May 7 2016

Hello’s & Goodbye’s

chenry 2016, May, Year 3

First, let me say that we were in Texas when the earthquake struck the coast of Ecuador. Our home is in the Andes and we were not affected except for some swaying of the houses. No damage anywhere in Cotacachi, Otovalo, or Ibarra. The crystal that I have perched on the ledge of a shelf did not even move. Not sure how this is possible but no damage! So plan a trip to the Andes it is safe and offers help to the folks living on the coast. They need all the help they can obtain. Pray for them.

In April, we returned to Texas for our annual visit but this time for 3 weeks. Our new California granddaughter flew in with our son and sweet daughter-in-law so we could have a real family get-together. For the last 2 years, we have rented our home and have been so fortunate to have such great renters. But now we needed to decide to either keep our home or sell. We did not want the stress of renting again while we lived in another country.

Before we left for Texas we decided to keep our little treasure of a home situated right on a little lake. So we packed up on an inflatable bed and purchased some furniture to make the home comfy when we would come back to visit.

What we soon realized was this furniture is going to stage our home to sell. We still love the home and the little lake but the community had changed in the last 2 years. Many of the lakeside owners had either died or moved to retirement centers. Some of the new owners are not so congenial. One day on either side of our house a neighbor verbally attacked the HOA President. Yelling and using profanity set my nerves on edge. Now the HOA President has resigned from the abuse. What had happened to our little piece of paradise? One of our former 90-year-old neighbors made it her pride and joy to make sure the lake is surrounded by Bluebonnets each spring. Now folks are complaining about the flowers as well as the wildlife. I just do not understand this type of behavior. The look of the neighborhood had changed. A couple of folks have expanded their newly purchased homes from the previous owners. But now did not have room to keep their 2-4 cars in the garage. The cars now litter the driveways and streets. When we built our home one of the key factors in our selection was that all cars are housed in garages. Makes sense to me to keep your car in the garage. Our remaining friends have moved on with their lives and really not too interested in what we are doing. Friendships that are not nurtured soon die and are not what they had been. True friendships stand the test of time no matter the time and distance.

So, as much as we loved our home and the little lake we did not like the changes in the neighborhood which was a real slap in the face. Yes, it was time to sell while the DFW market was hot. So we arranged for photographs of our home by Shoot to Sell and then posted them on For Sale By Owner website. We had our first offer in 2 days followed by a total of 4 offers and the calls still keep coming. We agreed to sell to a nice man and his wife that plan to also rent the home and maybe live there later. They are making nice changes to the wallpaper and adding updated granite countertops. They are in the process of making the home theirs which is a good thing.

A champagne toast as we sit on the back deck overlooking the lake saying goodbye to our home with no regrets. A chapter of our life is closing but a new one is still waiting. We have wonderful memories of this wonderful chapter of our life.

The theme music I have chosen is “Somewhere” and I think it fits this issue of my blog perfectly because it is what I feel as my husband and I continue our adventure in beautiful Cotacachi, Educator. The lyrics are below the music so take a moment to enjoy.