Update

Yesterday morning I went to Sam's Club and bought some grocery items. Everything at Sam's comes in large, heavy packages. Loading the shopping cart, loading the car trunk, unloading the car trunk and placing my purchases in the kitchen was enough to trigger the pain in my arm, shoulder and neck. Whatever is going on is getting worse. I went for the heating pad. My appointment with the ophthalmologist was at 3:30. Heavy rain and thunderstorms moved into the area. The streets can flood so rapidly in Beaumont. I was tempted to cancel the appointment, but it had been rescheduled once already. My doctor is extremely busy so I decided to be brave and head out in the rain.

 

I got to his office at 3 PM. It was 4:45 when my name was called. A technician had me read the charts and measured the pressure in my eyes. My vision with my glasses is 20/20 and the pressure in each eye was 12 which is very good. She gave me the drops to dilate my eyes and had me go sit in the hall. At 5:45 I was called back in and told to take the chair in one of the examining rooms. I could see a woman waiting in another examining room across the hall. She was getting very upset with the wait. The nurse had told me that several eye doctor's in Port Arthur have not reopened their offices since the hurricane; and as a result, many new patients are coming to Beaumont. I always thought my eye doctor had too many patients before the hurricane.

 

Finally my doctor came in at 6:15. He said everything was looking good. I told him about the move, and he said that off hand he did not know of a doctor in Frisco. He said his nurse, Mary, had a brother in Frisco, and she had found an ophthalmologist for him. He said he would ask Mary to call me.

 

It was a little after 6:30 when I left the office. I had heard loud thunder all through the time I was waiting. It was so dark when I went outside that I could not wear the sun shield they had given me to put behind my glasses. I drove west on College. Even though it was getting dark the sun was still visible to the west. The sun was so low in the sky that my sun visor was not blocking it. It began to blind me. Instead of going all the way to Major Drive, I turned on Dowlen so I could drive north for awhile and get the sun out of my eyes. I finally had to go west again on Phelan. I was able to reach home safely.

Time Out

For some time my thoughts have been concentrated on the process to move from Beaumont to Frisco Lakes. In spite of that there are other things that require some attention. Today I have an appointment to see my ophthalmologist. I last saw him in March of last year when he did the final post-op exam. I am going to be sure and ask him to recommend an ophthalmologist in Frisco. Tomorrow I go to my doctor's office for a DEXA test (bone density). Both my grandmothers and my mother had broken hips when they were in their late 80's or 90's. I am trying to avoid the same fate. The air conditioning company called and said it is time for the spring check. The reminder light for periodic maintenance on my car came on during the drive back from Frisco last week so that is one more thing I have handle. My right arm that I severely bruised when I lifted the computer monitor has been very painful for the last week. The heating pad makes it feel better; but when I have a moderate amount of physical activity, it flares up. None of my above mentioned items require much physical activity so I have going to give my arm a rest for a few days.

Utilities & Frequent Flier Miles

Yesterday I started thinking about what will be involved in establishing utility service to my new home and discontinuing the service in Beaumont. I am a frequent flier mileage hound and have a couple of credit cards that award miles for my purchases. I try to charge as much as possible in order to get miles. Here in Beaumont I have only been able to charge my cable and phones bills to the credit card. The water, trash, electricity and gas do not accept credit card payments.

 

I found the City of Frisco's website. They have the procedure for establishing new service on the website. They accept Visa and MasterCard for online payments. They will require a $75 deposit for new service which is fully refundable after one year of a good payment record. Then I looked at the City of Beaumont. They do not have provisions for online payments. They say you can discontinue service by making a phone call and the service will be discontinued the next business day. They require a $90 deposit for new service which makes Frisco look very reasonable.

 

Time Warner is the cable provider in Beaumont. I have been very happy with their service. I have digital cable and the RoadRunner Internet service from them. I will have to return the digital cable box, remote and cable modem to them when I move. Comcast is the cable provider in the Frisco area. My favorite online TV listings are Zap2it. I changed my zip code to 75034 so I could see the channel lineup for Comcast in Frisco. I was thinking that I would not get digital cable and would save some money. After I looked at the lineup, I decided I would have to get digital cable because many of the channels that are on the Time Warner expanded basic service are only available in the digital range on Comcast.

 

My telephone service is through SBC (now AT&T). It is the same in Frisco. I am hoping one phone call will allow me to make the switch. My cell phone is through T-Mobile. They told me I could keep my area code 409 number if I want to allow my Beaumont friends to call me without paying long distance charges or I could get a new phone number without additional charge. I switched from Sprint to T-Mobile back in December. They seem to be much more accommodating than Sprint.

 

Del Webb listed CoServe as the provider of electricity and gas in the Frisco area. Electrical service in Southeast Texas is still regulated because it is on a separate power grid from the rest of Texas. Entergy Texas is the only choice. Deregulated electrical service is something new for me. I follow discussions on the FlyerTalk forums. I have learned a great deal on how to maximize my frequent flier miles from these forums. There is a power company Gexa Energy that has a partnership with American Airlines and offers AAdvantage miles. I checked their website, and they appear to serve the Frisco area. I am going to start making phone calls and learn more. They give 2 miles for every dollar spent and allow credit card payments. That means I could get at least 3 miles for every dollar that I spend. I do not want to pay more for my electricity just to get frequent flier miles; but if I can get lower rates and miles, too, I will be very happy.

I Am Looking Forward

It is one week today since I signed the sales contract for my new house. It is amazing how I have changed over the past week. I have slept well every night since last Monday. It seems like magic the way I have stopped worrying and fretting. I am just so happy that I have a clear course in front of me.

 

Del Webb markets their communities as a lifestyle for active adults. There are so many activities and facilities in addition to the houses. There will be two swimming pools--one indoor and one outdoors. A good portion of the outdoor pool and area around it will  be covered to protect from the sun. There will be a ballroom that can be used for meetings, a library, a computer lab and various craft facilities. There is going to be state of the art exercise equipment equipped with video screens. You can watch TV or bring your own DVD's to watch while you exercise. There is going to be a second floor walking track which will be nice when the weather is bad. There are going to be six miles of outdoor walking trails along the lakes. All of the houses will have five foot wide sidewalks in front of them. There will be an 18 hole golf course and club. I am not a golfer, but I am really looking forward to getting more exercise and participating  in many of the activities.

 

The lifestyle director is already holding meetings for the people in the Dallas area who are moving into Frisco Lakes. They have had dinner meetings. They are going to have a trip to Branson, Missouri, in the fall. They have planned trips to sports and racing events in the Frisco/Dallas area. Frisco Lakes will have their own website for residents where all of the community information will be available. I am on the email mailing list that the lifestyle director has started. I wish I were in Dallas so I could attend their meetings.

 

The really nice thing about the lot that I got is that it is located within walking distance of the activities center. I think I will be more apt to use the facilities if I can walk out the door to them rather than getting in my car and driving.

Some Confusion Cleared

Yesterday I took a break from the sorting and eliminating to concentrate on window shutters and a refrigerator for my new home. I have the options price list for two of the house models at Sun City Texas. I found that the brand of blinds and shutters they use is Hunter Douglas. The wood plantation shutters option is very expensive. From looking at the floor plans I am afraid my house has more window area than the larger of the two Sun City Texas models for which I have the price lists. My sales associate at Frisco Lakes told me I should be able to get the plantation shutters cheaper than what Del Webb has offered at other locations because apparently Del Webb adds a rather large markup.

 

I found the Hunter Douglas website and saw that the Hunter Douglas shutters come in widths starting at 7 inches. I was relieved to see that because I am sure the little vertical windows in the master bedroom are at least 7 inches wide. Hunter Douglas has a booklet entitled, "How to Be Shutter Savvy." I requested a copy from the website. My former neighbor told me that she got her plantation shutters from a place called The Blind Factory here in Beaumont. I looked them up in the phone book. I had a hard time finding them because they are just a little office in an industrial park off of College. The door was locked. They must close on Saturday. I did get a list of authorized Hunter Douglas dealers in the Frisco area. I would really like to have a ballpark figure for the cost of using the wood plantation shutters on all the windows in the house. There is one sliding glass door that will also need some kind of cover. At Sun City Texas Del Webb offered the vertical blinds from Hunter Douglas. I am not sure that is what I want.

 

I also looked at GE, Conn's and Sears websites for a General Electric Profile refrigerator. I have selected black appliances for my kitchen. I had a choice of stainless steel, black or white appliances at no additional cost. Stainless steel appliances are more expensive, but I chose black because I do not want to spend the rest of my life wiping fingerprints off of stainless steel. Also I selected a primarily black granite for the kitchen counter tops.

 

I grew rather frustrated when my search for GE Profile refrigerators pulled up 132 models. I did not know enough about the features to narrow the search. I went to the Conn's appliance store at Parkdale. I told the salesman I was looking for a house that is being built in the Dallas area. He said Conn's has stores in Dallas, and the sale could be handled from Beaumont. We walked around the refrigerators. I kept telling him I wanted a GE black Profile model. He kept giving me allot of salesman meaningless yada, yada and not listening to me. Finally he decided that there was not one GE Profile refrigerator on the floor. He walked me over to a computer and called a woman over to do a search of the GE website. Apparently this dud did not know how to use the computer. They huddled around the computer and blocked my view. Finally they got to a point where they had 132 models of GE Profile refrigerators on the screen. I had reached that point at 6 AM. I told them I would check back in a few weeks and left.

 

Then I went to Sears. I found a GE Profile side by side refrigerator in stainless steel that looked promising. I opened the door and found a stack of paper brochures. I helped myself to one. At that point a young salesman named Mark came over. He said the model I was looking at did not come in black. I told him what I wanted. He listened to me. That was a promising start. I told him how my current refrigerator sticks out so far from the counter. He said GE calls the shallow models CustomStyle. They are more expensive and have less capacity. I told him my household consists of just me, and the capacity is not that important. My current refrigerator has a capacity of 26.7 cu. ft. I feel like I have been living with the Incredible Hulk. Mark showed me several models and then walked over to the computer. He pulled up the GE profile models from the Sears website and entered criteria to narrow the search. He got the search down to four black, side by side, CustomStyle models. I wrote down the model numbers and prices. I asked for his phone number and told him I wanted to go home and pull the models up on my computer and compare the features.

 

When I got home, I was able to pull up the same four models on the Sears website and do a side by side feature comparison. I noted that Sears said they had a price match plus policy and they offered 12-month zero percent financing. I went back to the GE website and did another search. My criteria also narrowed this search to four models. The most expensive model was the same number as Sears. Some of the others had slightly different model numbers. I did Froogle and Pricegrabber searches and found that Home Depot had the most expensive model for $220 less than Sears. I set up a Pricegrabber price alert.

 

One difference I noticed between the most expensive model, and the next model is that the higher priced model has high-gloss doors and the next model has textured doors. At this point I called Mark. He confirmed the more expensive model might be prone to showing fingerprints. I told him about the lower price at Home Depot. He said Sears would match the price plus an additional 10 percent of the price difference. I asked him to explain the twelve month zero percent financing. He confirmed that you could make no payments for twelve months and then pay the total with no interest. I asked if that was a limited time offer, and he said that they offer it most of the time. Mark is a good salesman. He knows his product and listens to the customer. He also says he can make all the arrangements from Beaumont. I will not make the purchase until closing time nears, but I am tempted to give Mark the sale. I think my sales associate gave me good advice when she said to go to Sears for the refrigerator.

 

Totally Confused

The world is very different today than it was eighteen years ago when I last bought a new house. When I bought the house, my builder supplied General Electric appliances from Conn's, a local appliance store. They had a builder's department. I called General Electric and requested a brochure. I studied the features and made my choices. The refrigerator was not included, but I was able to get a substantial discount through the builder's department.

 

Now my refrigerator is eighteen years old. I want a new one to match my new appliances. I asked my sales associate if they had some arrangement so I could get a discount on a new refrigerator. She said Del Webb/Pulte buys the appliances directly from GE because they are so large. There is no arrangement for the home buyer to buy through them. She suggested I go to Sears for the refrigerator. I am on my own.

 

I started looking at the General Electric, Sears and Conn's websites. There are so many models that I cannot begin to comprehend the features. I began to wish that I could get a nice color GE brochure that explains all the features. I could flip through the pages and hold it in my hands. I called GE and after a tedious trip through the menus and a lengthy wait I finally reach a representative. I explained my dilemma and told her I would like to have a brochure. She looked through her computer and then told me there was a $10 charge for the current brochure. I said I did not want to pay that much. She said the only free brochure was on 2004 models. I said that would be out of date. I told her the builder was supplying Profile series appliances. She looked again and said there was a brochure on the Profile series that came out in January, 2006, that was free. She is sending me that. I hope it helps narrow the choices.

 

The other purchase that I must make for the house is the window coverings. At other Del Webb communities window blinds or shutters were offered as an option. When I went to Sun City Texas at Georgetown, I was given a seven page list of optional features for the house that I was considering. They are really changing the system at Frisco Lakes. The houses are substantially more expensive than Sun City Texas, but many of the upgrades are now standard. The options have been reduced to one page with seven items on it for the Walden. They are not offering window coverings of any type. I will have to do something immediately to cover up the windows. There is a  big window right over the bathtub in the master bathroom. The only fences allowed in the community are low wrought iron fences so there is no screening from a privacy fence. I have been thinking that I want to put plantation shutters on all the windows and not have drapes or valences. I realized after I signed the contract that there are a pair of unusual windows in the master bedroom. They are very narrow and vertical at each end of the wall where I will place my bed. I do not think plantation shutters would work on them.

 

I found a discussion forum called Frisco Online that discusses all sorts of community information. I think I will post a question and ask for a recommendation for a store to supply my window coverings. It is really difficult to go into a new community and find reputable businesses. From what I have heard it takes quite a bit of skill to properly fit plantation shutters.

Links

I am still recuperating from the trip to Dallas. Last night I uploaded the pictures of the Walden model home to Smugmug: Walden Model Home. They are not good pictures, but I wanted to capture as many details of the house that I am buying as possible in order to have something to help out my memory.

There has been very little information published on Frisco Lakes. I did find this article: A Fresh Look at Retirement Living. It gives the best description of the Frisco Lakes community that I have been able to find.

My New Home

It is real. I signed the contract and paid my earnest money on Monday. So far I have had no signs of buyer's remorse. I just feel relieved and happy that the agonizing, analyzing and worrying are behind me. On Tuesday I made all my color selections. I dreaded making the choices, but I was surprised at how quickly I made my decisions. I just found a combination of carpet, tile, granite, Corian, cabinet stain, wall color that all fit together really well in my opinion.

 

I literally went through high water on Sunday to get to Frisco. Many areas in the Dallas metropolitan area flooded. The only way the drive could have been worse was if there were tornadoes swirling around me. I was shaking when I reached the hotel in Frisco. This morning I drove non-stop from Frisco to Beaumont. Now that spring has arrived the weather turned cold. The temperature was near freezing when I left Frisco, but it was a beautiful day. Even Beaumont turned much colder. I had left the air conditioning on in my house and had to switch to heat when I found the house was down to 67 degrees when I got home.

 

On Tuesday morning I was able to get into the Walden model home. They have made a tremendous about of progress since I went through it on March 6. The model is now completely furnished. The landscapers were putting the finishing touches on the landscaping. Del Webb plans to have the public grand opening on April 1. I took 60 pictures of details of the Walden. I have uploaded them to my PC and rapidly scanned through them. I will be studying them in great detail over the next few days.

 

I was really disappointed that I did not have my sales meeting until the third day. One of the sales associates told me 80 people logged on to the website between 11:00 and 11:01 AM last Wednesday. They told me 108 homes had been sold when I first walked in on Monday morning. Every one of the lots that I was interested in for the first release was already sold. I was so disappointed. I did not want to wait until October and go through another complete hurricane season in Beaumont. I told them I was thinking about getting in my car and leaving. Then I told them about a very sad story about a 65 year old woman who was healthy before Rita hit and passed away from a massive stroke after Rita. I had read the story in the Beaumont Enterprise before I left home on Sunday. I almost cried. My chin was quivering. My sales associate went over in the corner and started whispering to three men. One was the Del Webb vice president who is in charge of Frisco Lakes. He came over to me and made an offer that I could not refuse. I got a house on the culdesac that I wanted for the first release that is projected to be mid July. I am so happy.

Frisco Again

Tomorrow I am driving to Frisco and will sign the sales contract for Frisco Lakes on Monday providing there is still an acceptable lot available. The weather forecast is not encouraging for Beaumont nor Frisco. Both places are supposed to have thunderstorms with some that may be severe. I am glad I had good weather on the first driving trip. It will be easier to cope with the weather now that I am somewhat familiar with the roads. If everything goes as planned, I will be making the color selections for my house on Tuesday. Del Webb allows very little customization of the houses. They have samples of carpet, cabinets, brick, etc. available. All three of my previous homes required that I run around to a number of different stores to make my selections. After I sign the contract, I will be finished with Rita and will be turned over to a construction supervisor as my primary contact. I will meet with this individual several times during the construction process. Del Webb has an outline of the construction process on their website and spells out at what points the meetings will be held. This is all very different from my dealings with small builders in the past.

 

I am going to check out a storage place on this trip and find out about leasing space to store my china and crystal. I will take as much as practical on the trips during the construction process.

 

I have only told one neighbor of my plans. It is interesting how the word is spreading around the street. Yesterday when I went out to get my mail a man from up the street came over and said he heard that I was leaving. I told him that I was going to a Del Webb community in the Dallas area. He was somewhat familiar with Del Webb. I mentioned that Del Webb is starting a third community in Texas in the San Antonio area in late summer. He told me he wanted to get more information on that one because he really wants to get out of Beaumont too. He is originally from San Antonio. His wife has developed a disability and will soon be wheelchair bound. He thought that the Del Webb houses would be built with wide doorways and with other features to accommodate the wheelchairs. There are some features such as grab bars on the tubs and shower, but Del Webb is promoted as an active adult community so I do not know if Del Webb would meet my neighbors needs.

 

Judging from my present physical condition and my family history I am estimating that I have fifteen to twenty active years to enjoy. However, my neighbors comments did make me pause. We never know what tomorrow will bring.

Next Step

Rita called at 11:30 this morning and told me my sales meeting would be Monday morning. I was getting rather worried because I did not hear from her yesterday afternoon. They are having the sales meetings starting on Saturday and going every day through Tuesday. I thought I had made a quick connection and entered my info. as fast as I could yesterday for the online registration. Rita says my chances for the lot I want in the Classic section are still very good. When I met with her on March 6, she told me only certain lots were available for the Walden floor plan. Today she said those restrictions had been removed and all of the lots were available for the Walden. I am hoping I can get the lot adjacent to what was my first choice. My first choice lot had a $2,000 premium. The one next door is a standard lot. It may be a little smaller, but to me a smaller yard is better.

 

Rita says there is a lot of competition for the high-end Estate series and also for the smaller Garden series lots. The Classic series is the mid range. She also said they have more people interested in the second release which are the houses that will be ready in October. The third release will be in late December - early January. The first release is in mid-July. That is what I am aiming at. The Walden model goes up $2,000 for the second release and an additional $3,000 for the third release.

 

I read back through what I had written in his blog during the evacuation. I said that it was my goal to be out of Beaumont by June 1 which is the start of hurricane season. If I get the lot that I want, I will miss my goal by six to eight weeks.

One More Step

At ten thirty this morning my Frisco Lakes sale rep.'s husband called me to tell me to only fill in the bold fields on the priority registration form at 11 AM. He is also a Del Webb sales rep. I had the email with the link loaded on my computer and the mouse pointer positioned on the link. I watched the display on the digital cable box and when it displayed 11:00, I clicked on the link. The only bold fields were first and last names and email address. I clicked on submit and a screen came back and said I was successfully registered and not to register more than once.

 

I think Rita's husband's name is Johnny. He told me they would start calling this afternoon to tell the people the time of their sales meetings. I wonder how many of my future neighbors are doing as much worrying as I am. My hands are cold and clammy.

Back to Plan A

I have made several contacts with local realtors and have not been pleased with their lack of responsiveness. Most of them do not want to talk to me until May. I started thinking about the lady who sold my house back in 1980. She was sharp and very helpful. She is still in Beaumont but has retired. I will call her "N". I am sure it is more than ten years since I last talked to N. I found her listed in the phone book and called. She now lives with her daughter and son-in-law. I told her of my plans and told her I would like to find an N clone. That tickled her. She gave me a name, "D", and within half an hour D called. She is a couple of years younger than I and has been selling real estate in Beaumont for 26 years. She said to give her a call and fill her in after I returned from Frisco.

 

Last Friday I called her. Our conversation got around to Hurricane Rita. I told her I had some damage to the sheet rock that had not been repaired. That alarmed her. She said some sales had been lost because mortgage companies are taking a very tough stance on loans on damaged homes.

She said she had seen cases where very expensive mold remediation and sheet rock replacement and cleaning and replacement of duct work was required. I said in that case I think you better come out on Monday and look at my house before I commit my money to Frisco Lakes.

 

Yesterday morning D called and said her 94 year old aunt had fallen and was on life support, and she would like to delay our meeting until next week. I told her I may be signing the sales contract as soon as Saturday and would really like to have her opinion on the damage. My damage is to the sheet rock around the windows in the front bedrooms on the north side of the house. I have seen no sign of mold. I grew frustrated with my attempts to find somebody that I could trust to do the repairs. The damage is so small that these characters do not want to touch it. When I explained my situation to D, she asked if she could come out in about ten minutes. I said yes, please do. It was a rather dark morning. I ran around and turned on every light in the house so she could see all of my house's warts and blemishes.

 

D arrived, and I gave her the tour. She said she saw nothing that would prevent the sale of the house. She said she would help me fill out the damage disclosure forms. She agreed with my decision to do nothing. My house is eighteen years old. I have taken good care of it; but if I were going to stay here, there are things I would be doing to update and improve it. D agreed that I would not recover the cost of any improvements, and she feels that my home will move quickly. She said there is a shortage of homes in Beaumont now. She said homes are selling on an average of eleven days, and they are getting multiple contracts on a property.

 

I mentioned to D that I had the Texas Windstorm inspection certificates for the roof and siding. She said she would like to see them. I told her they can be accessed on line from the Texas Windstorm website. I emailed her the link. I also told her I had a service contract with a local heating and air conditioning company. I told her they had inspected my system shortly after I returned from the evacuation and had found no damage in the attic to the ducts or heating/cooling units. She asked if I had that in writing. I pulled out the service report from my file cabinet.

 

I like D. I think I have found my N clone. Tomorrow at 11 AM I will be registering for the Frisco Lakes lot lottery. I received an email from the sales rep. at Sun City Texas at Georgetown yesterday. They are opening a new section of of classic homes and will have a lottery for lot selection on Saturday.

 

I had three sleep-interrupted nights after I talked to D on Friday. I was trying to figure out what I would do if I got an ugly surprise on the sale of my home. I truly appreciate D taking the time to come see me when she is dealing with a difficult family situation. I had carefully thought through the pros and cons of not repairing my house, and I am now very happy that D concurs with my reasoning.

 

Update

Three men and a truck from the Salvation Army showed up a little before ten yesterday morning. They carried out the old computer and monitor. Two men carried the monitor down the stairs and out to the truck, and it was very difficult for them. I reaffirm that I will only buy laptop computers in the future. They also carried the exercise bicycle down the stairs. The lawnmower, wheel barrow and one shelf unit were easy to get out of the garage.

 

I think I will have them come back one more time before I move. I have just about decided to part with the computer table. I have a computer cabinet that I bought from Ethan Allen. It looks like a roll top desk. It was designed to hold the original IBM PC and a dot matrix printer--how short sighted. It is a very nice piece of furniture. I have done some measuring and find that my laser printer, cable modem and WiFi router will fit under the roll top. There is a hole in the back so the power cords and cables can be plugged in. My scanner will fit on the pull out shelf that housed the dot matrix printer. I am glad I will get some more use from the cabinet and will be able to camouflage the ugly computer peripherals. The computer table does not really fit in with my furniture. I was thinking about putting it in the garage, but now I am leaning toward getting rid of it. I need to think about it a little more.

 

I have decided when I finally move I will have the movers put the refrigerator, freezer and big TV in the garage. I will leave the key with a neighbor so they can let the Salvation Army in to pick up the last three big items. It seems if I give my problems enough thought a solution comes to me.

 

I have finished going through the items on the shelves of the library closet and also removed all the items that were sitting on the floor of the closet. I was able to put my entire collection of paperback books on one of the shelves. It sure looks much better to get those books off of the floor. Tomorrow I am going to fold all of the clothes that are in the closet and take them to Goodwill. Then I am going to tackle the bookshelves. They are very nice Ethan Allen shelves, but they have been the landing spot for all the computer manuals and software boxes that I have acquired over the years. I will keep just the manuals for my current hardware and software.

Still Sorting and Eliminating

Due to the trip to Frisco I fell behind my schedule for sorting my belongings and eliminating the unneeded. I finished the room I call the den before the trip. After I returned, I went through the cabinets in the hall bathroom. That job was fairly simple. I had not accumulated much junk in there. Now I am working on the bedroom that I call the library. I have a Fiber McGee's closet in there. I am estimating that the closet alone is a four day job. I only work for one to two hours per day on this project.

 

Yesterday I cleaned the top shelf and this morning I cleaned the second shelf. There was a Pong game, an old hand-held slide viewer and some important papers that should be in the filing cabinet. I have to clean the filing cabinet before there is room for them. Also there were all sorts of course materials on early computer software. Who remembers Windows 2.0? There were courses on Lotus Symphony, 1-2-3, Manuscript and Agenda. There were jigsaw puzzles, Monopoly, Scrabble, Clue, a set of dominoes, and bridge for one. They are all going to Goodwill.

 

I called the Salvation Army yesterday. The lady I talked to asked me if they could come out today. I did not expect that they would be able to come so soon. I had planned to do my grocery shopping this morning, but I am so ready to have them haul out heavy items that I said that would be fine. I rushed out and bought my groceries yesterday afternoon.

 

I looked at the Lions Club website and found that LensCrafters has collection boxes for old eyeglasses. I called the Parkdale Mall store and they confirmed that they would take my donation. I had bagged the old glasses several weeks ago but was unable to leave them at the TSO because the shop received extensive hurricane damage and is still closed. I thought they might have reopened. I called yesterday and the recording said they were still closed. They have another shop in Silsbee. They gave instructions on how to order contact lenses. I am really glad that I do not wear contacts anymore. That would be terrible to have to go to Silsbee if I lost a lens.

 

When I finish cleaning the library, I will be through with the upstairs rooms. Downstairs should not be as difficult. There are cabinets in the utility room that have quite an accumulation. Also there is a storage closet under the stairs. That is where my Christmas tree and my handmade ornaments are stored. I lived in Houston when I last put up my Christmas tree. It will go to Goodwill. I have not decided if I will part with the ornaments. I do not think there are too many things that need to go in the kitchen. I do not cook many things from scratch any more. I have not accumulated too many kitchen gadgets since I have lived here.

Heebee Jeebees

Yesterday I received a nice email from a man I used to work with. He has been reading my blog and knows of all the things I am finding to worry about concerning the move to Frisco. He told me to not let the heebee jeebees get me down. I had not heard that term in years. It made me laugh. I think it pretty well describes what I am going through.

 

Yesterday I did Google searches on Pulte, the company that owns Del Webb, and lawsuits. I found websites where complaints against builders were posted. I also checked out Pulte and Del Webb on the Better Business Bureau website. Pulte has very few complaints in the Dallas area. In that market they have been rated number one in owner satisfaction by J. D. Powers. However, I found quite a few complaints. There have been lawsuits against Pulte and Del Webb in Arizona. I became even more alarmed when I saw that the Better Business Bureau gave Pulte an unsatisfactory rating in Houston. When I read further, I found that the unsatisfactory rating was due to their failing to respond to the BBB regarding one complaint.

 

If I remember correctly, I read in The Wall Street Journal that Pulte is the second largest home builder in the country. However, at the seminar I attended in January they said Pulte was the largest home builder in the country. Considering their size the number of complaints I saw probably were not significant. If you deal with a small builder, there is always the danger that they will go belly up. It appears that the real estate market is going into a decline at least on both coasts of the country. The financial stability of the builder is an important consideration.

 

I also worry about buying one of the very first houses in the new development. Who knows what pitfalls wait for one of the first residents. I worry about bugs and field mice. I have studied the plot plan. I think the lots are far enough away from the main roads that traffic noise should not be a problem.

 

I am also worrying about moving my crystal and china. I have a large collection of Waterford crystal and Minton china. I looked up current price lists on the Waterford Powerscourt stemware. I nearly had a heart attack after I did a few calculations and found out what it would cost to replace my crystal. I then looked for the Minton Henley pattern which has been discontinued for many years. When I found one place that wanted $215 for the sugar bowl, I nearly croaked. When I made my moves to and from Houston, I packed the crystal and china myself and took the boxes in the car. I have much more than I could carry in one trip. Frisco is three times farther from Beaumont than Houston. I considered renting a storage locker in Frisco and taking the crystal and china during several trips during the construction process. My neighbor told me that Lowe's sells packing boxes for china. I am going to look at that. I will need to talk to the movers and see what they have to say about moving this stuff. I bought the china from a local department store. It was packed and shipped to the store. I bought the Waterford crystal via mail order from companies in Ireland way back in the 1970's. All of the crystal made it through the Irish and U.S. mail systems without a single broken piece. It can be moved safely, but still I worry.

Back from Frisco

I had a safe trip to and from Frisco. The driving time is approximately six hours from my home in Beaumont to the hotel in Frisco. The weather cooperated for this trip. On Monday I met with my sales rep. and toured a couple of the model homes that are still under construction. There were some pleasant surprises in that Del Webb has decided to include more upgrades in the homes than were outlined at the January seminars. The kitchen counters have been upgraded from Corian to granite. Corian will still be used in the bathrooms. Two ceiling fans have been added and the wiring and bracing for ceiling fans in all bedrooms is now included. A burglar alarm system with one pad and senors on all doors and windows is now included. Many other features that are upgrades at the Sun City Texas houses at Georgetown are now standard in the Frisco Lakes homes. A front and back sprinkler system and landscaping and sod of the backyard are included.

 

I paid the $1,000 to be included in the pre-opening registration. Next Wednesday at 11 AM a link to the website will become live. The choice of lots will be determined according to the order people register online next Wednesday. Sales meetings will begin on March 18. I did not realize that I may be going back to Frisco so soon. In nine or ten days the commitment will be made. I hope I do not get cold feet. After I sign the sales contract, maybe my brain will stop running in such high gear.

Off to Frisco I Go

Tomorrow I am driving to Frisco. When I went there in late January, I drove to Houston and flew from IAH to DFW. This will be the first time I have driven to Dallas. During the evacuation I drove to Texarkana and then to Frisco and on down to Richardson. I drove back to Beaumont from Richardson. This trip will be very different than my last driving trip there. I drove to Frisco from Texarkana with only a state map of Texas in the car. I am a member of AAA and had gotten their driving directions from the website. I did not have access to a printer so I had copied the directions by hand from the pc display to a piece of paper. The drive down to Richardson from Frisco terrified me. I did not realize that the road was a tollway. I had to go through multiple toll booths and did not have correct change. Getting into the correct lanes for manned toll booths made a nervous wreck out of me.

 

This time I am well armed with maps and books I bought the Mapsco Dallas Street Guide: mapsco.com. It is a massive book. I also have the latest tour book, maps and Triptik from AAA. I have decided to exit the freeway in Richardson and drive north on Coit Road through Plano to Frisco. I will not have to contend with the tolls, and it will give me a chance to see a little of Plano. I want to get a feel for the driving distance from Frisco to Plano. The Dallas light rail (DART) runs as far north as Plano. I think it will be fun to drive down to Plano and take the train to points of interest in Dallas. I have been studying the websites for the Dallas Farmers' Market and Dallas Flower and Garden Show. I think little trips to those places would be nice outings after I am settled in Frisco.

 

I think retracing the my steps through Richardson will remind me of just what a horrendous event the evacuation was. It will fortify my determination to leave Beaumont. Every so often I get a case of cold feet. and am worrying about everything associated with the move, but I keep repeating the old cliche to myself--nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Lemons to Lemonade

Finally, I have found a couple of good things about Hurricane Rita. The first thing is that it has shaken me up and made me reevaluate what I want to do with the rest of my life. Before Rita I was content with my routine and not too aware of what was going on around me in my neighborhood and the city of Beaumont. After weighing the pros and cons, I decided that I really wanted to move from Southeast Texas.

 

Those of you who regularly read my blog know all about Frisco Lakes and my plans to move there. I have been considering and worrying over the financing options for the new house. I want to pay cash for the house but will not have enough money without tapping tax deferred retirement accounts until after my house sells. The tax consequences of taking money out of the retirement accounts is something I want to avoid. I thought I was going to have to obtain some type of interim loan until my house sells.

 

Last night I was checking out irs.gov. I downloaded Publication 4492: Information for Taxpayers Affected by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. I found that the rules for those living in the areas impacted by the hurricanes allow you to make up to $100,000 withdrawal from a qualified retirement plan by January 1, 2007 and spread the tax payments over three years. In addition you have a three year period starting the day after the hurricane distribution is made to repay the distribution and pay no taxes on the distribution. I have spent a good part of the morning talking to financial advisers to make sure I have interpreted the rules correctly. It appears that I have. Surely my house will sell within a three year period, and I am hoping that it sells within a month or two. I can repay the hurricane distribution to the retirement plan. The only cost will be the lost earnings on the distribution before it is repaid. This is my lowest cost option.

 

Now I feel that Hurricane Rita has a bright side after all. I strongly recommend that anybody who lives in the areas affected by one of the three hurricanes read Publication 4492. You might find your glass of lemonade, too.