Laying Down the Past: Moving into the Future

Last and First Day

Laying Down The Past: Moving into the Future

On October 13, 2011, my husband and I moved from a house that the bank foreclosed upon to live in a trailer.  The entire process began when the mortgage holder devalued the house in a letter.  What followed was a grueling two years of (1) trying to save the house and then (2) trying to save a business (our source of income).  In the process, we were lucky enough to buy a travel trailer, which we situated on a temporary lot.  While still in the house, we were first hand witnesses to the unethical behavior of lawyers and realtors as a result of the wave of foreclosures.  Survivors, however, move forward.

The information here is incomplete.  So much happened within that two year stretch that it would take that long to reiterate every event that led to this point.  Many of the holes will be filled as the blog moves along.  The current goal is to offer you a sketch of some key events that we experienced.

No Water, No Electricity

Champagne and candles marked our freedom.  Our first night in the trailer was the most relaxed either of us had been in the past two years.  We were tired.  No.  We were exhausted.  In fact, we still are.  The trailer was not hooked up to any electricity or water, so we had to use the candles to stay warm.  This was an exciting time and we were up for the challenge.

October 29, 2011
Two Feet of Snow

October Snow


We were lucky to have been in the house during the winter 2010/2011.  With Halloween barely around the corner, we felt confident that we had time before we had electricity trenched in.  Instead, a snow storm blew through on October 29, 2011 leaving behind two feet of snow.  As an army of snowflakes flurried down, we sped to our local box store and bought one of the remaining generators (Hurricane Irene had left many stores dry).

We slept in our clothes and some wool hats that night, and many nights to follow.  Running the generator into the evening just so we had heat was not economical–gas is much too expensive.  On the other hand, candles are effective for heating a small space.  Paranoid me, however, really needed to keep the windows cracked.

Electricity is the most 

December 12, 2011

I remember watching Little House on the Prairie and wondering how it must have been for the pioneers to have to use outhouses in the winter.  Here, I must add a note of caution:  Be careful what you ask for.  We rented a port-o-potty, which the providing company cleans out weekly.  During the winter, particularly mornings and nights, it is very cold.  It is on cold nights that I am thankful for being born a male.  However, the monumental convenience of electricity was granted to us on December 12, 2011.  We could now heat the trailer through the night.  

Twelve Acres

On December 23, 2011, I closed on twelve acres of river property.  The property line goes to the midpoint of the river bed, giving us approximately 2,000 lineal feet of river.  The beaches vary between rocky and sandy.  Inland is 10 acres of field, which meets an additional 15 acres of field  owned by the previous owners of our property.  We will be building a house on the high part of the property overlooking the river and a steel bridge.  The house will be built as it can be afforded, because we plan to never rely on another bank (soap box moment) again.  This property is a blessing in many ways.  We plan to live here.  We plan to use the property to its fullest potential.  We plan to survive.

Another Blessing

Born August 16, 2011, Agador joined our family just before Christmas.  After flying in from Florida, he came down with what we are certain was distemper.  He nearly died.  Remarkably, he recovered after a three day stay in the hospital.  He is a flame-point siamese.  Never have I had a cat that is so playful, lovable, and with such personality.  As he too is a survivor, he plans on making many appearances on this blog.