The weekend started with a Girl Scout meeting held in a local park. The theme of the meeting was "letter boxing". It is sort of like geocaching but without the co-ordinates. Instead, it used instructions that you get off the internet.
It was cold and it was dark and apparently, somewhere just beyond our route was a cow with glowing eyes. They squealed with delight and "udder" fear -- get it? We were only out there for an hour which was good since most of them had been battling illness and didn't need to be out in the damp, foggy weather.
They were cold and scared but they had so much fun.
Yesterday we spent at our other house doing some cleaning and getting ready to meet with our realtor. Finally. I have some observations about it that only come with age.
I grew up in post WW2 housing that had 8 ft. ceilings in the rooms, hardwood floors, tile kitchen counters and bathrooms and bathtubs that would not be confused with a swimming pool. My mother was very short -- 5'1" -- and all she had to do was stand on a kitchen chair to change a light bulb.
Young people, when buying houses today, should recognize that they won't always be young and agile and they should assess whether what they are buying is going to be "do-able" when they aren't young anymore.
My poor husband was on a step stool and almost on the bathroom vanity to change out the light bulbs in the fixtures. One of those handy dandy gadgets that allows you to stand on the floor and grab the light bulb won't work in these small fixtures. So, with his diabetic neuropathy, his arthritic hip and knees, there he was teetering around trying to put in a light bulb.
I climbed into the 18 inch deep jacuzzi tube (that I have always hated) to clean it out and I couldn't get back out again. Climbing in was easy compared to climbing out. The tub is a two person affair (laughable) and it is almost impossible to clean by just wiping down. I can no longer get on my knees to do that sort of thing and even if I could, my arms are too short to stretch across because it is a corner unit. This doesn't address the massive glass shower enclosure that has to be cleaned constantly because of the lime scale.
I know my mother complained about tile and cleaning grout and she was thrilled when formica became vogue. I agree with the grout issue but I am not thrilled with the granite/marble used today either. In my bathrooms at the other house there is black marble. We have hard water. It is impossible for water marks to not show up on that black marble. Granite takes a lot of care and the pattern we have doesn't allow you to see anything that might be stuck on it. You have to clean by touch. My current home has formica in the kitchen and honestly, while not as fancy and impressive, I love it.
The floors in the "old" house are travertine marble which is very easy care and looks lovely but it has done a terrible number on my arthritis and is contributory to my current condition. But, it looks impressive.
So, as I prepare this house to sell I am thinking longingly of those 1950's houses that were so simple and easy to take care of. When we bought the house 14 years ago, it was advertised as being a community of garden homes, minimal care, perfect for retirees and empty nesters. Well, it is a garden home community and they (the HOA) Do do the yard but as far as that minimal care -- not so much.
So, youngsters, if you can fast forward yourselves to an older, yet still awesome version of you (look at your parents or grandparents) make wise choices or one day you will be longing for a simple little bungalow with a plain bathtub and shower curtain and light fixtures you can maintain without having to hire somebody to do it.
Jumping off the soap box now. Oh, wait, not jumping -- more like hobbling.
4 comments:
I sympathize with you on the bathtub problem. Our tub/shower is just a normal size and I usually use only the shower. One day when my back was giving me heck I had the bright idea of a good soak. I'd heard Epsom Salt would help so I bought some. I'm sorry to say it didn't do much for me but when I tried to get out of the tub I could NOT. DH came and tried in vain to pull me out. Didn't work at all. Finally I managed to get myself on my knees and ever so slowly stand up. I'll stick to showering from now on.
So true. When I was cleaning houses I got so tired of those giant bathtubs and expansive showers. Argh. I like vinyl floors and we have a few rooms with them and they are so much easier. Wood floors are a lot of work and so is tile.
Hi, GM! Oh yeah, showers for sure. In my current house I have a large tub -- not as big as the other one -- but big enough and I have been in it once. I have to drain the water and put a folded towel down so I can kneel on it to then stand. That is way too much trouble and a little scary so I just shower. But those tubs still have to be rinsed out once in a while and it is just a pain! Literally!
Hi, Pom Pom! When we moved into this current house we replaced some hardwood and some carpet with an engineered flooring that looks like travertine -- it actually looks nothing like travertine -- but it is easier on my knees because it has a cork backing. I don't really care for carpet either -- I am like you -- vinyl is good. Real travertine is so hard on the joints and it has to be constantly maintained -- just give me some vinyl and a mop and I am good.
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