Skip to main content

It just takes patience and time

    Earlier in the week, I finally managed to get most of the house pressure washed.  This has been something that I’ve wanted to do for some time and kept getting put off due to weather, other commitments and God knows what else.

Getting the green off!

    Notice I said “most” of the house.  I was only able to reach about seven or eight feet into the air.  So nearly all the second floor of the home is still in need of a good cleaning, I didn’t have the right tools to go any higher. 

     To do that, I would need a steady ladder and a longer hose.  Two things I don’t currently have but will be resolved shortly (probably by the time I publish this).  It’s just two more things to add to my growing collection of things.   The accumulation of things is something I'm trying to avoid but that's another post for another time.

    I’ve owned homes before, both here In Pennsylvania and in Florida.   Over time I have managed to build a nice collection of hammers, wrenches, drills and a few other items; yes, even a ladder.  Generally speaking however I’ve not needed a tool like a post-hole digger.  Nor have I needed more than one lawn mower, a wheelbarrow, and good knows what else. 

 Having the right tool for the right job and at the right time, such as a power washer, can make a world of difference when living out in the country.    I just never realized it before.   I am far from a jack of all trades, and I absolutely refuse to do anything that involves anything electric.

My comfort zone has been to call a contractor in the past, now I am simply much more comfortable with using tools that I have never needed before, or ever thought I would use.                

 You know damn well that I’m being careful with that chainsaw.  However since I’ve never really needed one before, I have never used one.   When I am talking to some friends about taking down a tree, I know that I will be an active participant and not on the outside looking in.

    It’s fun, exciting…and damn scary at the same time.   This Bumble simply does not bounce the way he used to.  At my age (55) and the shape I am in (round), I have to be careful.  Plus I know that some heart issues run in my family and overdoing it could do me in.  

In my last post I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the little projects that I am trying to do...but then I think of what Sue and I have accomplished (with help from friends and family) and I realize exactly how lucky and blessed I am.

As much fun as it would have been to plant a garden this year, I know that with Susan working her hours as well as her volunteer work, my work schedule and my interest in joining the Independent Order of Odd-Fellows, who have a lodge near us…we simply don’t have the time to accomplish some things right now.

I am looking forward to the day when the locals refer to our home as the “Wilson” place and not the “Old Tom Mills” place.  One of the locals stopped by the other day and thanked us for cutting some of the brush back off the road so they could see around the corner coming up the road.   They also liked our new red roof.  Slowly but surely we are becoming part of this small towns life.

We will get “There”.   It just takes patience and time.

Labels:
Location: Stoneboro, PA 16153, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

What all the cool kids are reading.

Paradigm shifts and Project 2040

In 1906, Alfred Henry Lewis stated, “ There are only nine meals between mankind and anarchy. ” His observation has been echoed by people ever since and changed a bit over time, but has remained a stark warning. Only anarchy the way most people think of it rarely occurs.  We have found that people are more likely to band together when their communities face some sort of disaster, be it from war, plague or natural disaster.   We are all too familiar with pictures and videos of communities digging through the rubble of bombed buildings searching for survivors...but how many of us remember the moments during the Covid epidemic of people singing from their balconies?   When you have a community; people will always help people.  Despite these bleak times the things that make us human - our compassion - will see us through. Recently my life changed due to issues with a car .  While, in the scheme of things it was a minor crisis it did make me think if things coul...
1 comment
Read more

Want a greener and technology advanced future? Look to the Amish for guidence.

Years ago when I lived in Charlotte, North Carolina I was teaching 7th and 8th grade science.  One lesson in particular I remember very well.   It was on the uses of technology and I hoped to impress upon those kids one thought and one thought only.    Technology is neutral; it's what you do with it that matters. At that time there were no computers in the classroom and cell phones were still big bulky devices.  However these kids would be one of the first generations to deal with the technology we now take for granted.  So it was important that they at least an inkling of the promise of technology,  and how to deal with those consequences of technology. I still have my concerns about how we as a society approach technology and what, if anything, we have learned about it. We can learn from the past of course, but that's always jaded.   If only we had a real world example in the here and now that could serve as a guide on how t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Hallowed grounds

      September got away from me it seemed,     A lot of personal things happened in the last month which made me question a few things, including if it was worth continuing this blog; considering how my readership is so small.   In the end however I decided it was.  Rome, as the saying goes, was not built in a day.     I can already feel the winds of the coming winter starting, our garage is all ready full of three tons of wood pellets for our stove and yesterday was the first day we lit it.   It was not a bad or particularly cold day but we had a chill in the house that caused my hands to be ice cold, and lighting the stove helped chase that chill from them.            Soon it will be time to work on winterizing the home.  First however, we had one last trip that Sue and I had wanted to make; or more of a pilgrimage of sorts.  We were going to visit the National...
1 comment
Read more