Catching up
August 1, 2009
Writer
I guess maybe it would be good if I wrote something once in awhile, since I get so cranky when other people don’t update?
We have just lived through the most horrendous week, I didn’t even want this hot old laptop on me. We broke an all time heat record on Wednesday, and the whole week has just been too damn hot. I don’t sleep well, and then I wake up at 6 and it’s already in the high 70s in the house. Of course we don’t have air conditioning. We don’t need it, we live in Seattle! It’s been miserable.
This morning, I rolled over and put my hand against my face and it was so cold it woke me up. I was a happy girl. We stayed in the high 70s today, and already the house is cooling off tonight. I shall sleep well tonight.
The house drama continues. I got the woman who will be my boss next year, who is also a realtor, to take us around to look at some houses we wanted to compare last night. Then we went back to the one I like best. I still like it best. It still has a ton of potential. But my contractor friend estimates it will cost $100,000 or so to fix up. Holy cow. Houses cost less than that in some parts of the country.
I talked to a mortgage broker, and as usual, the amount of mortgage we actually qualify for is enough to give us both a nervous breakdown. We could do this. But the payments we’d have to make are significantly higher than what we pay now. We have Michael in private college. Danny coming up. And I want Emily to go to private high school.
Not to mention I just signed on for two and a half years of orthodontia for her, and the resulting payments. The long term care insurance I’ve been meaning to get started for years.
Taking on more debt right now is just stupid. So I think we’re just going to stay here and I will get new kitchen cabinets and be happy for another ten years.
At least that’s how I feel tonight.
Tomorrow morning Emily and I leave for Priest Lake in Idaho. We’ll be there with my parents for a couple of days, and then my brother will come with his two little girls, and Emily’s BFF Teresa will come with her parents for a couple of days. Should be fun.
Everyone asks me how long I will be staying, and I never know. If my dad is happy and my mom can scale back on the fussing, two weeks. If dad is mad a lot, I’ll probably cut it back a couple of days. If mom is in high fussing mode, I may be back Wednesday night. It’s different every year, and you just never know.
Danny continues to love working at camp. He got stung by a bee this week and his hand swelled up like a grapefruit. I am not aware that he’s ever been stung before, and am alarmed that he had such a bad reaction. I am allergic to bee stings to the point that my skin splits with the swelling, and my brother carried an epipen for years for bees. I told Danny, if this ever happens again you go right to the medic and tell him you’re probably allergic and you want him to keep an eye on you. Yeah, mom, whatEVer.
Sigh.
Michael has figured out that with the money he has earned this summer, he probably won’t need to take out a student loan this year, and he is over the moon about it. I am very proud of him for 1. knowing this is a big deal, and 2. showing up for work every night, even though it’s deadly dull.
Last week, one of the security guards who worked for his company was walking home from work in the night and was hit and killed by a hit and run driver. The same night, another guard was manning his station and got caught in the middle of a gang gunfight. They weren’t shooting at the guard, and he wasn’t hurt, but they were on either side of him, firing their guns. A boring garage where he sees no one for his whole shift? Is sounding pretty good to his mother right now. Sheesh.
As if the horrible heat weren’t bad enough, it apparently had a bad effect on the dog’s digestive system. The last two mornings, I let him out of his crate and he ran down the hall to go outside, tracking horrible smelly things behind him. I made the SAH bathe him and wash out that crate. He was the one who couldn’t live without that stupid dog.
Maybe instead of a new house I should get another kitty.
Entry Filed under: Uncategorized
One Comment Add your own
Leave a Reply
Trackback this post | Subscribe to comments via RSS Feed
1.
Margaret |
August 1, 2009 at 4:05 pm
I wish it would cool down to the low 80s or even high 70s! It sounds like a new house would be a huge burden and not worth it. Michael must be earning a lot of money; Alison is getting about 20 hours a week at the grocery store. She’s earning way more than her friends, most of whom didn’t manage to find a job–but it would be nice to get more hours. Oh, well. Stay cool!!