"You gonna get another job?"...

[Oerdin]

If there really is only 2000 people in that town then he is going to need to change formats to bring in more revenue. Maybe a bar and restaurant? Some food sales might being in more money. Failing that a bar, restaurant, and convenience store of some type? Around here there is a semi-rural town (but on a county highway) where there is a liquor store/convenience store, where they added a BBQ place open on the weekends to get tourists to stop and milk some money from them.

Heck, I think they even sell hunting and fish supplies. In rural areas you have wear a lot of hats to keep a small business a float. Heck, if you can squeeze a gas station into it then why not?

 

[Volpone]

Not only that but there's 5-6 other bars in said town.

This afternoon I need to go look at a shelter dog. Before that I should do desk work and troll for potential rental properties (which actually takes about 10 minutes because there are usually about 2 that even come close to meeting my criteria and the last 3 I looked at had dealbreakers when I actually saw the place) but I've made a good dent on the brush pile and today would be a good day for a burn (rained overnight and it is overcast today so nosy people can't easily spot smoke).

 

[Oerdin]

This morning my sister and I had a sit down with our lawyer to close out the probate on my dad's assets which were not in the trust. That went fairly well and I walked out with a decent sized check. Driving towards home I was going to stop at the bank to deposit the check into my business account when the 18 wheeler flung up a rock which hit my windshield causing a big circular shaped crack.

Sometimes it seems two steps forward and one step back is how life works.

 

[Volpone]

I have a dog. In the city, there are shelters that make you fill out an application with multiple references, vote on you, and then send someone to assess your home--and then tell you you can't have a dog. In the country it's like "We got your e-mail, you seem like a decent person, you want a dog and we have one. Write us a check for $100 and load her in the car."

It's interesting. Because I've really had 1 dog. I've had other dogs for a few years, but one that took up a big chunk of my life. And she trained me in what to expect from a dog. So it's interesting when this one differs from her. She's 4 and had heartworm so she wound up spending a long time in a foster home and then waiting for me to come along. She's a lot calmer than my girl in many ways, but she's also a lot clingier. And she isn't as well trained. It will be stressful but I'm fairly certain it was the right thing to do. I needed another "person" in my life again. She's snoring, sprawled across the bed right now and I'm debating whether to get into the bed or go sleep in the guest room. With my other girl, I'd have had to sleep in the guest room. Otherwise she'd have got up and went out to the couch. But this girl is a lot snugglier than my old one.

 

[Oerdin]

I need to buy a golden retreiver.

 

[Volpone]

Rationally, it was a terrible move. Not having a dog gave me time to work on getting this house completely renovated, look for another rental (and renovate that if/when I ever find one), travel, and maybe go see the big Kentucky Derby fireworks show this weekend. Now I've got this sweet but very needy dog sucking up every minute of my time. But it was the right thing to do. I was incomplete without a dog around. She's going to be a lot of time and work, but she'll be good for my soul.

 

[Lanzman]

She'll be clingy as she settles in. As she realizes she's found her forever home she should get more confident.

 

[Volpone]

It's interesting to realize that your new dog is not your old dog. I'll always love and miss The Dog, but boy was it nice to come home from work and not find destroyed rugs, plants, and blinds and a dog standing right at the door, waiting for you. Oh, she was insanely happy to see me. And she watched me drive off from the window, but she apparently ate food and drank water and then went to sleep on my bed until I got home and started turning on lights and settling in.

 

[Volpone]

It's dangerous to generalize, but I will say that if an animal shelter requires 2 personal references--with contact information--they will not let you have one of their adoptable pets. And I suspect that said shelter is run by 60+ year old women.

I say this because I've run into it at least twice now. With a dog they wouldn't let me have a puppy because I live alone and work 2 nights a week. If I did not live alone, they wouldn't have let me have a puppy if I had kids. The yard had to be fenced, the dog could never EVER be off-leash (and this is a shelter that has an emphasis on golden retrievers, who are literally bred to work off-leash)--or use the front door--since the front yard isn't fenced and the dog might sneak out the door while I was opening it. Further, I had to replace the loop that hooks over the gate with an actual flip-up gate latch (they sent a 60+ year old woman to inspect my house and yard). I was required to wear a mask for the duration of the site visit. Anyway, the point is, the woman did bemoan that most of their volunteers were older women.

Then I didn't get a cat because they wanted to know what my old cat died of and when I told them kidney failure, I mentioned that I was getting a dog and that the cat never wanted to go outside at the new house, but the morning she died, she wanted to go out and explore the yard. After waiting to hear back for 2 days, Cindy told me that they were not going to let me adopt a cat because, although the cat I was applying for had been fostered in a home with a dog, they felt a dog would be too much for the cat--and that cats should never ever EVER be allowed outdoors.

Finally, my 60+ year old female neighbor, upon meeting The Dog mentioned that she could never ever ever be in the yard alone--or be off-leash. And when she was sitting her 60+ year old sister's dog and I took the dog for a walk, they were emphatic that the dog could never-ever-ever be off-leash.

So I kind of get the feeling that 60+ year old women equate a stray cat or dog to the Crown Jewels of England--something precious and ancient that must be carefully guarded and protected--as opposed to an animal that lives 10-20 years and maybe likes to run around and explore things.

 

[Volpone]

This should be an...interesting week. New dog, settling in. Work Monday night. Problem Child renter is supposed to move out by the 30th. May try some petty annoying fuckery to force unpleasantness and expense before he leaves. And since he's my renter, I kind of am responsible for the move-out inspection. Big stack of paperwork. Lawn to mow. Trying to get a cat (who ever thought it would be a chore to get a stray cat?) And that doesn't even go into burning brush, fixing up the shed, clearing out the garage, working on the house, washing the car and cleaning its interior. Oh, and there's a beginner dog obedience class starting at PetSmart Tuesday. Ugh.

 

[Volpone]

Tiring day in what I thought would be a tiring week (but not unrewarding). I believe I shall break it into 2 posts: One more related--totally related, actually--to the premise of the thread, and one about the new dog. We'll get the dog out of the way first:

My dog died a little over a year ago. Had her for around 10 years. Got her when she was 2. She was exhausting, time consuming, and completely changed the path of my life--I'm talking the way women only get paid 85% of what men do. I had to pass on some great opportunities because I couldn't make them work with this dog. But I loved her...maybe more than I've ever loved anything else in my life. And losing her was devastating. Almost 12 years isn't bad for a lab/border collie (borador) mutt, and while, when she was young, I'd do the math for how old I'd be before my life was my own again, I really, REALLY wanted the 15 years I'd been planning on.

A year of mourning was draining but good. And it was a little like being an empty nester, finally being free to do things without having to plan around The Dog. Plus I got a lot more shit done, not having to factor in 2 hours a day for walks and all the other BS. But I was sad all the time. OK. Not all the time, but I was often sad. Actually, I kind of liked it--the way people like going to haunted houses or scary movies--but it was time to move on. I was ready for another dog.

I said my dog had been my angel, like Starbuck in BSG, guiding me to where I was supposed to be. And when she got me there, it was time to move on to whatever was next for her. But I also needed to move on. I needed a dog in my life to love and care for. So when I saw a borador within an hour's drive and that her name was "Angel," I knew she was for me. She's not The Old Dog, but she's The Dog. And in some ways she is less stressful than The Dog. Of course (after looking at the ramifications of renaming a 4 year old dog--turns out there aren't any) I renamed her "Starbuck."

My neighbor is kind of a stubborn pain in the ass. But I like her. And she likes me. Only she wasn't pleased with the renaming (which is funny, because she wondered why I never renamed The Old Dog). And she literally told me "I'm going to just call her 'Angel.'" Well, OK then. I guess you're not going to be able to be involved in her life much, because that's pretty much the only downside of renaming a dog--NO ONE can be calling her by her old name because it will confuse her. I kind of thought her sisters were...less eccentric than her, but the one whose dog I walked (I mentioned this upthread) was also "I don't like 'Starbuck's', I'm going to call her 'Angel.'" She was also "I see she's a puller. You need to get a harness for her." No. No, I don't. You absolutely do NOT want a harness for a puller. You want a collar, so you can jerk them off balance to remind them they aren't in charge. Also a harness gives you no control over the head, should she decide to eat a chicken bone or attack a smaller dog.

What else? She has a lot in common with Old Dog, but is also very different. Old Dog thought she was in charge. It was a constant struggle of dominance. New Dog is much more submissive. Geez, there's so much more to say and I'm running out of energy. And I need to at least touch on the other side of things. So we're going to have to put a pin in this while I fix another cocktail. But I need to talk about personality differences, going to PetSmart obedience training, and separation anxiety/clingy dogs, and how doing something that seems cruel from a human perspective is actually very calming to the dog brain.

 

[Volpone]

So, yeah. Without going too far down the rabbit hole of my reasoning, I felt like I was 1 rental away from not needing a day job--even part-time. The problem is, I waited 3-4 years too long and now there weren't any properties I wanted that I could afford. But when I was hiring a property management company, they pointed out they were also realtors, so I told them what I was looking for: A 1,000sf 3/1 brick ranch in south Louisville with a detached 2 car in a decent neighborhood; a little in need of some TLC but basically sound, for around $100,000. I also commented that I would need a time machine to get that so I could be a little flexible.

So today, as I'm making plans to get my new dog to her first obedience class, eat lunch, shave, and make a dent in the almost 6" tall stack of paperwork in my inbox, I happened to get a...text? E-mail? Probably text, from the girl at the property management company. 1,000sf 3/1 brick ranch in south Louisville with a detached 1 car (with a car port) in an OK neighborhood; in need of some TLC but basically sound, for $100,000.

The catch was, we couldn't see it until 15 minutes before my dog's obedience course, on the other side of town. Said I'd have to wait until tomorrow. (Years ago I decided I'd rather win honestly than cheat and I've applied that to other aspects of life.) She came back with a showing in...30 minutes. Skipped lunch and stuffed a Power Bar in my pocket and got on the road. I live near, like, 37 different schools, and school had just let out, so I was cursing the traffic as I was trying to get to where I needed to be. Halfway there and she called me to say she needed a special phone app to access the property and it would take a few hours to get. Sadly decided to set something up for tomorrow. On the way home, I realized I could still at least do a drive-by, so I turned the car around and found it.

Said I was worried about the neighborhood? Well it turns out the street it is on doesn't go through. If you turn off the "main drag" on to the street, you'll get confused because there are house numbers above and below what you're looking for, but not the one you need. Studied the terrain, tested a hunch. You need to take the street 1 block south, drive a block past, and then go north. There's an interruption of the street that is so small as to not make sense. And the other side of the "tracks" is much more suburban and idyllic. Looked promising. Got home. Looked at the rest of the photos. Decided to be bold. I've already foregone doing inspections. Oh, and this is to settle an estate. So they want cash and a quick close. Was just like "Fuck it. I drove by it. It looks OK. You don't screw around when you're hunting a unicorn. Let's put in a full price cash offer tonight."

She came back that they'd added some slots for showing so we could see it tonight. Also, that they didn't have an offer in yet. So we scheduled a showing. Made it to the obedience training. Barely. I forgot how long it was supposed to go. And after lunch and a nap, I say that my girl had sent me the seller's disclosure. There was much sweating and cursing to get it to print so I could have it with me. But we managed to show up only 5 minutes late. Then I got home with enough time to nap briefly before heading to the showing.

The class had its intended purpose of nudging me towards the stuff I already knew I needed to do for my dog as well as really tiring her out. First night I worked, she showed almost no signs of separation anxiety. Last night, she had more signs. So I left her at home when I went to see the place. Again, separation anxiety signs. But I employed the techniques I knew worked--but were reinforced by the class tonight, and it was eerie, how much it calmed her down. But yeah, the house is almost exactly what I was wishing for so I'm putting in an offer. It's almost a little scarier, when it looks like you could actually get what you wanted, than when you're so close to getting what you wanted but you wind up getting denied.

 

[Volpone]

So tired today. Makes sense. Between stress and the physical activity of having a 4 year old dog, I've been going pretty hard. Still, I don't feel like I should be this tired. Oh well. On to business.

 

[Volpone]

I had a long, whiny post about the frustration of being smart and how every time you think some expert is going to teach you something, you just find out it is all stuff you already knew. And then you get frustrated and leave because a stupid person has asked a stupid question, can't understand the simple answer she's been given and no one will tell her "I'll get with you offline after the presentation"--among other things. But I'll just leave it at this for now.

 

[Volpone]

Sure, what the Hell. The real estate association I'm a member of was doing "Eviction Do's and Don'ts" for the April meeting. While I've outsourced my project management, looking towards having to at least start eviction proceedings on my Problem Child tenant (it's sounding like he may actually leave--fingers crossed--but I'm betting he does at 11:59pm on April 30 (or 12:07 just to be a pain and see if he can get away with it). Had to mow my 1 acre yard and got done with less than no time to spare. Then had to do at least a token walk for the new dog to stave off separation anxiety.

Then there was dealing with traffic. The two things that make me hate humanity the most are driving in traffic and grocery shopping. Got there and...I'm an introvert with German heritage. So while a dinner may be a perfectly logical networking function for many people, for me it is hell. "I'M TRYING TO GET TO THE BUFFET LINE. STOP BUNCHING UP LIKE A HERD OF CATTLE AND TALK SOMEWHERE ELSE." "I'M TRYING TO GET THROUGH THE BUFFET LINE. FILL YOUR PLATE AND GO TALK TO THE PERSON ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LINE AT A TABLE." So I get my food and sit down just in time for the meeting to start. And they open the mic to sponsor pitches and property pitches. Finally, the President comes up and introduces...2 guys from the charity we support to tell us why we should give to their charity that we already give to. Once that's out of the way, he introduces one of the eviction speakers...because she's also the Parliamentarian and needs to announce the upcoming elections.

FINALLY, we get to the talk I showed up for. One of the first slides is the kinds of eviction notice letters used in Kentucky. This leads to questions. "We bought a house that has a tenant. [they may or may not have said the tenant hadn't paid rent] He is not cooperative, won't sign a lease or pay a deposit and cursed out our property manager. What can we do?" "Well that's easy. If he hasn't paid the rent, you can give him a 7 day notice. For being abusive and uncooperative, you can give him a 14 day letter [both of these letters can be "cured" by fixing the deficiency--pay the rent and late fees, sign a lease and pay a deposit, etc], and you can give him a 30 day letter to just tell him he has to leave [there's no negotiating on that. Short of some loophole, they just have to leave or be evicted]." Well that was apparently not clear enough, so we went round and round about what all this meant and what this person had to do to get rid of their tenant. And every time the panelists would ask the person if they'd sent a letter they'd say "no." But EVENTUALLY we got through it. Next slide. "These are the kinds of eviction notice letters used in Indiana." Someone has a question.

Fuck. This.

Going back and rereading the synopsis of the presentation, I felt bad that I didn't brave it out, but as with so many things, it was looking more and more like I was going to waste my time being told things I already knew while having to put up with stupid people.

 

[Volpone]

Changed the locks on the house from my Problem Child today. Of course he was supposed to be out yesterday and he wasn't out until 2:30pm today, but it is what it is. Some crap to get rid of, lots of cleaning. For someone who claimed on his application to be a nonsmoker, the place sure smells like cigarettes. Furnace filter was never changed. Most of the light bulbs in the bathroom are missing (it's got one of them "Hollywood" style light bars). Generally a bit run down. But I'll take it. Time to move on.

Oh, I forgot: I feel a bit...not bad...annoyed? Peeved? Because I'm *sure* he thinks he's the victim and I'm the Bad Guy. Oh well. Not my problem now. And because he didn't move out on time and do a move out inspection, that makes it a lot easier to keep a fair amount of his deposit (and I don't mean a large amount--unless that's what my price sheet says for cleaning, junk hauling, lightbulbs, and furnace filter--I mean an amount I deserve to keep for the cost to get the place in shape to rent again). Heck, for that matter, if he wanted to sue over the security deposit, I'd be glad to sue over the unpaid April rent.

 

[Volpone]

On my 3rd cocktail of the evening of a tiring yet strangely unproductive day. So I have no idea where this is going to go. First off, soft serve ice cream. Particularly a chocolate dipped cone. Having an ice cream stand is apparently a license to print money in Louisville because I've not had ice cream more times than I've had it because of the lines. (And because of my intolerance of stupid people, to be fair. Was going to get New Dog a squeaky toy fox today, but gave up and walked out of the store because some old male Karen was tying up the sole register with his attempts to return some 75 year old opened item that he didn't have a receipt for. If people could figure out how to decide what they wanted while they were in line, order, get it, and have payment ready in some base competent manner, I could tolerate lines, but people are so goddamned stupid.)

Last night my realtor pinged me with an interesting shotgun at a dirt cheap price in a desirable neighborhood. It has a lot of promise. And "LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION." But it needed A LOT of work and I just don't know how to make a shotgun work. Basically, you've got a front door, opening to a fairly big room. Fireplace (nonworking) but no closet. Big picture window. Doorway to a similarly sized room. Closet instead of a fireplace. From there, into...the next room?...(Trying to remember the floorplan at this point). This room is slightly wider--a door wider--and has a second front door. This is maybe the kitchen. There's a stub for a sink, but that's about it. Behind that is another room. Oh, bathroom door is smack-dab in the middle of the kitchen. Decent-sized bathroom. Then there's a room with laundry hookups that is too big to be an entry/mud room. Partial basement, mostly claustrophobic crawl. Surprisingly nice 2-ish car garage and small enclose yard.

So a lot of potential. But a lot of work. And I just don't know how to make the shotgun floorplan work. Be interesting to know how people lived in houses like that. From a rental perspective, you want 3 bedrooms, but 2 might be do-able. Just don't know how to have 2 bedrooms and a living room in this floor plan. I dunno. Make the mud room the back bedroom? Add a hallway between the front room and the kitchen? I must think on this.

***

But instead of looking at marginal houses, I *should* have been working on turning my now-vacant rental. Got back to formulate a plan and seal up some broken crawlspace windows. (Yes, the crawlspace has windows. Don't ask.) Got home and was trying to decide if I needed the car again or I should park it, when I remembered New Dog's obedience class that started in...11 minutes. 30 minutes away. Decided to go anyway. Better late than never. And a big part of it was socialization for her. Especially after realizing she was part Shiba Inu, not part Border Collie. (Shibas are apperently not known for being trainable. They're plenty smart, but catlike and only do things they want to do.) Got out of my crawlspace clothes, slapped a hat on, and made it halfway through class. Tomorrow I get to work on getting my old home rent-ready.

Although first I must put a lower radiator hose on The Awesome Van. Because the current one is crap. And I need to bring a ladder and a mower to the house (among other things) and take away a bunch of garbage. I won't bore you with all the items on tomorrow's list. On a good day I get 3, maybe 4 things done. I have 11 things on my list for tomorrow.

***

I need a "Hell's Kitchen"/Chef Gordon Ramsay style show where I shout at poor people for doing stupid things. The ashtrays, cigarettes, and pervasive smell of smoke in my house confuse me, since Problem Child quite clearly and emphatically said on his application that he was a nonsmoker. Oh well, I guess it must've been his 5 year old and 3 year old. The garbage cans are overflowing with expensive worthless crap he didn't have space for at his new, shittier, smaller, more expensive place. That and delivery/takeout food boxes. No wonder he had no money for rent. He was blowing all his money on crap. And, in a time when there is literally a "HELP WANTED. STARTING WAGE $15 AN HOUR" sign on every corner, to be saying you can't pay the rent because you aren't getting any hours at your job--while your landlord comes by after work to pick up the rent check and sees you sitting around fucking off on your X-Box with a stack of mail and packages on your front porch?...well, let's just say he's likely to not be that sympathetic to your blameless setbacks and misfortunes.

I had something else to say but my glass is empty.

 

[Volpone]

Just a quick note. Almost a Facebook post, but maybe a little too long and angsty:

About time to get the day going. I do not regret getting another dog. And she's a very good dog. But I'll admit it was a lot simpler to not have a dog. Got to go get the newly vacant place ready to rent. But first The Dog will need a walk. Then I'll have to decide if I want to bring her along or not. I need a ladder and a lawnmower. And to haul away some junk. So I'll have to take The Van. Should pick up some mulch too. Supposed to rain in the afternoon, so yard takes priority. But I also washed the drapes from the living room, so hanging them up before cleaning smoke smell out of the house could be counterproductive. On top of that the yard isn't fully fenced and New Dog lacks the recall and discipline to stay in the yard that Old Dog had, so I have to decide if I want to bring her or leave her. If I bring her, I'll probably have to bring a tether. And if I do that, then I have to figure out how to mow around it.

Well, that's enough. I'm wasting daylight.

 

[Volpone]

Managed to get her to go back in the house. For the better. Everything takes 3x as long with a dog. And getting 10 bags of mulch and getting her back in the van with it would've been tiring--as would've trying to do important outside work. Well, lunch is done. Time to go back and make a dent on the interior. The other place has laminate floors so I had to get one of those dustmop sweeper things for it and had the realization that it made a quick basic cleaning of walls a lot easier: Just spray the wall with cleaner and the mop and "sweep" the wall. Because of my "nonsmoker," I realized I'm going to have to clean the ceilings too.

On a related note, is there a "bad life-choices" smell? Because my first property had this smell. Hard to describe it. Not completely unpleasant. A bit like Axe body spray or a Persian gigolo. I imagine it would wear on one over time so I did my best to get rid of it but was only partly successful. As I'm cleaning out left-behind crap from this place, I'm realizing it all smells like it too. Now it isn't cigarette smoke, because my Aunt smoked and her house never smelled like it. Is it cigarette smoke and cheap junk, lack of cleaning, and whatever air freshener is strong enough to mask that? I don't know. I don't even know how to formulate a testable theory on it. Oh well, time for Round Two of the day.

 

[Volpone]

Too long for Facebook Facebook post.

A good day today. Like, the opposite of ennui and angst. Got up at a reasonable hour. Let The Dog Out. At this point she's content to be Out and surveying her realm instead of sitting on the porch, staring at the door. Breakfast and news. Got cleaned up for a morning walk. 40 minutes of an hour walk were spent standing next to a drainage ditch full of brush while New Dog rummaged around in it, hunting groundhogs. She also spent some of that time excavating a groundhog hole--all while I can see an ACTUAL GROUNDHOG chilling and basking in the sun not 75' away, but I can't get her to notice it. Got The Van out, loaded and ready. Managed to get The Dog In because I decided a trip to Lowe's for mulch and then yardwork would be simpler without her. Got it done before...2? Home to The Dog, lunch, and a nap. Then load her up to go back to the house and start cleaning.

It was weird, being in a home you lived in for 4 years, a year later. At first it didn't feel like home. I thought it would, but it didn't. My current home feels like home. But once I got the junk moved out and got to work cleaning, it started to come back to me. Mopping the floors, in particular. Very familiar. I used to mop the floor a lot more often than I do now (which is "never"). And I remembered that as I was doing the old familiar pattern on the kitchen floor. Or mowing the lawn. Thinking about Old Dog, who used to make me throw a ball the whole time I mowed the lawn, because she knew I was working and so she wanted to work too and fetching was the job she was most familiar with. As the years passed, the fetching duration shortened and she was content to supervise the lawn mowing. The last year or so that was it--sit on the stoop and make sure I was OK while I mowed. I miss that dog.

The new Dog is settling in. She's starting to figure out how to ride in the car without being restless. She's doesn't need to constantly check up on me. She's hunting down rodents of all sorts.

So yeah, once the floor was mopped, it was about time for the afternoon patrol. And we got to do it in Old Dog's old neighborhood.

New Dog doesn't mount nearly as organized a patrol. She meanders and loops back. And gets stalled at points. But today she managed to chase groundhogs, squirrels, at least 1 rabbit and even--in spite of her (presumed) Shiba Inu side distaste for water--made an effort to go after a muskrat she picked up the scent of. Then it was back to the old house to shut off ceiling fans and close windows before heading home to eat lasagna, drink beer, and watch the local news and "Jeopardy!" Oh, and on the evening patrol, The Boss called to tell me there was no work tomorrow. So I get another day to work on the house.

****

The house isn't in bad shape. Oh, the yard will need a ton of work. And there's a bunch of stuff to buy to get it rent-ready. Necessities like 4' of gutter leaf guard to replace the section that apparently ran off with one of the sink strainers, and some staging items like rugs and towels and "WELCOME" mats. Probably not necessary in this market, but I like to add the little touches that help sell the place. Oh, and paint. Paint. I learned that you can't store paint in unheated areas in Louisville and be able to use it later and truth be told, a lot of the paint that needs doing is stuff I half-assed because the place rented so much faster than I expected (literally, I posted the ad and by the time I was back from walking my dog I had a renter. He turned out to be a turd, but that's another story). The worst is the ceiling. It's easy to look at a white ceiling and say "it's fine." Until you put a fresh coat of paint on it and see how much better it looks. And there are some plaster problems in a few spots on the ceiling, so I'm probably stuck painting the whole thing. It'll be worth it, but I won't enjoy it--until it's done and I see how good it looks.

***

Oh, and on the way back from the walk, one of the neighbors came out and we had a really nice talk and she said how much everyone misses me, so that was bittersweet. Also chatted with the guy who breeds German Shepherds on the way out. Which actually segues nicely back to the next bit:

****

My Plan...By the time I was ready to buy my 2nd rental, the market had blown up and there were no nice rentals to be had at any kind of reasonable price. So I found a place that, while it had BEEN a rental--for quite a long time--was a terrible rental--huge lot, too many buildings, etc. Part of an estate being settled, looked OK in photos, but lots of things rental half-assed and while there was plenty of space (and an easy way to do it--my old house was 33% bigger but there's really no way to easily add a 3rd bedroom) for a 3rd bedroom, it was a 2 bedroom.

But yeah, at this point I'd be content to rent this one out too and live in a funky little shack, but I don't know who I'd put in this place that'd work or where I'd put all my crap if I lived in a funky little shack. Hell, I wouldn't mind a 50' gaff-rigged schooner, but then you got maintenance and mooring fees, and nowhere to park your vintage Mustang, motorcycle, and A-Team Van--or your TARDIS for that matter. And the library and the wardrobe and...