No!!!
The bank called today — our mortgage request fell through. This is the second one that said everything was goodness and light, and then turned around and said we needed a commercial loan. The first one wasted almost three weeks; this one wasted four weeks. I’m getting very anxious, as we burn through our savings…
Next option is to try two separate loans: One on the house in California, and a smaller loan on the farm. I really didn’t anticipate this, but then so far nothing I’ve predicted has come true:
| Expectation | Reality |
| Use savings, finish debt-free | Take out a substantial loan |
| Finish July 2005 | Finish spring 2006 |
| Get support from local officials | Get hassled by local officials |
| Install a turn-around in front, turn delapidated tractor shed into parking in back | Install parking in front, leave delapidated tractor shed as-is |
| Pay for restoration as a business expense | Pay as a personal expense |
| Move to PA to start restoration | Dawn moves alone; be apart for a year |
| Live in summer kitchen | Live in greenhouse |
| Have cell phone service | Have cell phone doorstop |
| Don’t touch rest of farm | Spend weeks cleaning up rest of farm |
| Cosmetic repairs | Replace entire electric, plumbing, heating, cooling, and septic systems (complete with bog turtle survey) |
| “Green” | Conventional |
| Open kitchen fireplace | Install kitchen island |
| Open fireplaces; convert to gas | Keep small fireplaces, install electric |
| Complete National Register listing by August 2004 | Complete National Register listing by August 2006 |
| Put the electric meter on the center pole | Put the electric meter on the privy |
| Patch the roof | Replace the roof |
| No sprinklers | Sprinklers |
| Fix back porch | Remove back porch |
| Use the furniture as-is | Completely restore all the furniture |
| Underground aerobic treatment unit | Sand mound |
| Wallpaper | Paint |
On the bright side, how many more things can go wrong?