We’re here! We finally completed the purchase of the property for Shep’s Place, and Ann and I and the dogs have moved into the house next door. Now begins the long process of renovation. Both houses are over 80 years old, and need TLC to nurse them back into shape. For now, we are focusing on our residence. It is half the size of our previous home, so we have WAY too much stuff crammed into it. Some of it will eventually go to Shep’s Place, some to Goodwill, but for now it is piled up in boxes; the basement looks like a warehouse. Since we both work full time, we can only find a few hours a day to work on it, but we’re making progress. It’s okay, though. The house is like a senior dog: it may have some issues, but it has a lot of character, and with love and patience it can shine again.
Shep’s Place next door is probably in better shape than our house, but it will require more extensive renovations to meet state requirements for animal shelters. For now, it is storage room for our extra stuff. Hopefully in a month or two, we can turn our attention to it.
It’s exciting to have actually made the step, to have a physical place in hand to start working on. A lot of effort remains, but we are well and truly on the road.
