Who Woulda Thunk It

Robert Brady of Pure Land Mountain, Naomi Dagen Bloom of A Little Red Hen, Frank Paynter of listics and Melanie Applegate: Thank you for guest blogging while I was in Maine. I don’t know that it does much for you, but it’s like a fresh, spring breeze for Time Goes By, clearing out the cobwebs and giving me, after a week-long break, a renewed perspective.

Housekeeping
A couple of blogging events of note while I was away:

1. Typepad blogs were inaccessible for a while early in the week due to a big-time denial of service attack. If you were not able to gain access to TGB and missed any of the guest blogs, please scroll down (or click the links on the bloggers' names above) and read them. You will be enriched.
2. Due to the attack, Typepad has instituted a comment verification system - those little scrambled letters similar to what Blogger and other hosts use that help fight spam. I haven’t had time to look into it thoroughly, but it appears to be voluntary for blog owners. I’ll check it out and see if I want to use it. Meanwhile, it’s there and I'm told there will soon be means for me to improve that unattractive verification page.
3. It appears from the number of emails in my box that many on the TGB ElderBloggers list received a marketing letter about a contest at a new website about aging named Eons that is being developed for summer launch. I’ll have more to say about that in a day or two.

A Spectacular Success in Maine
Some of you may remember that last summer it broke my heart to lose a bid on a condominium apartment I fell in love with in Portland:

“I was more disappointed than I expected; in my head, I’d already moved in and arranged all the furniture.”

Rereading that blog entry now, I’m surprised at my restraint in the lament. I wept real tears when I lost that bid. I wailed. I liked the place so much that for several months following, I didn't look at other property listings on the same street because I didn’t want to end up walking past the building every day for the rest of my life.

As the months passed and with the healing time always brings, I gave up that self-imposed decree. The street is two blocks from the Eastern Prom, a beautiful, green, several-mile-long walkway along Casco Bay situated in an area named Munjoy Hill that has a strong sense of neighborhood and community.

And so I arrived in Maine last week armed with a list of several properties I liked from their descriptions and photos, three of which were on that street.

First, however, we looked at two others in the upper reaches of my price range. They included three bedrooms, two baths, newly renovated kitchens, lots of space to spread out. Each had minor drawbacks, but either would be an excellent choice. Then we drove to the street in Munjoy Hill.

As we pulled up in front of one property, my real estate agent, Scott Sanford, said, “This is the condo you wanted to buy last year.”

“No way,” said I. But he was correct. I hadn’t recognized it from the online photos because the intervening owner had painted a couple of walls Chinese red. But there it was, the same property, on the market again and at a price $10,000 below last year.

And now, it is mine.

It doesn’t matter at all that it is smaller than the other two I liked. Two bedrooms, one bath. But there is a separate laundry room, a dining area so large I will make part of it into an additional sitting area and a deck out back where I can grow some flowers and herbs and enjoy the sea breeze. I'll move in in about five weeks.

Never in my wildest imaginings did I think this home would be mine. How’s that for a joyous resolution to the months of waiting for my New York apartment to sell…

Comments

[Claude]

Hear, hear! I'm so happy for your sake, Ronni! So it did turn out for the best in all respects. The house you liked, a better price! The next five weeks are going to be quite something! ;)

[joared]

Congratulations! Just proves one more time that often following a disappointment something even better happens. Have experienced it, seen it happen so many times.

[Zuleme]

Ronni,
That is just amazing! I am so happy for you, it was just meant to be wasn't it?
I look forward to metting you and taking a walk along the Eastern Prom some nice summer day. My in laws live about eight minutes drive from there but my husband and I like to bicycle around the are when we go visit.

[Tamar]

A dream-come-true story! Hurrah! A huge and hearty and heart-felt congratulations. Ronni, you deserve all the goodness that is coming your way!

[Marja-Leena]

What a great surprise and dream come true, Ronni! Congratulations. At last this next phase of your life is falling into place in a most happy way.

[Dee]

How wonderful for you, Ronni! No doubt this will, in part, make up for the hassles you've had these past few months in prepartion for the move. I love a happy ending to a new beginning! Buono fortuna! Dee

[Suzz]

Hooray! How delighted you must be and how happy your readers are for you. Or as we used to say, "Cool. Way cool!"

[fp]

Wow! I am really happy that you got the place you originally wanted so much. Things DO work out. And the price went down and you avoided some months maintaining two places. Lucky lady!!!

And thank you for letting me guest blog here. Stepping in over the last few months with three long posts, I felt like I was wearing out my welcome, but your readers have been enormously kind in the comments and a couple of them are visiting me from time to time now, so I certainly benefited with some new acquaintances. Thank you again for sharing this space.

[AlwaysQuestion]

Oh, good for you, Ronni! And good for you for making that stretch that made it possible!

[Kaye Millard]

Welcome back : ) Your new home sounds like a blessing. Thank you for taking good care of us while you were moving. I enjoyed reading the guests bloggers enteries.

[Rain]

That's a wonderful end to your quest and makes me happy to hear about it. Looks like a charming home and a great place to launch a new life. Congratulations

[ian]

Great news Ronni - now how about doing something like your fotolog series on Bleeker St as you settle in to your new home. sharing what you find?

[shirley craig]

Ronni -- I'm so happy for you...get ready for a great new life..Shirley.

[schmutzie]

It looks lovely! There is something very inviting about it.

[Laura]

Oh, wow - what wonderful luck, to have it come around again, and even cheaper. Congratulations!!

[donna]

Yowza! You spoke to the universe, and it made the place yours. Sometimes karma smiles for us....

[nlowell]

As an ex-patriot Mainer and one-time resident of Portland (Spring and Summer Sts), I have to congratulate you on your find. I always wanted to live 'on the hill' but never got a chance. Is DiPetro's Market still there on Congress?

PLEASE keep writing about the old stomping grounds. It makes me homesick, but somehow that's ok.

[Chancy]

Ronni
I could not be more pleased for you. I remember your condo from the photos you posted some time ago and I love it too. Will you keep the Chinese red? I happen to like the color is it is not too much of it. My kitchen,excluding cabinets is Chinese red and it works real well.

You good fortune sounds like the happy ending to a fairy tale for grown-ups.

[Millie Garfield]

What great news!!! You got what you wanted and the price was right! After all that you and Crabby Old Lady have been through, it's finally time to start enjoying your new life in Portland.

Wishing you the very best of luck in your new place.

[Joy D]

How wonderful! I'm so happy for you and delighted you posted photos, so we could see how it looks. I love it and am thrilled for you!

[kenju]

Fabulous, Ronni! You have some very good karma from somewhere, and I hope it continues to manifest.

[goldenlucy]

I'm so very happy for you Ronni. But not surprised. Your life is only going to get better!
lucyd

[dus7]

What a lovely story! TY for sharing it. We're happy for you, of course! and I am also cheered to be reminded that disappointment is not always the end of the story - there may be more chapters as yet unread.

[Terri]

Sincere congrats to you on your purchase. Life has a way of working things out for us, doesn't it?
LOVE the outside of the house..>SO typical New England and love those hardwood floors.
Wishing you much happiness and all good things in your new home!

[jen]

Congratulations on getting your new pad Ronni.

[Jimmy Porter]

Sometimes the universe just waits for us to ask, so that it can provide. I too, have asked and received, but as humans are want to do, did not recognize it when it arrived. I am so sorry.

Good luck to you, your new home and the new direction you are traveling. When you view your first beginnings, do you wonder how you have arrived where you are???

[la peregrina]

Wonderful. :)

[Limerick Savant]

Congratulations! What's the saying about "when one door closes, another opens?" Little did you know it was just the back door to your dream.

[amba]

Ronni -- what an awesome story!! The place must have fallen in love with you too.

[Jerry Genesio]

Welcome to Maine! Like you, I'm an Elder Blogger < http://naturalunseenhazards.wordpress.com/ > and just started a new one focusing on nursing home versus in-home care < http://helpeldersliveproudly.wordpress.com/ > .
I live in Bridgton with my wife, Judy, in the summer, and in Wilmington, NC, in the winter.