It was another beautiful day in North Iowa with our temps continuing to be bearable, and once again, my first Sunday duty was to get my contemplative prayer session started. You can bet I needed that calming and regenerative experience far more that normally due to the emotional roller-coaster I was riding last week. After finishing, I once again felt refreshed and renewed and ready to take on another. After weeks of it turned into months, I can certainly say the methodology of my personal sessions has grown all the easier, which has enabled me to more freely connect with the Higher Power. Even after we have a bona-fide vaccine for the China-virus, I’ll most likely continue on with my personal sessions even if I do resume my attendance at church Services.
There were “must do” projects in need of today’s attention, so I spent a good hour on getting the most demanding one finished first, and afterwards, I changed into my work clothes and headed out to another daunting project which is slowing getting to a manageable point. Thank goodness it was much cooler today than last Sunday because those confined spaces were getting pretty warm. Just like yesterday, I wasn’t sweating my brains out while working there for three hours, but as always, I was pretty much ready to call it quits after my non-stop working. While driving back to my office I started thinking about how much work has already been done which gave me comfort as well as an encouragement to continue onward, but I did stop to take the above photo.
I grabbed a quick bite to eat for lunch, rested for about a half hour, and then headed over to my other little/big project of which I’m on a burn to get as much done before the cold arrives because there are things needing my attention before the hard freeze arrives. I’m also pushing to keep it on a fast track because it’s been sitting on my back burner far too long which is something I normally don’t allow, but when there are more pressing matters that frequently surface, there’s no alternative other than pushing it once again to the back.
The last little/big project I finished up several months ago was another one of those “taking too long” projects, but after hearing the soulful compliments from my dear friends about the quality of work within, I was glad my extra time and effort was given. Yes, that home received a stem-to-stern restoration which will hopefully endure for generations to come.
While laboring away this afternoon, I began thinking about that young couple I visited with yesterday who just recently purchased that home down the street from 114 – 11th St. NE and really being hopeful they’re the type who’ll take the extra time and effort with any repairs and/or improvements they decide to make on it as that being the type of home which could easily rise in value, as well as drop if there are uncomplimentary things done to it. Having shown that home a number of times, I’d say the real eye-catching features are the leaded and stained-glass windows on the main floor, along with the beautiful oak woodwork and floors contained within.
I did tell them that I just so happened to have purchased several items from the sale the previous owner was having there over a year ago, and one thing being a Duncan Phyfe sofa in exceptionally good condition which happened to be a dead-ringer to one my parents owned back when I was a child. I was almost certain I didn’t have a place for it, but as chance would have it, a little re-arranging created the perfect spot. It even has the same “feel” as the one my parents had. Yes, some things were meant to be.
I also mentioned a Mission style oak parlor desk which was nearly in pieces and in need of a complete refinishing and re-gluing. Well, it’s now back looking like new and gracing my office. One thing I have yet to do, is to frame an old black and white photo I purchased along with many others at that sale, and as chance would have it, that parlor desk is pictured in one of those photos, but in a different home which must’ve been the owner’s grandparents. I told yesterday’s couple I’d give them a call to look at the desk and photo once I have it framed and placed atop it. For sure that’ll be quite the conversation starter, and I dare say I’ve not to my recollection ever come across such a combination whenever showing and/or selling those I’ve been within these many years.
Before heading home, I stopped over to my little garden and just about blew another gasket when seeing those evil deer having eaten the leafy stems of those San Marzano tomatoes and of course causing their green tomatoes to fall on the ground. I have deer netting all over them which they’ve somehow learned to move, along with having sprayed a near bottle of deer and rabbit repellant around but they still continue eating and destroying. I’m surprised more of our City residents aren’t in an uproar over those herds, along with putting pressure on our State government to make the DNR have an open season here until their numbers are under control. Mark my words, if something drastic isn’t done about them, they’ll be as bad as a rat infestation in Moscow.
Someone was telling me several weeks ago how much more emboldened the the woodchucks are getting which tells me their numbers are growing as well. Most have no clue the amount of footing and foundation damage they can cause from their deep burrowing. I just happened to see one at the edge of someone’s driveway, and if it had a rat’s tail, it would’ve passed as a giant rat from hell. I can handle pocket gophers and moles any day of the week, but woodchucks are an entirely different story, and you can be sure I’ll never forget the time I was inspecting a home which I was to sell as part of an estate, and on the back side of it I discovered huge woodchuck burrows. The worst of it was, one of the basement walls had cracked and heaved due to their digging. Believe you me, they can cause costly damages in very short periods of time.
Tonight’s one-liner is: Happiness is a direction, not a place.
