House Upkeep

 Ah, the joys of homeownership, especially for an aging homeowner. Poor Wifey, stuck here because of my refusal to move -- the other day, as we walked Williams Island with Paul and Patricia, she told me again how she needs to live "with more of a breeze in the summer." Talking to all of my friends with wives past a certain age -- it's uncanny. The men all want stability and no hassles. The women all have restlessness and want "change." Oh well.

So thankfully it appears storm season has spared us, but I decided I no longer wished to have to put up any panels when a cane approaches. The upstairs are mostly plastic windows, the state of the art when the house was built in '97, but they didn't have big impact windows available then. So in two stages, I had accordion shutters put in on the larger doors and windows, leaving 11 small openings for panels, as well as the front door and two adjacent windows. I decided it was time to finish the job.

I asked a neighbor, Gloria, who she had used for her job. She HATED them, and said she wished she used a local company called R and S. I called R and S, and Charlie, the grandson of the founder came out and measured. Turns out doing the front door and adjacent windows will cost about $9K, and the other 11 in the back and garage another $9K. He also referred me an accordion company, as the one I used for the older job never got back with me. Marlon, of Alum World, came and measured, and told me the 11 openings would cost $2 K to accordion. Since there were already other accordions, I hired them.

Yesterday Wifey and I went over to R and S to pick out color and hardware for our new impact door. Charlie said they'd be ready to install about January. I said as long as it was before June...

After we left, we drove past our first house, on 125th Terrace. I laughed that we paid $86.5K for that house, and now are spending 20% of that for just a door and some windows. Funny how things change...

And Wifey reminded me how happy we were in that tiny house, from '86-'90. We had a big black lab and a cute cocker spaniel. They were like our children. We used to love sitting out back in the screened in the "Florida room," and playing fetch with Midnight the Lab.

Later , we brought home D1, and she lived there her first two years -- starting to talk, and learning to walk. They were good times. Damn good times.

So I also have to have our pool re-done. Amazingly, the surface has lasted 23 years, but is starting to go. Wifey wants to do a lot of landscaping -- and I told her she's in charge of that. She also wants to see completed the redecorating job -- paused due to Covid.

Also, Wifey has to order new appliances. Our refrigerator is 14 years old, and stopped making ice. I had a service guy replace the icemaker -- still, no ice. The stove, though rarely used, is also on the way out. Wifey will decide what she wants, and get the appliances ordered. Apparently refrigerators now take months to get. We can survive until then. First world problems.