With there not being many calls today, along with no scheduled appointments outside my office other than a run to the bank and Post Office, I found myself busied again with my year-end accounting. When finally realizing it was time for me to stop, I discovered I’m nearly finished with my annual annoyance. I really don’t mind performing accounting tasks, but I’d rather be given those that take about an hour or so from start to finish, instead of something requiring all those many hours. Yes, we all have personal jobs we intensely dislike, but the secret, is to just get started and keep at them until they’re finished instead of leaving them to stare at you each and every day.
One of my calls today was to one of the people I met with on Saturday who live out of town. After going over with him the things I was calling about, I couldn’t help but change the subject and say, “I do hope you don’t think me to be the type who goes around bashing people on a regular basis, because I thought about our conversation while driving back to the office and thinking I’d crossed the line when sharing a bit too much with you.” He laughed and then said, “Not to worry because it looks like we’re both good judges of character.” In spite of his comment, I’m still glad I clarified myself as not being one who’s always bashing someone. I was also wishing I’d not started speaking of that particular family because it resurrected all the more personal bad memories.
If any of you know of someone within a 20 – 25 minute drive of Mason City who owns an acreage, please let me know because I have a couple who’s looking for something in the country. It doesn’t have to be a “gentleman’s” acreage because these folks are fully capable of turning a sow’s ear into a silk purse. The big requirement is that it not be on anymore than a 1/2 mile of gravel. There’s one acreage within their preferred driving distance that would’ve fit their bill, but there’s more than a 1/2 mile of gravel, and the house that’s still standing is beyond the point of restoration due to poor re-modelings over the years, and all the worse maintenance and upkeep.
When I showed it to them several months ago, even jaded me was a bit creeped out by that house. It continued to feel “icky” the entire time I was there. Even my buyers were ready to bolt before we were finished. Now that’s a country home which contains walls that if could speak, would likely tell some hair-raising stories. I now remember as I was getting into my car when leaving and saying to myself, “Now this is one acreage that reeks of great sadness and discord.” I hope to never cross paths with anyone who’s lived there in the past, for fear they’ll tell me something about it I really don’t care to know. Sometimes, it’s just best we remain silent to dysfunctional past histories of certain homesites.
On a much lighter side, the above photo is one I took early this morning of Mason City’s eastern sky. Quite pleasing to the eye, don’t you think.
