Post-apocalyptic Barbieland fallout - Meet Sindy

Hi everybody!

The last post seemed to cause a little distress. A number of readers were very concerned about the welfare of Barbies due to the conversion of Barbie-land to Willow Ridge.

To reassure everyone, I invited Sindy, the realtor for the Middle doll community, to give you some information.

(You know, in hindsight, it would have been a lot smarter to have met at her office! I forgot how big the Middle dolls are!)
With a little creativity and the moving of furniture, we made it work.

I would like to introduce Sindy. She has been a resident of Oak Leaf for about 37 years! Sindy is one of the original "Barbie" sized dolls that remain from Builder Sam's childhood.

Hello!

(Geez, thanks Isabelle, now everyone knows I am the old lady around here!)

I look pretty good for a nearly forty year old doll huh? Anyway, I just want to assure you all that the Middle doll community still exists and continues to thrive! We have not been eliminated or packed away. "Barbie-land" was just an overflow town, created for play by human children.

Thank you all for being so concerned about our welfare! We have more than enough room for our homes and recreation.

Well, I hope this allays your fears as Willow Ridge begins its transformation.
Merry Christmas to all.
Cheerio,
Isabelle and Sindy

Meeting the Doctors

Hi everyone, I'm back.
I have been away at a conference. (Property manager stuff, nothing very exciting). A big thank you to Kinsey, who has been keeping the office running smoothly, and to Luka for his blog posts.

My first appointment today was with Dr Natalie. She walked through the door and said, "I have a surprise for you."

"Isabelle, I would like you to meet Dr Zoe." 

I could not believe my eyes! Dr Zoe is one of the best Elven Healers in the world, and here she was standing in my office!

I was star-struck and managed to mumble a feeble, "Welcome to Oak Leaf Forest."

I was so in awe that I stupidly offered my left hand for her to shake. Being ever so gracious, Dr Zoe did just the same. We both laughed.

Dr Natalie explained that  she is not well versed in Elven medicine and thought that it might be wise to have a Healer on staff. Dr Zoe was very happy to be working in collaboration with Dr Natalie, and should be in the clinic once a week. This is the most exciting news I have heard in a long time! We sat down and began working out the details for a suitable office.

 The doctors want a newer, town house-style office with old-fashioned charm.

They are well aware that they will need to do renovations to whatever kind of building they buy. (That seems to be a familiar trend around here. Everything seems to need renovating!)

The most modern building I currently have on file is the Princess Anne dollhouse. I showed the doctors some of the construction pictures and told them that the builder would be able to add more square footage.

 (Mr Nova, the supervisor, was sleeping on the job as usual!)

They seemed quite excited, so we went out and looked at it in person. As I suspected, both Dr Natalie and Dr Zoe loved it. They also agreed that an extension would be a great idea.

We went back to the office to talk about additional upgrades and to enjoy a cup of coffee.

 I asked Dr Zoe if I could pose in a photograph with her. She happily agreed.

 I can hardly believe that Dr Zoe will be working in Oak Leaf. How exciting!

Cheerio,

Isabelle

Luka's House

I found it! Finally.
I had a client come in to sell their rental property. The home requires a lot of maintenance, but the seller is not willing to do it, and just wants to sell the house "as is". Even before I listed it, I knew that this was the one for Luka. It looks partly like a farmhouse, AND it has some interesting architecture.

After the renters moved out, I was able to take Luka to view the property. Luka was immediately impressed, even though it was terribly obvious that work needed to be done.

 It is a little strange when the front door is off its hinges.

"This is quite an interesting space," said Luka. "Although I'm not too sure about the pink rug."

 "Umm, Isabelle what on earth is THAT?" asked Luka in surprise.

"Oh no," I said. I had been told that the wiring was not up to code, but the jumbled mess of wires was more than I had imagined. "It looks like this house will need to be totally re-electrified."

 I think both of us stood there in stunned silence for a few minutes trying to understand what possibly could have happened.

We were able to get over the electrical issues and looked at the rest of the home. I explained that the garage had been turned into a kitchen.

Luka loved the huge glass windows that looked out onto the patio, although he was somewhat perturbed that there were no doors to the outside.

The only piece of kitchen equipment in the whole room was the stove. It needs replacing, but at least it will be easy to change this room.

We went outside and checked out the patio. I told Luka that the previous tenants had used this space as a barbecue area.

Luka liked the idea of having a barbecue and said he would do the same thing.

"I will have to put some sliding doors leading into the kitchen, or at least some French doors," he said.

Upstairs, there was an amazing room with many windows. It was part of the extension made years after the home was built. 

Luka said that the rug looked like a gigantic snake and that it would have to go. I totally agreed!

 "Why are there so many oversized rugs in this house?" queried Luka. "I don't understand the concept of rugs over carpets."

 Up in the attic, Luka and I were simply horrified that the owners had sticky taped all the electical system to the ceilings. No wonder all the wiring was such a mess.

 And not to mention the fact that the builders somehow totally got the bannister backwards at the top of the staircase! It is amazing that there have been no fatalities here.

 Luka said that a few changes and updates were needed here and there, but the house has great rooms and is simply perfect for him.

 "I am about to buy my first home!" said Luka excitedly. We went back to the office to sign the papers.

Stay tuned for many changes around here!
Cheerio,
Isabelle