Then arranging for blinds, telephone, cable & Internet ... and some calls to the repairmen from the warranty book that the builder gave me -- all has gone well.
The big surprise was Anne's find: a gardener who can solve problems such as what plants to move where, what trees to plant where, how to drain the little lakes that were forming in my back yard (and stagnating water is perfect for mosquito breeding, of course, so that problem needed to be solved immediately), etc. He's a real find -- a gardener with a sense of design and balance, not just the ability to mow and edge lawns and trim shrubs!
The blinds are not here yet. I'm hoping for early next week, but if I haven't received a phone call by Monday, I'll call them to find out what's happening. Living in this house with all windows uncovered can be a bit eerie at times! And I need to keep watering the front lawn, moving the sprinkler around. But it'll start raining again some day, and sprinklers won't always be needed. I don't see the need for a sprinkler system. A garage-door opener is higher on my wish list! This getting out and opening the door and then driving in is getting old -- and when it does rain again, I'll probably skip that step and just let my car get a bath!
Indy is doing OK. She seems to have adjusted to becoming an indoor kitty pretty easily. The house is more than twice the size of the Indio house, and the garage (with the big door closed) seems to be close enough to "outdoors" to meet her needs. Between the size of this place, frequent visits from young children, and the fights with feathers every evening, she seems to be getting enough exercise! She has definitely discovered all the nice low windowsills in this house, and she sits and gazes out on the scenes frequently.
