Not Your Typical Fourth of July

It's been ten weeks since we listed our house, and we're feeling the strain of having a house on the market. Every morning, before I leave for work, I go through a mental check-list, taking care of every little detail to make the house sparkle. And when a realtor calls, asking to bring a client, I've made it a habit to find somewhere else to hang out, giving the looky loos the freedom to check everything out, without being intimidated by me, the home-owner. The coffee shop at Barnes and Noble has become my favorite retreat on these occasions.

Today, being the Fourth of July, I thought it was a safe bet that no realtor would be out showing houses, so I stripped the bed this morning and began washing sheets and our light summer blanket. Dan and I had already agreed that today would be a "lazy day," for a change. Just after the sheets went into the dryer, and the blanket into the washer, the phone rang. You guessed it . . . a realtor wanted to show the house this afternoon . . . on the Fourth of July!

It really wasn't a problem. I was able to get both loads of laundry done, and the bed remade, in plenty of time. And, luckily, we hadn't made any big holiday plans. But a "lazy day" it was NOT, what with preparing the house and then vacating it in the middle of the afternoon.

Of course, it will all be worth it when that ideal buyer comes along. Who knows, maybe this 4th-of-July-caller will be the one.