One more beautiful winter day happened again, so let’s keep them coming until Spring arrives. I mentioned to someone today how in the old days there were always those last two weeks of December and the first two weeks of January which were the most dreaded because that was when the temps dropped down in the -20 below zero mark in the night and rarely got above zero during the day, and some winters, it lasted for weeks. Even though I’m not a fan of climate change, I am glad we’re not seeing those wicked weeks happening every winter. I remember back about 20 years ago when it was minus 30+ degrees which made it dangerously cold outdoors to where if you cracked an egg and threw it in the air, it would be frozen by the time it reached the ground. I’ll not forget those days because I just happened to be showing homes to a couple after hours every night who wanted to see nearly everything that was on the market at the time.
I managed to get another sale closed today on a fixer-upper which I fortunately matched up with a buyer who has talent and vision. The sellers asked what he was going to do with it, and all he said was, “I’m gonna take my time working on it.” I’ve seen the before and after work on several homes he’s resurrected, which gives me all the more confidence he’ll do a great job on it. Now if there’d be a few dozen more people like him who’d start buying and resurrecting a number of other eyesores that are blighting our City, we’d been in hog heaven. There happens to be several house hoarders in North Iowa who have a penchant for buying distressed properties and then leaving them standing empty while they continue to buy all the more which I consider something bordering on being a sickness.
Earlier this morning I stopped to drop off a Christmas card to a dear acquaintance whom I’ve known for many years. We had a good chat about the happenings of this past year along with how all the more people are taking liberties of saying and doing things to others which in years past would’ve been reason enough to be considered societal outcasts. We also talked about the MeToo movement which I believe is good, but on the flip side, there’s also been many men who’ve not come forward and told their stories. As far as I’m concerned, it’s not so much about gender, but more so relating to people in positions of power who think they can take liberties with women and/or men far below them on their socio/economic scales, just because they believe they have license. It’s almost like the return of slavery in Roman times where no matter if you were male or female, you were to do all that was asked of you without question. Kinda scary isn’t it when thinking about the similarities between the Roman Empire and our United States.
I decided to have a public open house at 38 N. Willowgreen Court this coming Saturday in hopes there’ll be some last minute home buyers before Christmas. There are several people who have their homes on the market who’ll likely buy it if theirs sells, but we can’t wait for anyone because this home needs to be sold more sooner than later. I’m somewhat surprised it hasn’t sold yet, but I have to remind myself that it came on the market very late in the season. I continue to tell everyone that there are very expensive windows in the home which were recently installed and at hefty cost. It’s a perfect fit for anyone with children because it offers 4 bedrooms and 2 baths, along with a double attached garage. Spread the word because this home is in a great neighborhood and priced to sell!
Two of my dear past clients stopped by this afternoon who moved to our City from out of State last year. I was delighted to see they looked far healthier than when they first arrived. I mentioned how North Iowa must be having a good effect on them. Since they were coming from a metro area, they insisted that their present state of health is likely due to their levels of stress being lowered by not having to fight traffic and having to deal with rude people. They are very much active proponents of Mason City and don’t like it when hearing people tear our community down. I totally agreed with their thinking because there’s far too many tribalists living in North Iowa who refuse to negotiate ideas because it’s got to be their way or no way. I believe if you follow the local news close enough along with attending City and/or County meetings, you’ll begin to see those tribal patterns emerge.
After speaking some days ago about how we need more competition across North Iowa in nearly all trades and professions, I read a great article today which was focused on our national cell phone companies which the author considers to be an oligopoly. They are a classic example of a limited few in control of many, but if you take it to our local level, you’ll also see there are oligopolies right here in River City. When you start looking at banks, grocery stores, law firms, and even real estate offices, you’ll see similarities. As far as I’m concerned, an oligopoly in any form, is bad for society in general. As it’s been said for years, “It’s dangerous when power and control over many is in the hands of a few.”
Tonight’s one-liner is: In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of, but in a country poorly governed, wealth is something all the more to be more ashamed of.
