A Homeowner Once Again

It has been a very long time since I have been a homeowner. I think I sold my last house in Calgary in 1993 or 4. You see? It's been so long I can't even remember for sure. I do know I was married in 1992. Yes. That could be seen as funny. Maybe it actually IS funny even. But anyway I got married in 1992, and back in 1972. And for awhile there, I figured I had a pattern of getting married every 20 years, whether it was a good idea or not. But then 2002 came and went and no wedding, so I broke that pattern. Good for me!

What's that got to do with homeowning? Something and nothing. When I was a married person, I had a partner with an income and it seemed possible to own a home. My first partner even built the home. Horray for carpenters and people who know how to do things.

Ok I did have a home when I was single (read widowed), but it felt as though he helped me with that one, too, seeing as how it was the revenue from the home he built that gave me the ability to buy a litte house in Edmonton.

But I digress. Boy do I ever. In fact, I think digression can be awfully fun. I mean, Ellen DeGeneres' humour is built entirely on digression and - well, you can see how fabulous she is doing these day. What a wife! What a life!

Anyway... to borrow her phrase.

So - homeowning - Due to some amazing circumstances - my forward-thinking grandfather and the generosity of my birth father and his wife, I was able to buy a beautiful property on Salt Spring Island, a place I fell in love with a couple of years back. I love the people, the farming, the sheep, the ocean, the lakes, the trees, the Saturday market, the little shops, the fabulous restaurants, the spa, the friendliness of the people, the gay community, the sense of whimsy and possibility, the laidback speed of the place and the people, the B&Bs everywhere. Hell, I even love the name!

I still can't quite believe I will be able to retire. Yes, me retire. I always thought when I was a starving actor (although I never actually achieved the LOOK of a starving artist, ironically enough), I used to joke I would work until I dropped dead. I had no pension and indeed I really had little CPP come to think of it - having worked self-employed most of my life.

But suddenly all that changed - I have a little pension from my Hydro job, and also some CPP (still don't know how much because the govt. makes it very difficult to find out), and maybe some Old Age Supplement. Plus my house has a B&B addition, which will give me additional coin in the coffers as well. Here's my house.

Yes, so not only am I a new homeowner - as of yesterday - but also a new business owner. I get to think about decorating or jzzing as Norma would say, and thinking up a name, and how to advertise, and how to treat the guests (hot breakfast or self serve, etc). Will I allow dogs?

Dogs! Another digression, but an important one. I went to the dog show on the weekend to meet Springer breeders. I would like to get a Springer puppy this spring. The plan now is to work to the end of April, so a May puppy would be perfect. I will move in May to be on my island full time, and live my new life of calm, and leisure, and fun and puppies and B&B guests and possibly producing a comedy festival.

Comedy festival - where is this blog going anyway? Ever since Jeannie mentioned that the island does not have any comedy, I have been ruminating about starting a comedy festival. Something in the summer, where we could have acts in venues inside and out, possibly a how-to component with an open mic night (would that work in conjunction or would it be too intimidating? Maybe it could be a contest? Hmmm...must keep working that one.)

And then in winter, possibly a comedy course that leads to a stand-up night in Moby's or some such place. I have a feeling Taylore might have some ideas, or Susan Batchelor and certainly Jeannie. And everyone will have an opinion.

I talked to Gerald Geraldson, the horror comic, and he sounded interested. He said I would need to find out how much comics would charge so I could put together a budget, and then go looking for sponsors. He also knows the guy who runs the festival in Victoria. I would need to start going to these festivals and seeing more comedy. Oh that sounds like a good way to spend my time for sure! Of course I would hire Norma as well - maybe she would finally do stand-up without the puppets. That could be cool.

Anyway, this is a shite blog post - more like a journal entry today, where I just blather on. But it doesn't matter since no one follows me at present anyway.

Anyway, blog, thanks for listening - or reading - or allowing me to write, or something. I just need to say thank you to someone, or something. Feeling so grateful these days. Here I am up after only 5 hours sleep, up and typing on the computer about where my life is going. My bags are packed, the car is packed to the rafters and I even got the dishes done. This is how I know I am excited about something, when I find the energy to get all the dishes done. And vacuum.

I tell myself I will be using the house as a cottage until May when I officially move, which is true. But I need to get it painted first, and cleaned, which I will start this weekend. And then move some bits and pieces in so its comfortable as a cottage. And I need a bed over there, which I will likely have to buy. A trundle bed or a wall bed or something. I will take measurements this weekend about the wall bed situation. It would be cool to have such a thing. And it would take up less room in my second bedroom/office. I will need a real office if I am to keep books for the business.

What to call it? I don't know but lately I have been thinking about Pippi Longstocking. Ah, Pippi. She had no grownups running her life - just a fabulous father away at sea - and her own monkey and horse and house and sailing ship, and so much strength and red hair. Why do the fabulous orphan girls always have red hair? Anne of Green Gables, Pippi, REbecca of Sunnybrook Farm...standouts all of them.

I thought that might be a good theme for my new house, or should I say cottage. I think I will call it a cottage. So much friendlier sounding, more like something from a fairy tale, and this is indeed a fairy tale.

Well I shall head to bed for another hour or so of sleep before going to work, and then to the ferry, I can always sleep on the ferry. I love sleeping on the ferry. I will be going to Swartz Bay, and then onto Fulford so my sleep will be interrupted by having to move from one ferry to another, but I don't care. Just happy to be going there, seeing my friend Susan tonight and then to the Ganges office in the morning to work. Then back to my "cottage" to clean and dream.

Elsy, who sold me the house, will come and visit on Sunday. She is sad about moving away from her little cottage but I am still looking forward to meeting her. What a gardener she is. The yard is so beautiful.

I will clean and dream and read and write and listen to music and shop for cleaning stuff at Mowat's (broom with stand-up dustpan, I hope) and a little bit of food and then a little soiree Saturday night. Start as you mean to go. Start as you mean to go.

Ta-ra. This little Pippi is going back to sleep.