“Now is the winter of our discontent….”

For you bilbiophiles out there, yes, this phase is being taken out of context.  Shakespeare first penned these words in Richard III in 1594.  John Steinbeck borrowed the phrase in 1961 for the title of his last novel.  While Shakespeare was actually (when taken into context) beginning to celebrate the turnaround of his fictional family’s fortunes.  Steinbeck’s novel was about a man who, faced with economic ruin, renounced his morals and values in order regain ownership of the store in which he now works as a clerk.

Whew – that used a lot of my brain cells and thank goodness for Google replacing the old Funk and Wagnalls Encyclopedia set.

I’m a lot simpler than that.  I pretty much say what I mean – and when I say “Now is the winter of our discontent” it pretty much means I’m tired of old man winter and looking forward to the day (soon) that he goes to an assisted living facility.

We’ve survived #icepocalypse, #snowmageddon, #snowpocalypse, and just BRRRRRRRRRR freezing cold weather this year.  Yes, the average winter in Arkansas is a mild winter.  But, if you study the law of averages, they’re just that – an average of many different sums–so, the extremes are to be expected.

They just don’t have to be appreciated.

I remember recent winters where on Christmas Day it was warm enough we threw all the kids outside in short sleeves to play basketball and ride four wheelers.  This year, it’s been cold, cold, cold.  We’ve had lows in the negative degrees and some days we’ve had highs that barely made it to the teens.

And the snow/ice/sleet/slush just doesn’t end. 

Back to print references….in 1952, Norman Vincent Peale published “The Power of Positive Thinking.”  I try.  I really do.  I kick myself sometimes for being consistently negative about our winter weather.  But, I’m exhausted.  Defeated.  I’d wave my white flag in surrender, but you wouldn’t be able to see it for the constant background of white snow.

So.  Having gotten that out of my system, I think it’s time for me to do something internal.  Instead of griping and complaining, I’m going to go into denial and become a cheerleader for spring…(Gimme a “S!”)

I’m going to stop by Lowes today and buy some seed packets and a miniature greenhouse thingy and start some seeds for spring.  I’m going to buy some books and magazines that have pictures of green grass, beautiful trees with green leaves and flowers bursting with blooms of every imaginable color.  When I get home, I’m gonna rip those pictures out of those books and paste them on the inside of every window in my home.  I’m going to turn the thermostat up to 85 degrees and put on a pair of shorts, a ripped up sleeveless t-shirt, and some flip flops.

I’m going to hit a tanning bed and stay in it too long on purpose.  I’ll tell everyone I fell asleep by the pool and accidentally got sunburned. 

If spring/summer is never going to get here, I’m just going to fake it until it does!

OH, I just remembered, I got the electric bill for mid-Dec thru mid-Jan and it was a couple of bucks shy of $300.  The thermostat was set on a steady 72 degrees.  On second thought, I don’t think I can afford to change it to 85.

Crap.

Gripe and complain, gripe and complain.

I’ve spent an unusually inordinate amount of time griping about things this week. 

It hasn’t done a damn bit of good.

On the other hand, I have a great home, great family, good dog, steady job and just got back from a wonderful vacation.

I really don’t have much to complain about.  Someone needs to point that out to me periodically (it seems I can’t remind myself of it enough).

2009 – Good Riddance!

New Year, new…. what?

I didn’t make any resolutions this year.  Seems like I never stick with them, so why do it?  I did, however, do something different.  After reading about the annual event in New York City’s Time Square, we had our own “Good Riddance” day on New Year’s Eve.

It seems that every year in Times Square, people are invited to write down things they want to say good riddance to from the current year.  Kind of a backwards resolution.  Instead of a promise to do something different, just throw out some of the things you’ve been holding on to….Considering the unusual amount of unpleasant events that have happened in our lives, I felt “Good Riddance Day” was a pretty good idea.

Being the party animals we are *insert smirk here* we invited TBH’s sister and her neighbor to join us and my Mom for an evening of grazing on unhealthy food and cards.  They brought the cards and a pack of crayons (at my request) and we provided the place and the food.

I didn’t tell anyone what was up, so while we were taking a break and their conversation turned to resolutions, I sneaked off and got the crayons and paper. 

They looked at me funny when I had each take a crayon, then I explained what I was up to.  To be honest, I really expected some dumb looks and possibly even a response like “you’re such a dork,” but that didn’t happen.

We each wrote down things we were going to say good riddance to.  Things we were just done with.  Each could share if they wanted to, or just fold it up and toss it in the fire.  Some things were mentioned – seems most of us had “worry” as something we were going to say goodbye to.

I’m not sure what the cathartic value was to the rest of them – to be honest, I’m not sure what I got out of it.  But it was nice for just a few minutes to mentally pull up my bootstraps and kiss that stuff goodbye.

Things I learned from my parents, Part 1

As you get older, you look back, and you realize the huge volume of things your parents taught you.

Sure, there’s the “sit-up straight” and “don’t chew with your mouth open” kind of stuff.  Cover your head in the cold.  Look before backing up. Don’t play with matches—a lot of the basics.

They also taught you social graces.  Smile, play nice with others, say “Please” and “Thank you”.

I don’t remember any specific circumstance where I learned to “Walk a mile in their shoes”, but I did learn that somewhere along the way.  I think about that pretty often when faced with a difficult person.  They could be having a bad day, there could be things going on in their lives pressuring them that I’m unaware.

It’s easy for them to snap at you when their own rear end is covered with alligators.  That doesn’t mean I have to snap back (even though the urge is there and the blood pressure may rise). 

On the occasions I have responded negatively, I can honestly say that I ever got any long-term satisfaction out of it.  It usually turns into something I look back and say “I wish I had handled that differently.”

Somewhere along the way I also learned to “never wrestle with a pig in the mud–they enjoy it.”  There’s some truth to that.  I’m not a wrestler, and I don’t particularly care to get muddy.  I do like bacon though.

Taking the high road isn’t always easy.  But in the long run, it’s usually the best road to take.

Light at the end of the tunnel

I posted our weather forecast the other day – little did I know that was just a precursor for things to come………
12 degrees tomorrow morning?  Do you know that this does to my nerves?  When you have 30-40 homes you’re tasked with maintaining, you HATE to see temperatures that low.  No matter what preparations you make, when you have this many homes in your care and the temperatures get that low, you get tied up in knots worrying that just one of them will wind up with frozen pipes. 

Granted, most are winterized, but many are not.  They’re under contract and the heat and water have been turned on for inspections.  But very often I find someone has gone into the house and left a door open, or maybe the power has gone off for a few hours.  At 12 degrees, it doesn’t take long to really mess up some plumbing.

Or the fun thing is like what I’m facing today.  I have 4 homes that have gone under contract.  They all need inspections this week.  I need to get gas and water on for inspections.  However, the gas company won’t set the meter without the water on.  Water can’t be turned on without heat.  So you need to make sure the heat works correctly before you get the water on.  It’s a conundrum!

The only thing that’s keeping me going right know is knowing that I booked a vacation yesterday!  4 days in sunny Playa del Carmen.  This is where I will be:

I’m not renting a car, I’m not booking an excursion.  I’m going to buy about 4 books, some good sunglasses, and possibly some sunblock.

Mom is coming to stay at my house and keep Bo company.

I’m truly going to escape it all.

Oh the joys of the holidays – they are thoroughly kicking my rear!

Yup, I haven’t posted in a while – it’s been a whirlwind the last couple of weeks and any spare moment I get, well, there don’t seem to be any spare moments!

November 17, my mom had some relatively minor surgery, however, is there such a thing as minor surgery?  I travelled there 11/16 after working all day, got up early and took her to the hospital where I met my other siblings, stayed until she was in recovery, then headed for the hills again (it’s 200 miles each way to mom’s) and got back by 3:30 – just in time to put in a few hours of work before going home. 

I’ve been getting a ton of new properties that are in “pre-list” stage, so that involves coordinating occupancy checks, re-keying, trashouts, cleanups, utilities, price opinions, catching up old Homeowner Association dues and generally prepping them for marketing.

I’ve had a few go under contract, so again, that means coordinating de-winterizing for inspections, winterizing back afterward, negotiating deals, and paperwork out the nose.

I have 8 set to close this month (so far), so there’s more paperwork and hurdles to meet on each one of them. 

And in the middle of it all was a 4 day weekend.  Which I thought I would take full advantage of.  I turned my phone off Wednesday before Thanksgiving at 4pm and didn’t turn it back on until the Sunday night afterward.  Meanwhile, we travelled to Harrison on Wednesday, Bergman on Thursday for dinner at TBH’s Grandmas, Floral later that day to be at my Mom’s.  Friday we helped cook for Saturday dinner and took mom Christmas shopping.  Saturday was dinner, overeating, card games and clean-up.  Sunday was the 200 mile trip back home.

Somewhere along the way TBH has picked up a good case of the crud and is currently lying on the couch contemplating how to breathe out of both nostrils simultaneously rather than alternating between one at a time.

I’ve got to get after it today too – more getting properties ready for inspections, utilities on and off, 4 closings between today and Friday.

I heard somewhere real-estate was slow right now – and that nothing EVER happens in December due to the holidays.  I think someone may be misinformed.

PS:  somewhere in there the dryer died.  And mom’s surgery has to be re-done because it didn’t work right.

Discombobulated

I’ve been like Steve Martin in “The Jerk” today – I just can’t find my rhythm.  Seems like I’ve been off-beat all day. 

You ever have those days?

Love thy neighbor – you never know when you’ll need them

Recently, I posted about unexpected expenses–how out of the blue we were going to be out a lot of money because the main water line to the house suddenly decided to disintegrate.

For those of you who read it, the final tally was $300 for leak detection, then $1350 for the entire line to be replaced from the meter to the house.  The water bill was $602 (the water people are “reviewing” it to see if they’ll make any adjustments for us.)

We were without water for a week.  Thankfully, we have great neighbors!

We ran a water hose from their house to our back door so we could get water to flush the toilets.  We purchased jugs of water for coffee and things like brushing our teeth.  But there’s no way we could use that ice cold water to bathe.  Again, those neighbors were wonderful.  We have one of their garage door openers and were extended an invitation to “come over and shower anytime!”

When we moved to our neighborhood, we were pretty hesitant and unsure about how we would be welcomed.  Bella Vista is a bit on the rural side, and has had a reputation for being filled with grumpy people.  Little did we know that we were going to find that not only did we get a great home, we got an even greater neighborhood!

The couple across the street are always so nice to us.  We can always count on a conversation if we meet up in the yards.  I’ve been attempting for a couple of years to make it over there when she’s making salsa so she can teach me just how she makes the best stuff I’ve ever tasted (I always seem to be MIA when it is time to do so.)

I’ve already mentioned the people next door.  We’re always swapping tools from the garages or ingredients from the kitchens.  They’re a number of years older than us and we’ve never learned how to cook for only two, so we often pack up a good portion of the leftovers and take them over.  We call it meals on foot.

Recently they were on a trip and we got a call from her: “I have a suitcase full of shoes and can’t find it.  I think  Ross never put it in the car.  Can you go look and if it’s at the house overnight it to me?”  $87 and two hours later, the shoes with a combined value of about $30 (including depreciation) were on their way.  I don’t think she’s ever going to live that one down. 

On the other side of them is the Dr.  He and his wife always stop to visit if they pass by while we are in the yard.  They also host the annual neighborhood fish fry.  They provide the setting and the cookers, and the rest of the neighborhood provides side dishes.

Our street ends in a cul-de-sac with a wooded circle in the middle.  This is common in Bella Vista.  Even more common is for these wooded circles to be filled with grapevines attacking trees, trash and leaves blown in by the wind, and just look awful.  This year, the entire neighborhood showed up one day to clear it out and we all brought plants from our yards and planted them in this circle.  People donated a bench and a few yard chotchkes.  We all take turns keeping it weeded and watered so we have a common beautiful area where most have an eyesore.

None of us are nosy, but we do keep an eye out for each other.

The next three houses on the street are for sale.  All are lakefront homes.  I only hope when those sell and the new neighbors arrive, they are as surprised at the welcome gifts they will receive and as friendly as the rest of the neighborhood.

If it sounds a bit idyllic, it is.  Sometimes, you get lucky and your neighborhood is worth more than your home.

Admission of Guilt – Yes, I do it.

Well, it’s time.  Time I admitted something.

I’ve been holding this back for a long time.  Sometimes, it’s just too hard to bear.  The weight of it on my conscience is killing me.

Here it is.

I read Hints from Heloise in the newspaper each day.

I can’t help it.  I’m addicted.  It’s like a train wreck that you just can’t turn away from.  Just who are these people that write in with hints that are so stupid, so friggin elementary? 

I’ve been composing a letter to her, I keep working on it here and there.  If you get the chance, you might help with it:

Dear Heloise:
I have had a problem the last few years and have finally found a solution.  When my garbage disposal would get clogged or when I dropped something into it that I didn’t mean to get ground up like hamburger, I often forgot to turn it off before sticking my hand in to retrieve the object.  As a result, my right hand is mangled and I’m missing all my fingers.  It didn’t happen all at once, the longest was the first to go, and after that, one by one, inch by inch, I’ve wound up with a nub on my right hand.
After I couldn’t grasp anything, I found myself sticking my other hand in while it was still running.  I’ve come up with a perfect solution.  I had tattooed on my right hand across the scars on the nub “Turn off disposer before reaching inside”.
It’ works like a charm!  When I use my nub to push the faucet open, I see it every time.  This has saved me from a lifetime of having to depend on someone else to scratch an itch!  I still have 3 fingers on the left hand and plan on keeping them now!

Unexpected expenses

So, yesterday I was working at home and the doorbell rang.  This is a HIGHLY unusual occurrence.  Neighbors know I work from home and don’t bother me during the day.  Friends and family know to call first.  I’m just that way.

I run upstairs, dog following behind, to find the water meter reader at my door.  This can’t be good.

Seems there is a large leak in the line from the meter to the house.  We’ve been pulling 70 gallons an hour since about the 13th of last month.

Water company won’t give us a break on the usage-bill will be over $700 (normally $65).  It’s gonna cost $300 to have someone locate the leak, and an untold amount to have a plumber repair it.

This is a perfect example of an unexpected homeowner expense.  This is also a PRIME example of why I hate to see people buy homes that have no financial reserves.  A $1200 unexpected expense can throw someone without any reserves into a financial tailspin.  We are fortunate that we have some reserves.

For those of you who are getting down payment gifts and wanting sellers to pay all your closing costs because you have no savings – are you really ready for the financial obligations that come with owning a home?  What’s going to happen when something like this happens to you?