Change of Season

Everything is changing in paradise. Summer is my favorite season but fall is a close second. The ground is green again and the night skies lately have been amazing. The moon, even when hidden behind clouds, is so bright we don’t need outside lighting. Every night before bed I go outside and just look up. I think it was Thursday night when the clouds were moving so fast it was like watching a stop-motion version of the world. The clouds never crossed in front of the moon–just danced around and behind it. It was other-wordly for sure. When I see things like that it makes me want to cry and I’m never sure why. Is it because it’s so overwhelmingly beautiful or is it because I wish so badly that life could always be like that–standing in silent serenity, lost in wonder?

There have been many places in my lifetime that I have visited or lived in that have held a magic for me. I hope everyone has experienced this at some point in their lives. They are places that separate you from the world; isolate you in moments of time, as if nothing or no one can touch you. I feel almost invisible at those times. Solana Beach, the town I grew up in in San Diego County, had that effect on me. I could stand in the middle of our tiny downtown and feel like I was alone and it was a safe feeling. I remember those moments happening mostly during windy days. It was as if I could hear the town speaking to me. Weird. I know. But it made me feel invincible and it gave me knowledge in a way I can’t explain; I guess it gave me a kind of self-awareness. I belonged to that little town. I was a part of it in a very spiritual way. But there came a sad time in my early teens that I realized I no longer belonged. The town had grown by leaps and bounds and money had moved in. Our quaint little beach town was fast becoming a high end real estate destination. It wasn’t my town any more. It still existed deep in my memories and in the memories of all of us who had loved it when it was all neighbors and hometown goodness but it would never be the same. It was still a wonderful town and would provide wonderful memories for a new generation but it was no longer my town or my home.

This home has reached that point for me. Maybe that’s why I feel sad when I look up at that amazing dance of moon and clouds. I can still feel this home speaking to me and it’s telling me it’s time to move on. It’s time for others to build their memories here. My daughter graduates next year. We won’t be staying in this area. We’re not sure where we will be going but we know that what we need at this point is freedom and flexibility. Owning a home does not give us the kind of freedom and flexibility we need. This home is meant for a young family with years of growing ahead of them or it is meant for those who are ready to set down for the final time, to live out the rest of their lives in peace. This home is an early home or a final home. It’s not a transition home and our lives right now are in transition–my daughter’s and mine. We are on the edge of a huge adventure–the beginning of her adult life. I have no idea what that means for me but I know it means I want to be unfettered and ready for anything.

Since putting this home on the market–and be assured this is not a house; this is a home–I have wavered and vacillated and cried. Do I really want to give up paradise? I think those moonlit nights gave me my answer, just as the winds did a lifetime ago in San Diego. It’s time to surrender paradise to its new owner. It’s time to let go and move on to the next adventure. The memories will be forever as will my love of this place.

I want to find the next family who will feel its magic

Lease to Own

I’m still getting requests for a lease to own type of arrangement. I am not completely opposed to it but there has to be a sizable down payment or some other incentive included in the offer. So don’t hesitate to contact me with questions but I really do need whatever deal I make be of benefit to my daughter and me. I would love to be in a position to help others but right now I’m just not. Talk to me, though. I’m willing to talk to anyone who is intrigued by this property.

$169,000 OR BEST OFFER

The carpooling fell through, as they all have. We need to move to Cottage Grove. I just can’t spend another winter living in my car. I will consider all reasonable cash offers. It has to be cash because I can’t afford to do a lease to own or owner carry. Please read my previous posts about our little piece of heaven which just doesn’t work for us any more.

Sunset from the front deck

Taking a New Direction

Things are heading in a different direction for us now in regards to the house and property. We found someone for my daughter to carpool with to school so that takes a huge amount of pressure off of me and removes the urgent need for us to move to Cottage Grove. I am much happier staying here. I would, however, still consider a cash buyer. Other than that, we plan on staying put on our 5 acre heaven.

A praying mantis that helped me hang out clothes.

Financing

Since our home is a 1976 manufactured home, banks won’t loan on it. So most likely the only way someone can buy my place is to pay cash, do lease-to-own, trade, or have me carry the loan. I paid cash for this place when I bought it and, obviously, that would be my first choice because then I could easily go out and buy a new place for my daughter and I. I won’t do lease-to-own because it’s just too risky and because I need money for a down payment on a new place. I would definitely be up for a trade if it’s a property that is in the Cottage Grove High School District and if it is not in town. The most important thing for me in regards to being in town is that I do not want to be on city water. I want either well water or spring water. I am willing to carry a loan for the right buyer but since I need money to buy a new home, I would have to find another place, know how much down payment they need and what kind of monthly payments they need, and then get the same  ( preferably more) from my buyer and hope they make their payments to me so that I can make the payments on my new house. It’s a very delicate balancing act.

I’m open to hearing other creative suggestions. Just keep in mind I am in the same boat as most everybody else out there. I have no money. This home is my only real asset. Whatever deal I make has to allow me to buy a new home.

The Night Sky

Last night I started to go to bed around 11:30. I turned off the kitchen light but it was still really bright in the house so I went outside and it was almost like daylight out there. The moon was so huge and so bright I could see patterns on the surface of it. There was completely clear sky to the north of the moon but to the south, moving quickly toward it, were these thick spiraled clouds–a solid bank of them. It looked like some kind of celestial battlefield with the moon standing alone against an army.

Sometimes my daughter and I will come home late at night and when we step out of the car and look up, we are awed. There is no other word that can describe it. The sky up here can be so intensely clear and the stars so dense and precise that it is like being in a planetarium. We just stand with our heads tilted back and our mouths dropped open and experience it in silence.

I wish I’d taken a picture.

Trade

I would be willing to trade my place for a home or property in Cottage Grove. These are the things I would need:

I do not want to be on city water. I want a place with a well or spring.

It has to be in the Cottage Grove High School district.

Let me know what you have and we can talk. In almost all cases, the property or location is going to be more important to me than the house itself.

Covered Back Deck

Free Agent

Just wanted to make a quick notification that I no longer have an agent and will be selling the house myself. Without a doubt the best way to get ahold of me is through my email: my5acres@gmail.com or through this blog.

This Home

My daughter and I have come to accept the fact that in this market, we may be living here for quite some time. And that’s fine with us. We love this place. If it wasn’t for the commuting issues in regards to my daughter’s school, we wouldn’t be selling. But since we are selling, we hope that it will find a home with someone or someones who appreciate it for what it is. This home is not for everyone. There’s no point pretending it is. So I’m going to try and share my feelings about this place in hopes the chances for finding a perfect match will be increased.

This home is not a manicured lawns kind of home. When we bought it, it had manicured lawns. Why? Lawns are a waste. A waste of space and resources,both those of the planet’s and those of the homeowner’s. This home is meant to be wild. A permaculture approach of living with the land instead of beating it into submission would work best. Right now everything is dry. It looks fairly unattractive. I should do more to keep it looking nice right around the house but otherwise, dry is what happens when temperatures are past 100 degrees for several days running. That’s natural. Wasting precious water fromthe spring to force it to be green is silly.

So much can be done with this place. I confess to not taking advantage of all that I had here. That was for many complicated reasons. Now that I have accepted I will be here longer than I had hoped–I wanted to sell it before school started–I hope to remedy that situation. Everything I do, though, will have to be done with no money and lots of observation.I want to live easier. I don’t want a home that requires more work and creates more stress. I don’t understand that philosophy of working your behind off for something you don’t even enjoy.

This home seems like a challenge but it’s not. It’s an opportunity to test myself. It’s an opportunity to bring to life all those dreams I have of self-sufficiency, natural living, resiliency, ingenuity, making something out of nothing, and of peaceful simplicity. It would be that same opportunity for anyone who lives here.

This home has a calming effect on everyone who stays for a while–I’ve heard it time and time again. When I am really stressed or anxious or sad, all I have to do is sit up on the hill in my beach chair and just listen and look. The sounds of the birds and the grass and the insects are constant and beautiful. The view is nothing short of spectacular. I simply can’t be upset when sitting up on that hill.

This home needs work. There is no doubt. The house is an old manufactured home and we love it, but it doesn’t belong here. This land is meant for a cob creation or a yurt or something that is self-created using natural, local materials. This land deserves a “green” home. The manufactured house has served its purpose well but it’s ready to be put to sleep. It’s tired. This home would do best with someone who has a vision of their own perfect dream dwelling and has been looking for the perfect piece of property to build it on.

This home is meant for someone who appreciates beauty, peacefulness and solitude more than convenience. Homeschooling would be a perfect option for those with school aged children. Gardeners, animal lovers and artists would do very well here. I want my home to find a good home. Until the right next owner comes along, though, I will be better about bringing my own vision to life.

Reduced Price on Paradise

We’ve reduced the price of my property by $20,000.00. I am very anxious to sell it before the school year starts so we are now selling it at $169,000.00. All serious offers will be considered. Remember. Get creative.