You know, we may just have to move to a better climate. You would think that we would have figured this all out before now. But we've always been the incurable optimists. The weather isn't so great right now, but it's going to be so much better tomorrow. Those are the words that Hoosiers live by. It should be printed on the Indiana flag.
You know there was January when you expect a picturesque snow. I remember snow, and drizzle. I remember cold winds. I don't recall picturesque. Then there was the famous winter storm. When we all geared up to be snowed in. We bought groceries. Why, we even invested in a generator. We remembered the famous ice storm when we were without electriciy for a week or two.
The storm didn't exactly let us down. We did have ice. It was bad. But it wasn't the kind of ice for which we were prepared. We still have a virgin $300.00 generator in our garage. Because of the way the (rain,snow, sleet) fell, it didn't freeze on wires or tree limbs. This was good, except what it did was freeze at least 6 inches thick on roof tops, awnings, car ports, lawns, streets, parking lots, and side walks. I couldn't go anywhere that didn't have the walks and lots cleared.
And we are still finding little and big home repairs that need to be done because of that danged ice.
Then there was March and April. Of course, we excuse March for all its winds, and April for all the rain. Taylor was looking forward to getting back to work on the farms. But, alas, during the spring ( and by that I also mean most of May) it just rained and rained. But we were sure that those beautiful spring days were just around the corner. We put the lawn chairs on the porch in hopeful anticipation. We even sat on those chairs one sunny day. I think that occurred back in March. That was just cruel! Because after that it became rainy again.
We planned a lovely three day weekend in Michigan in May. We left on our trip in the middle of a little shower. The little shower lasted the entire trip to Michigan, gradually getting bigger and bigger and windier and windier. When we arrived in Michigan we were having to run from car to hotel, back to car, run to the restaurant, etc, etc.
We did awaken the next morning to beautiful sunshine. However, it was so cool and breezy that we had to wear coats the entire time we were in Michigan. The next day, on our way home, it was cloudy and, again, rainy. Oh well.
Then we were eagerly awaiting Memorial Day. We have the annual picnic in the yard. We play corn hole, sometimes badminton, eat outdoors, listen to the race. You know the routine.
The day arrived. It was sunny. Dad put all the chairs and tables outdoors. Only it was so hot that everyone stayed inside.
We have a favorite mantra that we seem to be reciting over and over. It always begins with the words, "Why would anyone....." . Like "Why would anyone plan outdoor concerts in Indiana?"
Hoosier Park has a summer concert schedule this summer. They set up a fabulous outdoor stage, a thousand chairs, food and drink vendor tents. Every concert has happened, but has been very iffy. There has either been severe thunderstorms just prior to the concert, sweltering temperatures, or both.
Why would anyone plan a 4th of July parade when it is in th 90's. Why did our neighborhood plan neighborhood-wide rummage sales in July? It was last weekend. Very few people participated, and fewer buyers attended. It was soooo hot. I read in the paper today, that some charity was having an outdoor ice cream social in a downtown park from noon to 2 today. Picture that in the 95 degrees. Jim Baker fried all that fish in the sweltering hear last week at their church fish fry.
I guess everyone is just tired of waiting around for those few perfect days that happen so infrequently. I know that we bundled up here in our cozy house all winter just waiting for those
lovely days when we could get outside. Guess what? Here we are wearing as few clothes as possible inside our air conditioned house waiting for those lovely days when we can get outside.
I know it is terrible for me to complain when so many places have suffered such devastating weather events. And I am thankful that we have been spared. And anyway, there will be some good days in September. Maybe we can go to the Piepalooza at the park, or the big family reunion. Or surely there might be a day or two in October when we can drive south and see the colorful trees.
Hope springs eternal.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Saturday, July 9, 2011
A Sad Real Estate Story
You readers know my story: married 54 years, taught school 30 years, raised and educated 3 children, loved the grandchildren, etc. Don and I have always stuck to our jobs. I often didn't want to, but Don kept me on track.
Every year or so throughout my life, when boredom set in, I have wanted to CHANGE things.
Usually I wanted another house. I would tempt Don into going to open houses, I read the ads.
But Mr. Sensible always managed to convince me that we couldn't do those things, we had to use our common sense.
I have always loved to redecorate. Or rather, I like to pick out things and have Don do the hard labor. He is the ultimate Mr. Painter Man, the ultimate Mr. Fix-it man. I get the ideas and he carries them out..............to the point where he says, "No." And it is a good thing that he knows that point. The only time he agreed to sell our house and move was when a cash buyer appeared at the door, and he knew we could pay all our bills and downsize for retirement.
I, on the other hand, had the DREAM. For instance, my all-time favorite dream is to buy an old country school house, turn it into a home, and furnish and decorate with all thrift store finds.
You see, I'm not a good decorator, but I am a cheap decorator. Our house is all hand-me-down,
inherited, and thrift store when it comes to decor.
Strange, then, that when we made a really big mistake, real estate wise, that it was Don who initiated the whole project. Our son, Rod, was single, just out of college, starting his own business. Don saw what he thought would be the perfect spot for Rod. It was on our side of town, it was a duplex with room to grow his business, and it had loads of paved, off-street parking. So we
gave Rod the down-payment and encouraged the purchase. I'm not sure that Rod was ever as enthusiastic about it as we were.
Well, he lived there, worked there, and even rented out the other half. Then he got married.
So the other half was made into the business side. Debra did a beautiful job of redecorating the house. It looked marvelous. Then they decided to move their business to the "perfect" spot in the country with an office building and pool.
The second big mistake was moving out before house #1 had sold. And haven't we all made that mistake. Debra and Rod took all the pretty decor with them, leaving an empty house. And this all happened at the same time that the real estate market was beginning to take its plunge. So the little house became the "sad and empty" little house that would not sell.
So Rod decided to use the house as a rental. Don acted as the rental agent. This worked out pretty well even though the house was still up for sale. Then the real estate agent complained that it was hard to show the property with renters in there who didn't always keep things in perfect order, or weren't home to make the property available to show. At this time Rod decided to hire this agent as a rental agent so she could coordinate all these things.
This was about six years ago, and she rented the large apartment to a family that consisted of
an aging mother who was not well, and an older son who was on disability. The good thing about these renters was that in six years they never once were late with the rent payment. That is where all the good ended. They kept all the windows covered with black plastic to "save on the heating bill," and parked many old junkers in the drive.
About a year ago Rod and Debra gave the rental agent job back to Don because they were tired of hearing all the complaints from both sides of the other arrangement. Let me tell you that Don is so good with renters and repair men. I guess it is because he is so NICE. He is fair, helpful, and attentive. Renters and repairmen seem to want to treat him fairly, too. Repairmen show up in emergencies and charge him a fair price. The renters "hated" the professional agent.
Well, at the beginning of this month, the disabled renter's daughter called and said that her mother was moving out and living with her because the son was not taking good care of his mother. The son could not afford to live there on his own, so they all moved out. Let me just say that they paid their rent, but, because of ill health, they had never cleaned in six years. I need say no more.
So Don with the help of our daughter, Cheryl, has been cleaning and painting all day every day for a week now. As usual I give advice as to decorating decisions, picked out window coverings, etc. Just like old times. Service Master is working their magic with carpet and floors. Little by little the sad little house is coming back to life. Every time I go check, another room is looking clean and bright, the sunshine is pouring in. Even from the outside, you can tell that the house is feeling happier about itself. With windows covered with curtains, and driveway and garage all cleaned out, it is beginning to look like a happy house.
With just a few more days of work, with just a few more weeds trimmed, just a few more decorative touches, the house should be ready for some renters. Let's hope that in the future the sad little house will become the happy little house that it deserves to be.
Every year or so throughout my life, when boredom set in, I have wanted to CHANGE things.
Usually I wanted another house. I would tempt Don into going to open houses, I read the ads.
But Mr. Sensible always managed to convince me that we couldn't do those things, we had to use our common sense.
I have always loved to redecorate. Or rather, I like to pick out things and have Don do the hard labor. He is the ultimate Mr. Painter Man, the ultimate Mr. Fix-it man. I get the ideas and he carries them out..............to the point where he says, "No." And it is a good thing that he knows that point. The only time he agreed to sell our house and move was when a cash buyer appeared at the door, and he knew we could pay all our bills and downsize for retirement.
I, on the other hand, had the DREAM. For instance, my all-time favorite dream is to buy an old country school house, turn it into a home, and furnish and decorate with all thrift store finds.
You see, I'm not a good decorator, but I am a cheap decorator. Our house is all hand-me-down,
inherited, and thrift store when it comes to decor.
Strange, then, that when we made a really big mistake, real estate wise, that it was Don who initiated the whole project. Our son, Rod, was single, just out of college, starting his own business. Don saw what he thought would be the perfect spot for Rod. It was on our side of town, it was a duplex with room to grow his business, and it had loads of paved, off-street parking. So we
gave Rod the down-payment and encouraged the purchase. I'm not sure that Rod was ever as enthusiastic about it as we were.
Well, he lived there, worked there, and even rented out the other half. Then he got married.
So the other half was made into the business side. Debra did a beautiful job of redecorating the house. It looked marvelous. Then they decided to move their business to the "perfect" spot in the country with an office building and pool.
The second big mistake was moving out before house #1 had sold. And haven't we all made that mistake. Debra and Rod took all the pretty decor with them, leaving an empty house. And this all happened at the same time that the real estate market was beginning to take its plunge. So the little house became the "sad and empty" little house that would not sell.
So Rod decided to use the house as a rental. Don acted as the rental agent. This worked out pretty well even though the house was still up for sale. Then the real estate agent complained that it was hard to show the property with renters in there who didn't always keep things in perfect order, or weren't home to make the property available to show. At this time Rod decided to hire this agent as a rental agent so she could coordinate all these things.
This was about six years ago, and she rented the large apartment to a family that consisted of
an aging mother who was not well, and an older son who was on disability. The good thing about these renters was that in six years they never once were late with the rent payment. That is where all the good ended. They kept all the windows covered with black plastic to "save on the heating bill," and parked many old junkers in the drive.
About a year ago Rod and Debra gave the rental agent job back to Don because they were tired of hearing all the complaints from both sides of the other arrangement. Let me tell you that Don is so good with renters and repair men. I guess it is because he is so NICE. He is fair, helpful, and attentive. Renters and repairmen seem to want to treat him fairly, too. Repairmen show up in emergencies and charge him a fair price. The renters "hated" the professional agent.
Well, at the beginning of this month, the disabled renter's daughter called and said that her mother was moving out and living with her because the son was not taking good care of his mother. The son could not afford to live there on his own, so they all moved out. Let me just say that they paid their rent, but, because of ill health, they had never cleaned in six years. I need say no more.
So Don with the help of our daughter, Cheryl, has been cleaning and painting all day every day for a week now. As usual I give advice as to decorating decisions, picked out window coverings, etc. Just like old times. Service Master is working their magic with carpet and floors. Little by little the sad little house is coming back to life. Every time I go check, another room is looking clean and bright, the sunshine is pouring in. Even from the outside, you can tell that the house is feeling happier about itself. With windows covered with curtains, and driveway and garage all cleaned out, it is beginning to look like a happy house.
With just a few more days of work, with just a few more weeds trimmed, just a few more decorative touches, the house should be ready for some renters. Let's hope that in the future the sad little house will become the happy little house that it deserves to be.
Friday, July 1, 2011
It Must Have Been Juneglow
Do you remember the song that begins "It must have been moonglow"? I remember it mostly from the movie "Picnic" when Kim Novac was all dressed up and going to the town picnic, where she falls for a romantic stranger. Don and I were dating at the time, and he thought Kim was pretty hot. I don't know about that, I was a little jealous of Kim.
Anyway, if you want someone to fall in love with Indiana, as do Mitch Daniels and all the mayors of all the cities in Indiana, then you simply must have them visit the state in June. Because there are a "few" days in June when Indiana puts on its very best show, and might cause someone to fall in love with the state. But all of us Hoosiers must keep all the rest of the terrible weather days a deep, dark secret until they get moved here.
This past week Indiana has been putting on its very best. We have been spending a lot of time in the evenings on our porch enjoying the show. I know June is now officially over, so I am too late with this message. But if you sit outside on a perfect June evening between 8:00 and 8:30, you will be simply dazzled by Indiana Juneglow. It is that time of the evening when the sun is beginning to drop in the West, so that all the shadows lengthen, and everything is bathed in a golden glow. If the humidity is down, and the glow is prime, there is just nothing better that Indiana has to offer.
Of course, all the lush green doesn't hurt, either. I have heard from folks who have moved from the southwest, that they can tell from the airplane when they are back over Indiana, by the lush green down below. I think they miss it when they move away. So, since I am definitely staying right here for the rest of my life, let me count some of the Indiana things that I love the most: sweet corn, strawberries, tomatoes right out of the garden, lightning bugs, chicken and noodles ON mashed potatoes, breaded tenderloin, sport fanatics, and of course friends and family. How about you? Do you have any Indiana favorites?
Anyway, July may not be too late to go out and get washed in some leftover Juneglow. Just try it!
Anyway, if you want someone to fall in love with Indiana, as do Mitch Daniels and all the mayors of all the cities in Indiana, then you simply must have them visit the state in June. Because there are a "few" days in June when Indiana puts on its very best show, and might cause someone to fall in love with the state. But all of us Hoosiers must keep all the rest of the terrible weather days a deep, dark secret until they get moved here.
This past week Indiana has been putting on its very best. We have been spending a lot of time in the evenings on our porch enjoying the show. I know June is now officially over, so I am too late with this message. But if you sit outside on a perfect June evening between 8:00 and 8:30, you will be simply dazzled by Indiana Juneglow. It is that time of the evening when the sun is beginning to drop in the West, so that all the shadows lengthen, and everything is bathed in a golden glow. If the humidity is down, and the glow is prime, there is just nothing better that Indiana has to offer.
Of course, all the lush green doesn't hurt, either. I have heard from folks who have moved from the southwest, that they can tell from the airplane when they are back over Indiana, by the lush green down below. I think they miss it when they move away. So, since I am definitely staying right here for the rest of my life, let me count some of the Indiana things that I love the most: sweet corn, strawberries, tomatoes right out of the garden, lightning bugs, chicken and noodles ON mashed potatoes, breaded tenderloin, sport fanatics, and of course friends and family. How about you? Do you have any Indiana favorites?
Anyway, July may not be too late to go out and get washed in some leftover Juneglow. Just try it!
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