I'll be kind of moving to the middle of nowhere NJ (surrounded by woods and farms), but I am absolutely in love with the house.

200 years old but totally restored, custom woodwork everywhere, whacky mural on the living room wall, fireplace, 3 bathrooms, and bigger than my current house on two acres with trails behind it for the dogs and a pond across the street for them to go swimming in. (all this for less than half the price of my mortgage)

The funny thing is, I was getting so fed up searching for dog friendly places, that I finally just put up a "looking for a dog friendly house for rent" thing up on Craigslist. This guy answered, and I just fell in love with the place. I can do whatever gardening I want there, etc.

So tomorrow, I bring the check, the lease gets signed. He asked me today to bring Sinead with me to make sure she's friendly, but that's no problem. She's a little wiggle butt.

Congrats! You got a place! Not so easy with a 4-legged entourage... Sounds like a swell place too. Wish I was out in the sticks...

Thanks. Yeah, I was really, really starting to worry about finding a place. There's a buyer for my house, and honestly, I'm at the point where I just want to get out of here. Can't stand my neighbors, sick of the divorce stuff, etc.

Here's a few (crappy cell phone) pictures of the downstairs. My cell phone crapped out before I could get upstairs pictures. The whole house is hardwood, except for the set of "real" stairs.

Living room (fireplace is behind the tv stand, the previous tenant left some furniture behind)


Other side of living room


Kitchen


Upstairs is a big master bedroom and two TINY bedrooms, plus another two bathrooms. One bedroom was converted into a walk-in closet/dressing room by the landlord and the other is decorated with Winny the Pooh wallpaper (which will quickly be taken down, repainted and used as an office).

Honestly, I feel like for the price an axe murder must have taken place there or something. There's a studio apartment on the back, and I was told an older woman lives there and she's an artist. There's also an attached green house, which I can use after the landlord cleans it out. I don't have rights to the garage since that's where he keeps his motorcycles, but that's fine with me. He's an older guy, very much a long haired hippie. Seems to be a very laidback cool place.

Hey, congrats! Looks like you and the pups will have fun there

Thanks, it's like the ultimate place for dogs. Mick had a hard time adjusting to suburban living. He was fostered on a sheep farm, and when I got him, I was rented an old (and unrestored) farm house on 20 acres. The thing that killed me about that rental was the landlord telling me he used to keep sheep, until he sold them off to grow Christmas trees.

You sold me with that kitchen picture - wow!

Best wishes!

I like the kitchen too. And it looks like it has big windows. I love lots of windows! Congrats!

J.

OMG! It sounds like the perfect setting for a Stephen King novel. LOL! I'm just jealous--it looks and sounds heavenly!! Congratulations and enjoy! (Send more pics!)

Oooh, it looks nice! Congrats!

And I'm sorry about the crappy divorce stuff...been there, done that, frankly much happier now.

Congrats, looks like a really cool place!

wow...really nice! Off craigs list too!
Love the kitchen. Does the fireplace work?

Funny thing, that. I just finished removing TONS of Christmas trees on the farm where I now keep my sheep!

Looks and sounds like such a neat place! Congrats. I hope you and the gang will be happy there.

I love houses like that! Congrats on the great find.

Congratulations. Wow, did you ever luck out. It looks like a great house! 200 yrs. old too! How is it heated? It would be neat if you could do some research on the house to know a little of it's history. How close are your neighbors (if you already mentioned it, sorry).

When I got divorced, lucked out in that I found a house to rent with a huge yard. I had 2 kids and 4 dogs.

Enjoy --- start of a whole new life--- and congratulations on that too!

OK, what are those things on the walls going all around the room?? Water pipes?

It looks like baseboard heat.

I love the kitchen! And the mural. Where in New Jersey? Bet most folks don't know that the state isn't all Newark.

Hardwood, windows, built-ins that's quite a find. Enjoy!

Thanks Sue and Julie. I love the kitchen too.

Well, I have been joking that I'll probably find out the rent's cheap because an ax murder took place there or something.

I'll try to get more pictures tonight of the upstairs when I go up to sign the lease.

No need to apologize about the divorce stuff. I'm much happier now, too. I mean, I left for a reason. I'm just tired of court.

I think it works (I'm basing this off the fact that there was a box of duraflames sitting in it) but I've gotta ask.

Yeah, I'll try to find out the history on it. I rented a house built in 1750 and I learned a lot about the history on that house. It's heated with oil.

I'll have two neighbors, both on the property. There's a studio apartment (separate entrance) on the back of the house. I was told an older woman lives there whose some sort of artist. There's another smaller house on the front of the property and a guy lives there.

Other than that, there aren't neighbors.

It's baseboard heat. They're missing the front covers.

The outskirts of Blairstown. So about 25 miles west or so from where I am now.

Did you get new pics of the upstairs and outside for us? Or can you, if you haven't been yet?

<laughing at self: "for us," as if the house is for US to enjoy, not you...>

God, Megan, you're such a pain. I didn't think to take any pictures of the outside for you, but it turns out he actually owns more land that I was originally told. By two acres, he was referring to the immediate property with the two houses. It's actually about seven acres. Once I'm all settled in, you'll have to come up with your crew and we can all take them for a good run.

ANYWAY, here's the pictures I took of upstairs.

This is the master bedroom, I didn't take a picture of the other side of it (it's L-shaped)...I apologize for the crappy cell phone quality.



This is what will be an office/guest room.



And this will be my massive walk-in closet. He promised to clear all the stuff out for me, although I must admit, I'm kind of partial to the weird teddy bear mannequin wearing a t-shirt & hat.



Plus, a gratuitous picture of Sinead with me on a hike earlier this afternoon. Not from where I'm moving to though...just some local woods...



Sinead passed her inspection with flying colors (he wasn't worried about Mick). He adored her and the guy who rents the other house on the property was apparently a bit worried when he heard I had a pit bull. So that's why my landlord asked me to bring her up. So Sinead met both of them. The guy who had been worried quickly fell in love with her and had her on his porch playing with him while we did the paperwork.

Sinead is currently sound asleep at my feet nursing Strange. She's had a long day. A hike...seeing the new house...meeting my mom's new puppy for the first time. BTW, that puppy is already almost as tall as her and he's only 9 weeks. He's going to be a big boy. At one point tonight, he went around and stole the rawhides from all the big dogs. We were cracking up...9 week old GSD puppy laying there with 3 big rawhide bones while Sinead and my mom's grown GSD just looked at him all sad, because he stole their stuff.

Looks like a neat old house. Love the wood floors! Thanks for humoring me and posting the additional pics.

If you're good, I'll even personally email you pictures of the outside next time I'm up there (likely when I move in a couple weeks). LOL

No way! We ALL wanna see 'em!

Okay, fine, I'll post them here, too.

Although, she definitely will have to bring her dogs up to run around. Haven't seen her and her crew for a long time. I haven't even met Bran or Seamus yet.

I know exactly how you feel. I've been happily divorced for 11 years. Although, I did get into a 4-year relationship shortly after that I should never have, so I guess it's really only been 7 years.

Anyway, when my lawyer finally told me I could move out of the house (after my ex and I had everything on paper as to who was going to get what) I felt completely liberated and emacipated. For the first time in my life, at age 40-something, I was completely on my own, supporting myself, living on my own, coming and going as I pleased with no one telling me I was doing it wrong or that I wasn't allowed to do something I wanted or needed to do.

Single life ain't all bad!

Oh, your new place looks wonderful! I'm happy for you.

LOL. I'm enjoying the single life. I forgot how much fun it is to be able to actually go out with my friends. I have a life again. People actually come over to my house now, I go to my friend's comedy thing every week (and am constantly pestered to try stand up), etc. It was pretty funny being told pretty much universally by my friends how much they always hated my ex after I got out.

I'm only 27, so I was only married for three years, but it was a pretty crappy three years.

Thanks. I can't wait to move into the new place.