Goodbye, Cabin and Other Stuff

It was Covid time, and although I had a few loyal clients,
corporate coaching was slow. Revenue wasn't awesome. When he died, Dad had left Mom with life insurance proceeds and some reserves, but most of her money and mine was tied up in real estate. Our Bachelorette Pad was a joint project, so we each kicked in toward the down payment. This meant, though, that we had to think through the process of freeing ourselves from our current properties and unlocking some cash.

The family cabin was the first to go, sadly. Mom and Dad had just fixed it up a year earlier, with a new roof, fresh paint on the exterior, and new screens on the porch. We loved that cabin, and made so many memories there before and during our children's time with us. BUT both of us were concerned about ongoing maintenance and the aging oak trees that surrounded it. Several trees had fallen while Dad was alive, narrowly missing the cabin. 

Also in the maintenance category, there was the required annual shut-off of the water before Winter to prevent burst pipes. That involved climbing down into the structure housing the pump from the well. In Spring the opening for the season meant climbing down in there again. Neither of us were inclined to climb down there and meet who knows what crawling critters. And our smallish stature made it a bigger proposition than it was for my 6-footer Dad.

We found a buyer from Philadelphia, a couple who were eager to escape infectious Philadelphia for the safety and stress relief of the woods and our cute hideaway. Settlement was bittersweet, saying goodbye our happy place, but knowing we had secured a nice chunk toward our down payment on the Bachelorette Pad.

Next, I sold my townhouse, and with that secured the funds we wanted for the new place. I was ready to move from my post-divorce digs to the new (far nicer) house, so I was ecstatic. We crammed all of us into Mom's condo during the build, including our two dogs and two cats. We were sardines. It was only temporary - 3 months living cheek by jowl, and walking the dogs through multiple snowstorms morning, noon, and night.

The close living quarters were only temporary - but 4 years later we love our house, AND we still miss the cabin.