Ruined Catalogs and expensive trip

We got home yesterday after two weeks in Casa Grande Az. Wonderful trip but the most expensive vacation ever (more later). We took one dog with us but the rest stayed home including my two psycho cats. We arrived home about one thirty yesterday afternoon and the pet sitter was there and said everyone was fine. We sorted through the mail which I care nothing about except for the seed catalogs which were four including the totally tomatoes. I stacked them up on the dinning room table to look at today. This morning I went to pick up the catalogs and found that one of my cats (I know which one) peed all over the whole stack, nothing else on the table was touched. We hope the table is not ruined because an imprint of the tomato catalog is on the table, needless to say the catalog along with two others are also ruined. He evidently did not approve of our vacation. This has happed before (not on the table) but never on MY seed catalogs. We may be a one cat family if it happens again. 
     Anyway we stayed at a beautiful RV and home resort with an 18 hole golf course, many pickle ball and tennis courts, lawn bowling, two pools, three hot tubs, softball field, dog parks and on and on. Classes and activities all day, every day, Disneyland for old fa.... We loved it and our friends who have been coming there for 14 years showed us all around the area from there to Phoenix. We stayed in a rented park model unit with a large Az. room attached and it was nice but I am not a crowd person.As most of you know RV parks are quite close together and this park with the combination of very large RV's, permanent park models and homes all mixed in together provides very little room between units. We had one way covers on the outside windows but they only work during the day so you close the drapes at night and I feel all closed in because I live in the country. Well we were driving around on our golf cart, looking at how everybody fixed up their spaces and what everybody planted and how neat and manicured everything was when I happened on a park model. It has a larger lot with a ten ft. high hedge on one side next to the tennis courts and an 8 ft. wall in the back with enough room for a back patio, behind the Az. room. The other side had 16 ft.to the lot line with lemon trees hiding the other unit. So privacy on three sides and a for sale sign on the front.  The price was quite high but we looked at it anyway and our friends had been in the unit several years ago and said the owners had put in many improvements and new carpet, new tile floors etc. Well we thought about it and we offered two thirds of the asking price just for fun and they took it.  We close Friday. BTW there is enough room in a sunny area for one 4x8 but it will have to be fancy stone, no wood allowed. The unit is rented thru March but by closing now I get the rental income which will pay the lot space for the year plus the sewer etc. Will go down in April and summarize it and return in Nov. (after SFG 2015) and put in dog fancy fencing and cat screens around the small deck . I think I took some pictures if I can find my camera. More later.

Well...that was a surprise ending! Congrats!

Does that make you an official 'snow bird'?

I was going to say  but you did say you will post pictures later, so I won't say that!

I know the feeling about the cat's disapproval - really, I do!

A million years ago, when I was young, my then-husband and I were getting ready to go away for a couple of days. We had already  been away for a couple of weekends in a row, which wasn't typical for us. 

Former husband was in the living room, and I was still in the bedroom primping, when I heard the most amazing scream come out of that man's mouth. I yelled out to him, "What's wrong?" and he replied "Peter peed on my shoes!" 

What he failed to mention was that he was already wearing them! 

Even though the husband did end up being an ex, I'm still not sure how or why that cat lived to see the next day!

Yeah, it's funny now (and I don't say that out of wishing ill for my ex) but they sure can find ways to express themselves.

I am so sorry about your catalogs. I hope the table can be fixed- I'm guessing it can. And I am looking forward to pictures.

How fun!  (Not the cat issues), but the new adventure that awaits in your new home away from home!)  Can't wait to see pictures.

When my cats are misbehaving I have been known to threaten to make Barbie rugs out of them - they're terrified .... NOT!!!

Oooooo, I sense a double SFG season for you! 
It might be a place that Earth boxes type things would work well.

I totally get the need for privacy.  I am uncomfortable with seeing people's back yards (even though I look if I spot a garden ) and I do not like people looking in my yard (which is easy to prevent when they are half mile away)

Congratulations, John.  Sounds like fun!

They say animals can't talk... WRONG!!!

Our alpha husky let us know the first time we went off on a weekend without them that he didn't want us doing that again.  Was quite emphatic about it too...

But at least he didn't pee on us!  That was for the vacuum cleaner monster...!

Thanks for the chuckles about your furbabies. They do have ways of letting us know their dispeasure.
I look forward to your pictures as well. It could be a good monetary investment but the main thing is for you to enjoy it.  I'm sure you can be creative about the garden aspect of it and I am sure we can give you lots of helpful advice and ideas.

I too like privacy. Although I am on the edge of town, five minutes walk away, and in town the lots are close together, where I am I have about fifty feet either way from my neighbours, until someone some day divides their lot and builds on one side of me. The other I am OK for as long as I live here because the fifty feet is all mine. Our lots are 100 feet wide.

John, Congrats on your new winter home. You'll have to contact the seed companies and let them know the catalogs got "wet" while you were out of town and that you need replacements. I do hope the table can be repaired.

martha wrote:
Former husband was in the living room, and I was still in the bedroom primping, when I heard the most amazing scream come out of that man's mouth. I yelled out to him, "What's wrong?" and he replied "Peter peed on my shoes!"  ... Even though the husband did end up being an ex.

Cats know ...

I got a copy of Phoenix Home and garden or something like that and it gave several start dates such as buy your tomato seeds now so you can start them indoors on Jan 1 . It said to use it was best to use ones with a 90 day time frame. I got a couple of pictures but the rest were taken on my phone and I don't know how to transfer.

Back showing wall and hedge:

The one but kitchen and the dining/office area:

Not related but I wanted everyone to see my new 50 # of bird seed feeder. Worked the whole time I was gone and still had a little seed left yesterday.

After next year I should be an official snow bird. I met several of my new neighbors and most are Canadians from BC and most of the park (60%) are also Canadians.

Nice outdoor space for what it is.  And the inside looks nice too.

HMMM  Fancy stone.  There has got to be a way to make a fancy stone tabletop to allow  storage for gardening stuff under the bed and save space.  Maybe stuccoed (porraged) cinder blocks with river rocks stuck in for decorative.  A deep bed to allow for mulch.

I have gotten to where I always try to picture a SFG setup whenever I look at houses. 

Kay

I'm sorry the cat disapproved of your trip.  Yup, inform the seed companies you need new ones in a hurry.
Great pics of your new winter abode.  I hope you'll be very happy there.
Good luck.

Marc Iverson:  Cats know... wrote:

Sanderson: wrote:  

And now I want an RV!

johnp wrote:After next year I should be an official snow bird. I met several of my new neighbors and most are Canadians from BC and most of the park (60%) are also Canadians.

And can you blame us, johnp.  I'd love to go south for a winter break, but I think only to visit. I don't know how people manage to have two homes let alone the several more that really wealthy people have, because if it were me, what I want would always be in the other home.  I guess I'll stay a home bird and just wait for the spring.

I don't know how people manage to have two homes let alone the several more that really wealthy people have, because if it were me, what I want would always be in the other home.  I guess I'll stay a home bird and just wait for the spring.

That does sound difficult. I'm finding more and more of the non-necessary things I still feel I "must have" are either on my computer(the internet and software programs and movies/TV) or on my e-reader(books). Wherever I live used to be a book and movie warehouse, and look like one too. Now I can carry most anything I need for work or play in a backpack or messenger bag.

Honestly it's a relief. I'm still chained to my "things," but there are only a few of them and I can easily move them around. I used to feel completely owned by my stuff, but now I only feel owned by my family and my dogs, both of which are relatively portable.

A much better place to be, Marc!