June 2004                                                    The Megaphone                                                        Page 7

 A Moving Experience

by Deborah (Bozell) Donahue

When you think you have everything under control and planned out just the way you have visualized it to unfold, then low and behold, a few obstacles get in your way, and you are back to the very beginning going to plan B.

My husband, Pat and I, have been planning a move to Tennessee for a couple of years after he retired from the university. He has always had the dream of living on a small farm with little acreage, growing his own produce, and enjoying a different climate from the heat of those Florida summers.

Since we are both Midwesterners at heart, we thought locating to Tennessee would give us still the taste of the south but also the climate closer to the Midwest . We did not want to return to the climate of the Midwest , especially the snow of Indiana or Wisconsin , and the part off Tennessee where we were looking to settle seemed to be just the perfect spot! 

This past Christmas, we rented a house in central Tennessee close to the area where we were hoping to relocate, and close to where my aunt and cousin live. We met with a realtor in the area who was most helpful, but after the third day without finding a house that really captured our hearts, we decided to go out on our own and see if there was any thing for sale by a private owner.

We were out in the country returning to the small town of Tullahoma , Tennessee , when I spotted this large sign saying home for sale with 2 acres of land. The home was lovely and appeared fairly new, so I asked my husband to pull over and I would call the people to see if it was convenient for us to tour the home. Like most people from Tennessee , they extended us a warm welcome, and invited us in to see their home.

Needless to say after a few minutes touring the house, we knew we had found a winner. It appeared to be just what we were looking for so we told the owners we would think it over and let them know our decision as soon as we returned to Florida .

After returning to Florida , our first reaction was faced with uncertainty, but after a few days at home remembering the lovely house and property, we called the owners and told them we had decided to make them an offer if their house was still available.

After coming to an agreement on the price of the house, we hired an attorney, sent our deposit, and everything was in the works, so we thought.

The owner had the property surveyed since he was retaining part of his acreage to build another home for him and his wife. The total acreage was just too much for him since he was in failing health, so in order to divide the land he had to have it surveyed. He was to sell us 2 areas and he was to retain 0.7 of an acre. Everything seemed to be going smoothly when we received a copy of the survey showing our acreage had been reduced and his increased.

When we brought this to his attention, he told my husband he had indicated to him where the property line was located, and my husband replied, “Yes, which I assumed you had based on two acres since you advertised it and signed the contract stating those were the terms.” Needless to say, the owner was not willing to reduce the price of the property, and we were not willing to pay for acreage we were not receiving so our dream home in Tennessee was no longer an issue.

While we were out with the initial real estate agent, we had seen another home we both liked so rather than give up on our dream of relocating to Tennessee all together, we decided to see if it were available. We were advised it was still on the market, and once again we began the process of purchasing the second piece of property.

After a couple weeks, our home inspector called us to give his report verbally before he mailed us his written one. Thank God for honest people! He and my husband were on the phone for almost 45 minutes while he explained the hidden things wrong with this house. Mainly there were 3 inches of water standing in the crawl space not to mention the other negative problems. Once again our dream of relocating seemed less and less possible that it was going to happen.

By this time, our home in Florida had already sold, and we knew a decision to either completely give up on the rural life style, or make the decision to stay in Florida had to be made soon.

In March, we packed the car once again, and headed back to Tennessee for the last time to see if there was anything we had over looked that would still allow us to fulfill our Tennessee move.

After two days with another real estate agent, and looking at more houses, we both decided Florida was to be our home. 

Two weeks ago after experiencing almost six months of many disappointments, we moved into a lovely home in an area surrounded by beautiful oak trees. In our backyard we have a small pond and a pool so when those unbearable hot days approach us this summer; we can jump into the water and dream of what life in Tennessee may have been like.

Submitted by . . . 

Deborah (Bozell) Donahue '64

 Strolling Down Memory Lane

by Ellen Hamilton

Have you noticed that as you are strolling down Memory Lane lately, you are beginning to look for street signs?

. . . that it used to be one way traffic? Now the flow is going the opposite direction?

. . . there's someone else going your way and you don't think they belong?

. . . there are no refreshment stands? That's fine with you because there are also no restrooms.

. . . that you wish they would turn off the bubbling brook? . . . still no restrooms in sight!

. . . that someone has no clue? There's no way their memory could be accurate because it doesn't match yours.

Submitted by . . . 
Ellen Hamilton '58

Greenwood, IN

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