Ready To Go

Busy week here at the little cottage by the creek in the redwoods. The real estate photographer came Saturday to take the pictures for the MLS listing and virtual slideshow that accompanies the listing.

Here are a few of the photographs and here is the link to a preliminary version of the slideshow. The slideshow takes a bit to load up because there is music that plays in the background. The slideshow also shows the picnic area near the clubhouse.



The great room - showing the fireplace with insert, plantation shutters, and vaulted ceiling (also in both bedrooms). This picture was taken from the kitchen.





This bedroom is at the rear of the cottage and has views of the deck, the wood bridge and the creek below.

The creek. This was taken at the junction of the creek and the river - the view is looking up creek towards my deck and the wooden bridge.

The front bedroom.


The kitchen and my computer area. The window on the left with the shutters overlooks the deck and creek. The kitchen sink window has views of the creek and the wood bridge. The window over the glass dining room table on the right also has shutters but is not visible in this shot.

Tomorrow is the pre-listing tour for all the agents in my agent's company. It should hit the MLS later this week and next Tuesday, the little cottage by the creek in the redwoods will be visited by the Santa Cruz County Brokers tour as "just listed".

Fingers and toes crossed for a speedy sale - hey, a girl can dream!

The Squirrel Did It

Squirrels are nothing but rats with a bushier tail. They are always eating. If they are not actively eating, they are on the hunt for something to eat. It appears at least one had a close encounter with my phone line some time before the wee hours of Monday morning.

Haven't posted anything because my phone line became filled with static. I am on a lowly dial-up and the amount of static on the line kept booting me off line. I could barely get to email, much less be able to surf on the web. I totally missed Monday and Tuesday's real time Libby trial coverage over at FireDogLake.

Called the phone company and informed the call taker that based on previous experience, this happens when a squirrel has chewed on the phone line. Right now, the static is intermittent - but if it rains again, I'm off line until the repair guy comes. The phone company assures me it will be before 5pm Friday.

Oh, the joy of waiting for the telephone repairman.

Speaking of rain, my year to date total is 19 7/8 inches. I was at 12 3/4 inches at the start of this last storm system.

The photographer is booked for the listing photo's for this Saturday morning. The little cottage by the creek in the redwoods will officially be for sale and on the MLS and I start the next phase of my life. When it sells, where will I go? I think it will be Oregon but it may be Washington State. May be on the coast or it may be in the coastal mountains. Time will tell.

Still Raining

Still raining up here. Creek is rising and that is finally pushing out some of the debris from last winter's fallen tree. As you can see in the above picture, there is only one debris pile just past the wood bridge where there used to be two. I heard and saw the now displaced pile as it made its way down creek to where the creek normally narrows on this side of the wood bridge. I know that at least part of it is snagged on the rocks at the narrows because I can see the tail of a large log poking up above the water. It didn't show up as well in the photo, where it is at the bottom - the dark spot to the left of center bottom. More of the pile is snagged on the rocks directly below my deck but they will move easily downstream from there.

I've put out slices of Oatmeal Pumpkin bread that is scrumptious for those visiting from Skippy's place. I didn't add the pecans due to concerns about those with nut allergies.

Make yourself comfortable, feel free to go though my achieves - especially those looking for more pictures of the temperate rain forest I live in or for pictures of Token, Bailey, and/or Token's sister, Goldie, who lives next door. There is political stuff here too.

So far today, we have gotten 1 and 3/4 inches of rain, bringing the year to date rain totals here at the little cottage by the creek in the redwoods to 17 and 1/2 inches. Finally on our way towards last year's 75 inches.

Fast Clean Up

Skippy, our favorite 'roo round these parts, not only has added TwoTon to his blogroll, he gave me a very nice shout-out to boot.

As soon as I finish picking my jaw up off the floor, I had better get busy cleaning up around here. Haven't posted much lately but gonna have to have something for the nice folks who visit from Skippy's. Decisions, decisions - where to put the plate of welcoming cookies?

Been raining up here - an inch yesterday and 2 inches so far today. That brings the year to date total here at the little cottage by the creek in the redwoods to 15 and 3/4 inches. The fallen tree segments are finally starting to move now there is more water in the creek. Rain kept getting on the lens of my dying digital camera - no pretty picture of the creek.

Besides, with all the work I've been doing getting ready for the big real estate showcase tour - a feather duster is certainly more appropriate to what my reality has been lately.

Again, thanks Skippy.

New Week, Same Ole

New week

same ole

Bad Week At Black Rock

I could not find a picture of a green slimy one so this will have to do.Yeah, it was that kinda week.

Update Part Deaux

T was discharged from the trauma center Monday afternoon. His right elbow is broken and he is scheduled for surgery Thursday to put in screws. He is nicely doped up, sleeping in the guest room. He looks terrible. I can't tell how many stitches but there is a whole slew of them from the outside corner of his eye into the hairline. No washing of the face until the stitches come out (next week) and there is still a lot of dried blood on his face - hopefully it looks worse than it really is. The CAT scans found no facial fractures but his cheek sure is swollen enough to look like it is broken. Getting a beaut of a shiner too.

He saw the ophthalmologist before being discharged and his vision is intact (woohoo). The docs were surprised that the eye socket bone was not broken. Hopefully, his concussion isn't too bad and he recovers quickly. The scar, however, is gonna be a nasty looking one.

T said the van did not roll - it went into a turn too fast, left the roadway, and center punched a big tree. This was after both T and the other passenger (the van's owner) had told the driver to slow down, that he was going too fast.

I'm sleeping a whole lot. T said that when he had the cold from hell, when he was finally starting to get over it, he came down with the tireds but that only lasted a few days. After that, he was finally over it. Fingers and toes crossed that I'm finally on the downhill side of this nasty cold.

Haven't had any measurable rain since the day after Christmas. Things are looking a little worse for wear - the redwoods are looking a little droopy and we are expecting another freezing or below night tonight. February and March are the months when we usually get the most rain - we sure could use it. Only 11- 3/4 inches year to date - last year's total was 75 inches so there is a lot of catching up to do. Fingers and toes we don't try to catch up all in one storm. That would not be a good thing.

Updates

I still have the cold from hell.

Jane successfully underwent 8 hours of surgery Thursday, recovered in ICU, and was released from the hospital today. Still thinking warm, positive thoughts for her. She has a tough road ahead but she sure is a fighter. How many people do you know that undergo 8 hours of cancer surgery and are released from the hospital less than 72 hours later?

On the home front: The stager was here Friday and I have several pages of notes in the binder about how she wants the furniture, where specific pictures go, etc.

T, my handyman, and I were going to have it all finished today but...

He was a passenger in a roll-over accident last night - was airlifted to a regional medical center with a broken arm and a pretty bad laceration on his head. The driver was drunk from what I hear. Poor T - that man has been working so hard to turn his life around and this kind of bad luck is not what he needs. He has been a good friend to me, helping me out around the little cottage by the creek in the redwoods.

No pictures because its still too friggin cold outside. Has warmed up some during the day but we've been below freezing most every night.

PGE is gonna like me - but they are really just interested in my wallet. I've been using the heater more in the past couple of weeks than I have in the 3 years preceding. The gas bill is gonna be ugly.

Sad News

From Jane's post today:

There just didn't seem to be any other way to explain why I'm not going to be present for the first two weeks of the Libby trial so I decided to resort to the truth.

As someone who has devoted years to building this blog around coverage of the CIA leak investigation, its going to be really rough to sit on the sidelines for the first two weeks while Marcy, Christy, Pach and others cover the trial in person. I've been working for months now to obtain a press pass and set up the "Plame House" in Washington DC as a central place for bloggers to stay and share information amongst ourselves as we cover the trial. When I received (with the help of Arianna Huffington and Rachel Sklar of the Huffington Post) the only press pass awarded to a blogger to be in the actual courtroom, I was blown away. And as you might well imagine, it would have to be something pretty serious to keep me away for even a moment.

In mid-December I was diagnosed with breast cancer for the third time. It's a bit more serious this time and treatment is going to have to be more extensive.

Go over and give Jane some love.

No, Yes, Better, Thank You.

Is the little cottage by the creek in the redwoods listed for sale yet?

No. Met with Mary the Realtor Tuesday and set the appointment for the stager to come over for Thursday. Wednesday, naturally, I came down with the local cold from hell.

Yes, I have rescheduled that appointment until Tuesday.

Better, thank you. Still under the weather but my head hasn't exploded yet (contrary to what the blinding headache suggested).

It got so cold last night that Bailey got under the covers.

Spocko's Brain Is Back Up

As Spocko would say, hailing frequencies are open. Enterprise to signaler on planet's surface. Identify self. Spocko has the blog back up (with a different server I presume) Go over and check out why Disney/ABC went after the logical one.

The phasers are set to stun and Spocko is beaming information back from the trail of the KSFO/Disney rats, letting the advertisers know how the KSFO crew makes fun of their products and advocates using their products for torture.

Since Spocko began contacting advertisers, several have pulled their accounts from KSFO, including Netflix, Mastercard, Bank of America, and most recently, Visa.

Federal Express, AT&T and Kaiser Permanente are weighing their departure as well. Disney/ABC/KSFO are up in arms at the effect of Spocko's outreach is having on their bottom line.

Logic and practical information does seem to apply here. I've added Spocko's Brain to my blogroll.

Spocko vs The Disney Rat

It is almost as if I grew up with KSFO Radio. We moved to the SF Bay Area when I was going into the 5th grade, 1964 I think. I remember being in the station wagon, mom and dad up front, us three kids in back, listening to baseball on KSFO. Or music. Going to the grocery store. To visit family up in Auburn. We could listen to it in the Central Valley on our way down to LA. The last Bay Area station we would lose and the first station we could get on our way back home.

It was a family radio station. My dad would listen to the game while working on the car or tinkering in the garage, or inside the house, listening on the transistor broadcast one game while watching another game on tv. It was a "neutral station" in my household, a station we could all listen to, unlike my dad's country station and my rock station.

Disney, a family marketed brand name, owns ABC which owns KSFO. KSFO is now a hate spewing talk radio station. Spocko took on KSFO by contacting their advertisers and advising them of the type of garbage that immediately proceeds or follows their respective ads, in case they were unaware.

In Spocko's words, here is what happened next:

ABC Radio Lawyer tells Spocko to Shut Up

Two days before Christmas I got a Cease and Desist letter from ABC regarding my use of audio clips from KSFO radio hosts Melanie Morgan and Lee Rogers on my blog, Spocko’s Brain (see attached PDF).

KSFO is a Disney affiliate whose radio hosts broadcast violent rhetoric directed toward journalists, liberals, Democrats, Arabs and Muslims all over the SF Bay Area and to the world via the Internet. I commented about the content of these host’s broadcasts on my blog and informed KSFO’s advertisers about what they were supporting by letting them listen to the exact audio quotes from the hosts.

Spocko's ISP caved under the Disney lawyers' threats and shut down Spocko's blog.

El Gato Negro and Mike Stark have been all over this story. If you are not familiar with this story, first read this first story from Mike Stark on 01/03/07, then head over to El Gato Negro!'s place and read the several posts up there, just keep scrolling down and you will find the links to the actual audio clips that Disney shut down Spocko over.

Included are audio links to these nuggets (and many, many more):

Melanie Morgan regarding Nancy Pelosi: "We've got a bulls-eye painted on her big laughing eyes." and calling for the hanging of the New York Times editors;

Brian Sussman demanding a caller say "Allah is a whore" and his wanting to cut off the penises and fingers off detainees;

Lee Rogers saying the AP should commit suicide and this little nugget when talking about a black man from Lincoln, Nebraska, "Now you start with the Sear's Diehard the battery cables connected to his testi*les and you entertain him with that for awhile and then you blow his bleeping head off. "

Mike has some suggestions on what we can do at the bottom of that first post, as does El Gato Negro! on his blog.

Mike followed up the story here, with several more action steps that can be taken.

Read what I've linked to and then write letters to the advertisers (which are listed at the bottom of Mike's follow up post). Or call the advertisers. Let KGO know how you feel about what their radio station KSFO is doing. Let ABC know. And, of course, don't forget Disney. Let us not forget that the bogus Path to 9/11 movie was brought to us by ... Disney/ABC.

Disney - now just another corporate rat.

The photo at the head of this post is from Skippy, our fav 'roo, who has also blogged about this, in addition to many other sites, including Crooks and Liars and The News Blog, links to which are available on the right side of your screen in the "Links" section. There are some fine folks listed there - be sure to check them out.


Spocko's Brain will not be silenced.

This photo from FireDogLake and TRex's magnificent post on this last night entitled Spocko Vs. The Rat. Spocko and El Gato Negro! update in the comments so don't forget to read those too.

Tonights latest update from El Gato Negro! :

More Spocko Update for the interested.

Spocko wrote me last night that he weel have a new website up ASAP, he has ppl working on eet.

As soon as the new Spocko’s Brain ees up, he weel repost all the KSFO files and Disney weel be back to square one, except for all the bad PR. ;)

The really good news ees that Spocko had interviews weeth reporters for the San Fran Chronicle, and the San Fran Weekly, wheech are, respectively, the largest paper een Northern California, and the largest independent weekly in Northern California.

Sorry for not posting all this last night when I should have but I have been like. uh, busy, uh, working on this blasted little cottage by the creek in the redwoods since my last post.

And The Race Is On

Ok, if I write down the words where others can see them, then I have to follow through. Been in a major state of denial because I don't want to sell, but sell I must.

Dayamitalltomofohell! Haven't been able to turn these particular lemons into lemonade.

This house will be ready to be listed by the end of this weekend. There really isn't that much more to do - the down side is that all funding for the necessaries for the house comes out of my food budget. Have a line on a cheap mirror to put over the bathroom sink - since I was not the one who broke the mirror I can't blame this current spell of bad luck on that. The rest is mainly outside - the side yard fence, power washing the cottage, blowing off leaves and such. Ran out of the left over paint when doing the front bedroom so I have to get more paint and finish that. Shampoo the carpets in the bedroom.

I don't like the idea of people coming in here. I freely admit that I am part hermit. At least I won't see them when they come here but I will know they were here. Having to keep the place spotless so others can come in and judge whether or not the place is up to their standards. Yuck! Not being able to smoke inside while the house is on the market - double yuck. Having to round up Token and Bailey every time someone comes to look at it - well, I am thankful the girls are grown and not at that toddler stage.

There is such a big part of me - the ostrich part - that just wants to go away while this all takes place but that is not gonna happen. No more being able to sleep late, being able to stay in my pj's all day just because I want to, are you sick of my whining yet?

I spent an entire marriage walking around on eggshells, being measured against illogically high standards, never being good enough for whatever "it" was. When I left, I never wanted that feeling in my stomach again. But, that is exactly the same feeling I get when I think about the process of selling.

The words are set into bytes. No more excuses. No more delays. Time for action - not a time for revving my engine in neutral.

Happy New Year

May your New Year be filled with love, abundant hugs, and a surplus of blessings.

Token and Goldie

It has been a while since I've featured the puppies. Poor babies will probably be referred to as the puppies even in their old age. They will be 2 on Feb. 27 but at less than 10 lbs each, they are puppies.

As I mentioned before, Baby Girl spent her birthday night here. Since it was also Christmas Eve eve and Token could not go with us to Jen's for Christmas (silly no pet rule at the complex), she brought Token's main gift with her. She also took these photos.

This is Token wearing his new quilted vest that proclaims he is in fact a rock star, deserving of adoration and fawning fans.



Goldie decided she was not going to cooperate with the camera and turned her head away in every photo. I think she was miffed she did not get a new outfit*. She was wearing her favorite red sweater which sets off her blond fur perfectly for photos but she was doing the uppity unhappy New York City model not getting her way pout.

Baby Girl also did stockings for Token and Bailey. Token's was red plaid and bone shaped while Bailey's was matching red plaid and fish shaped. Each stocking has a place to put their picture which is piped in green on a red velvety background. Very cute and they were stuffed with treats and goodies and toys.

Bailey showed no interest in her goodies until she discovered there was gourmet (wet) cat food. Now she begrudgingly eats the dry but only after vocalizing her severe disappointment.

*Goldie did get a new holiday outfit from Baby Girl but not until Christmas. It was in Token's stocking.