Where in the World is Loretta???

Quote for the Day:

"My psychiatrist told me I was crazy and I said I want a second opinion. 

He said okay, you're ugly too."
Rodney Dangerfield  

Where have I been and why haven't I been posting lately, you ask?  Well, thanks for asking!  I'll try to share what has been going on in our lives the last couple of weeks.  And I'll try to keep it to the "Reader's Digest Condensed Version".  

Back in November of 2011, we bid on and won the property next to ours at a tax lien sale.  There was a contractor in town that bid against us and lost.  He was bitter about it and started dumping construction debris and trash on the property.  With a tax lien sale in our state, you can't touch the property for 18 months, thus giving the owners a chance to redeem it.   So for 18 months, we got to sit by and watch as this contractor systematically destroyed this property.   We couldn't get the code city code enforcement officers to do anything about it, because they are friends with the contractor.  :(

April 1, 2013, the property legally became ours and the contractor began pulling his equipment off of the property that he had parked there, and also he began removing any useable construction supplies.  He left all the trash, of course.  

We were advised by our lawyer to still not do anything until we actually had the deeds in our hands.  The deeds arrived in the mail on April 13!!

At that point, we put up "No Trespassing" signs and started making plans for cleaning up the property and making our plans for the use of it.

Here are some pictures that were taken on the 13th of the "presents" the contractor left for us...

 (This pile is completely cleaned up now and all but the tires are gone off the property now.)

(Fire wood that will be sold off in the fall.)

 (The cement slab in this picture is now completely cleared off.)

The first day, we picked up 4 plastic outside chairs, a small table, and a rubbermaid stepstool.  I put them out by the curb and by evening, someone had stopped and asked if they could have them.  We answered with a resounding YES!!!  We also found 5 plastic gas cans filled with what?  We don't know.  Possibly used oil.  Someone took those off our hands yesterday.  That same person, also took a pile of HUMONGOUS tree trunks and is planning on using it for firewood this winter.   We have stacked up the discarded tires and have a total of 28.  There is a "Tire Amnesty Day" coming up May 11, so we will be getting rid of those then.  There is a huge stack of firewood that we will be able to sell this fall as many people around here have wood burners.   We are also making a pile of all scrap metal we find on the property and know someone who will haul it off to be recycled.

As we go through the piles of construction debris, we are setting aside "reclaimed lumber" that is still useable and offering it for free on Craigslist and Freecycle.  

The stack of plywood was picked up last weekend and the stack of barn wood will be picked up today!  :)

The rest of the non-useable wood is getting burned...by us...slowly, but surely...

We started burning Thursday evening and burned for about 3 hours.  Then again for about 5 hours on Friday evening.  We only had one burn barrel, but Andy went and got 3 more yesterday, so now we can have 4 going at one time!  :)

Andy trying to read by the light of the fire!  :)

 

I'm finding the burning very cathartic after all we have been through the last 18 months with this contractor....the threats and intimidation he has spewed our way was very stressful.  And watching him systematically destroy this property while we couldn't do anything about it.  Well...let's just say that I'm considering the burning an "exorcism" of sorts and enjoying every minute of it.  For now.  I may not think that in a few weeks....or months... 

Our nerves are frayed, but we are glad to finally be putting the past 18 months behind us and are looking forward to moving on and improving the property.  We have plans to turn it into a useable and very functional part of our "yard".  :)

Loretta  (who has been renamed "Fire Bug" by Andy!!)