We (may) have cottage!

Knock on wood. Deposits and such still need to be made.
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Hmmm do you think I should order my madder, indigo, some weld and marigold now? This is because, if the cottage comes through then, there is a private garden that is attached and I could you know try and grow stuff in it. I know I want lavender. And I would love to grow dye plants. Instead of, you know, growing dying plants (I so do not have a green thumb, but I think if it was my plot and I was the one learning from it it would be okay. I was responsible for a garden that was in the back of my former Primary and, ummmm, the lavender did real well as did the poppies; not so much everything else.)
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I am a third of the way through The Three Musketeers. D'artagnan had a much bigger part than I remembered. Perhaps this is because Athos, Porthos and Aramis were played by such good character actors they seemed more main characterish then they actually were.
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I almost have the leg of my second scarlett sock complete (reading and stst are a good combination) and I finished one of the amber knee highs last night*****CV

NB Good thing I didn't mention woad. Apparently it's a noxious weed in CA, as is the wild marigold.

Is that the time?

Got a phone call this morning from the property management wondering when they could bring people in to show the apartment. As I looked around noting boxes sealed and unsealed, books stacked in scattered heaps: to keep, to sell, to give away; a kitchen half packed and dust bunnies (some scurrying for cover and others blatantly prancing around the floor) I had to ask myself: Do they want to rent this apartment?
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In other news a cottage was looked at for me today and I have just sent off a generic application for it. Any good thoughts you can spare I appreciate.
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Books I have bought after selling thirty:

La Reine Margot, Alexandre Dumas

The Late Mr. Shakespeare, Robert Nye

Understood Betsy, Dorothy Canfield Fisher

****CV

Film at 10

Got the pics today. Wow. I think Portland has kind of spoiled me, or at least the section I live in. The new city is Urban with a capital "U". But that's okay. There is a movie house only a block away and groceries (if not the organinc kind) are three blocks over.

So unless something comes up real sudden and jumps in my lap it looks like this will be the place***CV

O casa mio

Thank you everyone who responded to my SOS. I did contact the owners and they are going to put together some pics today and tomorrow and send them to me. I'm really looking forward to seeing them.
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In other news: Hope I went and got the second in that series you sent me. Bad Hope. ;) I've also been picking up a few, no really, a FEW other reads:

Difficult Loves, Italo Calvino (short stories)

Inferno, Dante

The Rainbow Beneath My Feet, A. Bessette (mushroom dyeing)

Cast in Courtlight, Michele Sagaro

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The Hester/Wills I'm working on are a pair of to-the-knee scarlet socks. I actualy turned the heel on one today but didn't like the heel and then I noticed in the leg that a stitch had split when knit. It was barely hanging on. So I ripped back about 6 inches and I'm now to the heel flap again. The yarn is Shibui, Chinese Red. It looks like scarlet velvet :) ***CV

oh help please

What do I do?

I just got accepted for an apartment. This makes me feel good. According to the person who looked at it for me it is bright, spacious just really nice. It has hardwood, is on the top floor and the landlords live on the property. One half of the couple who are moving out walked everywhere, even though they both had a car; she felt really felt comfortable doing that. Transportation is reasonable, the public kind. The rent is in budget. The place will be available within my time frame. The landlords have been the most forthcoming and informative of all my contacts (accept the place I just missed getting) so far.

But:

The friend who saw it was not happy with the neighborhood. The house next door, on the corner, is for sale and its interior is trashed (according to one of the property's owners). Another friend who offered to look at it did not stop because of the diversity.

Help. I so want a place and everything so far is either nice but next to a freeway or in a good location and is a box. And really when my fiend who looked at it described it, oh wow.

I should really answer him at the latest early tomorrow am (as he has also apparently left a voice mail and the email is a follow up).

What would you do?
***CV

Stir crazy

Goin' courtin', goin' courtin'
Oh it sets your senses in a whirl.
Goin' courtin', going courtin'
Duding up to go and see a .... flat? crib? squat? dig? hut? cave? squirrel?

Guess that doesn't work.

Where are Rogers &Hammerstein, or Gilbert & Sullivan; heck, good ole Noel when you need 'em?
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Turned in my school keys today.
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Threw away almost three years of lesson plans last night. Yikes. I'm afeared to look in the back room. Who knows what school related stuff lurks in the dark of the den.***CV

When I First Came to Town

As I said before it's frustrating trying to find a place when one can't actually go there and look. It must be hard for the landlords too though *sigh* I was this close to havng a place in my old neighborhood, but I didn't go for it. I keep reminding myself that the manager wanted to let it this week and that there is no realistic way I could have done it that quickly.

My goal is July 1st.

I also received a call from a lovely person in the same area the school is, or at least the same town. The place sounds wonderful. No, wonderful, as in perfect for the pedestrian who needs to be in a diverse community of souls person that I am. It also has everything I want: light, hardwood, top floor, seperate rooms, affordable, pet friendly. I've sent what information I could but I do not know if it is enough.
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I went to Powell's to cheer myself up. Apparently someone had the complete works of Balzac, hardbound, and sold it recently because there they were all teh volumes sitting in a row today where they had not been yesterday. I didn't get any. They were very used copies. But it was interesting to see included in the fiction were some early plays Honore had written.
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Then I went to a music shop and I picked up some CDs with the gift certificate the families had thoughtfully given me: Kirsten Hirsch, Lisa Germano, Peter Murphy and the Abattoir Blues DVD/CD tour. If I can't see Nick when he comes this year I will at least find someone with a DVD player so I can see him that way *g* ****CV

Munincipal Musings

Ah the joys of apartment hunting when one can't actually see the place before putting down a deposit. Trust. Yes. This is what we are developing here.

After my last move or two I've decided I would rather not ship everything; I would prefer to pack a truck and drive down. This is leading to all sorts of questions such as: is the price quoted to rent a truck per day or for the entire trip? do I have to buy all the packing supplies reccomended? and, just what distinguishes an apartment sized vehicle from a 1-2 bedroom truck? Dimensions not withstanding. I'm presuming from the images provided that "apartment" is a euphemism for studio or small dark cramped-space which even the Wild Child would have considered a bit of a tight fit.

I think, though, that I would qualify for the larger size hence my query as to whether the fee be per day, or, however long it takes.

In the housing area I just saw a cottage for rent within my budget, about 15 minutes from where I would be working. Hah! Did I go: Oh boy! Oh boy!?

I did not.

See. I know me. I know if I could walk to work, I would. Not just during the work week but on the weekends, at night, during holidays. In other words: work would be my home. So I want a place which is commuting distance. One which requires a knit project and a book to tide me over to and fro.

*Sigh* It was cute though***CV