It was definitely a pleasant day just about all way round with our mild temps, little wind and the sun shining brightly. Definitely summer is on it’s way with all our local stores having set out their tents and now selling all the many different shrubs, trees, flowers and vegetables. I did stop at Hy-Vee Drug and gave their flowers and veggies a good looking-over, but unfortunately, nothing seemed to catch my interest enough to buy something. I will have to take a run out to Fleet Farm, and only because they seem to have much wider selections.
Upon arrival at office, I got settled-in and then proceeded to pay several more bills that had come in, and then ran them over to the post office, and as soon as I got back, I received a call from a contractor who was needing entry to a home, just to get some measurements on several much-needed upgrades. Since I know him well enough, we had a good chewing of the fat over the crazy things which’ve been happening in our State and Local governments. I do enjoy visiting with him, because he has a broad knowledge of how things should and shouldn’t be done. Of course when he’s really on a roll, he can certainly out-swear the best of them, and always with a flair. Too funny.
When I got back to office, I had to place a call to a gentleman I showed Prairie Place on 1st about a week and a half ago, just to let him know that it did end up getting sold, just so he wouldn’t be troubling himself over it. I did soulfully say, “In my mind’s eye, I can still see you living there.” That’s always the case whenever someone’s lived in their own home for over twenty years, but unfortunately, he’s been in his for over fifty. Yes, he’s gonna have a struggle with getting himself transplanted. I’m still ever-glad my mother made the choice to move off my stepfather’s far-away acreage a good twenty years before she passed, and at the time, her determination was so strong to the point where she gave him the ultimatum, “I’m moving whether you come with me or not.” Of course in the end, he begrudgingly agreed to move with her.
It was a relatively quiet day at office, and the only calls I was getting, were inquiries on a home that’s already under contract which is located at 322 – 22nd St. SE. Gosh, I sure wish I had a dozen homes just like it, because every one of them would be under contract. Yes, that lower price range of livable homes is definitely hard to come by in these times. I did take their numbers, just in case something should happen to that sale. Of course we did have multiple offers on it when it sold, which was another indication of how short our market really is.
While online today, I happened to look at the sales statistics of homes in the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City market. Oh my goodness! The sale prices of homes in those two markets is definitely higher than ours. I had a real jaw-drop when seeing the number of those selling for well over a half million dollars. Where in the heck is all that money coming from?
One of my friends forwarded a YouTube video which was much longer than I’d expected, but glad I took the time to watch it. The name of the YouTube is channel is ‘Uncommon Knowledge’ which is put out by the Hoover Institution and hosted by a man by the name of Peter Robinson. The gentleman being interviewed in the video, was Stephen Kotkin who’s a highly respected historian who spent many years studying the history of Russia, and especially during Stalin’s reign of terror. He’s actually written three books about Stalin, and I think another one’s on the way.
I can say that if Stephen Kotkin wasn’t as so good at connecting the dots of past and present histories, I likely wouldn’t have watched the whole thing. It’s no wonder he’s highly sought-after for lecturing on historical subjects. The way in which he presents and explains any given historical subject, I could’ve listened to him speak the entire day.
Yes, I believe he’s that good, so if you have any interest in hearing his take on Ukraine’s situation with Russia right now, along with the problems between China and Taiwan, do look for it and give it a good viewing.
I’m sure all the other business owners up and down Federal Avenue who’ve been cordoned-off from the way in which they’ve done business, are growing all the more disgusted with there having been nothing done about the Kirk Apartment building. It’s been two weeks and two days since that happened, but from the looks of it, nothing’s getting accomplished. Two times today I had someone at my locked back door, impatiently pounding away. As much as I’ve told everyone, “Please give me a call just before you arrive.”, seemed to have fallen on deaf ears.
I had about forty-five minutes to kill before it was the closing hour, so I headed back to my piano and began working on perfecting that five-paged piece I played over at St. Paul Lutheran this past Sunday. After running thru it several times, I grabbed a file of music and started running thru them one by one. You may think I’m on a burn to get my sight-reading and fingering skills advanced, when in fact, I’m doing it, just so I’m not given a strange piece to play at the last hour, and start freaking out about it.
Just as I was locking up and heading out, I noticed a handful of back-backing little brats out in the back alley, poking around behind all the businesses, and not to be sounding like a knee-jerk judge of character, I could sense they were up to no good. What made that whole scene even worse, was I drove down to the corner and turned, there were three more on bikes they were meeting up with. I’m sorry, but whenever you get that many naughty minds together, there’s trouble in the making. I learned just last year how some of our young have grown more emboldened, but unfortunately in very dark ways.
Tonight’s One-liner is I once was as you are, but you shall soon be as I now am.
