Finally...

Our closing date is this coming Tuesday. WE ACTUALLY HAVE A CLOSING DATE!!! WE ARE CLOSING ON THE PROPERTY!!! Did I mention we have a closing date?

We are heading out on Sunday, meeting with our realtor on Monday for a final walk through and then meeting with all parties involved for the closing on Tuesday. Then we will have about a week and a half to see what we can accomplish on this first trip.

Left-Brain List vs. Left-Brain List

Several weeks ago,  I asked Alan to make a list of what he wanted to accomplish on our first stay at the property. I thought it would be fun to compare our lists. First a side by side comparison of our top priorities. I cannot use my ubiquitous assortment of hi-lighters for ease of comparison, so I added some color coded backgrounds to make it easier to see how we matched up.

	Alan	Arn
#1	Easy access to the deck to get in, probably just a step-ladder	Determine route to closest ER/immediate care
#2	Septic system additives - Cleaner and treatment. The system has not been used in so long, its bacteria is probably dead.	Build steps to deck (Alan's #1)
#3	Inside lighting: kerosene, motion-detection LED. Hopefully before it gets dark.	Internet (Alan's #10)
#4	Outside lighting: driveway stake lights, doorway flood lights, motion detector - all solar	Indoor security - change locks, check door & window integrity (Alan's #5 & #6)
#5	Change locks	Hike/mark property (Alan's #13)
#6	Inside security system	Outdoor solar lighting & security (Alan's #4 & #9)
#7	Setup bedroom - hopefully before we drop from exhaustion	Outdoor presence (slob art) so the property looks occupied.
#8	Setup kitchen - Katadyn water filter, Kelly Kettle, butane burner, COFFEE GRINDER	Start lists - needs, to-do, thoughts & ideas for future
#9	Outside WiFi night-vision security cameras at doors	Measure all aspects of house
#10	Test our two contenders for Internet access - AT&T and Verizon (hoping Verizon wins due to slightly better pricing)	Clean kitchen cupboards etc. so we can be ready to put stuff away we bring on the next trip (Alan's #8 - sort of)
#11	Setup solar system inside house for remote monitoring and Internet access	Remove rotted decking and calculate amount of lumber needed to re-deck
#12	Checkout well -measure water depth	Add one more thing to my list so it's as long as Alan's
#13	Explore actual property lines	Check to make sure my list is as long as Alan's

I was going to analyze our similarities and differences, but it might be more interesting to get some feedback from my readers. Feel free to chime in with any comments and/or insights when comparing our lists.

Be Afraid Creepy-Crawlies!

I have also put together some photos of a few more 'interesting' items we are taking with us:

Permethrin Tick Repellent (and cool solar lantern)	Spider Killer (We will be in Brown Recluse territory)
See a trend?!? There are also poisonous snakes in the region, so we were also considering snake repellent granules (right) to spread around the outside perimeter of the house. I discovered the two main active ingredients in natural snake repellents are clove and cinnamon, so maybe I should just bake cookies instead. Actually, I like my alternative (see below).
Three sizes of snake-shot (for my 22 Ruger target pistol, my 38 Smith & Wesson revolver and 410 shot for my Smith & Wesson Governor
	One other item we found at Tractor Supply (almost a hardware store) today. This cool 12 volt power station that has three 12 volt (cigarette lighter) sockets and 2 USB ports that can all be used in tandem. The description says it mounts on a dashboard. Now who would ever have a dashboard in their house?

Hopefully my next entry will be made from the property, connected over the cell network, powered by solar!