Lessie, June 14th

Martin,
This is where you will come to check on how we’re doing here at the house.

I was so glad when John, our technology teacher, showed me how to make this blog and was shocked when he told me you could access it from Australia! Now I can put pictures up here to show you our progress on the house.

The sale of the condo went well. I was sorry to leave my next door neighbor, Shirley, but we’ll continue the tradition of our first Thursday dinner out. I am not sure who will take her to the store to do her grocery shopping, but I think she’ll manage.

I am still adjusting to retirement, but I have my hands full with mother, as you well can imagine.

Check back here every few days, as I will try to post once a week.

Love to Debbie and the children,

Lessie

Lessie, June 17^th

Of course you remember our realtor, James, who did such a wonderful job selling my condo. We had him tour mother’s house today to give us some suggestions for getting the best price.

Here are my notes, nearly verbatim:

1. Have the two oak trees removed from the front yard. I find this patently ridiculous, as it will be both incredibly costly and there is nothing wrong with the trees—they are perfectly healthy. His words were “No one wants to rake anymore.” Can you imagine anything more ridiculous? Raking is the price we pay for having beautifully mature trees!

2. Completely update the kitchens and baths. New toilets and showers and tubs, new kitchen appliances, new flooring—every single piece needs to be replaced. Honestly, I was expecting to update the appliances and countertops, but I thought we could paint the cabinets—they are solid wood, after all. And why would one replace a perfectly good toilet or bathtub? I just don’t see the sense in it.

3. Remove all the wallpaper and paint the walls a pale gray or warm beige. I can understand this—Mother’s choice to redecorate in honor of the Bicentennial leaves the home looking a little worn and tired. I am afraid that this will leave Mother feeling a little depressed, as we all had a hand in the decorating…even you attempted to help paint in 1976, despite not being able to reach the upper part of the walls.

4. Get rid of personal items. And what, may I ask, am I supposed to do with the personal items? James suggested that we rent a storage unit and hire someone to move our things there. I believe that this is risky, unless we can have some assurance that our things will be in good hands. James tells us that in order to sell the home quickly, it needs to be “depersonalized.” My counter-point is that according to the television shows Mother has been glued to, a home is supposed to reflect one’s personality. To whom should I listen?

5. Paint the exterior and put on a new roof. I can understand the necessity of a new roof, as it hasn’t been replaced since before Dad died, which was nearly seventeen years ago. I believe a new roof is a big selling point. But why in the world would someone paint brick? James says that more and more folks are asking for a painted house, as opposed to brick. He says that the red brick makes the house look old. I pointed out that the house is rather old, having been built in the middle of the last century. He said he would have his roofers and painters give us an estimate for the outside work.

As you can see, Martin, I am rather agitated by the thought of remodeling this house. I am glad I have the money from the sale of my condo to invest, as this looks to be a rather expensive undertaking.

Lessie