OK so I am not going to write much on what I wrote about before. All I will say is that I am amazed that houses these days can still stand up and function, what with the lack of care given to house construction, and overall house maintenance.
I had a good chat with a knowledgeable person on the decline of human housing over the past 2000 years.... the average life span of a house has gone from 1000+ years, to 100 years, if that. And the drastic decline has all occurred in the past 75 years.
My main beef with my nice new (read, old) house is that the original builders 50 years ago installed no insulation virtually anywhere. The previous owners of this house, who had lived here for the past 15 years, did nothing to build upon this lack of insulation. And I wondered why the guest-bedroom wall was freezing cold to the touch on late winter nights...
Oh wait. Correction. The previous owners did re-insulate the attic, but in the words of my aforementioned wise friend, the overall effect was that it looked like they tossed a bunch of insulation up in the attic, then lobbed in a grenade, and let the chaos theory do the rest. It appears (nay, it is a fact) that I have some spots where the insulation is packed high, and other spots where there is no insulation whatsoever. And again, I wondered why I was freezing my bum off last winter, even withe the thermostat at 71 degrees....
In any case, I will be hiring someone--a reputable someone--to blow insulation into my attic. Properly. No way am I doing this one myself I tells you... I want this one done right, no room for error (i.e. I don't want me falling through my ceiling as I try to lay insulation).
In other news, although I am still off work, still feeling good, still waiting for last incision to fully heal, I am beginning to feel the pinch of having only 60% of my salary to pay for mortgage, taxes, utilities, bills, food, gas, insurance... upkeep... and it is beginning to hurt. Nevertheless, on mornings like today, where I get up early, pour myself two cups of java, sit on my porch (leaning back in my chair, as is my custom), reading, and listening/watching birds in the bright not-yet-stifling early morning sun... I come to the realization that little moments such as these can be a beautiful, restful, relaxing, heartening time. God's creation is a mighty and wonderful thing/
I do however desire to get back to work--not just for financial reasons. I miss my colleagues, friends, challenges... and heck, it keeps me busy and out of trouble. Why just today I tried to get onto my roof to clean my eaves, as they were full of leaves... but that is another story. Suffice to say that my ladder is a tad bit short, and I left it at that.
Happy Sunny Tuesday.
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