New House

Yesterday we went and signed many, many papers at the title company. In return for a cashier's check of a couple of thousand dollars to cover odds and ends, we received the keys to the house. And of course we went straight over to see what it looked like, since the owner had still been shovelling out Tuesday under an enormous amount of junk. And there was still some stuff in the house--we started a box of items to give to the realtor because the former owner may want the sentimental stuff and the closet full of clothes in the basement. For good measure we are putting in the plaque with the Bible quotes and the plastic grape wreath and the stained glass cross. We expected to have the koi pond, though now we are a bit puzzled about it's care and maintenance, and if the goldfish have to be fed or whether all the weeds in there are supposed to be there. There is another fountain in front I don't really want, but it's a mystery as to how it is wired in there, and the outside lights are also on some timer, and the combination to the wall safe does not work, though it's moot as the safe is just stuck in a freestanding bit of drywall, so it can just be removed from the back and dropped on one corner to be opened. I think it will go in the same pile of trash as the carpets, the six 5-foot-long zig-zag wall mirrors, the carriage-style wall sconces in the basement, and the rabbit hutch (?) pieces. At least the beehives (and the fridge full of shoes) were taken away.

Here is a small house we saw in Geneva, near the Fox River:

Rhonda herself is here, though a little blurry, napping in the hay: