We absolutely couldn’t have had a better day for the 3rd of January. It was actually in the high 40’s each time I looked at the thermometer, yet later on, someone said it even got up to 50 degrees. Now that’s what I call an unusually warm day for the first week of January.
Since the phones were a bit quiet, I figured it a good time to go and get my car serviced, run a few errands, an then check to see how how the work was coming on a job I had contracted. As always, things never go as quickly as we’d like, but at least it’s going to get finished.
I spent several hours working on a listing file for a home I’m supposed to get on the market this weekend. I did find about three comparable sales which should support the listing price I’ll be recommending. It’s in a sought after neighborhood, so in spite of it needing cosmetics, it should sell quickly as long as it’s price accordingly.
Later this morning I spoke with one of my sellers who has an offer on the table and being a little too resistive about selling it. For the second time, I mentioned that the offer we’ve been working on, is within the price range of what I said it would likely sell for back when I listed it. Once in a while I have sellers who think they know the real estate market better than seasoned Realtors which I absolutely do not understand, and likely never will. I only hope reason will finally hit and we’ll get it sold.
Perhaps it was today’s weather that was causing me to get a few more laughs than normal which started when a well known called to have a little chat, and somehow he got on the subject of yet another quirky custom of his large family. I didn’t realize it until today, that over the years, as his siblings reached a certain ripe age, all the rest would chip in and pay for that birthday person’s vacation of choice which he thought was an honorable thing to do. What disturbed him greatly, was at the time he reached that prescribed ripened age, his siblings did not offer to send him on his vacation of choice.
I couldn’t help but ask, “Have you always been on the best of terms with your siblings?” He answered by saying, “As with all large families we’ve had our disagreements, but I didn’t think I was that much outside the circle to where I was expected to pay, but never rewarded.” I laughed when saying, “Whether you like it or not, you’ve been part of a group of siblings who’ve had a tribal mentality and you didn’t even know it because you must not have ever been considered on the inside, so in spite of having to pay, being rewarded in the future was never part of their plan.” He got a good laugh as well when saying, “If I had to jump thru all of their childish hoops to get a one-time vacation, I’d rather take my chances on hiring a mule and take a one-day sight-seeing trip to Nora Springs on the back of an ass.” That conversation with him today confirmed my belief that not only is our society growing all the more tribal, they’re also being created within immediate families.
When taking a little stroll down the back alley this afternoon with camera in hand, I felt so sorry for the workers in those ditches who were having to deal with all the mud. One of them looked like he’d been in a mud-wrestling contest which caused me to say, “That muddy soil looks almost like sticky grease and I’m sure you’re not having the least bit fun trying to walk around in it.” I think he appreciated me knowing how difficult his day had been with shovel in hand.
When walking up to a strange un-earthed concrete box that looked like a crypt, I was compelled to take a photo which I’ve posted above. The more you look at it, the more one’s mind begins to see things that appear creepy. The more you look, the more you start drawing conclusions as to what was at the bottom of that concrete vault which will cause you to question, “Is it real, or are my eyes playing tricks on me?”
Before calling it a day, I took about twenty minutes to sit myself down at the piano in my office and do some practicing. There’s one piece I’ve been struggling with on and off for some months, and after today, I do believe it’s coming close enough to where I may possibly have myself recorded as I’m playing it and then share with you all. It’s always been one of my all-time favorite classical pieces.
With another Holiday having happened this week, I still can’t believe it’s already going to be Friday tomorrow. Hopefully it’ll be another glorious day in North Iowa for all to enjoy.
Tonight’s one-liner is: If we don’t believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, then we don’t believe in it at all.
