think we all hope for more riding posts. Now if the temps would get above freezing I'd be happy. Polar Bear ride this year on New Years Day is iffy because of ice on the roads.
DeleteHi! Looking forward to 2018 and a new home? Sounds like fun. We know someone who has a Piaggio MP3 that we are going to look at for me. Maybe we'll meet up next fall camping! Have a Happy New Year.
ReplyDeleteI am hoping we can meet up again in 2018. I know it was only summer when we saw you two but it seem like too long.
DeleteThe MP3 sounds cool. I've always been little intrigued by them.
Happy New Year to you and Richard as well.
Happy New Year to you and Brad both. Sounds like you are facing some daunting changes but I know once made you will be exhilarated by it all. The biggest change I made this year was purging - 40 cubic yards of life went down the driveway. It was wonderful! Best of luck with it all.
ReplyDeleteThank you Karen. Happy New Year to you as well.
DeleteAlthough 2018 shall bring changes I am hoping they are for the better. Ever the optimist am I.....
Spooky. Those two storey houses could easily be in England. We have built that style of house for at least 90 years in the 'burbs.....
ReplyDeleteOur late 60's early 70's neighborhood is over 90% one-story homes. And most of the two-stories are because people actually renovated and added a second story, they weren't originally built that way.
DeleteThe trend for the last 10 years or so has been to have smaller yards and larger homes and what is behind us is the culmination that that. The house is three times the size of ours and the yard(property) is 1/3 the size.
I am too late for Merry Christmas, so I will say Happy New Year instead! You will have a busy but exciting year it sounds. Best of luck in your search for a new house and a new job...I know the latter seems daunting after 17 years, but think positive and who knows what you may find!
ReplyDeleteI don't think you are too late. Just think of it as early for this year.
DeleteI am trying to stay positive. I still have through the end of February to find work and worst case scenario is UI. Not looking forward to that. Trying to be picky but if I need to take something not ideal, I will.
Sending good and positive vibes...you deserve to be picky!
Delete