Tag: condo

Lens-Artists Challenge: At Home

~ oneletterup ~ 24 Comments

Lens-Artists Challenge #94: At Home

Due to the lockdown, we are spending more time at home. But, hopefully this isn’t limiting our interest in photographing. This week, we invite you to share photos taken at home.

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I am still getting used to “home” as it exists today. Although…after 3 years, I should be well on my way.

But when you’ve lived in one house for over 36 years – the greater part of your adult life – I’ve discovered it’s an ongoing adjustment after you pack up and downsize to a condo.

These long stretched out days…sitting at the kitchen table with my humongous mug of coffee every morning…I am comforted to notice bits from my old life still close by…

The vinyl records from way back (and that’s just half of the collection). The lamp that was a wedding present from dear family friends. The 42 year old philodendron – originally a wedding gift from my college roommate…a botany major.

Family pictures. Always family pictures. Oh…and a Lego character saved and resurrected from my son’s collection. Our grandson fell in love with “Astronaut” during his last visit, so we leave it on display for FaceTime. Ready and waiting to see him again.

IMG_1791 copy

Glancing behind me, the door to my “office” is open – my late mother-in-law’s antique chair tucked in the corner.

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At the far end of the table… my mind clearing puzzle remains stretched out waiting to be finished.

partial puzzle

All here at home.

Flower

~ oneletterup ~ 13 Comments

Nancy Merrill is hosting a photo challenge. The theme this week:  Flower

IN A NEW POST CREATED FOR THIS CHALLENGE, SHARE A PHOTO OR TWO FEATURING FLOWERS OF ANY KIND.

 

iris trio
Immigrant Iris

 

As anyone who lives in a condominium may know, there are rules. So many rules. As a former homeowner they have sometimes been difficult to accept.

However, I knew going into this new lifestyle what was expected. I signed the papers. By-laws. Rules and regulations. Blah blah blah.

I don’t regret the move, but sometimes I do let my mind wander to what was….

And one of those mind wandering destinations is flowers.

As anyone who reads my blog knows, I loved the flowers and flowering shrubs & trees at my former home. Where I could plant whatever I wanted. Whenever I wanted. Anyplace I wanted.

I could also shovel snow. Snow blow the driveway. Hack ice off the eaves. Rake leaves. Fertilize the lawn. Chase down wasp nests. And so on.

But I digress.

One of our new condo friends had the foresight to save a collection of iris bulbs from his former home. Where his gardens were spectacular – as he showed us in photograph after photograph.

One day in the fall of 2017, he stealthily planted several of these bulbs amongst the legal bushes around our building. They popped up the following spring.

As iris do, they spread…this past spring there were a few more.

They are…almost…an exact match to the ones I left behind.

 

 

lights

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Everybody thinks that the most important thing in life is cash. It’s not. It’s your health.

So said Dan in a recent conversation.

Dan is our electrician. He stopped by last week to look at our new condo. We needed his ideas about installing a ceiling light in the second bedroom. It could have been done during construction, but we’d wanted to keep costs down. Not smart in the long term. But Dan didn’t put it that way…

“You’d rip up that nice new sheetrock and never get it looking this good again.”

Okay, Dan, you’re right. Skip the ceiling light, but our aging eyes need more light at the flip of a switch. And our aging brains didn’t think it all the way through.

“Try wall sconces” he suggested. “Those would be simpler – won’t damage the walls.”  We agreed to visit a local lighting store and check some out.

One other thing…”We also need some dimmer switches here in the dining area. It gets too bright.” The apparent contradiction of the 2 lighting requests didn’t faze him. Dimmer switches are an easy fix.

“So how do you like living here?” Dan remembered our previous suburban home and recognized the significant life change we had made. He was perhaps 10 years behind us in age and lived out in the country. We now live in a multi-unit condo complex close to a busy state highway.

“I like it…it’s much less work….but I miss the quiet.”

We talked about the unending responsibilities of home ownership and snow removal and such. And why, for various reasons, my husband and I made this move. Entered into a mortgage again. Realized we needed to conserve our strength. I needed to avoid another fall off the deck while removing ice dams from the roof. No more climbing stairs down to a basement and up to a second floor. A shorter commute to work.

As time goes on, our physical limitations come into starker view. And we need to pay attention.

He described a recent evening at his home – windows open – all he could hear were the crickets. He just can’t give that up. As he gets older, it may get harder to keep up with his home’s needs, but…as long as he stays healthy it will be okay.

Same here, Dan, same here.