Holtz Realty

I’m hoping you all were enjoying the great outdoors, and if you weren’t, then you missed an absolutely stunning day.  Let’s hope these days continue on for the remainder of September and all of October.

I left home a little earlier than normal so to get much needed office work done before I attended an early church service.  Not realizing how quickly the time passed, I almost missed it due to being engrossed in what I was doing.  I normally don’t frequent the particular church I attended, but figured it was time for a re-visit.  There was a new pastor presiding who must’ve been taking the place of the regular one who was likely on vacation.

I may sound a bit particular when it comes to sermons when saying it was about as boring as watching paint dry.  I’m growing all the more concerned about what’s happening with so many of our Christian church services where they no longer do “take-offs” from the day’s Scripture readings.  Last week I got a real belly full of reasons we have so much sin in our midst.  I’ll not forget that fire and brimstone sermon for a very long time.  I felt like I was watching a live performance of a televangelist.  There were a number of young couples in the crowd with children, and nearly every one of them were crying their eyes out.  I smiled to myself when remembering that young children are a little on the psychic side, and likely those toddlers were picking up all the bad vibes emanating from the pulpit.  Had I been seated at the back of that church, I would’ve got up and walked out.  While driving away I reminded myself that the core of real faith is love and forgiveness.  That minister’s words and delivery was a classic religious diatribe.  I’m still thinking about writing him a nice little letter.

Right after church, I went back to the office and finished up on what I started earlier, then changed my clothes and went off to work on what I knew would certainly be an all day job.  By the way, I did decide to do what I was considering last evening, and all the happier I managed to get it completely finished, and thankfully so, since I won’t have to be fighting with yours truly to get back at it again when time permits.

You’re likely thinking me a glutton for punishment when saying I spent the entire day stripping another commode.  Yes, I evidently didn’t get enough of a beating from the one I did last week, to where today’s even had white paint to be removed.  After my slimy, stinky, and dirty job was finished, I’d say I’ve now got my fill of stripping which should last me for a very long time.

I’m definitely not in need of a commode, but this was one which happened to come into my possession in a side-ways fashion.  Nearly two years ago, a client of mine was preparing a home for sale and when I went over there to take photos, I noticed an unsightly commode in the garage.  Since the owner had almost everything out, I asked him if he was going to get rid of it.  He assured me he would, so I continued on taking my photos while making sure not to have that ugly commode in the one I took of the garage interior.

Our rule in real estate is that we do not place for sale signs until our MLS has a copy of the listing, so I didn’t place the sign until very early the next morning.  When I pulled up, wouldn’t you know it, there stood that commode at the end of the driveway half covered with snow.  Oh Mercy!  “What a sale-killing visual potential buyers would’ve had!”  The only option was to load it up in my SUV and put it in storage until I found either someone to gift it to, or a dumpster empty enough that would contain it.

While I was rummaging for something in storage this week, there stood that commode glaring at me.  I went over and gave it a really good once-over, and then carried it out into the daylight so to see what I could do with it.  All the pulls and hinges were gone, the chamber pot door and three drawer fronts were stripped, but the rest of it was painted a flat white.  The real kicker, was finding someone in their infinite idiocy glued a very old piece of linoleum over the top, which told me it was converted from a commode to either a kitchen side-counter or a laundry room cabinet.

Believe it or not, I have the entire piece completely stripped, and now waiting for a couple of coats of varnish, and then there’ll be big hunt to find hinges, a door knob, and drawer pulls.  I have a “feeling” it’s going to be quite the beauty when finished.  After it’s in showable condition, I’ll take a photo of it and share with all of you.  I actually took one of it shortly after I started peeling that ancient linoleum from its top.  Considering the amount of time and materials used on it, I’d have to say it’s now priceless.  I guess it must’ve “spoken” to me when seeing it covered with snow that dark January morning.  I believe it possessed the world’s smallest voice coming from it back then that was screaming, “Please save me!”

Tonight’s one-liner is:  Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character.