few weeks skipped by as Lila wrapped up her old life in Massachusetts and relocated to the old Russell homestead in Sovereign, Maine. Despite pleas from both Lila and Rebecca, Wendell would take no more than $40,000 for the house and 10 acres of field, carving out for himself the hired hand’s house – Bud’s place – and the balance of the 110-acre woodlot. He even brushed off an initial down payment.
“If you put in a separate driveway entrance for me ovah to Bud’s place, thet’ll be enough for a down payment,” Wendell said.
“But I have PLENTY of money,” Lila protested.
“Wal, you know, there ain’t nuthin’ I need to buy that I ain’t already got,” Wendell replied. “And thet driveway entrance won’t come cheap. Them aluminum culverts cost ‘bout $800. Plus I’m thinking you’ll find plenty of things to spend money on around heah pretty quick.”
And so the entire purchase price on the old Russell Place was to be paid in monthly installments of $300 for 15 years. “That’s not even a third of what I pay for rent!” Lila chortled to Rebecca, after Miss Hastings retired for bed that second evening in Sovereign.
Rebecca was a bit more circumspect. “But you had a regular job with Perkins & Gleeful in order to pay that rent with,” she pointed out. “Now we’re depending on …”
“… on our own smarts and hard work paying OUR way, not THEIRS,” finished Lila with satisfaction and not a little triumph. “If we get the axe this time, we’ve got nobody to blame but ourselves!”
Wendell was to remove all personal items of value (except Grammie Addie’s cookbook, which was to remain on loan), and Lila would take immediate possession of the house. She and Rebecca were to dispose of any items left in the house that they didn’t want. Wendell was leaving the furniture, dishes, bedding and even the silverware. Lila could hardly believe their good fortune.
“Wal, you know, I ain’t got no more room in Bud’s place,” Wendell said, simply.
Within two weeks of returning to Massachusetts, Rebecca had contracted with the parents of a friend and neighbor, who wanted to be close to their grandchildren – but not too close – to rent her house. The new tenants took a year’s lease on the property, paid in advance, and the monies would be enough for Rebecca to pay her mortgage, property taxes, insurance and still have money left over for minor repairs.
The new tenants wanted to move in by April 15th, however, which sent Rebecca into a frenzy of packing, sorting and storing, and resulted in several weekend visits by her daughter Amber. “She’s bringing some friends to help every time she comes,” Rebecca reported to Lila, “otherwise I don’t see how I could possibly get everything done in time!”
Lila quickly gave notice and packed up her condo (which was as nothing compared to Rebecca’s breaking up of the Johnson family home), then returned to the old Russell homestead to prepare the hen pen for the arrival of the 100 certified organic laying hens she had purchased as a starter flock from a farmer in southern Maine. In addition, she had taken responsibility to coordinate the legal paperwork involved in the real estate transaction, both Wendell and Rebecca suggesting she take the lead. One sore spot cropped up almost immediately, however. Since Lila insisted on being the one responsible for paying the mortgage, Rebecca refused to have her name put on the deed. This was troublesome to Lila, who was conscious of how necessary Rebecca was to the success of the entire operation.
“She thinks because she’s not giving me money toward the mortgage, she doesn’t have an equal right of ownership,” Lila confided to Mike Hobart one sunny afternoon in early April. A trusting relationship had replaced their fledgling friendship as the two of them had spent the prior three weeks working shoulder-to-shoulder cleaning, rebuilding and retrofitting the old hen pen. “But she doesn’t
“If you put in a separate driveway entrance for me ovah to Bud’s place, thet’ll be enough for a down payment,” Wendell said.
“But I have PLENTY of money,” Lila protested.
“Wal, you know, there ain’t nuthin’ I need to buy that I ain’t already got,” Wendell replied. “And thet driveway entrance won’t come cheap. Them aluminum culverts cost ‘bout $800. Plus I’m thinking you’ll find plenty of things to spend money on around heah pretty quick.”
And so the entire purchase price on the old Russell Place was to be paid in monthly installments of $300 for 15 years. “That’s not even a third of what I pay for rent!” Lila chortled to Rebecca, after Miss Hastings retired for bed that second evening in Sovereign.
Rebecca was a bit more circumspect. “But you had a regular job with Perkins & Gleeful in order to pay that rent with,” she pointed out. “Now we’re depending on …”
“… on our own smarts and hard work paying OUR way, not THEIRS,” finished Lila with satisfaction and not a little triumph. “If we get the axe this time, we’ve got nobody to blame but ourselves!”
Wendell was to remove all personal items of value (except Grammie Addie’s cookbook, which was to remain on loan), and Lila would take immediate possession of the house. She and Rebecca were to dispose of any items left in the house that they didn’t want. Wendell was leaving the furniture, dishes, bedding and even the silverware. Lila could hardly believe their good fortune.
“Wal, you know, I ain’t got no more room in Bud’s place,” Wendell said, simply.
Within two weeks of returning to Massachusetts, Rebecca had contracted with the parents of a friend and neighbor, who wanted to be close to their grandchildren – but not too close – to rent her house. The new tenants took a year’s lease on the property, paid in advance, and the monies would be enough for Rebecca to pay her mortgage, property taxes, insurance and still have money left over for minor repairs.
The new tenants wanted to move in by April 15th, however, which sent Rebecca into a frenzy of packing, sorting and storing, and resulted in several weekend visits by her daughter Amber. “She’s bringing some friends to help every time she comes,” Rebecca reported to Lila, “otherwise I don’t see how I could possibly get everything done in time!”
Lila quickly gave notice and packed up her condo (which was as nothing compared to Rebecca’s breaking up of the Johnson family home), then returned to the old Russell homestead to prepare the hen pen for the arrival of the 100 certified organic laying hens she had purchased as a starter flock from a farmer in southern Maine. In addition, she had taken responsibility to coordinate the legal paperwork involved in the real estate transaction, both Wendell and Rebecca suggesting she take the lead. One sore spot cropped up almost immediately, however. Since Lila insisted on being the one responsible for paying the mortgage, Rebecca refused to have her name put on the deed. This was troublesome to Lila, who was conscious of how necessary Rebecca was to the success of the entire operation.
“She thinks because she’s not giving me money toward the mortgage, she doesn’t have an equal right of ownership,” Lila confided to Mike Hobart one sunny afternoon in early April. A trusting relationship had replaced their fledgling friendship as the two of them had spent the prior three weeks working shoulder-to-shoulder cleaning, rebuilding and retrofitting the old hen pen. “But she doesn’t
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