Saturday, July 28, 2007

Busy Days

Lots of busy days ahead, getting the house set up and moving in. Up for today: visit Mom, buy a washer and dryer and put up a mailbox.

I've pretty much decided to go with a front loading washer. They cost more (ouch!), but they save an incredible amount of water and energy. A top loading washer uses up to 60 gallons of water for a full load of laundry; a front loading unit uses about 14. That means less water pulled from the well, less water heated, less detergent used, and less water and detergent discharged into the septic system. Front loaders are also more effective at cleaning, and they get a lot more water out of the laundry during the spin cycle. That translates to shorter drying times. Basically, I'll use less water, propane and electricity, and I'll put less stress on my septic system if I buy a front loader. It's a win-win situation, since what is good for me is also good for the environment. There are some minor drawbacks to front loaders, too, but with a well and septic, it's the way to go. Advice would be appreciated from anyone who has experience with particular brands of washer/dryer combos.

Tomorrow will be a day for cleaning (floors and counter tops, which still have some dust and grit from the building process on them), ironing (window treatments) and moving small items. No need to describe the coming days any further, you get the gist. I have a vacation coming up in September, and I hope to be pretty well settled in by then, which will free up my time to putter in the yard.


Tuesday, July 24, 2007

MERCY!!!!

I am rattled beyond belief today. Settlement is tomorrow. Tomorrow morning I will pretty much empty the contents of my bank account and hand it over to a mortgage company. The mortgage company will then proceed to take most of my income every month forever. I see trips to Tuscany and Provence, cruises of the Mediterranean, now beyond my reach.

I ended the work day today with an incomprehensible collage of sticky notes on my desk. Most of them made little or no sense. I'll try to sort it all out when I'm back at my desk on Thursday, hopefully in a calmer frame of mind.

I really am rattled.