Adventures in adulthood

You'd think by age 60 being an adult would be a little more predictable, but I guess I've purposely not chosen a predictable life. This week, in the world of real estate, I was called upon to do two seemingly simple repairs that were not as simple as they appeared.

Fix the latch/handle on the slider door. It was a special-ordered door which I got a good deal on at Home Depot when the special orderer didn't pick it up. It's a great door, but when the original handle broke, it was near impossible to find another that fit the holes that were set into the door. I replaced it twice, and when the most recent latch stopped working, I just put a piece of wood in the door track, which seemed more solid to me, anyway. But I went to Home Depot with a model number, and I got a phone number for American Craftsman, the company that made the door.

Wow! What a great operation! The man I spoke with tracked down the handle that was needed and said it was still under warranty, so I only had to pay for shipping. He emailed me with updates, and I'm really excited to get the handle that belongs on the door and have it work for the next homeowners.

The other request was that I make the front window stop leaking. Well, that could be an easy fix, as long as the buyers don't care if the window opens or not. I mean, Great Stuff is a wonderful thing -- not very attractive, and pretty permanent, but very efficient. Yeah. No. Guess I'm going to have to give up more money for the buyers to replace the window. That's what I would have done if I'd stayed in the house. It was a pretty awful window from the beginning. Stuff kept breaking off. I didn't even try to open it the last couple of summers.

So, we're getting down to the wire on the selling of the house. The buyers have decided to go with a conventional mortgage, so I think that will move things along a little bit. I hope we can get this all taken care of before May 1.

I spoke with a lovely friend, Len Robinson, who's a financial advisor, and I'm going to keep my money as liquid as is safe, at least for the time being. It's great to have someone who knows his stuff helping me with this. Money has never been my strong suit. He also advised that I am eligible for "survivor's benefits" from Chuck's (my former husband, for those of you who might not know) Social Security, so I'm looking into that.

I'm cursorily looking into the possibility of selling or trading in the Toyota Camry, which has 223,000 miles on it. If I do, I'll probably go with something that I can sleep in the back of, so as I travel after Seattle, I won't have to always stay in a hotel. It might even work for Tayler, Remy and me if we have a few nights without a hotel along the way.

Paid a visit to The Freewheeler yesterday to look into a few items I still need: heavier tires, a spare that folds to carry with me, a couple of extra inner tubes, a handlebar extension to give my hands a few more positions, a handlebar phone holder, a solar charger (as a back up for my lithium ion battery that Alice gifted me with this week!), and a couple of handlebar or top bar carriers for snacks, maps, and water. Small things, but a lot of small things.

Everything is winding down at Grand Valley. I need to write the music for the exam combinations this weekend, so maybe it's a good thing that it snowed this evening. The weather looks a LOT better next week, and I'm looking forward to riding every day. This week, in spite of the cold temperatures, I prepared to ride on Tuesday morning to Allendale, but one of my brakes was frozen. I brought the bike in the kitchen, and about 15 minutes later it was thawed, so I started out again. In about a half mile, it froze again, so I gave it up that day. Thursday, I rode to The Freewheeler. It was blustery and windy and quite cold, but I enjoyed the ride. The person who looked at the bike in the repair shop couldn't figure out why it froze. Not too reassuring, except that I hope I won't be riding in below zero temps.

Most of the rest of the furniture will be leaving my house this coming week. I figure before the closing I'll be down to a mattress on the floor, my keyboard and bench, and the TV. I have moments of "what-the-hell-am-I-doing?!" but for the most part I'm comfortable with the choices I've made. I'll miss so many people, places, and things; but I'll be meeting new people, seeing new places, and doing new things. And I can always come back, if that's how life leads me.