Winter is knocking on the door

Wow! I can't believe it's been so long since I last posted. What do they say about life getting in the way of life? It's been a busy summer but I'm not complaining in the least. It's been a great summer. I have been busier in one summer here than all ten summers I spent in Seattle put together. And that's the way I want it.

We had an amazing summer until July. The forest fires started in July and the smoke got pretty bad. Awful as a matter of fact. It started just blocking the sun, making for hazy days. Then ash started falling and dusting cars and such. Then the smoke really rolled in and it was horrible. My lungs burned, my eyes watered. You tried not to be outside at all. July would have been a great month except for this. Fairbanks was surrounded on all sides by fires so it didn't matter which direction the wind blew, smoke was coming our way regardless. In total it was over 3 million acres that burned, almost 4 actually if I recall correctly. Last summer we only had a couple hundred thousand acres burn is all. The worst summer was in '04 when close to 9 million acres burned. Please don't hold to exact figures. I'm relying on my memory. The pictures were taken at 5pm, when it should be sunny and bright. They give an idea of just how bad the smoke was.

Thankfully the fires ended the end of July because of rain. The rain came in and helped the firefighters get the upper hand on the fires and finally put them out. But then it rained almost the whole month of August!! Out of 24 days it rained 18 days. It didn't pour rain, just sprinkled and drizzled, some good downpours tho. August is typically the wettest month of the year and we get about 1.5 inches during the month. This August we got almost 2.5 inches of rain. Because it came in little spurts throughout the month, we didn't experience any flooding.

September has been good so far. It cooled off quite a bit after the rain but Labor Day weekend we experienced 70 degree temps again. Perfectly clear, sunny skies. AWESOME is the only way to describe it. It was a great last stretch of summer for us. We can have snow flying in a few weeks now. We are very much into fall. Our leaves are in full change and it is so beautiful. I absolutely love fall. I'm always ready for each new season but I truly love the fall. It sounds odd but I like the smell of the decaying organic matter in the forest. It's the smell of fall I guess. I also like the nice, sunny days with the bite of coolness in the air.

Speaking of Kirk's cabin, if you recall he's had two different trees fall on his roof over the past year or so. As I am writing this blog his roof is being replaced. He finally found someone to fix the holes, replace the stove pipe and put a metal roof on for him. It's going to look really nice when it's done. He also found someone to remove the trees from around the cabin. Not sure when they are going take them out but this will ensure his new roof doesn't get damaged. And he found someone to put a bridge across the slough so you can drive to the cabin. Again, not sure when that will happen. That makes me sad, tho. Part of the appeal of his cabin to me is the fact that it is remote and you can't drive up to it. But, it's not my cabin so I guess I don't have any say in it. haha The realtor told him when he bought it that having a bridge will increase the value by $100k. So I guess it does make sense.

Speaking of realtors and property values, I'm buying a house!! I can't believe it. It still seems too good to be true. But I'm meeting with my real estate agent today and will be signing the papers. My verbal offer has already been accepted so this is just a formality. For a while I've been researching possible loan programs unfortunately with my bankruptcy I have to wait another 18 months before I could qualify for an FHA loan. I then realized that there are sellers here who are willing to do owner financing. So I started checking that out. Several sellers were willing but the terms they were seeking made it not possible. I can't spend any more than what I'm spending in rent now. If their terms were reasonable, that would be possible. I came across one place that was in the process of being built. It was listed for only $89k. OMG are you kidding me?! But it didn't have any water, it was a dry cabin. I talked to the listing agent and he said the builder would be willing to put in water for an additional $10k. So I went and looked at the place. I like it a lot but didn't really care about the land. It was sloping and wasn't all the usable. The builder said that if I found a lot, he'd buy it and build a cabin on it for me. The cabin would have full water and septic. He gave me a budget so I went out and found a great lot. It's almost two acres, flat, private. I will have neighbors on both sides but there are trees surrounding the lot so it will be private. You also won't be able to see the cabin from the road. It will be hidden in the trees. I'm so freaking excited!! The builder said he'd give me the budget for appliances, flooring, fixtures, etc and let me pick it all out. If I go over budget the price increases. If I'm under the price decreases. It just seems too good to be true. He will carry the mortgage for two years. Since I will be able to qualify for an FHA loan in 18 months, this works out perfectly! And when I refinance, my payment will actually drop. The builder is charging a pretty hefty interest rate but I can't complain. It's still in my price range, it's brand new, built to my desires and I get to pick everything out! It's worth it. It's a relatively simple design, only 600 sq ft with a loft bedroom. He will be able to build it in approx 30-45 days. So, by November 1st, Clara and I should be in our new place!! The cabin will be built to 5 star energy ratings so my heating fuel cost should be reduced quite a bit.

In order to make this all happen, I'm selling my car. It is my only asset and I own it free and clear. So I can sell it and have enough for the down payment and have money available to get a used truck. I need something that I can haul water with but is nice enough to use as a daily driver. I've been looking at '99-'01 Ford F150s. They are in my price range but are very high on miles. I did find an after market warranty that I can add which will give me coverage for 100k miles or 5 yrs, whichever comes first. It will easily be the 5 yrs. The warranty will cover the engine, transmission, 4 wheel drive system and man of the electrical components. It also provides roadside assistance, towing and rental car. The deductible is only $50. The warranty sounds a bit pricey but if I need a new transmission, it pays for itself. A new engine would be $6k and is way more than the cost of the warranty so it is more than worth it. So that is my plan...I just need for my car to sell....

What else? I'm down 37 lbs. When I saw my surgeon's assistant in December, she inadvertently drained the fluid in my lapband. I had gained over 40 lbs before I was able to get back to see my surgeon for a fill. Since having it adjusted I've lost 37 lbs. I've also recently found out that there is a local doctor here in Fairbanks who does fills. So now I don't have to spend $2k going to Seattle ti get a fill. I can do it all here in town! I have yet to see the doc here but I'm guessing I will need to soon.

I guess that is everything. Not much else exciting to share at this point. Winter is knocking on the door.