Cordelia's Mom, Still

Whispers

Posted on July 9, 2021 by cordeliasmom2012

Yes, I skipped a week. Did you miss me?

Nothing much to report here. It’s been raining, sometimes torrentially, for the last couple of days. We needed the rain, and it brought the air temperature down significantly. Don’t even need the AC today, and it’s much more comfortable for my crocheting.

(Pictured is the “Rainy Day Afghan” in ocean blue, azure, and medium gray. I think it’s one of my favorites so far.)

The only drawback to the much-needed rain is that now I’ll have to go out and trim the bushes in front of the house again. I’m not particularly fussy about my yard, but those bushes are beginning to look like they’re attacking the house.

Speaking of houses (and may I not be jinxing anyone by writing this), our house-hunting family members finally succeeded on their 6th bid. In hindsight, it doesn’t seem so bad; they managed to find a house in just under two months – a 6 bedroom/ 2 bath in a good suburban neighborhood with excellent schools, with a decent-sized fully fenced lot, and at a price they can afford. Even in this crazy market, they were able to win a bid at $50,000 less than what they originally thought they would have to pay. It’s an estate sale and needs some updating (the decedent was the original owner and the house was built in the 1950s), but the purchase feels right. They did a home inspection, and nothing major was found – yay. We’re all very excited about it.

Meanwhile, at my own house, it turns out that we are not, in fact, done with our upgrades, repairs and improvements. Our electricity failed last week and required an emergency fix. The electrician was able to replace the main circuit box, but to be safe we may decide to replace the entire panel along with the outside wire coming into the house. Water has been pooling along that wire and into the box for the 70 years since the house was built and everything is rusted. Sure, we could simply replace circuit breakers one by one as they fail, but we’ve never been people to do things half-assed. Considering that upgraded electric is a selling point, and considering that we’ll probably only be in this house another 5 to 10 years, it makes sense to do it all now if we can afford to.

I can’t think of anything else in this house that can possibly need doing, but I’m sure something will pop up. That’s the curse of home ownership. Thank heavens it’s offset when there are good neighbors around you and plenty of room for the dog to run.

We may not be rolling in dough, but on nice days Puppy Cody can roll in clover:

Happy Weekend, Everyone!

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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com
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Images by Cordelia’s Mom/TeddyRosalieStudio

Posted in Household Items, Pets, Photography, That's Life | Tagged crochet, home ownership, houses, Puppy Cody, real estate | 27 Comments

Slow and Twisted

Posted on June 24, 2021 by cordeliasmom2012

A teeny, tiny land snail.

You’d think since the snail was sitting still, I’d be able to get a nice clear photo – but you’d be wrong. I bent as low as possible and couldn’t keep the camera from jiggling slightly. I used the non-shake setting on the camera. I used both the macro and non-macro modes. I tried putting the camera on the ground but then the angle was too low to get a good view of the snail’s head. Nothing worked to my satisfaction.

sigh

Part of the problem is that my left leg no longer bends the way I want it to, and if I try to force it, it locks. When not bent, it simply hurts.

I told all this to my prior family doctor, and his response was that I’m just too fat and should join a gym. I told him I can’t afford a gym. His reply was perhaps I could hire a personal trainer. Really? And he wonders why I changed physicians.

My new doctor listened, examined my very swollen leg, and sent me for a dopplar study, which showed some circulatory issues. An ultrasound which had been done previously showed arthritis in the knee. Combined, these problems make it difficult, and painful, to go out walking with my camera like I did not all that long ago. I suspect any underlying problems increased when I was rear-ended at a stop light a few years ago.

It’s a bit of a Catch 22 – walking would help with the weight gain and mobility issues, but the pain keeps me from walking more than a very short distance.

Fortunately, my new doctor understands, without making snide comments. He recommended compression stockings. When I explained that I had tried those before and found them extremely uncomfortable and difficult to put on and off, he suggested zippered compression stockings. I didn’t know there was such a thing!

The stockings work! I’m still not out jogging, but at least I can move around a bit more. It’s amazing how much the pain has been reduced in that left leg.

Now if only that doctor can find a way to help me take better photos of tiny outdoor critters.

By the way, I “boosted” this photo on YouPic, and it has now become my highest “liked” photo, even beating out my deer pictures:

That little turtle was only about an inch in diameter and was sitting on a branch about six feet from the bank of the pond. I always thought that shot turned out well, despite the lighting problem on the shell. I especially love the reflection in the water. It’s good to know others think so, too.

For those of you who prefer “pretty” pictures, I offer a new shot of Lathyrus (Perennial Sweet Pea) that I found hanging near the snail:

If the weather is nice wherever you are, get out and enjoy it. I intend to.

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Posted in Health, Photography, That's Life | Tagged age, lathyrus, mobility, snail, sweet pea, turtle | 13 Comments

Because It’s Nice Out and You’re Probably Tired of Crochet Photos

Posted on June 4, 2021 by cordeliasmom2012

Living next to a church has its advantages. I call this photo “Hope.” Even though I’m as non-religious as can be, I find this view from my yard comforting.

And then, of course, there are the usual wildflowers:

Creeping Charlie

Buttercups

Happy Weekend, Everyone!

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Posted in Photography, That's Life | Tagged church, summer, wildflowers | 8 Comments

Real Estate Wars

Posted on June 3, 2021 by cordeliasmom2012

“Shades of Easter” – lavender/mint/off-white

It’s been a seller’s market for quite awhile, but now it’s become an actual war.

Certain family members already have their own home under a sale contract, but now they need to find somewhere to go. They want a bigger house, with room for Puppy Maya and, eventually maybe, children.

But it ain’t easy.

Sure, there were bidding wars when I b0ught my house 4 years ago, but back then you simply found a house, bid on it, and if someone bid higher, there was always the option of negotiating. I bid on my house, and an hour or so later the realtor called to tell me there were other people interested in it and if I could raise my offer by a couple of thousand dollars, the seller would accept it and stop showing the house. When I then listed my own home, I simply accepted the first bid that was close enough to my asking price, and cancelled any other showings.

Things are different now. Houses are listed for 5 to 7 days, at the end of which written offers must be submitted to the seller to review. The seller then picks whichever one looks best to him/her, and it’s not always the highest bidder. There’s little room for re-negotiating; once an offer is made, the prospective purchaser is locked into that price.

Said family members have submitted 3 offers and were highest bidder each time – but each time someone else came in either with cash or better terms (maybe living in an apartment or in mommy’s and daddy’s basement and didn’t have a house they were simultaneously selling). People are even buying houses without doing a home inspection first. Personally, I think a seller who’s afraid of a home inspection is probably hiding something – were I to sell my house I’d welcome an inspection so that the purchasers would know what a great deal they were getting.

But that’s just me.

The family members are handling it all much better than I am. They tell me some purchasers put in 8 or more offers before finally winning a bid. I’d love to crochet them a Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas afghan for their new home, but at the rate things are going, the Easter afghan may be the best I can do. Ugh.

Meanwhile, their purchaser is already pushing to close the sale of their existing home. Of course, there’s a contingency in the sale contract that they must find and close on alternative suitable housing, but no one expected it to take very long. Going into an apartment, or moving in with us, is not an option because (i) who wants to have to move twice?, and (ii) most apartments won’t take dogs as big as Puppy Maya, and (iii) Puppy Cody and Puppy Maya do not get along.

I even considered selling my own house because the market is so hot right now. I could probably get a high enough price to pay off not only the existing mortgage, but also every debt I currently have, and still have money left over. But I don’t want to join the house-hunt wars, and again, most apartments won’t take a dog as big as Puppy Cody – and I’d prefer not to move until such time as I’m forced into senior assisted living. Sure, that time is coming, but hopefully not until Cody has had a full, long life and is no longer with me.

Such stress for everyone here, but it could be much worse – at least, none of us are homeless at the moment.

Meanwhile, I continue to crochet, crochet, crochet. The current project is 2 afghans for some good friends – a pink one for the females in the household and a blue one for the males (or however they want to use them; that’s just my old lady-ness peeping through).

The pink one is finished:

“Pretty in Pink” – dark rose/medium pink/off white

I’ll try to control myself from giving these afghans to them before Christmas, but the blankets are just so pretty, aren’t they?

Now that I’ve run through the list of family members and friends to crochet for, I think I’ll try my hand at a little commercialism. If anyone in Western New York would like one of my afghans (“Legacy Needlework by TeddyRosalieStudio”), just send me a quick email for details (cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com). The afghans are approximately 48″ x 60″, can be made in your choice of colors to match your decor or in holiday-themed colors, and are machine washable and dryable. For now, I am unable to ship to areas other than Western New York, although exceptions might be made for very special people who live in the U.S. You can always ask.

I’m already counting the money I’ll make from my needlework, ’cause I’m sure I’ll become famous for it. Just like I did for my writing, and just like I did for my photography.

Surely, you recognize sarcasm when you read it?

In any event, crocheting relaxes me. Even if I never make a penny at it (just like my writing and my photography), I know my work will bring some joy into someone else’s life.