Category: General (Page 1 of 60)

Included this time is a short (51 seconds) video of Grayce running outside in snow, a first for her. A few updates are along for the ride. Enjoy!

Pam has been taking Grayce outside frequently during the day. A recent snowfall left a few inches of snow in the dog run, and Pam thought a short video of Grayce doing “zoomies” would be a crowd pleaser in this post. Here is the clip. (The ending is a bit abrupt.) Note: YouTube has changed some security settings. You may need to click on the “Watch on YouTube” button instead of the red button in the center of the image. Clicking on the red button may ask you to log into YouTube.

Grayce is growing, stretching out a bit, and I think she will be a bit longer in proportion than a standard Beagle. Some of the cats are getting somewhat more used to her and will jump into the laundry room (over the gate) and spend some time there. Not real close, mind you, but not getting all aggressive and fluffed out. It is a process.

Pam has begun to introduce Grayce to the rest of the house, blocking off some areas (using pockets doors) but letting Grayce explore more of the floor plan. Exciting times for a puppy! These excursions are often followed by a long nap. (Grayce, not Pam.)

I mentioned a few other updates, none really earth-shattering. I went in for a follow-up appointment to get a new set of x-rays on my ankle, which is healing “in alignment” according to the doctor. This is good. I can move with a bit more ease as the swelling goes down, but the medical boot will be a must for at least the next few weeks.

NE Iowa did get some measurable snow, around 4 inches, which has left the ground covered in white. Right now the temperatures are well below normal for mid-February, with frigid wind chills and bitterly cold air temperatures. This morning the air temp was -17 with windchills of near -40. (Tuesday, February 18th) Good news, though: It is supposed to warm up by next Sunday, with temps getting above normal. Can’t wait.

Otherwise, slow. Good time to stay indoors, although we did have to shovel sidewalks after the snow. I could not do much with the leg boot, but managed to sit on the John Deer LX 176 (with blade) and cleaned major portions of the sidewalks and garage door aprons. The stretch that had to be hand-shoveled, between the house and garage and around the south side of the house, was Pam’s project. At that time the bitter cold had not set in, temps were in the low 20’s, but still a cold and tiring job.

Both of us work on small projects, mostly computer related, and take care of everyday living needs such as grocery shopping, cleaning, and doing laundry. Nothing in our normal routine to get excited about! Each of us makes a concerted effort to watch less political reporting (although the information we do tune in to tends to be quite distressing).

Felicity and Peter look like they will be moving into their Lodi (New York) home by the end of the month. Not all the repairs are completed but they are running low on funds and can’t afford to rent and pay a construction mortgage at the same time. I had helped them move from Tulsa to New York last July but obviously won’t help them move into the house this time. (Most of their belongings have been in storage since last summer, as they waited for repairs to the house to move forward.) I hope the transition goes well.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

There may have been things I forgot about having a puppy in the house, but strange schedules and continuing potty training efforts were completely expected. I try to give all the animals – cats, puppy, and older dogs – their own spaces and adjustment zones. It’s a bit of a puzzle at present, but in the end all will be well.

Happy Trails.

Today’s Humor:

I had never broken a bone until this past week. We had some freezing rain which covered the sidewalks in a thin layer of ice. On my way to the garage, while carrying a box, I slipped and fell. Now I am hurting.

The leg has two major bones, the Tibia, the main load-bearing bone, and the Fibula, which helps support the Tibia. In addition to suffering a very bad sprain, I cracked my left Fibula.

Now I am in one of those “walking boots” that are designed to keep the ankle in alignment courtesy of Dr. Maher at the Howard County Regional Health Center in Cresco.

Needless to say, this has made it very difficult (and painful) for me to move around much. Going up and down the stairs to my bedroom and upstairs bathroom has turned into a chore. Even getting a sock on the left foot has turned into a process, and I can work up a sweat trying to get dressed In the morning. No fun at all.

Prognosis is that I will heal in around 6 weeks, but given my age and medical history it could be longer. Old folks don’t heal as fast as younger people.

That is the main story for this week, but there are a few other updates. Grayce is getting acclimatized to her new home and the cats are beginning to inch closer to her when she takes a nap. The integration process continues. Oldest dog, Bru, is not excited about the newcomer as I think the rapid movements startle her as her vision and hearing are going. JoJo just seems to be amused.

I made a below-the-surface change to my blog page, changing the company that hosts it. I was using iPage but their prices kept going up. That would be OK if the blog was an e-commerce site or otherwise making money, but for a basic family newsletter it was getting out of hand. I am now using Bluehost, not quite as polished in their hosting service, but a lot more affordable. iPage was up to $257.00 per year and Bluehost is $178.00 for three years.

The change-over did not go all that smoothly, but eventually all functions were returned to normal. This is my first post using Bluehost and I trust all will go well! However, if you notice any problems, please let me know.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Weekly humor corner:

We have a new dog: Grayce, a Beagle puppy. How we got here is the main topic of this post. The tale is a little involved, so stay with me!

Pam will have more to say on the background of us getting a new dog; she had been looking for a while. This chapter started with a trip to our local vet.

Early this week one of the outside cats, Scamp, showed up with a large cut on his leg. Pam decided Scamp needed medical attention, so she shoved him into carrier and off we drove to New Hampton for a vet appointment. (New Hampton is about 30 minutes away from us.)

At the bottom off the off-ramp to town was this sign:

After dropping Scamp at the vet for an overnight stay, we did some grocery shopping and went home. (Scamp was picked up the next day after surgery, was confined, has since recovered and is back in the neighborhood with leg stitches and two fewer testicles.)

Pam proceeded to call the number and, after some conversation, decided to buy Grayce, the last of the puppies in the batch.

Grayce arrived on January 29th. She is a cute little puppy with, it appears, a pretty mellow personality. She will need it when getting used to the other household dogs and cats. So far Pam has kept Grace in the laundry room, which has a gate-blocking entrance into the rest of the house. Eventually Grayce will have full run of the place, but for now Pam is trying to keep the initiation into the house as gentle as possible. (Just to mention, Grayce is not yet fully potty trained.)

I put together this 3:16 video of Grayce’s first time in the yard and, later in the video, playing in the laundry room.

There was not a lot of other news this time. My new crown came in but was not to my dentist’s liking so it was sent back to be recast. Becky came over to help Pam groom JoJo a bit. (And to meet Grayce!) Weather has been very mild and dry for January with the exception of several bitterly cold days last week with wind chills hitting -41 and an actual air temperature -18. We ordered and received another fill of propane.

On the upside, a few days ago we set a few record highs with temps in the upper 40s and even low 50s. Next snow may be a week from now if the long-range forecast is accurate.

I am going to close out this post with a photo of several of our cats taking in morning sunlight through our east window.

At back left is Stirling, with Snickers standing on the sill and Reese lying down. AJ is on the chair. Note lack of snow on the grass outside.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

I’ve been missing Blondie girl for six months. And wondering if I am too old for one more dog. In late November I started looking at the online rescue sites for Beagles. And inquired about five different dogs in five different Midwest states. Oh dear, so many poor little pups from medical facilities and breeder overstock. So many Beagles with psychological issues. After all my years in cat rescue, I am genuinely weary of animals with psychological issues. Bless the rescues for the work they do; I just can’t go there any more.

And then a sign on the side of a road. And the last female puppy in a litter, located just seven miles from Elma. And a search through Heart House for the pup supplies tote, something I seem to have kept for over a dozen years. And washing the dog toys, still left from the two remaining geriatric dogs (when they had teeth). Sometimes The Universe speaks and it’s time to pay attention. So I did. And I am now a puppy concierge.

Happy Trails.

P.S. Years ago, Toby suggested I name any future dog something with “gray” in it, since I seemed to be naming dogs after hair colors and my own hair was turning gray. Which explains the “Gray” in “Grayce.”

New feature: Humor of the week.

All activities at this time of the year are either routine or of not much interest in general. I have a few updates and other comments, but, if the truth be told, nothing all that exciting!

I’ll begin with a couple medical updates mentioned as “upcoming” in my last post. My diabetes check-up went OK. In fact, the results were the best I have seen in recent years. I hope that keeps up over the next years.

The results of the blood draw sent to the Mayo Clinic, a follow-up to my prostate cancer episode, came back. PSA levels were unchanged from previous readings, a good thing. Next checks for both the diabetes and cancer are now 6 months away. I am glad to have those taken care of for now.

One of my old ceramic tooth crowns began to chip so I had to go to the dentist and begin the process for getting a replacement. Preliminary work was done and impressions taken, so now I wait until the new crown arrives. An appointment has been made to get the new crown fitted, about 2 weeks from now.

Holiday decorations have been taken down and packed away for another year. I miss the colorful lights in the house and around town, but at least we had some mild weather when taking off the outside lights. Inside decorations followed a few days later, including the tree. Now it is time to hunker down through the next few months.

NE Iowa weather is in for a truly frigid stretch, with several upcoming days forecast to have high temperatures below zero, night time temps in the double-digits below zero, and wind chills down to -35 degrees. (It is warmer at our lot in Colorado at this point, at an elevation of 9,500 feet.)

There is no snow on the ground as of this writing and very little chance of precipitation in the 10-day forecast, very unusual for this time of the year.

The “around the house” routine goes on with only minor tasks getting done. I touched up some paint on the upstairs bathroom walls where I had made some marks when installing the trim boards. The outside critters continue to get corn on the cob, acorns, and bird seed. The cats spend more time in the catio where it is warmer and Pam sets out food, water, and a cat box as well as turning on the space heater and plugging in a couple bed warmers. Last fall I had put up a wind-blocking tarp around the NW corner of the catio to help keep wind from blowing in through the cat entrance and that seems to help a great deal.

I sold my old Mac via eBay which helps pay for the upgraded Mac I bought late last fall. I kept the old hard drive, having purchased a used one to sell with the old Mac. The newer computer is working well, and is much faster in video and photo editing.

Our replacement WiFi router is also working well. We had been experiencing some problems with buffering and freezing so called our ISP, Mediacom. A tech came out and replaced a length of very old cable that had a joint (union) in it and that seems to have resolved the issue. Good thing, as we are watching TV more now than we do in the summer. Here is a photo of the tech and his ladder installing cable on another frigid day.

Speaking of streaming TV, we recently switched from Fubo to YouTube TV as our source. YouTube TV is a little cheaper, but it also has some channels we wanted that Fubo did not have, such as BBC News, HGTV, and a few others. The only downside is the need to create a Google account. I had one, Pam did not, so I had to create one for her. The new service is working well but takes some getting used to as the remote control functions are different between the two services.

Felicity’s and Peter’s New York home renovation continues. Electric service has been established and a certificate of occupancy obtained. Plumbing work continues, with the bathroom now functional, and kitchen work is underway.

I am going to close with this recent photo of Elmo and Snickers sharing a spot on top of one of the cat posts.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Rescue Animals in Winter: As Himself noted above, there are three bed heaters, one oil-based space heater, and a heated water bowl plugged in at the catio location. In the yard, two more heated water bowls are kept ice free. In the house, the dog pack is missing Blondie, the pack leader, this winter. Blondie hated cold temps and pretty much got out and in forthwith to do her business — the remaining two dogs tend to wander aimlessly until directed to get their frozen butts in the house. The inside cats find the warmest heating vent or blanket available during these cold winter periods. Or snuggle together.

Heart House: Usually I’ve been busy with a renovation project of some sort for the winter. However, the two indoor projects left are baseboard trim replacement to complete the snug (downstairs) and bathroom (upstairs). Carpentry is not my superpower, so I spend my time instead cleaning and dusting all the fussy decor on shelves and counters. The Dyson vac (purple trim below) is slowly disintegrating, which resulted in the purchase of the Bissell vac (turquoise below). I TRY to stay ahead of pet hair, dust blowing through from the lathe and plaster walls, bugs crawling out from the woodwork, dirt dragged inside.

Winter of our Discontent: Our homeowners insurance will not cover a single penny of the water line replacement we have scheduled for the spring. The policy covers water line breakage or damage, not proactive replacement. The neighbors across Main Street (who are preparing their property for the modular house replacement after last year’s house fire) cut to the ground three 50+ year old healthy maple trees on the Main Street side of their lot. (Three maple trees that were part of a line of mature maple trees along Main for blocks.) Now we look out Heart House’s Main Street windows to a very clear view of a big dirt hole. It kinda makes me sick to my stomach to look out the window in that direction at the moment. A bucket of suck…

Happy Trails.

A new year begins. In this post I will cover our Christmas, New Year’s, and note some changes to my web site.

Well, 2024 came to a close. We celebrated our Christmas with Becky, opening gifts and having a good meal. Some photos of the day:

Our New Year’s celebration was not much this time. Pam baked some excellent chocolate chip cupcakes (with additional chocolate chips added) which went very well with hot tea. To be honest, I am not sure what the new year will bring, but I’m not optimistic about the change in administration.

For the first time I can remember, there is no snow on the ground on January 1st. Here is photo of the house and east yard taken today.

While the weather had been very mild, and the snow we received back on December 20th has all melted, the next 10-day forecast has below average temps and no snow.

A bright spot for me was a meeting with my college roommate, Jon Bjornson, and his wife Joan. They are in the process of moving from the Boston area to Owensboro, KY. Jon’s mother lives in Spring Valley, east of Minneapolis, and they were visiting her before heading south. The route took them near New Hampton and we managed to meet there at Klunder’s Cafe.

As mentioned in my opening, there have been some changes to my web site. Several “tabs” have been removed, including Jer’s Toys, Videos, and Galleries. Removal of these features from the site will result in some broken links in older posts, but it was time to slim down the site. (No photos were removed, so links to them are still in place.) The remaining tabs were reordered and a new one, You Tube Videos, was added. This link will take you to my YouTube videos playlist.

A new entry was added to daughter Felicity’s section on the Kids tab: a link to her YouTube playlist is now present. This playlist deals with the renovation of the Lodi, NY house, which is still in progress. Take a look!

The next couple weeks look to be uneventful, although I do have a couple routine medical reviews coming up. It is time for both my Type 2 diabetes review with my local medical staff. The Mayo Clinic has sent me another blood draw kit, draw to be done in our local clinic, to monitor my PSA and testosterone levels following my prostate cancer treatments. Both are routine follow-ups but require a blood draw and a trip to the Cresco Regional Health Center. I hope there are no surprises in either case.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Happy Trails.

As mentioned in an earlier post, the house across Main Street was scheduled to be demolished due to a fire, and will eventually be replaced. The first part of this, the demo, occurred this past week. Photos and a clip are in this post along with a few miscellaneous notes. Enjoy!

Back in July, the house across the street from us experienced a fire. The damage could not be repaired and the home was scheduled for demolition and eventual replacement. The demolition phase happened this week, with a large excavator with a “thumb” on the bucket arriving to do the work.

The first day was taken up with knocking down the house, and over the next two days the debris was loaded into a truck and hauled away. Finally, black dirt was brought in to fill the hole left by the foundation. (I did not take photos of the debris being hauled away.)

We understand a new modular home is being built and will be moved onto the lot, but it appears a lot of work must be done before that happens, including pouring a slab in lieu of a foundation.

As you can see in the last photo above, we received snow this past week, about 3 – 4 inches or so. I spent a couple hours clearing our sidewalks and our group of mailboxes. This photo of the house was taken this morning, Saturday, December 21st, Winter Solstice Day.

Changes are in the works for my web site. I have decided to retire old videos that have been up for two or more years as I doubt anyone is interested in looking at them any longer. I had been using a combination of self-hosted clips and YouTube; the later will remain up for a while but the self-hosted stuff will be, by and large, removed over the next few weeks. If you should have a favorite video in this later group, accessed from the “Videos” tab on my web page, let me know and I will leave it up.

The only other event of note this week was a visit to the vet to have two outside kittens, Blizzard and Tornado, spayed. Both seem to have survived OK and are once again outside and running around, experiencing their first snow.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

It’s Winter Solstice. Come back, longer days!

I’m wrapping up the household accounts for 2024 — noting a few payments disappearing as well as projected budget alterations for 2025. Our retirement years hardly involve high finance. Still, I stay on top of changing (slight) increases in pensions and such.

Receiving holiday cards and newsletters makes the season special for me.

Happy Trails.

Last Sunday Pam, Becky, and I attended the Luther College Christmas concert. It was great! Projects received attention, including a Mac computer upgrade and finishing of the holiday cards. Let’s jump in!

A heart-felt “Thank You!” to Becky for purchasing the Luther College Christmas concert tickets. We greatly enjoyed the two-hour event that featured several choirs, a jazz number, and audience participation.

We kept talking about the music and reflecting on the various performances all the way home. Luther College is located in Decorah, Iowa, and is about a 50 minute drive from us. For more details about the college and the music program you can open this link: https://www.luther.edu/music/christmas-at-luther

This was the front of this year’s program.

Pam finished the holiday cards and all have been mailed. We have been receiving some cards as well and they are good to see. (Sure beats bills in the mailbox.)

I have completed my Mac computer upgrade for the most part. The older Mac Pro with a 4-core processor has been replaced by an 8-core model and the operating system upgraded to the current version. All software was either re-installed or new versions purchased. The older unit’s hard drive has been wiped and a clean version of the operating system installed. Now I need to take some photos and list it on E-Bay to see if I can recover some of the money spent on the newer unit.

The remaining holiday lights were put up and the tree decorated. Not quite as many outdoor lights as last year, but the cold snap somewhat limits outside time anyway.

Our local birds and squirrels are on “life support” — enjoying the feeders and water dish, giving us many opportunities to keep an eye on their antics. I particularly like watching the small birds at the water dish as they bob up and down while drinking. It’s also interesting to watch squirrels as they drink, head down, while still clinging to the tree. I hope to get some video, or at least a still photo, of these antics.

I continue to search for a spring for the old mortised lock set used on the east door. While this type of lockset was once common, finding parts these days is a real pain. The spring in question keeps the door bolt extended until you turn the knob to retract it and open the door. It is a small leaf spring, and I did create a partial solution by using an old spring from a screen door latch, but it’s not as strong as the original and works only so-so. I may have to double up a similar spring if an original cannot be found. This is the lockset partially disassembled:

Looking on-line to find a replacement spring or lockset has proven to be futile as none of the sets I found, new or used, have the same dimensions, particularly the length of the front plate. Oh the joys of living in an old house…

We observe a slower pace over the winter months. NE Iowa did get a bit of snow last night so I was out this morning to shovel the sidewalks, a task many of our neighbors seldom do. Not that many people are walking, but I generally feel better having our walks cleared and it gives me a bit of outside time and exercise.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Thank you, Canada, for a series of frigid weather “clippers” already this season. Freakin’ miserable outside conditions, with wind chill factored in. Depressing to monitor the weather at the Colorado property (9,000 feet +) and realize it’s consistently warmer in the mountains.

I’m finding it extremely difficult to experience the “joy” of the season; the frigid weather is not helping. The blast of orchestral and choral music at Luther College, on the other hand, offered a temporary lift.

Happy Trails.

A few events have taken place over the last couple weeks. Thanksgiving came and went, we put up some outdoor holiday lights, and the weather turned frigid. I spent some time organizing bird feeders, a heated water dish, and started putting out suet and acorns in various feeders. Changes were made to our health insurance policies. Here are the details.

Pam’s sister Becky came over for Thanksgiving. The day was mostly overcast with a few snowflakes floating by the windows, but the food was excellent and the conversation flowed freely.

Becky brought some of the food and a few belated birthday gifts for Pam, who had fun opening them.

The menu included crock-pot cooked turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, 7-layer salad, cranberry relish, squash, and two desserts: pumpkin pie and frosted angel food cake, both with toppings. Best part: Leftovers for the next few days!

Before the weather turned very cold, Pam and I spent some outside time putting up holiday lights. Normally the temps are still mild this time of year, but a recent stretch of Canadian air featured high temps anywhere from 15 to 20 degrees below average, so outside decorating was necessarily limited.

I prepared the outside feeders last week. The large bird feeder was unpacked, set up, and filled with seed. The birds, including a male and female cardinal, soon took advantage of the free food. We began putting out acorns, salvaged last fall, into the acorn feeder. (The squirrels appreciated that effort!) Suet feeders were packed and hung, and many nuthatches and woodpeckers have already visited them. The new water dish platform seems to be a hit, with both squirrels and birds making frequent stops to get a drink of water.

After the outside chores were done, we moved inside. Pam had made a request of our insurance agent, Steve Heitbrink, to review our supplemental health insurance policies and see if changes should be made. That he did, and we are beginning a new approach to our health care policies.

In the past we each had three individual policies: dental, vision, and prescription drug plans. Steve was able to find an advantage plan that combined these 6 policies into two policies – one for Pam and one for myself. Not only will the coverage be nearly identical, but we will save money and simplify our health care coverages. We really appreciate Steve’s efforts on our behalf. If you happen to live in NE Iowa, check with Steve at Assured Partners in Nashua, Iowa. He is a helpful agent.

Here is a little anecdote concerning Steve’s visit. His mother-in-law was best friends with one of the children who grew up at Heart House; Steve remembers the home from his early days growing up in the area and visiting relatives in Elma. Quite an example of small town networks!

I’ve been wondering what the neighbors across Main Street plan to do with their burned out house (the house burned last July). While working outside recently I talked to the neighbor, and asked her about future plans. She told me the house was going to be demolished and replaced with a ranch-style modular home that was being designed and built. The old place will be gone by the end of December, and the new home moved in after the first of the year. The couple hopes to occupy the home during March or early April. I will have photos of this process as it unfolds; we will have front row seats from our north windows on both floors. I wish them the best of luck.

There are a few other things going on. Pam continues to work on the holiday cards and many will soon be in the mail. I am working on upgrading my 2013 Mac Pro computer, which means I need to buy new software as the old versions will not work with the newer versions of the Mac operating system.

A network upgrade was recently completed: Replacement of our Wi-Fi modem/router. I just got tired of paying the monthly rental of our Mediacom when I could buy my own and save the the rental. A good deal on a used Arris SBG8300 popped up on eBay so I went ahead and made the purchase. The conversion went OK but included a call to tech support to finalize the installation. The new unit has improved out network speeds and TV streaming, so I would call it a success. Total cost, with tax and shipping, came in under $55.00. Our monthly rental was just over $17.00 so the SBG8300 will pay for itself in just over three months.

In the next couple weeks we will put up minimal inside decorations; the holidays are low-key for us and activities will be at a low level. While there is no snow in the 10-day forecast, cold temperatures will persist and wind chills will be below zero quite often. Time to hunker down!

Finally, for Julie, a recent cat photo. (Cats are experts at hunkering down.)

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

The horse and sleigh about to launch off the front porch and into the abyss is an art installation — representing the country as it lurches into the uncertainty and drama of 2025.

Happy Trails.

It has been a quiet interval since my last post. I have a newer iPhone, Felicity and Peter continue with the New York home reno, and it is now late fall. Snowflakes, possibly accumulating, are in the extended forecast. Here is my latest update.

My old phone was an iPhone 6s, purchased in early 2016. A few years ago it received a new battery and had been trucking on pretty well. However, it began showing it’s age, with the battery needing a recharge more and more frequently. Time to upgrade.

I use the Visible network, a subsidiary of Verizon. Going to the Visible web site I was able to locate an iPhone 12 at a decent price, plus get a trade-in for the 6s. The iPhone 12 is not the newest, but still supported by Apple. Besides, I don’t use my phone as much as many people do, mostly for text messages and the Avensa map application (for use on ATV trails).

The switch-over went smoothly. My phone number remains the same and I am getting used to the new home screen and controls. (Pam has had an iPhone 12 for a few years now and is quite used to it.) Hopefully I can go a few more years before another upgrade is required.

Lawn care: A few leaf pickups have been performed, and with snow possible in the extended forecast, that ongoing task may be wrapping up for this year. The pumpkins we had in the yard were delivered to Pam’s sister Becky who took them to a goat farm. Apparently the goats had a good time eating and playing with them.

There are a couple projects being pursued, one to replace our underground water service line, and the other to replace our back door.

The water line may be a lead pipe, or a galvanized line with a lot of lead in it. We have been drinking bottled water for many years, beginning in Colorado, so we are not as concerned with the health aspects as much as we are about the line rupturing due to age. A few of our neighbors have had to deal with that problem and other Elma houses of a similar age have had to have their lines replaced. According to the town water department, Elma began installing city lines in or about 1916 when the first town well was drilled. Because our house is on Main Street we are assuming Heart House was connected in the late teens or early 20’s. (No specific records can be located.) We are waiting on a quote from the local plumbing shop to see what the cost would be to have the water line replaced.

Another upgrade under consideration is the back door. It has never sealed out cold very well and the old-fashioned lockset is becoming problematic. The local lumber yard and installer wants about $2,500.00 for a new door, new lockset, and installation, which is more than our budget for that replacement. Currently I am looking at Big Box stores for a good quality door — costing a bit less money.

Speaking of updates, here is the latest from Felicity on the home renovation project in Lodi, New York.

General activities: Pam has begun working on this year’s holiday cards, a project that takes her many hours. I have begun doing fall maintenance on the lawn gear and vehicles and completed a few other small projects, mostly seasonal stuff such as building a better heated water dish support. (The dish is used by the squirrels and birds.) We had to replace our clothes washer as the LG died, and was replaced by a GE. No appliance stores exist locally, requiring a drive to Rochester to get the new washer. Then I hauled the old one to a recycle center in Charles City. Stuff like that keeps retirees busy.

I am not looking forward to winter; I like my outside time and having some color around the yard. Here is hoping this winter is on the mild side!

Finally, a recent photo of Elmo T. Whitepaws on his (!) favorite bed. (The middle “T” stands for Trouble.)

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Himself does not comment in this forum on politics. The recent conclusion of the national election, where “we” elected a convicted felon to be president, will very likely have personal implications, however. In the expectation of economic upheaval, I’m backing off the Michigan relocation plan for the short term. I anticipate the unqualified and unscrupulous “public servants” going forward will want their greedy paws on the biggest prize in government – the Social Security and Medicare “honey pots.” Cuts in those two programs would impact our retirement funds immediately and aggressively. Time to hunker down, not potentially overextend our budget financially. The prospect of selling Heart House in tiny Elma, Iowa during an economic downturn is just not likely.

Lest you think l’m being overly dramatic, Toby in Nevada is voicing concerns about his Latina partner (US born and legal) being hassled during the coming immigrant roundup. Felicity in New York is worried about loss of medical benefits (for both herself and Peter) through elimination of the Affordable Care Act. Enough misery for everyone – except the cult leaders. Bummer 2025 – the Project and the year.

Happy (?) Trails.

I recently completed a second trip to Michigan to check out potential properties, and had one walk-through. I like to talk to people I meet along the way, both to find out local information and to get a general feel of the area.

Pam has termed these conversations “George Chats” in memory of my father, who also liked to talk to the people he met on trips. So, here is a report of my latest trip along with some results of my George Chats.

There were a total of 12 properties I drove by or checked out. Many were eliminated as “potentials” due to remoteness, overall condition, or physical challenges. (Homes over garages with a lot of steps, for example.) A few were interesting enough to warrant more research, and one was worth a walk through.

The walk-though was on Campbell Road near the town of West Branch. Pam was attracted to it because of it’s walk-out basement, a nice feature for us because it would aid in letting the dogs out for their walks. The property also featured a two-car garage, something many properties lack.

Unfortunately, the house had not been well maintained and would need quite a bit of TLC to bring it up to a higher standard. (I found this to be a common trait on almost all the places I looked at.) The price was high, partly due to the 15 acre lot the house sits on. The lot was not all that attractive, being mostly low and covered in brush, although it did have a few trees on one end.

The listing did have an unusual feature, a hot tub. Realtor: “Hot tub needs a new motor, otherwise works fine!”

I had video-taped my walk through, and once Pam saw the video she pretty much ruled out this place. Note the lack of treatment of any kind on the wood around the tub. This was generally indicative of the lack of maintenance on the entire house.

Another house, probably too expensive for us at its current price, appeared to be in much better shape.

Enough beds and bathrooms, but no outbuilding, this place features a cobblestone driveway and sits on a small rise, overlooking a few farm fields. It may be part of an estate, and Pam will keep an eye on it to see of the listing price drops to a more reasonable level.

One place with potential had a creek bordering one side. However, once I arrived at the address, the road noise became a disqualifying factor. Once again, maintenance had been neglected but the water, outbuilding, and large lot had put this on the potential list in the first place. This is why an in-person visit is so important; you can’t get all the information you need from a listing.

Paved drive and outbuilding, house to the left. Creek is to the right.

It was with some sadness that I recommended this place be taken off the potential list. Once Pam heard the road noise on the video, she agreed.

We will keep looking at new listings, numbers of which are reduced this time of year, and see if anything else of interest pops up.

All along the way I had my “George Chats” with neighbors, motel operators, waitresses, and even a few of the property owners. What did I find out? A few things of interest.

For one, there is a snow belt in Michigan. West Branch, where I viewed most of the listings, is south of it. Grayling and Gaylord, both north of West Branch, are in it. Useful to know.

The major food chain in the area is Meijer (Pronounced Mayor) and West Branch has a large store. Pam was impressed with the pet area:

The store also has a large deli and bakery. Pam had provided me with a list of groceries to check availability of, and this store had everything on that list. (Except Raisin Nut Bran, which seems hard to find in most locations.)

Other odds and ends gleaned from my chats: Rust in wells is a problem, so check the water supply for evidence of rusting pipes. Internet services are generally available, with Spectrum being the most often mentioned. A couple companies offer garbage pickup, although some townships provide this service. Taxes are higher in towns than in townships. Recycling is almost non-existent, although a few places offer walk-in drop off spots. Big Boy restaurants have good breakfast meals. ATV and snowmobile trails are all over the place. Gas prices are average.

I covered 2,030 miles this time around. Econolodge offered the best rates, but the Tri-Terrace Motel in West Branch is a good alternative if you would like an old-school (with a real key!) motel with a small pond out front.

It was an interesting trip, but my general observation is that people are not prepping their properties to sell very well, and some listings are a bit less than honest in their descriptions. People want too much for houses that need a lot of TLC. In short, the “Right House” has not yet made an appearance so the search continues.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

This Michigan trip involved an interesting process. Himself was working from a three-ring binder containing property listings and information. He would send me photos – and text – regarding each listing as he visited it; I would respond by text and also look things up on the home computer in real time. Two or three houses he drove by were not in the binder but, as they were located on one of the routes he would be driving, I was able to text him the property info to spontaneously add those locations to his journey. (That’s how he ended up at the house next to the water, with the road noise.)

I also asked Himself to visit a bank and credit union along the way, grocery stores, even a piece of undeveloped land. (On several occasions, to prove he was on a serious house search, I do believe he produced his binder of instructions as “evidence.”) Plus he did frequent checks of how many telephone “bars of coverage” were available at the locations visited. And I had encouraged Himself to interject his “George Chats” along the way, to garner even more information.

We are starting to close in on one or two specific areas in Michigan with our livability features, which helps me in the ongoing property search. I continue to monitor real estate listings, but expect the search will slow to a crawl during the winter and pick up again in the spring.

Happy Trails.