House 4 Sale

This is getting old. And the house has only been showing for one week, almost. I've had lots of visitors--not that I ever see them. I'm supposed to clear out--clean up, turn on all the lights, and leave. Tuesday, in the early afternoon I was all set to lay on the couch and watch some mindless TV until I fell asleep when I got a text from the realty company requesting a house showing in an hour. Of course I always reply "yes." I dragged myself up out of the couch and left for two hours.

Why was I trying to fall asleep in the early afternoon? It's because I can't sleep all that well at night with all this going on. I wake up at weird hours, like 4:15, or 5:10 and I can't go back to sleep. I'm just starting to see the light in the sky through my window, so I start thinking about a cup of coffee.

Silver lining: to keep myself occupied during this particular house showing, I went to Barnes and Noble thinking I had a small amount left on my $50 gift card and I went to the embedded Starbucks on the second floor and ordered a frozen pumpkin spice frappuccino. Never done that before. I figured, maybe I'll find out what all the fuss is about. It was great. The only other fancy coffee drink I ever ordered was a Cubano, once. It tasted like coffee mixed with hot chocolate, but you can get those at the Quicktrip for $1.40. If you like, you can bring a felt tip marker and write your name on your styrofoam cup, but that is entirely optional.

Quicktrip does a surprisingly good job on coffee. Seriously. Now, when traveling, I not only keep an eye out for the Village (People) Inns along the way, but for the Quicktrips.  By the way, if you doubt my sincerity and veracity when I write about food, just look at this picture that I submitted to Google Maps while eating at Winstead's hamburger joint in Kansas City the other day.

Part of the program, here at Villa DeGregorio, is to sell off extraneous belongings, to trim down to my "moving weight," which is not quite precisely just those things that will fit in a '72 Olds Cutlass, not including a driver. (And even if I managed, I don't own an Olds Cutlass anymore, but something much smaller.) I sold quite a bit of stuff via Craigslist. It's never easy.

I am currently in the midst of selling my old 2003 Ford Focus. In the midst, I say, because it is a multi-stage process. Like I said: never easy. Nice kid, works at the grocery store down the street, going to junior college, needs a car, he likes the Ford but would like to take it to his mechanic. No problem, I think, though it turns out to be an afternoon-long extravaganza of miscommunication.
Eventually the kid comes back, wants to buy the car, haggles the price down (quite expertly) and then, in a surprise maneuver, after I agree to his price, says, he has to talk it over with his dad. Fast forward (too bad you can't do that, really,) to 24 hours later, he texts that he will buy the car. Awesome. I get the title out and discover that some time ago, when I was intending to give the car to my son I had him sign the buyer's information on the back of the title. Now that I'm selling it to someone else, that signature constitutes a mutilation, maybe, or at best an illegible sort of situation--anyway, the title's no good. Got to get another one.

No problem, you're thinking because, hey! This is the DMV! They'll know what to do!  Fast!  No. That is not true. 10 days, probably, or, alternatively, I can drive to Topeka and they'll make me up a new, replacement title while I wait. Anyway, I don't really want to drive to Topeka.

Anyway. Got a nibble yesterday. I think. A realtor showed the house for a second time to the same buyer. This is a good sign.

Oh. I almost forgot!  I said I would post a link to the house listing. Here it is:

http://portal.heartlandmls.com/Matrix/Public/Portal.aspx?ID=5658209492 

The room in picture 12 of 20 is where I am sitting right now.  Note also how splendid the lawn looks, both front and back.  (Not.) Otherwise, rest assured the house is not normally that neat.