Samain                                                                                             Closing Moon

So. On Samain I went over to the Otherworld (Conifer, Colorado with no internet service and a gimpy computer). Luckily I got back just this morning, still in Colorado and with only two full days having passed. Translation, I reset my computer to its factory defaults and got my phone number from Century Link so I could connect the DSL.

In resetting the computer I lost my posts written in Wordpad while in the Otherworld (that old one with no technology) so this is, in effect, my first post since Samain began.

A lot has happened. On Samain morn, I met with various real estate, banker and closer types to complete the purchase of Black Mountain Drive. That was easier than setting up the damn DSL and returning from the no-tech Otheworld.

I’ve been camped out in a lower level bedroom with my REI sleeping bag and a pillow. First night was difficult, but I got a good nap. The next day we switched back to standard time, one of the real chaos events in my world since I’m a standard time all the time is good enough for me guy, so some sleep lost adjusting there, but last night I slept great.

Being in the mountains is wonderful. I keep having do I really live here feelings. Shadow Mountain drive, the road up here from the Aspen Park area, winds past mountain meadows, huge outcroppings of a reddish rock, log cabins and millionaire’s retreats made of stone. These last perch on hillsides or on rocky promontories. By the time you get up Shadow Mountain to our place on Black Mountain Drive the housing has become less grand.

The mule deer come into our backyard, dining on weeds, lichen and small tufts of a tough grass. They are placid, allowing me to get within 30 or 40 feet before turning tail and scampering off, further up the mountain, using the power line corridor as a throughway.

The big mission while here, in addition to buying the house, is getting a fence built. We’re going to rely this time on a combination of invisible fence technology and a four foot perimeter fence to which I will attach the invisible (really visible, and bright yellow at that) fence. Making the place safe for our hounds and getting it done before we move is very important.

I met Saturday with Mike, “the fence guy.” He’s a local, a one man company, and has been building fence up here for 23 years. He’s also a pretty close match to John Goodman, especially Goodman’s character in the Big Lebowski. He’s one option, but he stops working once the ground freezes. That happens, he says, after a snowfall, a thaw and a subsequent freeze. There’s snow on the ground this morning.

Brian, of A Straight Up Fence, is on his way now. Richard, of Pioneer fence, said he’d take care of us if the local guys don’t work out. I’m inclined to go with Mike but we’ll see what Brian has to say.

On Saturday night I had supper with Jon and Jen at Uokura, sushi place in Golden. The three of us like sushi and sashimi so we often dine Japanese. Saw the grandkids yesterday. Gabe came down, snuggled up, explained about nose bleeds, then said, “I’m going back upstairs.” Ruthie stuck her head over the banister then pulled it back. She was shy, she said. Jon and I watched a bit of the Broncos at the Patriots, then I  headed over to the Best Buy to have them work on this computer.

Both ways I drove along Colfax Avenue for miles, driving from Golden through the western edge of Denver, then through downtown past the Capitol building and up Colorado Avenue past the Denver Zoo the museum of natural history. Colfax is equivalent to Minneapolis’ Lake Street. Both are very long and involve multiple ethnic transitions though Colfax is said here to be the longest street in the country.

Just got done with Brian. He’s a sharp guy. Unfortunately for Mike, if Brian’s numbers come in well, I’m going to go with him.

Time to head down to the village, deed in hand, to forward mail from here to Minnesota for six weeks, apparently the Post Office requires proof of ownership. Makes sense. Then I’m also going to visit Certified Toyota Service which looks like a small outside the metro service to get Toyota maintenance done. Gonna check with them about their recommendations on tires.

So, Lunch. Mail. Toyota. Back up the mountain. Nap.

Fall                                                                 Closing Moon

So this computer continues to baffle me. Somedays it recognizes me, somedays not. As if it has some form of cyber dementia. Then, as if in compensation, today it allowed me to see the whole browser screen and I can once again publish. Maybe it’s move-stupid, too.

A good rest last night, a quick shower and the Rav4 will go the two blocks to 285. Then, for the last time as a non-home owner in Colorado, I’ll drive 20 minutes west into the Front Range to Conifer (the wide spot in the road with some businesses) and have breakfast.

After breakfast comes wandering around between Aspen Park and Conifer, seeing the businesses there, getting familiar with the area. As it gets close to 11, I’ll find Guardian title and, with Kate’s power of attorney in hand, I’ll buy a house.

Fall                                                                                            Closing Moon

Ancientrails goes on the road again today. Not sure what that will for mean for posting once I “move in” to Black Mountain Drive. I should have broadband service on Friday, but whether I’ll be able to connect to it right away is another matter.

One night in Nebraska and another at a Best Western in southern Denver (an acclimation night before going up Black Mountain for 5 days) then it’s sleeping bag and air mattress.

I keep expecting a surge of excitement to hit me, but the number of details to wade through has dampened enthusiasm through the death of a thousand faxes. Probably when I’m on the road, somewhere south of Rochester, it’ll kick in.

The drive itself will allow for a gradual psychic adjustment to the notion that this is one of the last Andover to Colorado trips. After next month, they’ll be Colorado to Minnesota instead.

Fall                                                                                      Closing Moon

Tomorrow I set out for Colorado in the Rav4 carrying canned goods, some electronics, my tea ware, garden chemicals and a red gas can. This is all stuff we don’t want the movers to handle or that they won’t. I’ll also have enough to set up minimal housekeeping: air mattress, sleeping bag, towels, table, chair, pot and pan, tea kettle.

There will be, too, recorded books, bottled water (the only time I use it), carrots, grapes, cheese curds and salmon nuggets.

All of these items are incidental of course to the POA that I’ll carry, the original (actually the third original, but the original liked best by those who will close this deal). I have appointments now with two fence contractors, one on Saturday and one on Tuesday. The dryer comes on Tuesday, but so far no mention of the washer we bought at the same time.

This will be an ascetic experience with little in the way of electronic distractions. Just fine for a few days.

Fall                                                                                Closing Moon

OK, so they wanted confirmation that I had transferred closing money into a liquid account. All my Vanguard accounts are liquid, but never mind. Keep an eye on the end point. The house. Sent the confirmation of the transaction. After I’d sent them evidence of the transaction.

Then, we have to have a page that shows the money is in the account. But. I just showed that I transferred the money into the account. Yes, but you could have a negative balance in the account as a whole and not have the full amount available. This is a money market account. It can’t have a negative balance. Then some drivel about having to account for all aspects of money. Government. Hah. Petty power wielding.

Anyhow, I took a shot of the screen with my cell phone and sent that. Turns out it’s ok.

Entirely too easy.

Fall                                                                           Closing Moon

Somebody somewhere can explain underwriters; but, if there were a new map of the Inferno, they would occupy a position in the lower circles of my version of hell. Take, for example, the power of attorney. We have to have a POA as the mortgage folks call it, so I can sign for both of us in the closing. OK, that’s reasonable.

So, I downloaded a POA form from the State Attorney General’s office, Minnesota. And, the first option it contains is a box to tick marked real estate transactions. A common use of this common form. Since this is a real estate transaction, we ticked the box, had it all notarized, wrapped with a small bow, then faxed it to Wells Fargo. That was Friday.

Yesterday afternoon we got a call from David, a factotum for our mortgage consultant Valerie, who has done a great job for us. We needed, David said, a new POA with the street address alongside the real estate transaction box. By now Kate has become a fixture at the local Wells Fargo office. Since it’s a Wells Fargo transaction, they fax our materials for free. So, I printed out a new one, Kate faxed it.

When she came home, I asked Kate to call David, just to be sure the POA plus other materials were adequate. Well, none of them were. We needed a better copy of a receipt for a new refrigerator, a better proof that we had in fact moved the down payment money into a liquid account, and a new POA. Yes, that’s right. Version 3.0. This time the underwriter wanted not only the address but the full legal description beside the box.

At this point we did what any mature couple would do. We watched Midsomer Murder and went to bed. On rising, with a good sleep behind us, these new tasks seemed small. Kate’s on her way back to Wells Fargo with fresh paper to sacrifice to the fax gods in hopes of appeasing the demon underwriter. We’ll see.

I talked to Lindsey yesterday, the closer, and she asked me to prod the bank to get her the documents. Me? Prod the bank? I gave a low chuckle and said I’d try.

Fall                                                                            Closing Moon

So. Excel was not my electric and gas supplier. Instead I have Intermountain Rural Electric Co-op. I like that it’s a co-op. Connexus, our electricity utility here in Andover is a co-op, too. Gas is Colorado Natural Gas. All tidied up now, but involved the usual your call is important to us, our options have changed and all available agents are busy at this moment but please remain on the line.

I’ve called six separate fence contractors and still have no call back. My first calls were last Friday. The Denver metro real estate market is in heat, money flying everywhere by wire, check, cash. Little room for new folks to get their foot in the door. I do have until December 18th or so before the dogs hit the ground in Conifer, but there has to be a fence by then. Persistence, I imagine.

My preference is to nail things down well ahead of the date necessary. This is not about responsibility or bourgeois norms, but about managing my anxiety. If I have enough time, I can deal with problems, and there are always problems. If I don’t have enough time, I find my decision making gets crossed with time pressure, sometimes that yields poor judgment. Don’t expect to see me as an EMT, emergency room doc, or policeperson. Slow and steady in these matters.

The big rug is now back again at the American Rug Laundry. They’ll spiff it up and wrap it in brown paper. It will go in that wrapping onto the Stevens Van Line truck. The last time I took it in the guy, when I picked it up, said he’d never seen a rug with so much sand. That’s the Great Anoka Sand Plain and four dogs in action.

Fall                                                                                   Closing Moon

Transferred gas and electric utility to our name, effective 10/31/14. Connected dsl and landline service effective 10/31/14. Bought washer and dryer online from Sears Outlet. In budget.

Harvested the leeks, the true last harvest from our garden. Leek and chicken pot pies on Tuesday. Kate’s been busy getting stuff organized for my trip. She packed up all the canned goods and I’ve started carrying them upstairs. I’m taking my second Gateway desktop and our HP inkjet printer, too. Various potions from International Ag Labs will be on this load, plus one gas can. Coffee press, tea kettle, sleeping bag, pillow, toiletries. A chair, a folding table, a lamp.

We bought a washer and dryer online from Sears Outlet and they get delivered on November 4th. I’m going to track down a freezer while I’m there.

And of course there’s the routing number and account number of the closing company so, high finance style, I can wire money to the closing on the 31st. I have to take a power of attorney with me that allows me to represent Kate in the closing. Lots of little moving pieces.

The big oriental goes into the American Rug Laundry for its last shampoo and rinse in this state. Then it will go on the moving truck, not back on the floor.

Oh, and I have to visit the library for recorded books. Traveling cross country is a lot of seat time. As I’ve said here before, I use these trips as retreats, spending some long periods in silence, meditative, not meditating. Contemplative. Clears away the webs of the day-to-day.

With this week coming up one full ring of the three-ring tent will be collapsed, rolled up and packed on the train. That’s the Colorado ring. The Andover tent will stay up until this house is sold. The third ring, the move itself, will come down in mid-December. That tent is getting smaller. The circus is leaving town.