We finally have loan approval and an acceptable appraisal. That means our bank is setting up the construction loan. And THAT means we will be breaking ground soon – hopefully within 2 to 3 weeks. I know we’ve said that before. In fact, since before Thanksgiving. Who knew it would take two loan applications with two different lenders and two appraisals to get an approval? This is the permanent mortgage that I’m referring to; the local bank doesn’t carry mortgages so had to have a loan commitment from a secondary lender before it would do the construction loan.
The problem is a small matter of building green. It’s the smart way to go. It’s good for the environment. It’s good for our pocketbook. It takes advantage of natural, renewable resources. But no bloody bank wants to finance green. Not vanilla enough. NON-CONFORMING!
We’re on our way, though. Now, it seems the usual head-aches of choosing colors and cabinets and lights will be easy by comparison. We’ll see – ask me in a few months when I’m in the throes of those choices. Right now, I’m making myself crazy over picking a color for the dyed concrete floors!
goes to flikr images
Or rather, we went over Bear Mountain! Back when we were just visiting Silver City and hadn’t committed to moving here, I used to watch the sun set behind Bear Mountain from Skee’s porch. It was on our third visit that I watched another New Mexico-classic sunset and found myself resonating like a tuning fork, knowing that this is where I’m meant to be. But it took us almost three years -- and the purchase of one big truck – to finally make it up and around the mountain. Actually you can’t really go over; the road tracks around the shoulder, dipping up and down the mountain shrugs. Bear Mountain Road finally climbs up and levels out on LS Mesa. We have a friend who lives out there, and she tells us that LS stands for Lone Star. Yep, as in the Lone Star state of Texas. History has it that this area used to belong to the state of Texas. That makes New Mexico a “breakaway republic.” Or something like that. Anyway, I don’t know about the Lone Star bit, but the mesa is one spectacular place. A hand-shaped grasslands-covered flat-top wrinkled by canyons, arroyos and dry crick beds. Dropping off at the fingertips to places like Bear Creek and Hells Half Acre, with ridges having names like Tadpole, fronting the Mogollons in the mid-distance and Arizona’s Mt Graham in the blue distance.
We made two trips up there. The first was on our own so we didn’t push the edges of the mesa too far. There were signs that said things like “trespassers will be shot” and “open range,” the latter sign peppered with bullet holes. Much of it is National Forest, hosting grazing rights, but there are some in-holdings of private ranches. So we just parked the truck and walked the open range grasslands, dodging cow pies and tripping over salt licks. But lovin’ every minute (especially Nutmeg). The second time, our friend met us, hopped in the front seat of the truck and showed us around. She’s lived out there for something like 18 years on a small place with a couple of horses, 4 dogs and her “girls,” a collection of hens and ducks. She took us exploring the off-tracks, where I got to put my truck into 4-wheel LOW and creep over rocks and ruts, knocking twigs and leaves into the open windows. I was reminded again that we now live in the real west – or at least an honest facsimile. We twice passed cowboys in the saddle, chaps and spurs looking worn and natural. These weren’t displaced Californians playing dress-up, although our friend tells us there are a few newcomers trying to make a life there. These were the original ranch families or hands who’ve been there 3 and more generations and are still running cattle on their own and federal lands.
We’ll go back to hike as the weather warms. Our friend showed us some easily-followed tracks or trails, although Nick’s tendency is to prefer bushwhacking. Hell’s Half Acre is supposed to be pretty spectacular – down into a series of canyons, including slot canyons. That visit, I will want to go with either a GPS or people familiar with the way out!
Small observations: I went to Walmart on Saturday. I was waiting to be served at the deli. I watched the woman handling the hams and turkey breasts wince as she maneuvered with her right hand. When it was my turn and she turned her chat my way, I mentioned that her wrist appeared to be giving her a problem. She said it was and acknowledged my comment that it was probably hard to wear a wrist brace and do what she was doing. She said she would go to the doctor, but the only thing the doctor would say would be not to work until the wrist healed, and, “Who can afford that?” So she apparently gets by on aspirin and will.
Mid-day Saturday is usually very busy at Walmart in my short experience here. Except sometimes. Sometimes, like this past Saturday, the checkers are downright lonely-looking. I walzed up to a register and without a pause began to unload my cart. When I said something to the checker about how quiet it seemed, and had it been busier earlier, she said, “No, it’s the end of the month. Everyone’s outa money.”
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment