Yes, It Was

As we were not going to get into the house until the late afternoon, we had to find ways of amusing and distracting ourselves. This involved two trips to Starbuck's, reading the New York Times and several magazines, driving around other neighborhoods and napping.

Finally, the magic hour arrived, and we went to see the place. The landlord was standing outside with a beautiful Shetland Sheepdog (Cassie, after Mary Cassatt), and I immediately made friends with the dog. We walked Cassie for a bit, getting a verbal history of the neighbors and neighborhood, then we were given a tour of the garage and the backyard and the various flowers and herbs and whatnot. Then, finally, we were taken inside. The entryway was almost like a castle tower, stone and arches, and a freestanding curved staircase raising up two stories. It was breathtaking. Entering the living room, the first things we noticed were the beamed ceiling, the enormous leaded glass windows, and the great expanse of wall over the fireplace to the ceiling which was just begging for H__ to create some masterpiece to feature there.

We passed through the dining room, checked out the large kitchen (sadly, an electric stove) and the many closets, the two bedrooms and two baths. Then it was upstairs to the fabulous library, and the extra added treat of the finished third floor that had five big rooms. Then it was down the back stairs to the basement, which had another three rooms, including a very large laundry room, with a built-in table for folding clothes - and a laundry chute, which in my younger days I am sure I would have been tempted to use inappropriately.

Standing in the basement, we agreed that we would take it. The landlady told us that we were horrible negotiators.

So off we went to fill out the application and copy documents and write the deposit check. Now, one would think that finding a copy machine in Cleveland would not take you an hour...but somehow it did. It was during this hunt that my dear Penpal phoned to tell me good news / bad news. The good news was a terrifically successful business day she had had, and bad news was one of those things that you know deep in your heart is true at the time, even though someone is telling you that it isn't, that it is all in your mind. Then one day, they own up to it after all. So, not BAD, really, just tiresome and annoying.

Following that, copies hot off the press, we then realized that we had forgotten to eat all day (Lord knows we didn't forget to drink coffee though...) so we stopped in to Eddie Sands' Blueline Cafe for a meatloaf dinner that was less than wonderful. Then we dropped off the forms and money, and headed back to H__'s, quite exhausted.