The Search Started

So, yesterday I explained why we started looking at CHEAP houses. When you're trying to find a place that you can pay cash for, and you're on one income to begin with, the pickings are pretty slim. However, we managed to find some interesting places in our price range.

Take, for example, a 1300 square foot home with garage, all set for central heat and air, two bedrooms, picture looks nice, for just slightly more than we had available. Sounded like a good deal! We called a real estate agent (pretty much at random) and we set up a showing for a few houses in this area.

That was a bit of an eye-opener. The garage? The door was not working. The back door out of the garage had been forced, and was now just boarded up. The walls were a mess, the electrical was so-so, and that central air conditioning had vanished. Someone had stolen it. And the facade didn't look as good in person as the picture showed.

And this was several steps up from the place next door. In fact, most of the neighborhood showed either run-down or uninhabited houses. Bars were on windows. Spray paint was on many of the abandoned areas.

Three houses, one afternoon, all pretty much the same story. We couldn't stomach the idea of living in that particular neighborhood, especially if we didn't know anybody. But this experience helped us to formulate the finishing touches to what we had begun calling the Fallujah plan. Later on, I'll explain it in its fullness.

Backstory

Well, this is the period where I need to spice things up if this blog will remain interesting. We're mainly just unpacking, and Annie has a bit of a head cold, so house progress is slow. However, in our first post we promised a little bit of backstory, so here you go.

We were married in September of 2005. After our honeymoon, we moved to Tulsa and began living in an apartment. Our residence in that location continued until last month. We began considering the house option a while back, and we actually started looking about a year ago.

The consideration period was lengthy, and we dwelled on many themes. One of these was debt. I'll quote the verse of the day early:

Proverbs 22:7 - The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower [is] servant to the lender.

So debt is a freedom issue. Now, we don't condemn mortgages, but if we could find a way to own a house without a loan, we'd be ahead of the game. If finances were super lean for a long time, we'd still have a place to live, free and clear. We'd no longer be servants to our landlord, and we wouldn't be engaging in new servitude to a bank or mortgage company. So we started looking at CHEAP houses.

The search had many perilous challenges, too many to relate in one post. Later on, I'll tell the story of our first outing.

Showers

If your olfactory sense is operating normally, you probably already knew that we haven't taken showers since we moved in. Well, we bathed, so I hope you didn't really smell us. But there were some obstacles to overcome before we could shower. I explained in earlier posts how we needed to get the floor fixed, the window trim replaced, the whole place cleaned, the window trim painted, sealed, and caulked, and I related that the towel rack was up. We also had to hang a shower curtain, and we decided to go with faux wood blinds in the window as a privacy solution. That's all done now, and now we can shower. It's so nice. The advantages over bathing are multitudinous. Speed, convenience, not sitting in your own filthwater. The list goes on.

Last night it rained a good deal, so you could say our house took a shower, too. Except that it is not waterproof like a person. We didn't suffer any damage, but it underscores the need to take care of the roof and seal up the utility room. And regrade the yard for better drainage, etc. Is aluminum flashing cheap?

Gen 6:17 - And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein [is] the breath of life, from under heaven; [and] every thing that [is] in the earth shall die.

[Our flood was not as cataclysmic, and I could detect no destroyed flesh.]

Notes from Underground

I said I forgot to bring my camera underneath the house with me; I remembered that I had crawlspace pictures anyway, though. Remember from the July 21st post, that Chris sacrificed half his body for the cause? We were adjusting some plywood height. Here was the final result.

Please note that Chris's eyes are not normally like that. Between the time we took the plywood off and then relaid it, this gaping hole existed in our home.

I stuck the camera down and took pictures in the four cardinal directions. To the west was the sewer pipe I mentioned.

Continuing around the circle, the view is something like this.



Now, this all looked pretty good to me. My only companions down there were a few snails. It was just a cool, sandy spot out of the sun. Like the beach, when you have an umbrella. But instead of a swimsuit, you are wearing coveralls and a gas mask, because this beach is soaked in pesticide.

Progress continued over the weekend, but I'm out of time! Peace!

Previous Occupant

Things are going swimmingly at the Claim Shanty. We are unpacking furniture and kitchen items, and I mowed my lawn at my house with my lawnmower. It took like three hours, but I had to clear a bit of jungle out of the southwest corner of the lot. There remains a large portion of the Quarter Acre Wood that will have to be beaten back another day.

Sorry I have no pictures, but I do have a story. I was preparing to patch the drywall behind the stove when I realized that the edge of the area to be patched had mold on it. After cutting out that portion of drywall, I found evidence of a previous occupant: a mouse.

How can you be sure it was a mouse? What evidence did you find?

I'm glad you asked. The evidence included a nest in the wall, which showed mousekind workmanship and scrap materials: plastic bag shred here, shirt tag there. This was pretty convincing, but what sealed the deal was his carcass. That's right. I found a dead mouse in the wall. Annie was displeased. I was a little more upbeat about it, because at least the mouse was dead. Instead of having to chase it all through the walls with a drywall saw, his deadness meant I could just clean out the wall cavity and spray the whole area with bleach water. Tonight I intend to finish patching, and then we can move the stove out of the middle of the room.

Lev 11:27 - Also whatever walks on its paws, among all the creatures that walk on {all} fours, are unclean to you; whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean until evening.

Haven

When we first moved in, we were sleeping on an air mattress. Most of our stuff was packed away. Here is a glimpse into our state of affairs at that time.

As we get our stuff out of storage in the north side of our house, the following transformation has taken place:

It's downright cozy. Lots of stories to tell; perhaps I can tell them over the weekend. We found our local branch of the Tulsa City-County Library, which is exciting. Also exciting was my trip under the house. I didn't bring the camera with me, but I simply must in the future. I can tell you that the place is well-ventilated, the soil is very, very sandy, and the joists all look good. Except around the main sewer pipe, where the joists get complicated. No damage, just strange construction choices. My journey was cut short by foggy goggles, but I'll make another attempt before we start reflooring the kitchen.

Matthew 7:24-27 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

(I just wanted to mention here that there were also rocks underneath the house.)

It is Thursday

Hi again! Last night was date night, and we spent a little bit of it getting the bed set up. No more air mattress for us! I have pictures, but I forgot them at home. I hope I remember them tomorrow. Also, Annie has made the bathroom into a wonderful place, and the computer is operational in the guest room. Tonight, I go underneath the house to inspect the foundation and some joists. If I survive, I'll try to relate my exploits to you. Until then, have a peaceful evening.

1 Cor 3:11 - For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Bathroom

So, the bathroom is coming along nicely. I stated that Sunday we had solved the bathing problem, but really that's all we solved. In order to solve the showering problem, we need to take care of this:



I found a coupla little equations:

Unfinished wood + Water = :-(

Primed, painted, and caulked wood + Water = :-/

I like that second one a whole lot better! Annie's already primed the window, and she may have painted and caulked it by now, I don't know. I put up a towel rack. That's not as cool. It's really level, though.

Gotta go!

Essential Tasks

I wrote a few days ago about the need to establish a haven, a cozy place, as being our first priority. It turns out that there are higher priorities. Let me line it out for you.

Monday was our first full day in the house, but we started living there Sunday evening. We realized quite quickly that there were two major goals that needed immediate attention: solutions for sleeping and bathing. With these largely taken care of, we addressed another concern yesterday: eating. This was a big deal. Can I show you how our kitchen looked on Monday morning? You may be offended.




Are you not alarmed at the mass of sundries atop our stove? Are you not aghast at the swarming detritus in the floors and on the counters? Your amazement is about to be cranked up a notch. Behold what my wife managed in a single day!



That stuff was yummy. How do I know? I'm not just a chronicler, I'm a resident.



And I haven't shaven in a while. Not that I've taken a Nazarite vow or anything. Though this would be a convenient time...

Num 6:5 - All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth [himself] unto the LORD, he shall be holy, [and] shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.

We really live there now

So, we are living in the house now. We slept there last night, and I left from there this morning to get to work. We haven't really unpacked anything, though. At least, we hadn't, when I left my wife to stare at the mounds of stuff in one area and the echoing emptiness in the other. I said, "I'll call you at two!" Then I ran away in a cowardly fashion.

I can't wait to get home and see what she's done with the place. Of course, I'll have to help unpack, as well, and put feet on furniture, and many other gargantuan assignments that will sap my strength and challenge my will. Any further additions to this blog post would be shameful procrastination, so I must bid you all adieu.

2 Timothy 2:3 - Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.