Shakespeare

The weekend of August 10, we, my two sons and DIL, took a little break went to the Powerhouse Theater's presentation of "The Merchant of Venice."  It was very, very good, but I had forgotten how disturbing it was.  It was also the wedding anniversary of DIL and younger son.  Good as the play was I wondered if I couldn't have picked some cheerier entertainment.  They all seemed to enjoy it though.

The weekend of the end of July, I ended up in the ER with some serious asthma.  I went to Urgent Care my chest hurt like crazy, I shouldn't have said it that way, they went "oh, oh, old lady - chest pains" - off to the ER with me gasping "no, no, asthma," all the way.  After taking lots of blood and doing a electrocardiogram, they agreed, it was asthma and gave me a treatment, and a prescription for prednisone and called my son to come and get me.  The heat, dust, and smoke drifting in from various wildfires just did me in.

The following Monday post-ER, I made an offer on the condo of my choice and started in on the bathrooms in my house which were stalled in mid-redo and had been for months (years?).  The idea was to move somewhere with no gardening, no stairs I had to use, and this place had a nice pool.  Someone made a better offer on Condo One and snatched it out of my grasp.  I looked at a Condo Two in the same place and tried to figure out how much it would take to put it in good condition and if that was something I wanted to do.  The Condo Two is not as nicely situated and looks down over a church parking lot.  I have to admit that they would be fairly quiet neighbors but I'm used to looking out from under large trees and across the street into more large trees.   Poop!  I just don't want to live in that one.  I don't love it.  I loved this little cottage house when I bought it and still do.  Just not the repair part.  How ever in the frantic rush to get the house in selling condition quite a bit of neglected upkeep got completed or started such as the main bathroom.

Now the bathrooms have new floors, new paint, new cabinets and sinks, much of it installed by Heather my daughter-in-law, who is the most amazing daughter in the world.  I can take a shower at home again.  I have been the parts runner and clean-up crew.  Then my asthma roared back.  Turns out the output from dust, cleaning, paint, and the new cabinets was more than my twitchy lungs could take.  It made me wonder I got the idea I could live in a condo that needed rehabbing from top to bottom, even if it was a bargain.  All my sisters were saying "no, no." It's a testimony to not making big decisions while you are under duress or ill.  At least my pulmonologist didn't call me stupid, I did that myself.  So much for plan A and plan B.  But I have given away about half a garage's worth of stuff out of the house that I will no longer have to dust, maintain, or store.  I found out I lost a couple of shingles off the roof but otherwise it is in good shape.  I painted the front porch (I can paint outside) so it will make it through the winter's depredations.  The electrician didn't show up Friday so there are still no lights in the main bathroom but the new lights will be nicer and easier to keep dusted, less frou-frou.  Onward.  Thinking about if there is a plan C.

Time for a little break.

A vacation to this little cabin on the Metolious River would be wonderful but it will have to wait.  I am very, very tired this week.  We've worked very hard on my little house and the half bath in the bedroom is nearly done.  This closet size bathroom now well lit and user friendly.  The floor is in, the cabinet and faucet is installed, and the toilet is sparkling and ready to go.  What remains is just small details.  My DIL has done most of it, including the plumbing.  And she has 8 kids in her house.  She is amazing. 

I am painting the front porch and prepping the main bath for it's revival.  Painting and scraping gives me a lot of time to think.  The newly updated condo I lusted after went to someone else.  Now I have an appointment to see one other in the same complex that is empty and for sale.  It is not singing to me.  Maybe it's just the comparison to the first one.

It's a small complex, 8 units surrounding a swimming pool, has attractive grounds and in a great neighborhood.   At first glance its needs seem mostly cosmetic with badly stained and loose carpets everywhere even in the bathrooms.  It also turns out to have popcorn ceilings put in around 1972.  That means it most likely has asbestos in it.  Asbestos was banned in the product in 1979 but dealers and installers were allowed to use their existing supplies up, so use of it went into the mid-80's.  The contractor I called about removal said, "no asbestos about $800-$1000, with asbestos $4000 up to $10,000 depending the square footage."  I  just not attracted to it.

 

I will give it a good look this afternoon and see if my feelings change any.

Wagon ho!

Last week I saw a condo for sale that was 1) affordable and 2) I really, really liked.  The kicker is I have to sell my house first.  So I made a contingent offer and my real estate agent came over to look at my house.  If the contingent offer is accepted my house must be listed within five days.  We made a list of things that needed to be done, like painting the front porch, and so on.  The big hang-up is I had been updating the bathrooms and let finishing them slide for assorted reasons.  Could we finish in five days?  We, me, my daughter-in-law and I thought we could.  Off I went to acquire new cabinets and flooring, and paint, and whatever it is that you always find out you need one more of on a project.  After five days we had the walls prepped in the half bath, the floor started, and started prepping the walls in the main bath.  It needs new light fixtures and being an old house, an electrician.  Then surprise, the sellers had an open house, and someone else made an offer they accepted, although I am told I was the only other offer they have.  Boo hoo! So if it falls through...

Meanwhile, it's going to take longer to finish and the electrician can't come for two weeks any way, the busy season here kicked in. My nearly 90 year old house always needs the ministration of an electrician when it comes to wiring anything.  The half bath in the big bedroom has lovely new light yellow walls, and the floor is getting started today.  The light in there is marvelous.

Many granddaughters came over during the week and scrubbed kitchen cabinets, pulled weeds, and pruned the shrubbery.  Now you can get into what I call my "Bees and Butterflies" backyard without getting clawed to death by a rose bush or raspberries.  The rug guy came and cleaned all the carpets which are in very good shape much to my surprise.

It's been a big week and one heavy day takes to me two days to get over, if I can get them.  Delightfully my 15 year old grand-girl sang in the Walla Walla Symphony's concert event for their Rock Camp for budding musicians, songwriters, and singers.  Those kids were marvelous.  She was the best girl singer there, you are probably laughing at me for saying that but she was.  And the other kids were amazingly great, quite a few very professional.  It was a pleasant evening outside, a bit cool, but the rain we've been oddly getting stopped for afternoon and evening and let the kids perform.  Now I must go take another nap.  This afternoon it's porch painting time.