Ready for New Renters -- Scary

What a frustrating and seemingly endless job it is to get a house ready to rent, not to mention expensive. I still can't believe all the work that had to be done after the last renters left so we could rent it out again. The outside had to be neatened up and a walkway put in. New grass had to be planted. We never did get to work on the landscaping, which desperately needs weeding and pruning. It has been rainy and cold for the last several weeks, so the work has moved to the inside of the house.

The biggest job was putting in a new boiler and a ventilation system. I am continually amazed at what Den can do when he puts his mind to it. He did all the work on these two improvements, with help from son and grandson; and the house is now warm and cozy. I am sure it will be cool in the summer, with the ventilation system picking up the lake breezes. Then we needed to scrub and paint walls, clean cupboards and closets, repair door knobs and screens, wash windows and ceiling fans and make lists of missing door stops and light pulls.

Our son and daughter-in-law came over yesterday and painted and cleaned. I was amazed at how fast they worked and how slow I moved in comparison. Our grandson and his girlfriend painted one of the bedrooms and did a beautiful job. How fortunate we are to have such a wonderful family. Every night when we quit working, I think that we will make the November 1st deadline for the new tenants. Then, when I go over to the house the next day, I panic, and think that there is still so much to do before it will be livable.

We have a family ready to move in. They seem to be reliable and friendly, but, of course, we really won't know until they have lived in the house for a while. They also will not know how they will like living right next door to us until they have experienced it for a few months. That is the scary part -- we just don't know.

Music

It is a beautiful, if breezy, day, about 70 degrees outside. I am listening to Elvis Presley at his "Romantic Best" as I try to get the house straightened and some chores done. Listening to these old songs, I can't help but think how lucky we were to have grown up when we did. Remember Teen Club? Every Wednesday we danced and socialized, flirted and just had a good time with our friends. I do believe that the music was simply the best.


At that time, I had never heard of the blues; now I know this was the basis for rock and roll (also jazz). What great music! Listening to it can't help but bring a smile to your face, or at least to mine. If you've never heard Roy Buchanen, John Lee Hooker, or John Hammond (wow!), I urge you to give them a listen. Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, and even the Beatles all had their roots in this early juke joint music. Cleveland's own Robert Jr. Lockwood (died last year at age 90+) was stepson to the great Robert Johnson of Crossroads fame. Lockwood sure knew how to play the 12-string guitar, taught by Robert Johnson. We were fortunate enough to hear him live several times, and even bought him a drink or two. So if you've never listened to this music, please give it a try. It can really play to and on your moods.

How did I get from being a teen and teen club to the blues? I'm not sure -- just followed my thoughts. Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that, growing up, we sure did have some good music which created some good times even while we were trying to go from awkward teens to sophisticated adults.

Fall is Here

Den went to Home Depot and here I sit, listening to a Peter, Paul and Mary tribute on college radio and feeling sorry for myself. This time of year is always hard for me, but this year seems worse than usual, and that aggravates me no end. There are so many things that need doing, and I have no energy or desire to "do." Then the guilt sets in.

How many things could I have gotten done today if I had really tried? Plants need repotting, kitchen cupboards need cleaning, windows need to be washed. I could have written, either finished a story that's almost done, or worked on my book. My grandmother's quilt needs to be finished, there's the sweater waiting for me to finish knitting, and the baby bag to finish crocheting. So what did I do all day? Slept, walked the dog, dusted the pool room and watered the plants. Did I mention that I took a nap or two? I never take naps!

So what is wrong with me? Why do I feel so depressed and discontented? Can't be the weather -- it was 75 degrees outside today, with only a bit of rain this morning. It's so bad that, when I was looking through the Eddie Bauer catalog, I was wishing that I had the life the model was portraying. That's pretty sad. All I can say is, I hope this feeling goes away soon. I know I won't feel so bad when it gets colder outside, even though the days will be shorter -- go figure. But until then, I think I will go sit in the living room, listen to the blues on the radio and feel sorry for myself. I might even have a good cry.

PerchFest

Today is the start of the annual Lake County PerchFest held on the beach in Fairport Harbor. This year, Den was commissioned to carve a four foot perch for the festival. It turned out to be an absolute masterpiece! We are going there tonight to have a perch dinner and to check out where his carving is being displayed. This is the first carving he has done that did not tell me its name, and I feel bad about that. Of course, the names I gave to his other carvings usually got changed by the buyer of the piece so it probably doesn't matter. Still, it was a disappointment not to be able to come up with a name. Any suggestions?

Sister Discussion

My sister and I are having our usual, passionate, disagreement about politics. It is all by email since we live in different states. This morning, I was thinking about what we would say to each other if we were in the same room, and came to the conclusion that it is better that we have to email each other. If we were in the same room, we would both try to talk at the same time, overriding the point the other one was trying to make. Tempers would flare (of course, only one of us has a temper and it surely isn't me), and we would most likely end up in a shouting match, with one or both of us storming off in frustration because we couldn't get the other to see the light.

When we have to communicate by email, each can take as much time as we need to read the point the other is trying to make, and think through our responses; no one is shouting anyone else down and we are able to remain calm and rational. I don't believe that either one of us will change the other one's mind, but at least we are able to read the other's thoughts carefully and fully instead of going off half-cocked, thinking the other one is a total idiot. I do worry that this discussion may be pushing one of us further to the right and the other further left, but if that's the result, so be it. I also believe it is bringing us closer together as sisters, and, to me, that's the most important thing.

Sign of Fall

It must be fall. I know the calendar still says it's August, which means it is technically still summer. But the spiders around here either can't read a calendar or don't care what the actual date is. They are starting to invade the house big time, which means it is fall on the north coast of the US. However, the spiders that have been intruding into the house this year are different from the normal fall intruders. This year's interlopers are dark brown or black with rather long legs (I don't believe they are daddy long legs), instead of the yellow invaders I am used to from past years. What happened to all my yellow friends? They at least seemed able to stay in the upper corners of the rooms and keep mostly out of sight. These new invaders are all over everything. It seems that anytime I go from place to place in the house, I am being surprised by a spider web. They are strung between lamps and tables, down (or up) window frames, between the computers, across bookshelves, even in the shower if it is left unguarded for half a day.

I have always prided myself on being fairly tolerant, with a live and let live attitude. This was never a problem with the yellow spiders of the past years. (I almost started to write little yellow spiders, but they weren't very little by my definition of a spider.) But I draw the line at having to constantly brush away spider webs, especially around my head. I have tried to relocate the spiders outside, but this doesn't seem to work. Either they make it back in before I can close the door, or they know some secret entrance of which I am unaware. Maybe they are breeding in the attic! Whatever it is, they had better be on their guard, because it's no more Ms. Nice Gal. I may even get out the vacuum. I hate spider webs in my hair and face!

Writing

Just finished mopping floors and moving furniture around. I think I did this because I'm having a hard time right now with my writing. I know all I have to do is sit down, open a word file and start writing. The words will come. But I just feel so unproductive right now, like maybe I'm not meant to write. I am truly amassing a large collection of rejection slips; should I keep on writing?

Of course I should. My stories are outlets for my feelings, thoughts and observations. I will continue to struggle with trying to get my thoughts down onto paper, or rather, in the computer. I even have this nifty little keyboard with a tiny screen called an NEO by AlphaSmart. I can take this keyboard out by the lake or in the backyard or on vacation and work on my stories on it. When I get back home, I just download what I have written into the computer and go from there. Is technology great, or what?

So there it is -- I have to write. One of these days, the magic news will come -- someone, somewhere will like a story of mine so much that they will publish it, and maybe even pay me for it!

For all his faults, Senator Ted Kennedy was a true patriot and an outspoken liberal Democrat, always working for the good of the country, A friend of mine, Bob Van Der Velde, had the best comment on a sad day via @jenhouse @dannyfriedman @azchela: "In Lieu of flowers, please pass health care reform".