In spite of it being another freeze overnight, at least the skies were clear and the bright sun began warming things up. The lowered angle of the sun always makes for interesting sights, and of course those with windows facing south, are blessed with an abundance of sunshine throughout the day. Yes, the days of darkness and cold will soon be upon us, so let’s continue enjoying these crisp days as long as we can.
Over these recent weeks, I was having some issues with my office’s internet service, and beginning Friday afternoon, I found that I couldn’t even access my office email, and it continued on thru the weekend, so I was on the phone with my internet provider as soon as they opened. After describing what was taking place, the person mentioned it being something simple on their end, but several hours later, I received a call saying there was something going on with one of their towers which they were in the process of investigating. Well, around noontime, I received a call from them saying it was fixed on their end, and that I should start testing it on mine. Thank goodness everything was back to normal, and believe me, it didn’t get fixed any too soon. That internet problem was just one more example of how far too dependent we are on technology, and it’s getting markedly worse.
My scheduled appointment out of town ended up being a waste of time, and only because that office’s doors were locked, and when I went to call the owner, I got flipped over to a voicemail, so I left a message and returned to the City. About two hours later I received a call from that person saying there was a family emergency, so as of today, he’ll be stopping by my office tomorrow instead of me making another drive. What I distinctly remember him saying last week, was his assurance that he’d be calling me beforehand if he couldn’t keep the appointment. Oh well, such times in which we live.
My listing over at 1012 N. Carolina had some expensive work done in its fireplace chimney, and in spite of it being costly, I dare say the contractor did an excellent job on it. I went ahead and took a new photo of it and added it to the photos I’d already taken, so hopefully there’ll be some renewed interest in the home. I guess that’s one more example of getting what you pay for. Now where can you buy a home under $125K that has two wood-burning fireplaces in it? Keep in mind, it has a two stall garage and a yard large enough to have the biggest flower or vegetable garden, not to mention being in walking distance to East Park and the swimming pool. Please put the word out!
Tonight’s photo is the exterior shot of my new listing located at 137 – 14th St. NW here in Mason City, IA which is definitely priced to sell quickly, as it offers way more features than you’d expect in the under $50K price range. First of all it’s a roomy 2 bedroom, the wiring, furnace and hot water heater have been recently updated, along with there being a fenced yard with a huge number of beautiful perennials. There’s a welcoming front porch and a private side-yard patio as well. Because of its lower price, I suspect it’ll end up selling to an investor, but I’m hoping a first-time buyer will jump on it before that happens, so please tell all your friends and relatives. If you click on the tonight’s photo, you’ll be starting a slideshow of the remaining photos I took this afternoon.
Later this afternoon, I had to take a trip over to a law firm, just to drop off all the documents regarding the sale of my condo listing over at Prairie Place on 1st. While there, I had a soulful chat with one of the attorneys regarding the bounteous fruits and vegetables my garden offered up this past growing season. Of course I just had to talk about how exceptionally wicked the thorns are on my black raspberry plants. Never have I seen a plant with thorns as razor sharp as they are. Believe it or not, even if I happen to bump into one, it’s bleeds like I’d cut myself with a razor blade. Yes, they’re that sharp. It’s no wonder you can’t find fresh black raspberries in the groceterias, and likely because you’d be hard-pressed to find someone willing to pick them. Before they start growing again next Spring, I’ll be creating something to contain their long-reaching canes.
I received a call from a past customer today who’s looking to move to another State where one of her children lives, and the main reason being, she has no other relatives living anywhere close-by. She was wanting just a ballpark value on it, so after hanging up from her, I went online and did a quick scan of comparable properties and then called her back. Not to my surprise, her home is worth more than she thought, so if all goes as planned, I’ll be getting another listing before the end of this month.
Hopefully, I should have another home listed this week which I’ve been waiting for it to be emptied of furnishings, and from the sounds of it, they should have everything out by Friday. If that home is priced right, I see no reason for it not to sell quickly, and only because it has an exceptionally nice kitchen in it which was professionally designed. There’s no doubt whenever you see the stamp ‘Schrock’ in a cabinet drawer, you know it’s ‘top drawer’ quality. The moment I walked into that kitchen, I could immediately tell it was high-end.
If any of you should happen to know someone who’d be interested in a 1960’s Corvair engine which has been in storage for many years, please let me know because if we can’t find someone to buy it for parts, it’ll likely end up in the scrap metal yard. I mentioned it yesterday to a guy who has a number of connections, so hopefully there’s someone out there looking for one. My gosh! I almost forgot about the Chevrolet Corvair which was mass-produced between 1960 and 1969. The one thing I do remember about them, was the engine being to the rear of the vehicle, and the noise their engines made reminded me of a Volkswagen. If I’m not mistaken, one of my relatives owned one for a very short period of time. My gosh! In spite of being very young during the time they were popular, I almost forgot about the Chevrolet Corvair until that engine was mentioned. Truth be told, I haven’t seen one of them in years, which makes me wonder if they’re not popular with our vintage auto collectors.
After reading all the National and International news today, I’ve come to the conclusion that we’re rapidly returning to the Dark Ages where just about every country and tribe will be at war with each other. What’s happening right now within that alt-right group of Republicans in our House of Representatives, is no less than a mockery of democracy. I can assure you, if they don’t come up with a bi-partisan group of legislators, our government is likely gonna get shut down for a very long time, and that’s exactly what China, Russia, Iran and North Korea is rooting for. Let’s all hope they’ll finally come to their senses and stop grandstanding themselves just for attention. More than ever before, they’re now looking like naughty middle-school children.
An out of town ‘reli’ called around noontime today, asking if I’d be free for lunch this coming Thursday, and since that slot was open, I agreed. You can bet there’ll be some recent family happenings which I’ll be freely sharing during our lunch.
Tonight’s One-liner is: I’ve come to the conclusion that the most important element in human life, is faith.
