In which the day starts late and will probably end the same way

[rolanni]

So, having cleverly extended #1 on the Tuesday To-Do List to "Sleep Unreasonably Late on Wednesday" -- a strategy I recommend highly to those others who've had "Sleep Forever" on their to-do lists for a while -- I had a leisurely breakfast with my lovely and talented husband and attending cats, answered a couple of emails and will soon retire to the Front Office to start the process of making the Penultimate Draft into the Ultimate Draft.  This will be interspersed with laundry-doing because. . .necessity.

I do like working at home.

Thanks to those who have looked/are looking for descriptions of Val Con and Miri!

In other news, still house-hunting, and simultaneously looking at ways to perhaps make this house continue to work for us.  Building an attached two-car garage might be one step, given that we could refinance at a lower rate.  It seems like a huge project, but what do I know?  Might also upgrade the kitchen cabinets while we're at it, and screen in the existing porch, which strikes me as the most minor of all these possible steps.  So. . .thinking about how to even approach that process, and keeping sight of the fact that, while none of those steps brings this house closer to town,  if they make keeping it less intense, they might tip the balance.

In between all of that, I'm eagerly anticipating the arrival of Things in the Mail, including (in no specific order) two decks of Tarot of the Zirkus Magi, Girl Genius Volume 13, a couple of Loth Hoodies (because you can never have too many elven hoodies), and an album of hand-colored photographs and post cards from 1872-1912 featuring geisha (because. . .photographs! geisha!)

And I think that's all the news that's fit to print.

Onward, to the couch!

Comments

Making Do

[kalimeg.livejournal.com]

I have actually considered adding a steel shipping container to my house. A couple of thousand dollars, and a really big storage/garage area. I have no idea if zoning would have a nervous breakdown, but it is really tempting -- especially if it could be disguised with plywood.

Making your house work

[aska-kettlingur.livejournal.com]

I am also trying to make my current house work. There is a whole philosophy cum business called 'Aging in Place,' which is making your house work for you as your abilities decline.

I have installed grab bars in bathrooms and anywhere I need to step up or down. I installed a doorbell that rings my telephone so I can talk to the door and people don't leave before I can get there or crash into the house if I open the door. I bought an emergency dialer ("I've fallen and I can't get up") that is not a monthly service charge and can be programmed to dial 9-1-1 or any other number you choose. I put in lever handles on the doors and faucets because I can't twist knobs. I figured a way to turn the dining room into a bedroom so I don't have to climb stairs.

The part that is beyond my control is things where I have to depend on "the kindness of strangers," even paid strangers. The biggest problem is snow removal. Whenever I think I have a plan in place, the people I am paying don't show up, take skiing vacations or go to Florida, do a half-assed job, or drive their snow blower through my shrubbery., claiming that they didn't cause that pile of freshly shredded branches on top of the snow pile they just threw. I am in town, with a short driveway and sidewalk (less than two car lengths) and am located less than 1/3 mile from the fire/ambulance station and a few hundred feet from a fire hydrant. In case of an emergency, the emergency crews could reach me, although they'd be unhappy at having to shovel in to get me.

With Steve's medical issues, I would strongly recommend that, as you consider staying, you think of a 'worse case scenario' where either Steve or you is in critical need of emergency medical transport and the plow didn't show up.

[martianmooncrab.livejournal.com]

and the hoodie can double as your shopping bag... grin.