The old house is sold. We closed on it on October 4th. A woman about my age with her little dog bought it, and I hope they’re very happy there for a long time. I teared up as we prepared to drive away from it the last time we went there as the owners, but I think that selling it and saying that last, “Good-bye,” to it would have been much harder if we hadn’t moved out three months prior. It didn’t feel much like our house anymore by that last visit.
The best thing that came from selling the old house is that after we put all of the sale profits towards our current house’s mortgage, Justin was able to shuffle enough other assets around that we are officially back to our mortgage-free status as of today. Now, to begin Justin’s list of non-emergent, mostly small projects for this house while we decide what bigger, fun things we hope to do here. This past weekend, Justin started with power washing and cleaning the decks so that they can be sealed. Then, to decide on outdoor furniture.
I don’t think we’ll be going too crazy with any outdoor fall/Halloween decorations this year, as Halloween is only 10 days away. We’ll definitely get outside figured out for Christmas though! It’s going to be very weird to not have any trick or treaters, since we’re on a main road and well away from any neighborhood this year. (Rook and Magic will not complain about that though; they’ll be having the most relaxed Halloween they’ve ever known.) As Justin said, it’s kind of like losing a holiday for us since we always enjoyed ordering some food and handing out candy. I’ll miss the inventive costumes some kids come up with.
I have worked three full weeks at my new job now. It’s going well, overall. There are, of course, some adjustments to be made. Friday was “one of those days” that everyone has at work, no matter what you do, where nothing seemed to be easy, and I couldn’t make anyone (client-wise) happy. I am very much looking forward to my first procedure day this Wednesday. It’s been way too long, with my month off and then three weeks of twelve hour appointment days as I settled in and the support staff schedule got sorted. I know the system here is not what I’m used to, but I tried to get sense of it from one of the other doctors last week. I think we’ll all figure it out soon enough and get into a good groove on procedure mornings.
In other news, Rook injured himself around the time I stopped seeing appointment at my previous job. Initially, it was very subtle, but he’s had a couple of bouts of seeming very uncomfortable to outright painful. I’ve tried to take him off of his pain meds a couple of time and within a couple of days, we’re back to square one. Last week, I took him to see an orthopedist because I just needed someone above my pay grade to check him out and set out a plan for us (because 1. it’s sometimes hard to think logically about your own dog and 2. I am terribly impatient/rather noncompliant when it comes to following the directions I know need to be followed; I hope that someone else telling me what I need to do helps kick me into gear). Next week, Rook will be going to see a rehab vet at Penn to give us exercises to help stabilize his shoulder. In the interim, he will be getting more acupuncture, even if he isn’t thrilled about it, and cold laser of his shoulder Tuesdays and Fridays. At the recommendation of another rehab vet I know (she is booked until December, unfortunately, when Rook will *hopefully* be back to himself), I ordered him an Assisi Loop for some targeted pulsed electromagnetic field therapy. We’re doing what we can to rest the wild man. He’s very good at it when absolutely nothing is happening, but otherwise, not so much, especially if he’s having a “feeling good” kind of day. Magic is also not helpful with the whole rest thing.
Updated on Rookie rest and rehab to follow…
“Happiness doesn’t have just one address.” ~ Anonymous
