Things are up and running at the condo. I forgot what it was like to sleep in my own bed. It's nice. There are, however, still many things that need to be fixed or even replaced. It has become a time of planning.
I have been looking at a new washers and dryers. How much does a single, senior citizen need to spend on such appliances? My laundry is minimal. Three loads a week max. Even so, I would like it to be the last laundry equipment I ever buy. So should I spend some bucks in the hope of getting equipment that will last for 20 years or should I go cheap? There are washer and dryer units available for less than 300.00 each. I hate making decisions like this, but I'm thinking about a step up from those units. We will see.
I have also been looking at smart TV's. Again, the options are all over the board. My townhouse living room is small. A big screen would make it very theater-like in there.
Next year, maybe granite counter tops, a new dishwasher, glass top stove and fridge. I'm thinking stainless steel finish on all of them. Wood floors in the living and dining areas and new carpet upstairs.
For the more immediate future - like right now, I will be getting a new kitchen faucet and garbage disposer. The plumber will be here next week. Apparently they are backlogged with the frozen pipe situation here in the mid west. Or maybe I just need a new plumber. I have been looking at doing it myself, but really, I kind of want it done right and I want to be able to complain about it after.
I also need to get a small dumpster and clean out the accumulated junk of my life to make room for the junk that I want to keep from my parents lives. They do have items that I like, some of which I have coveted over the years. I don't really like their furniture, but some of the wall hangings, dishes, pots and pans, silverware, books and sundry nick knacks have value to me. I also have to make a decision about the grandfather clock. I could find a place for it here, but do I really like it that much that I would move it. It's a delicate and monstrous piece of furniture that would require disassembly and reassembly. It's also very loud when it chimes and this is a confined space. I guess I could turn off the chimer. This will require more thought.
I have also been storing my Mom's car here at the condo. It currently has two flat tires and probably needs a new battery to get it going and then an oil change.
Once I have this place in order, I will be able to start work on the parents place. That will take some time and even more dumpsters(;^) There will be things I will miss about that place. It was wooded to the north and east. All kinds of wildlife passed through the property. I won't be able to shoot the squirrels or see the deer, wild turkey, raccoons, opossum or coyotes anymore. But then I won't have to ride a lawnmower for three hours or pull weeds either.
Some have suggested that living on the south side may not be safe. I have to tell you that I hear more gunfire out at my parents house than I do here. Actually I have heard none here. Even so, I will probably keep the guns I have inherited and I may purchase a side arm.
This is a very diverse neighborhood and I like it. There are seniors, singles, Hispanic and African Americans here. I believe there are also many like me, but then there were many like me in Altoona so the move will not be a big deal in those terms. So onward into the fog!
Thursday, January 11, 2018
Monday, January 8, 2018
Life In Transition
We humans always seem to be moving on or out or up or down. Life is always in flux, even as we age, in preparation for that final move on. It seems that God or circumstance or random chance forces us to get up and get out. Like Cain, God makes us wanderers upon the earth, though hopefully, not for the same reasons.
I have spent the last 10 months in befuddlement, not sure what to do since my parental care duties came to an abrupt end. I have also been overwhelmed with maintenance issues in my parents house. As much as I like the property it sits on, I wish the house would just collapse so that I could build something more suitable on the property. I do not think that will happen and I really do not want to spend all my time mowing lawn, moving snow and fixing sagging infrastructure.
With that in mind, last week I ventured over to my other condo property on the south side. It's a two story townhouse with attached garage. I went inside and it was as if time had stood still for the last six years. Everything was as I had left it when my parent's lives began to fall apart in the spring of 2011. There were even two 2011 calendars on different walls. There were still cans and jars of stuff in the fridge and in the pantry. No biology experiments, but definitely an archaeological study. The only thing that I really had done to the place in the last six years was to change the furnace filter a few times.
The place has minor dust build up and many cobwebs, but otherwise it seems beautiful and reasonably new. It felt like home. After about ten minutes of being there, I said, "Lord, this is where I want to be". So I began cleaning and straightening up things. I dumped the fridge contents, though I was tempted to try the six year old can of Coors Light that I found. I tested the appliances. The stove worked. The microwave worked. The dishwasher worked. But other things did not work.
The three toilets had not been flushed in six years. They will need some work. The hot water heater is out. I hope it's only a thermocouple issue. The garbage disposal needs something, maybe replaced. The motor will not budge, even with the manual crank. The kitchen faucet needs something too. When I flip the handle, water comes out the sprayer nozzle. Something is not right.
But even with all these repairs facing me, I believe I want to live here. They are minor issues that are easily resolved and not costly. I can live here and begin preparing my parent's place for sale. It will be like going to work every day. I vaguely remember how to do that. Once that's done, I can decide if I want to move again or stay in the townhouse or whatever.
I am no longer a young man. Downsizing will be a good thing for me. Please pray for my progress. Maybe my last home should be a single story condo? The stairs in the townhouse can wear an old guy out. It will be worse when I'm 70 if I live that long.
I have spent the last 10 months in befuddlement, not sure what to do since my parental care duties came to an abrupt end. I have also been overwhelmed with maintenance issues in my parents house. As much as I like the property it sits on, I wish the house would just collapse so that I could build something more suitable on the property. I do not think that will happen and I really do not want to spend all my time mowing lawn, moving snow and fixing sagging infrastructure.
With that in mind, last week I ventured over to my other condo property on the south side. It's a two story townhouse with attached garage. I went inside and it was as if time had stood still for the last six years. Everything was as I had left it when my parent's lives began to fall apart in the spring of 2011. There were even two 2011 calendars on different walls. There were still cans and jars of stuff in the fridge and in the pantry. No biology experiments, but definitely an archaeological study. The only thing that I really had done to the place in the last six years was to change the furnace filter a few times.
The place has minor dust build up and many cobwebs, but otherwise it seems beautiful and reasonably new. It felt like home. After about ten minutes of being there, I said, "Lord, this is where I want to be". So I began cleaning and straightening up things. I dumped the fridge contents, though I was tempted to try the six year old can of Coors Light that I found. I tested the appliances. The stove worked. The microwave worked. The dishwasher worked. But other things did not work.
The three toilets had not been flushed in six years. They will need some work. The hot water heater is out. I hope it's only a thermocouple issue. The garbage disposal needs something, maybe replaced. The motor will not budge, even with the manual crank. The kitchen faucet needs something too. When I flip the handle, water comes out the sprayer nozzle. Something is not right.
But even with all these repairs facing me, I believe I want to live here. They are minor issues that are easily resolved and not costly. I can live here and begin preparing my parent's place for sale. It will be like going to work every day. I vaguely remember how to do that. Once that's done, I can decide if I want to move again or stay in the townhouse or whatever.
I am no longer a young man. Downsizing will be a good thing for me. Please pray for my progress. Maybe my last home should be a single story condo? The stairs in the townhouse can wear an old guy out. It will be worse when I'm 70 if I live that long.
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