Ken's gone EDIT: EDIT 2

[feng_shui_house]

The movers took most of Ken's stuff yesterday & he drove off with his car packed full (and taking one of his 3 cats) this morning about two hours ago. He expects to be about 3 days on the road before he gets to Arizona, and the temporary accommodation he has there. I think he'll probably be able to move into his house on the 7th or thereabouts (depending on whether any problems arise with the legal aspects.)

I am going to try to take a nap now, haven't been getting more than 3-4 hours sleep a night since this whole thing reached melt-down.

Ken plans to fly back to get his other 2 cats (and some stuff he left behind-- and whatever he thinks he can snag from me, I'm sure) eventually.

Yesterday Ken and I (after I did most of it, of course) removed the built-in makeup table in the back bedroom (boy, Dad had fastened that to the wall good. I'll have to patch the wall.) Once I get enough stuff out of storage in the back bedroom I'm taking out the large closet dad built there. Like everything else, it's worn out. I'm considering whether it's worthwhile getting the kitchen redone. It's antiquated, worn-out, and mismatched, but would a buyer prefer to redo it themselves? Well, many other jobs to do before I need to make a decision on that.

Later today the salesman for the window/door company is likely to come by to talk about changes to the plans- the A/C stuck in the windows in the Fla. room is a code violation. I need to hire someone to build up the wall & put the A/C in as a wall unit before they can put a window to either side of it.

The thunder seems to have stopped, and I'm very tired. Shall try to nap now.

EDIT: Got up from my nap & went out to check that the trashmen had picked up. They picked up EVERYONE ELSE'S from the neighborhood but not mine. Guess why? I told Ken yesterday I'd already put out the maximum they were likely to take on a non-bulk day-- 4 neatly tied bags-- and asked him not to put anything else on the pile. I had showed him 2 'staging areas' I'd set aside --one outside the house for big or dirty things, one inside the house for small clean things.

He put on the pile---a dozen cardboard boxes, 3 plastic boxes, a half dozen pieces of scrap metal, and a whole bunch of the splintered wood from the makeup 'table' I'd demolished yesterday, etc. etc.

I went out in the pouring rain and bagged up the small stuff (leaving the bag in the yard) and dragged the big stuff to the outside staging area at the side of the house. I left my original 4 bags on the pile. I only hope the trashboss doesn't give me a citation now for having trash out ahead of time since they won't pick up again until Friday.

*sigh* Bloody typical. Everything Ken ever did made more work for me, and frequently cost me more money.

It rained like gangbusters- I'm not sure the window guy will come today, everything's flooded, it's a real mess.

I put up another Craigslist ad, this time for Ken's bicycle.
http://miami.craigslist.org/bik/437064893.html

I reread the rules and suddenly realize I misinterpreted it. You can only put up one ad per 48 hours per city per *category*. So if I'm trying to flog entirely unrelated items the ads can run simultaneously. Cool. Will get down my H/O train set later & try to figure what would be an attractive, but not totally giveaway, price for all the LOTS of bits and bobs.

Ken kept telling me he was leaving me stuff I could sell, but he kept changing his mind and either taking it, or giving it to someone else, eventually winding up with pretty much just the bicycle. Supposedly his good buddy the drug-dealer (Oh, I'm not supposed to know that) is to get the gas mower and trimmer. I'll give him a week and if he doesn't show up, I'll put it on the craigslist.

Fine. I'm cheerfully tossing the last of his gluten stuff. It's amazing how much more AIR I have without him or his tons of stuff. Shall be able to start sorting out things to send family & flog on eBay (but may have to limit mailing to priority until I can drive, because that's the only one I'm sure they'll pick up from the house if I request it on-line.

EDIT 2: Email from Ken, he and Eric are in Alabama. Approx. 1/3 of the way to Arizona.

Comments

[kalinda001.livejournal.com]

Closer to the final day...yay! But at least he's out of your hair for now.
Hope you get a good nap.

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

Progress is wonderful! I shall nap with my bedroom door not only unlocked, but open!

[reapermum.livejournal.com]

And after the nap (and maybe the salesman) A Naked Dance for joy. Just like Snoopy

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

Yes! I needed a shower later on, and danced naked into my room to get dressed afterward.

[miwahni.livejournal.com]

Like this icon, you mean?
Freedom, huh. Enjoy!

[reapermum.livejournal.com]

Like this icon, you mean?

That's exactly what I meant.

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

Snoopy dance! Yay!

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

He made it! You've got rid of almost all of him! Well done! Sleep well!

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[(Anonymous)]

Three rousing cheers(said softly so as not to disturb your nap)

The next thing you have to do even before the windows is get your locks changed. He might realise what a cushy number he had with you and you could wake up one morning and find him snoring on the sofa.

[linda-joyce.livejournal.com]

Oi lj was supposed to log me on, lj dosn't like me %(. Anon was me.

[reapermum.livejournal.com]

Didn't she get the locks changed a couple of weeks ago and wasn't giving him a key? When he was packed off to the motel.

Just ignore us, entropy_house, we'll just chat while you nap.

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

Yep, that's right. One day he was here and I needed to go out (forget why) and he suggested I leave him a key. I told him, no, that's all right, I won't lock you out while I'm out.

No way in Hades was I ever letting him *touch* my keys.

[linda-joyce.livejournal.com]

I think she may have, but as I'm turning into my mother as I get alder and she had a forgettery not a memory, i can't be 100% sure.

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

The older you get the more you have to remember. I'd forget my head if it wasn't tacked firmly in place.

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, I called the locksmith fifteen minutes after he first left to go to a motel. I only waited 15 min. to be sure he wasn't coming back for something he'd forgot.

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

Slow and painful, but you're getting here...

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

Yes, I am! I keep seeing stuff he's mucked up & I'll need to redo. Definitely will need carpenters to redo the soffits he botched and the doorframes he ruined. I may be able to fix the folding door he hung with one side an inch higher than the other.

[shimere277.livejournal.com]

Before you redo the kitchen, get some opinions from a realtor. The woman who sold us this house redid the kitchen, which was a big selling point for us, but because the housing market had bottomed out when we bought the house, she ended up losing money because of it. A good realtor should be able to tell you whether the investment in the remodeling will result in enough of an increase in asking price to cover it/make it worth your while/make it easier to sell the house, or not.

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

*nods* I'm doing the absolute essentials right now. By the time I get to the maybes like kitchen remodeling, I'll definitely make inquiries to find out if it's worth my while.

I suspect it will be essential. 3/4s of the kitchen is 1970's woodgrain formica veneer (chipped & bits missing,grease-filthy beyond cleaning), 1/4 is a totally non-matching, supposedly solid wood series of separated 'boxes' that don't even all line up without gaps, installed in 2005 by the crooked plumber.

Anarchistic is the kindest word for it.