It wasn’t a pleasant experience when finding it 7 degrees outside this morning, but at least the wind wasn’t blowing which would’ve sent the windchill down below zero.
I did manage to arrive at the office early enough to get out and do that little job I’d yesterday promised myself to get completed. As nearly always, what I thought would take only two hours to complete, ended up being over three, but at least I did get everything done and glad for it.
One of my late morning appointments was to get the initials from my buyers on the purchase of their new home. I’ve done generational work for that family for well over thirty years and once again exceptionally happy they were able to get the home they wanted for a fair price. I couldn’t say enough good about those two, and hope they remain living here in Mason City for a very long time. There lives within the both of them a core of great goodness, and since they’re expecting soon, I’m sure they’ll make the best of parents.
The attendance at my public open house this afternoon was better than I’d expected since it was so cold and gray outdoors. In fact, there were several couples who were showing a great deal of interest. I made sure to point out to everyone that all the windows in the home were recently replaced at a cost of over $15,000 along with a lifetime warranty that’s transferable. One of the buyers showed a dis-like of the home’s barn-red exterior, and without wasting a breath, I proceeded to tell her I would personally leave the white trim, but paint over the red with either a rich shade of sage, or a deeper tint of a true gray. After thinking a moment or two, she nodded while saying, “You know, I can envision it being painted one of those colors and I’m now thinking I’d like it.” I also mentioned that since it has metal siding, it would be a far easier paint job.
When I arrived back at the office, I had several phone calls to return as well as some documents to deliver to another real estate office. At around 4:00 pm, the Downtown appeared nearly void of pedestrians and traffic. This cold must’ve driven everyone indoors this afternoon. We’ll see how quickly the general public becomes acclimated to these below freezing temperatures. For sure I’ll be continuing to wear my wool coat whenever it’s in the 30’s or lower.
After getting all I needed done at the office, I headed over to Fareway to grab a few groceries before heading home. I couldn’t believe the number of people I knew who were shopping so late on such a cold Saturday evening. The first couple I encountered were at the meat counter, and when seeing me, stepped aside for a much longer chat than I think we both expected, but I was glad I ran into them because they’ve always been such dear ones.
As I was turning the corner of an aisle, yet another couple stopped to visit about the new home they’re planning on having built who just happened to have the blueprints on their smart phone which they freely offered to share with me. After getting a good look at their plans, I said, “It’ll be a great home for the two of you, and there’s no doubt you’ve both worked hard enough for it.” We played catch-up on each others lives and then bid each other farewell.
There were several other people I stopped to visit with a few moments, and as I was heading out to my car, I suddenly realized I’d spent nearly 45 minutes visiting with familiars. Irregardless, I’m glad I had the time for some good chats, along with never forgetting one of them making me laugh when saying, “Our new minister looks like a “young” Joe Chodur” which got my eyes to rolling, but in my mind I was saying to him, “I know you went to school with one of my dear sisters, but I dare say you’d ever seen me way back then because I went to a different school than she did at the time.” It’ll be interesting if another comes up to me and insists there’s a man of the cloth living in our midst and saying, “He’s a young you!”.
Tonight’s one-liner is: It’s not more vacation we need–it’s more vocation.
