Random 5 for April 7, 2024 – Routine, ants, projects, bad luck, housing options

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This stream flooded out several roads.

What a boring week! – I looked back at my calendar for inspiration and there was nothing exciting that happened this week — nada, zip. There was stupid stuff like I took all my Easter photos without the memory card in the camera. Argh. Our local bridge was flooded and we had way too much rain. All of that has come to be routine here.

Even the ants – are getting to be routine. Clean them off here and they move to there. I decided to call the exterminator on Saturday (after a grueling two-day battle) but they are closed until Monday. Today (Sunday) there aren’t many ants. That’s my dilemma. When the ants are plentiful, the place is closed. When it’s open, I can only find two and I wonder if it’s worth the cost.

The bathroom project – We picked out most of the stuff for the new bathroom (counter, tile, flooring). There are just a few things left to choose and they don’t have delivery times. Most are stock items like paint and faucets. Looks like our schedule has slid from June to July. As long as it’s done before cold weather, I’m ok.

The kiss of death – I’ve written about this before. The beloved husband and I are the kiss of death. Stuff happens not necessarily to us but affects us in some way. When we did the kitchen project we had two different carpenters. One was just for the window part of the project and the other was for the whole kitchen. Window guy ordered our window (which had a three-month lead time) six months before we absolutely needed it to finish the kitchen. Shortly thereafter, his wife cancelled all his orders and absconded with the money to live with the local pig farmer (I can’t make this up!). He didn’t realize the orders were cancelled until it was too late to reorder a window without a massive delay. He was heartbroken (about his wife, not the window) and plunged into near insanity (as did we!). We were able to get him to refit the old window at the new location, but it was a struggle. As if that wasn’t enough, kitchen guy hurt his knee and was on crutches for a week. He lost two weeks of work. The designer on our bath job was in a car accident four weeks ago and hasn’t been back to work yet. I told the company owner to be sure they had sufficient fire insurance on their facilities. It’s not paranoia when someone is really out to get you!

Aging out – Some dear neighbors have just announced that they put themselves on the list for local senior living. It’s a facility where you move to when you are healthy, but it has provisions to help you through the end stages of life. They would start out with independent living, moving to more assisted options and eventually nursing home care if needed. This isn’t imminent but I have started feeling abandonment issues. They are great neighbors and contemporaries. Worst yet, I am at that stage?

So how was your week?

 

71 thoughts on “Random 5 for April 7, 2024 – Routine, ants, projects, bad luck, housing options”

  2. Well, ants are now showing up here. They tend to like electronics, and I find a tiny dot of an ant or two climbing out of my keyboard! This happened frequently when I lived in Florida, but it’s a first since I moved back north. We took apart the laptop but couldn’t find any more inside. Then this morning, another one popped out. Go figure. Have you tried spraying your whole house first? I know exterminators are expensive.

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    • I’m not big on spraying because of the cats but we did spray under the sink and under the desk in areas that the cats can’t reach. We did the outside but it rained within hours so we have to do that again. Friday and Saturday there were a lot but yesterday and today they were in the single digits. Hard to judge if it’s worth calling an exterminator or doing spots and waiting it out a bit.

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  3. I am amazed how brave/determined you two are – always updating and redoing. Impressive (and such fodder for blogs…and funny stories later…much later. Hang in there and keep building…
    Maybe that’s the trick ? As long as one is building and redoing, aging stays away? Who knows? HAHA
    My brother mentioned a few months ago they had “picked out” a senior living place ( with multiple levels of care) He’s developed (more) real health issues and his wife – a great cook – is looking down the road. Either find a place yourself or get stuck in one someone else picks out. That sound true and reasonable, but…serious decision.
    We have already downsized – and it’s not comfortable. We’ll be hopefully moving closer to family eventually. Someone not too far away to watch over you is critical.
    Some of my uncles/aunts moved into lovely places while they were needing some watching over, but still able to drive (for a bit) in a small community. Those were very social – and it worked well – especially with the lovely “restaurant” available if they wanted not to cook. There were various size apartments, duplexes ( with food delivery if didn’t feel like cooking that day) and rooms when less space was needed. My parents aged at home – and that worked well for them – they had church and garden club and such for social interaction – dad had his huge garden and little backyard “woods” to gaze at from the porch.
    Every person is different in what they want. We all hope to be able to find the perfect fit place. We deserve it!
    And no. You guys are not ready.

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    • The key is the timing. Wait to long and you may not be capable. Too soon and you’re not a fit. Sigh. My mom stayed in her home and it was bonkers for us kids. We did a lot of running and worrying.

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  4. The rain here makes ants worse. Hope they take their party back outside soon! Oooh, I hope we see the new remodel when the bath is done. Fingers crossed your contractor doesn’t pass away in your tub or something weird!!

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  7. I have a friend whose husband is seven years older than her, has COPD, is prone to falling; after two bouts of pneumonia and not being able to even stand up, it was recommended he go to a nursing home or the two of them live in assisted living with a doctor on call 24/7. My friend is vibrant, full of energy and not infirm in the least. She willingly agreed assisted living was best and began to start downsizing their possessions. She was upset about giving away things that she realized she had no room for in their new place. They had already moved into an apartment as he could no longer “do stairs” and downsized for that move about eight years ago which was bad enough. She e-mailed me and said “I can’t do it – when I can no longer drive and get around on my own, then it will be time … for now, I value my independence too much.” I’ll wait to hear your results for your ant issue. Mine have not arrived since it’s been so cold, but I am sure they are lurking nearby waiting to come in and torture me.

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    • My ex married a woman 20 years his junior. About 10 years ago he was diagnosed with a degenerative terminal disease. Not sure how they cope as she is young and healthy and he is not. The woman across the street from me had to place her husband into a nursing home two years ago. She was going to downsize and sell her home here but she hasn’t yet. She is 80-ish but very healthy. Hard choices. Most people don’t plan ahead. It’s the land of denial.

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      • I can feel for these people – they are hard choices. My friend is curtailed from all the things she enjoys doing (many of it volunteer work); she walks before dawn so she is there in case he gets out of bed and falls. He is stubborn and I suggested getting him a wheelchair so they could do more things – she is so petite, not even 5 feet tall and he towers over her and is heavy. She took my advice, got the wheelchair through Medicare and he refused to go out in it. That’s unfair. You can never ever take your good health for granted – I know I don’t.

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  8. I would get the exterminator. We get ants every year even though we have an exterminator twice a year. Those little suckers are everywhere.

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    • There weren’t too many today, maybe 30 but I’m going to call tomorrow. I have enough to do with checking for cat barf in the morning. I don’t need to hunt down ants too.

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  10. Moving from a house to a condo, I’ve noticed a big difference in the amount of bugs. No ants, just a few spiders on the balcony( which I’m terrified of), but at least they aren’t inside. Your ants are smart and must know the exterminators schedule.

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  11. Your ant problem reminds me of health problems. I’ve had times on a Friday or Saturday when I ask myself: Am I sick enough to call the doctor? Will I be better or worse by Monday? Usually I’m better.

    So sad about the window guy! A pig farmer? Really?

    The couple across the street from me moved recently to an independent living facility, and the couple next door will soon be moving to E. WA to be near their son. I’ve lost quite a few neighbors over the last few years for one reason or another. So far the new neighbors have been good … and younger. But I miss the old ones.

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    • That happened at my last neighborhood. Old folks like me moved and younger ones moved in. There were no more neighborhood get togethers (at least that we were invited to). Now I’m starting to see it here. People downsizing even more for health reasons or the undertaker doing it for them.

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  12. No ants here but I do get lady bugs. They usually just stay on the screen door. I fo have watch Sophie though. She will climb the screen to try and get them which will tear it.

    Having work done in a house can be challenging and does require a lot of patience. So worth it in the end though. Hope there will be pictures.

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    • There will be pictures but not any time soon! We get Asian lady bugs in the fall but they tend to stay on the windowsills and not on my food prepping area.

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  13. No, no, no no. You are not even CLOSE to that stage. If you don’t believe me, ask your new bathroom. You’re sharp as a tack, that even ants are afraid of you.

    What was that Gus? Damned right!

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  14. Ah, I was wondering during my blogging break if you had progressed with your bathroom renovation to the point where it was already done. It’s good you’ve gotten all the materials at least. Now the wait truly begins in earnest! – Marty

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  15. We are still ant free… knock on wood… and that is unusual for this time of year. But we aren’t short on anoles. They are very cute but I would like them to stay outside! I don’t think we are ready for any kind of “senior living” yet but we would leave this house for that option when we decide it is time. There is no shortage of dedicated “senior living” here for sure.
    Enjoy your Sunday, Kate! It’s beautiful here today. April and May are my favorite months in Southwest Florida 🙂

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  16. I don’t think it’s too early to consider your options, Why wait until you have no choice? Look around at what’s available. Would you want to stay in your area or move somewhere else? I’m afraid I can’t realistically afford one of those nice retirement communities. The ones around here, at any rate, allow pets.

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    • Not sure how they work. I know there is a “buy in” that is non-refundable (and $$$$). After that, I don’t know the details. At some point, we’ll investigate. My husband’s parents opted for that and it worked out well not only for them but for their kids too who were spread all over the country.

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  17. We haven’t seen an ant in the house in years thanks to that treatment I told you my husband does every Spring. BUT I remember the days of ants in the house and it almost made me crazy. We’ve only hired a contractor once and that was last summer when we needed to have our deck replaced. We waited three weeks for them to start and they had the old deck down and new deck up in two days – came back another day to stain it for us. We were lucky to discover them and will use them for any other house projects we need to do. I imagine within the next five years at MOST we will either be downsizing to a little ranch style house we can manage easily OR a senior living place.  Husband turns 80 this year and I’m close behind him and dealing with a three story house and huge yard is just plain nuts! 

    Hugs, Pam

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    • We downsized to this place (much smaller than our old home) but there may be another “downsizing.” Some folks here live out their lives with help coming in as many of the homes have 1st floor bedrooms and are set up for easy living.

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  18. We’ve caught three ants in the lounge today and believe they are coming in through the window frame, so I have puffed the powder in the corners until Hubby can get some filler to fill in the hole.

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  19. We had ants in the trash this week, going for the cat food cans of course. I still find scouts of different sizes in different rooms. It’s very irritating–one little crumb and the invasion comes. We’ve had temps dropping into the 40s at night. Maybe they’ll leave us alone when it gets warmer…until it gets too hot, then they’ll be in looking for water. Ugh.

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  20. We’re using a different contractor for our kitchen than we’ve used for other projects, and I’m starting to be sorry we decided on that. Our usual person wasn’t available until fall, and the one we selected (with personal recommendations from folks we know) originally gave us an April/May timeline. That’s now mid-June, and that’s only tentative. Sigh.

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    • I would have used my kitchen contractor but she retired. The bath is turning out to be as $$ as the kitchen which has 17 cabinets versus 2. Scheduling is a best guess. Our kitchen person started within a month of their first projection. I don’t want to go into the fall. You hit hunting seasons (craftsmen tend to hunt) and then the holidays where everything is scrambled. Good luck to you.

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      • Thank you. I was hoping to get this done before our busy pet sitting season, but it is not to be. With the dogs, and especially Carly, who will eat anything she can reach, I’m not sure what we will be doing without a kitchen for 4-6 weeks!

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        • We have to move out of our bedroom too because that will be the staging area (and I’m not cleaning it every night as they have to go through it to get to the bathroom). It will be changes for the cats especially Sasha who is not a fan of daily contractors. She made it through the kitchen so she’ll make it through this. I will set up a litter box upstairs so she doesn’t have to go down to the basement.

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          • My challenge is that there isn’t anyplace to put food in the house except the refrigerator once things start. Carly can get food anywhere that isn’t closed and up high. We may be doing a lot of Door Dash or Subway or I don’t know what. It will be grilling season so that will help.

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            • I froze meals ahead of time that just took a microwave. We got take out a lot. For the last few weeks (our project took about 10 weeks) I bought an electric fry pan because we were sick of take out. It was too cold for the grill. My issue was the dishes afterward. I either washed them in the basement utility sink or the very shallow powder room. We mostly used disposable everything and a lot of hand held stuff.

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  21. Without a crystal ball, it’s hard to predict when to make the move. On the one hand ~ less headaches and decisions to make. Someone else to eradicate the ants. Transportation assistance at the ready. Etc.

    But for people with multiple pets, being more autonomous is certainly an advantage. I expect the cats are not ready for you to take the plunge. :D

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    • I’m not even sure pets are allowed, let alone 4 of them! For now it’s a good excuse but the decision looms there in the background. For sure I will start to downsize my cats as I lose them but that’s not imminent.

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  22. And, this is why I use my iPhone for photos these days and choose not to do projects involving contractors. 🙂 Getting a contractor around here is as hard as getting a medical appointment sooner than three months out. As for aging out, yes, I have several friends who have made that same move. We’re all headed that way, but we don’t have to like it do we? Happy Sunday, and maybe the ants have moved back outside.

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