My grandmother always advised me never to buy a house unless I could afford to hire a gardener. Taking her wisdom to heart, that's precisely what I did! Beautiful landscaping truly is the gift that keeps on giving. While I take pride in planting flowers myself, I wisely leave the lawn care to the experts to work their magic.
Ooooh! I agree with your granny. But I've taught our gardeners a thing or two. Specifically, "No-Mow May" when you don't mow the whole month of May. It's magical. The lawn fills itself in, weeds get naturally eliminated and all kinds of wildlife show up!
At my homes, I have an rrangement. Like a lawncare person to do the mowings. I do all the little stuff (I have an excellent collection of hand trimmers, small saws, branch cuttders, and so forth. I buy good tools. They last forever.)
E. Jean, It hit very cold here today, so I’ve been trying to keep everything warm. I hope 🤞🏻 it works. In one day here it went from boiling 🥵 hot to freezing 🥶 cold.
I’ve installed toilets, faucets, ceiling fans, and light fixtures. I’ve skim coated walls, pulled up carpeting and lifted rotted underlayment. I’ve replaced doorknobs, and dimmer switches, and the heating element inside my oven. I’ve bombed my house for fleas and painted more walls than Mexico could ever refuse to pay for. I’ve replaced sink drains, hung beadboard, removed vinyl tile and scraped up all the motherfricken adhesive it left behind. I’ve snaked clogged drains and installed shrink wrap on my windows and weatherstripping on my doors. I’ve steamed off wallpaper and hung new wallpaper, I’ve patched plaster cracks in the ceiling. I’ve repaired/rescreened porch screens and doors.
Phew! And it’s only Thursday….
(🤣)
Seriously, I do as much as I can on my own because repair folks are expensive, our funds are limited, and this house has scared away more than a few tradespeople.
What I will pay for is someone to service our boiler, (because it’s a beast, it’s finally paid for, and it’s beautiful, and I don’t know anything else about it) and we have our chimneys professionally cleaned every year because my husband doesn’t bounce like he used to, and I’m afraid of heights.
I’ve replaced flusher handles, flappers, supply lines, and the entire tank/bowl thing. My familiarity with all things toilet are beyond anything I ever would have imagined, so I wouldn’t be the worst call. Hahaa!
Hahaa! Mostly, I guess I follow in my mother’s footsteps. (I watched her fix a rotary phone with a shoelace when I was a little kid!) You learn by doing, mostly. Google and YouTube and picking people’s brains are also major contributors. And I take pride in being able to pull this shit off. None of the things I’ve listed are hard. They just require some basic knowledge, the right tools, and common sense. Necessity and lack of funds also play a pivotal role. 😎
You sound like me. I pretty much have the mindset of "well, the damn wasn't working, so what does it matter if I take a screwdriver, pliers, wrench, or whatever to it? (I am careful to cut the power. I have participated in far too many codes to ever want that done to me, thank you very much. TV has glorified the cardiac shock thing and, trust me, it doesn't work all that often or that well, and even when it does, the recipient is sore as HELL for days after.) If I succeed, fine, if I don't, well, the service people get called anyway.
I’ve hammered more than my share of nails with a rock, boot heel, or meat tenderizer! Anything electrical I always, ALWAYS shut off the main breaker. ⚡️
That said, we just bought a new gas range and we will be calling a plumber to hook it up.
Holy cow. I’ve done a lot of those things like putting exquisite tile down in my Arizona home , so fulfilling. However I have never replaced a toilet I’m afraid I would mess it up bad!
I do it all myself, too, except for the plumbing, electric and cars. My hubs and I used to do it all, but one of the lovely things about being old and having enough money to get by is paying people to come in to do the heavy lifting. The last time was this past summer when the water line broke outside, under several feet of heavy clay soil. It was worth every penny to pay to get that done.
Just yesterday, had a handyman visit to fix washing machine, kiva thermostat and outer door handle. Turned out he was a very interesting older fellow with unruly long hair and beard who spent time in Haiti, Iran and many other places to help with natural and man-made disasters. He said, "When I hear the cries, I go." Now, I'm headed out the door, which locks again, for a haircut.
After a quarter-century of elementary school teaching (I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!!!!), I no longer needed to live the suburban life on the Isle of Long. Sold the house and car.
I welcomed the extra dinero from NO MORE monthly landscaper, weekly housekeeper, seasonalsprinkler system guy, too often heating/ac guy, highway robber roofer, WTF car maintenance guy, ass crack plumber, ex cop electrician, and former NYC firefighter handyman who wanted cash payment.
Hmmmm, Just think how much I'll save living in a small 1 br in NYC...
In August 2023, after a year- long rental for $5K/month in Peter Cooper Village, NYC, I traded some of my investments for a 1br, Upper East Side co-op. I tip someone for doing something like making me a latte, and I just took another $1K cash outta the bank to tip the all building staff. Since moving in, I have had to hire another plumber, locksmith, handyman, painter, someone to hang my art (i was afraid to fuck up the new paint job), and I just handed over a ton of dough to California Closets to organize all the crap I can't seem to KonMarie outta my life. I hear she's messy now, and doesn't give a shit about it. She's having fun getting dirty with her three kids. Did I digress? Sorry, I live alone and am feeling chatty.
I also pay for someone wonderful to manicure and pedicure me twice monthly. It keeps me from being a nail-biter. Once a month, I pay Ariana for a great facial at the Upper East Side HeyDay.
I think it's a financial wash, but an emotional win for me all around.
Your life sounds lovely! Elementary school teachers are my heroes. I’ve spent many many happy hours doing author readings at elementary schools and planning mischief and mayhem with the teachers (the good kind). Kids that age are THE best.
I missed teaching the minute I retired in June 2023, and by September, I found my joy as a volunteer tutor for Literacy Partners of New York. I tutor first graders in a wonderful Harlem public school. I love reading and authors are magical!
Oh how wonderful! I wish we were closer I'd love to meet and volunteer with you. Writing and illustration are my happy places and I still dream of doing a podcast with the CritterKin mutts and kids as the hosts of the show - lol. If you are curious, and would like to hear the voices of the dogs, see https://www.dreamingwideawake.org/critterkin
I had four really good elementary school teachers. It's been 60 years since I finished elementary school, and I still remember those teachers very fondly. One of them I befriended in adulthood. We met at Grand Central Station, and despite the fact that the last time I'd seen her I'd been a prepubescent child, it felt like two old friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time finally getting together again and catching up. It was a wonderful reunion.
Alas, she'd been fighting breast cancer for eight years, and she only had two years to live at that point.
There is much that I learned from each of these teachers that I remain grateful for, as well as the very important close relationships I had with them--which fed my interest in what they taught us. More than 60 years have passed, but they truly permanently broadened my horizons.
Thank you Leah! I loved all four of these teachers, and the learning they gave me. I was lucky my parents sent me to private schools. Monica Feuermann was especially special.
My daughter is an elementary school teacher (3rd grade). She's in AZ. She loves the vocation and the kids, but don't get her started on her public school district. She's dying to move back here to Northern VA where she grew up and also did her teacher training.
Yes, the public education system is really problematic. I've been ranting about it for 15 years now and am simply worn out. It won't change until those who profit from how things operate are forced to leave. This is a sore topic for me (sorry about that). Please thank your daughter for me. Third and fourth graders are the ones I wrote my books for and enjoyed spending time with. HUGS!
I pay for someone to clean our home! Plumbing--always call someone. If I could afford it, I would hire a Vegan chef and someone to load and unload the dishwasher. Oh, I also hate doing laundry.
Ha! I pay humans for weekly housekeeping, pool upkeep, dog grooming, landscaping (maintenance), and definitely hair and nails. I prefer to do my own grocery shopping but have been known to lean on Instacart. Especially during the pandemic. Also to fly the (commercial) planes im on and service my car. I guess I rely on quite a few, but others rely on me for legal work and, hopefully soon, my first novel.
What don't I hire others for? My car--although I did change my spark plugs a couple of years ago, and I may well change them again. And I used to give my car tune ups when you could do that, and I quite enjoyed the way the engine sang afterwards. But I sold that Toyota Corolla (a '79 with 5 on the floor) in 1993, when I bought the brand new Saturn (5 on the floor). The current car, an '08 Civic, also has 5 on the floor, and is my favorite car that I've ever had. Just got the snows on, something I could have done but just didn't want to do. I'd have to get a jack, something my Civic--bought used--did not come with, and I should have made them give me one.
I have changed tires, but I haven't had a flat in probably around 15 years. Once, years ago, driving along, I saw a teenaged girl by the side of the road with a flat. I stopped, told her I could change it for her in around 10-15 minutes, or I could tell her what to do, so that she could do it herself next time, but it might take 30 minutes or more. She chose the latter, and did it quite successfully.
But the furnace, electric stuff, plumbing, getting the house insulated (major improvement not only with smaller heating bills but less outdoor noise coming in), painted, etc. I hire people for that. I do mow my own lawn, and shovel my own snow. But I hire people to cut trees down when that's necessary. And Queen Dressmaker repaired my two 25 year old (now 30 year old) sweaters that my parents had given me. They still look good. And she also fixed one of my sport coats. I've had both pairs of Birkenstocks overhauled probably several times (I think one of those pairs is 40 years old).
I am loving apartment living as all I have to do is clean, no more maintenance or upkeep. I no longer miss the cost along with the stress. It has freed up so much time & energy to devote to reading, making art and seeing friends.😊
I pay people to cut my hair, fix my car, and rotate or change my tires. I may be paying an electrician to install new ceiling lights abs fans because my husband says he will do it but never does.
I pay for weekly massages from a goddess of bodywork. I pay for weekly cleaning of my apartment and revel in the order and cleanliness after it's done. Once a month or so I spring for a mani/pedi.
Pay my stylist to give me the smallest appearance of style, every four weeks. I pay a team to change my cars oil and to tell me that it has a "leaky rear axel" along with a faint odor of gasoline vapor. I used to pay a very strong woman to massage my back once I week, but since she moved out of state I no longer pay anyone to touch me 🤣
My grandmother always advised me never to buy a house unless I could afford to hire a gardener. Taking her wisdom to heart, that's precisely what I did! Beautiful landscaping truly is the gift that keeps on giving. While I take pride in planting flowers myself, I wisely leave the lawn care to the experts to work their magic.
Ahhhhhh! What beauty this brings you, Lisa! Well done!
Ooooh! I agree with your granny. But I've taught our gardeners a thing or two. Specifically, "No-Mow May" when you don't mow the whole month of May. It's magical. The lawn fills itself in, weeds get naturally eliminated and all kinds of wildlife show up!
Love that tip. Gonna mark my calendar for 2025 to remind myself. Thank you.
You won't regret it Lisa!
At my homes, I have an rrangement. Like a lawncare person to do the mowings. I do all the little stuff (I have an excellent collection of hand trimmers, small saws, branch cuttders, and so forth. I buy good tools. They last forever.)
So enjoyable---TRIMMING!!!
Good tools make me swoon.
Just today I trimmed my five orange 🍊 trees in the backyard. When they are ripe they will be goooood!
Yuuuummm!
Excellent, Lorraine Evanoff!
🥰
E. Jean, It hit very cold here today, so I’ve been trying to keep everything warm. I hope 🤞🏻 it works. In one day here it went from boiling 🥵 hot to freezing 🥶 cold.
I’ve installed toilets, faucets, ceiling fans, and light fixtures. I’ve skim coated walls, pulled up carpeting and lifted rotted underlayment. I’ve replaced doorknobs, and dimmer switches, and the heating element inside my oven. I’ve bombed my house for fleas and painted more walls than Mexico could ever refuse to pay for. I’ve replaced sink drains, hung beadboard, removed vinyl tile and scraped up all the motherfricken adhesive it left behind. I’ve snaked clogged drains and installed shrink wrap on my windows and weatherstripping on my doors. I’ve steamed off wallpaper and hung new wallpaper, I’ve patched plaster cracks in the ceiling. I’ve repaired/rescreened porch screens and doors.
Phew! And it’s only Thursday….
(🤣)
Seriously, I do as much as I can on my own because repair folks are expensive, our funds are limited, and this house has scared away more than a few tradespeople.
What I will pay for is someone to service our boiler, (because it’s a beast, it’s finally paid for, and it’s beautiful, and I don’t know anything else about it) and we have our chimneys professionally cleaned every year because my husband doesn’t bounce like he used to, and I’m afraid of heights.
HOLD THE PHONE!
You have installed a toilet!!
I am "bouncing" with delight!
I have! It’s one of those little accomplishments that rarely comes up in conversation, but when it does?
I’m ready.
Who you gonna call the next time you have toilet issues? LOL
I’ve replaced flusher handles, flappers, supply lines, and the entire tank/bowl thing. My familiarity with all things toilet are beyond anything I ever would have imagined, so I wouldn’t be the worst call. Hahaa!
Clogbusters!!
Hah!
Kim, your comment reminded me about so many things that I had forgotten I used to do!
It’s amazing what we learn to deal with along the way! I know I’ve left a few things off the list.
Opportunity is the mother of desperation or something like that ;-)
Heeee! Well said, Jena!
*snort* 🤣
Pretty close to exactly like that!
Adrenaline is magic ;-)
Good heavens Kim! How did you learn how to do all that?!
Hahaa! Mostly, I guess I follow in my mother’s footsteps. (I watched her fix a rotary phone with a shoelace when I was a little kid!) You learn by doing, mostly. Google and YouTube and picking people’s brains are also major contributors. And I take pride in being able to pull this shit off. None of the things I’ve listed are hard. They just require some basic knowledge, the right tools, and common sense. Necessity and lack of funds also play a pivotal role. 😎
You sound like me. I pretty much have the mindset of "well, the damn wasn't working, so what does it matter if I take a screwdriver, pliers, wrench, or whatever to it? (I am careful to cut the power. I have participated in far too many codes to ever want that done to me, thank you very much. TV has glorified the cardiac shock thing and, trust me, it doesn't work all that often or that well, and even when it does, the recipient is sore as HELL for days after.) If I succeed, fine, if I don't, well, the service people get called anyway.
LOL that’s the spirit. I confess to not being intimidated by much either. I just haven’t had the kind of practice y’all have had. I’m impressed!
I’ve hammered more than my share of nails with a rock, boot heel, or meat tenderizer! Anything electrical I always, ALWAYS shut off the main breaker. ⚡️
That said, we just bought a new gas range and we will be calling a plumber to hook it up.
ha!
You are a wise, wise woman, Ellen!
That's just what I was thinking, Jena!
Holy cow. I’ve done a lot of those things like putting exquisite tile down in my Arizona home , so fulfilling. However I have never replaced a toilet I’m afraid I would mess it up bad!
I have never laid tile, nor operated a wet saw, so that may well be something I leave to the pros.
Honestly? Toilets are NOT hard. At all. But it does impress the hell out of people when you tell them you fix/replace ‘em yourself. 😂
🤣🤣🤣
I do it all myself, too, except for the plumbing, electric and cars. My hubs and I used to do it all, but one of the lovely things about being old and having enough money to get by is paying people to come in to do the heavy lifting. The last time was this past summer when the water line broke outside, under several feet of heavy clay soil. It was worth every penny to pay to get that done.
I felt the same way when the septic had to be redone. Worth every penny to watch those men work. Go ahead. Dig up my yard. Make mud. I do not care.
HAR!!!
Laughing…all that muscle and sweat eh Ellen?
Hey, my momma didn't raise any stupid children.
Excellent!
I pay a fellow human being to give me eyelash extensions. Every two weeks. Btw LOVE your kitchen. It reminds me of Matisses in Giverny!
Jamie! Thank you! And ya know, I always imagine Matisse with long eyelashes---
taping them up to his forehead so he could paint!
SNORT. Oddly it does sound like something he would do to get an interesting self portrait.
Very cool kitchen!
It IS very cool but I kept looking for the black widow spider she told me lives above the sink.
That was 14 Brown widows living above my cot in my shed in Montana, Jena
I know about those but was sure you said there was a black widow making her home above your sink in your current humble abode. Maybe I got it wrong.
Spiders are good. They eat aphids that chew away on your green plants! Carefully carry all inside spiders out in a tissue, and let them do their job.
Yes spiders are good!
O! THANX!
Just yesterday, had a handyman visit to fix washing machine, kiva thermostat and outer door handle. Turned out he was a very interesting older fellow with unruly long hair and beard who spent time in Haiti, Iran and many other places to help with natural and man-made disasters. He said, "When I hear the cries, I go." Now, I'm headed out the door, which locks again, for a haircut.
I love that you got to know this Haiti-Iran-Helping genius, Tom!
My ambition pales in comparison…I let the experts: cut the grass, clean the house, and cook the dinner (thank god for my chef/roommate Jane)
YOU love to drive on all the roadtrips!!!
After a quarter-century of elementary school teaching (I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!!!!), I no longer needed to live the suburban life on the Isle of Long. Sold the house and car.
I welcomed the extra dinero from NO MORE monthly landscaper, weekly housekeeper, seasonalsprinkler system guy, too often heating/ac guy, highway robber roofer, WTF car maintenance guy, ass crack plumber, ex cop electrician, and former NYC firefighter handyman who wanted cash payment.
Hmmmm, Just think how much I'll save living in a small 1 br in NYC...
In August 2023, after a year- long rental for $5K/month in Peter Cooper Village, NYC, I traded some of my investments for a 1br, Upper East Side co-op. I tip someone for doing something like making me a latte, and I just took another $1K cash outta the bank to tip the all building staff. Since moving in, I have had to hire another plumber, locksmith, handyman, painter, someone to hang my art (i was afraid to fuck up the new paint job), and I just handed over a ton of dough to California Closets to organize all the crap I can't seem to KonMarie outta my life. I hear she's messy now, and doesn't give a shit about it. She's having fun getting dirty with her three kids. Did I digress? Sorry, I live alone and am feeling chatty.
I also pay for someone wonderful to manicure and pedicure me twice monthly. It keeps me from being a nail-biter. Once a month, I pay Ariana for a great facial at the Upper East Side HeyDay.
I think it's a financial wash, but an emotional win for me all around.
Your life sounds lovely! Elementary school teachers are my heroes. I’ve spent many many happy hours doing author readings at elementary schools and planning mischief and mayhem with the teachers (the good kind). Kids that age are THE best.
I missed teaching the minute I retired in June 2023, and by September, I found my joy as a volunteer tutor for Literacy Partners of New York. I tutor first graders in a wonderful Harlem public school. I love reading and authors are magical!
HOW WONDERFUL, LEAH!!!!!!!!
Oh how wonderful! I wish we were closer I'd love to meet and volunteer with you. Writing and illustration are my happy places and I still dream of doing a podcast with the CritterKin mutts and kids as the hosts of the show - lol. If you are curious, and would like to hear the voices of the dogs, see https://www.dreamingwideawake.org/critterkin
A lot of kids will remember you fondly many years hence!
I had four really good elementary school teachers. It's been 60 years since I finished elementary school, and I still remember those teachers very fondly. One of them I befriended in adulthood. We met at Grand Central Station, and despite the fact that the last time I'd seen her I'd been a prepubescent child, it felt like two old friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time finally getting together again and catching up. It was a wonderful reunion.
Alas, she'd been fighting breast cancer for eight years, and she only had two years to live at that point.
There is much that I learned from each of these teachers that I remain grateful for, as well as the very important close relationships I had with them--which fed my interest in what they taught us. More than 60 years have passed, but they truly permanently broadened my horizons.
I loved reading this.
Thank you Leah! I loved all four of these teachers, and the learning they gave me. I was lucky my parents sent me to private schools. Monica Feuermann was especially special.
My daughter is an elementary school teacher (3rd grade). She's in AZ. She loves the vocation and the kids, but don't get her started on her public school district. She's dying to move back here to Northern VA where she grew up and also did her teacher training.
Yes, the public education system is really problematic. I've been ranting about it for 15 years now and am simply worn out. It won't change until those who profit from how things operate are forced to leave. This is a sore topic for me (sorry about that). Please thank your daughter for me. Third and fourth graders are the ones I wrote my books for and enjoyed spending time with. HUGS!
I pay for someone to clean our home! Plumbing--always call someone. If I could afford it, I would hire a Vegan chef and someone to load and unload the dishwasher. Oh, I also hate doing laundry.
How much are you willing to pay to have me Drive over an load your dishwasher, Caroline?
Hah! We might have a new business.
My significant other is my Vegan chef. I am blessed
What a treasure your SO must be.
I don't mind doing it...it's the putting away I hate.
Ha! I pay humans for weekly housekeeping, pool upkeep, dog grooming, landscaping (maintenance), and definitely hair and nails. I prefer to do my own grocery shopping but have been known to lean on Instacart. Especially during the pandemic. Also to fly the (commercial) planes im on and service my car. I guess I rely on quite a few, but others rely on me for legal work and, hopefully soon, my first novel.
You know what would be fun? If you could hire a bunch of macaques to come in and clean the house? 😂
Might not turn out great, but it sure would be fun! 😂
I couldn't really. But my imagination can!
MY GAWD! THAT IS A MOVIE SCRIPT, Deana!
𝙰𝙱𝚂𝙾𝙻𝚄𝚃𝙴𝙻𝚈 𝙴𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚈𝚃𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙸 𝙲𝙰𝙽 𝙶𝙴𝚃 𝙰𝚆𝙰𝚈 𝚆𝙸𝚃𝙷. 🤷♀️
HAR!!!!!!!!!!
🤣
Wow! Thanks for that glimpse into your ABSOLUTELY AMAZING place! And Vagina T. Fireball is the best cat name ever!
I hire people to fix my car, clean my bathrooms and kitchen twice a month, and therapists.
Awwww, thanx, Laura!
Agree about the name.
What don't I hire others for? My car--although I did change my spark plugs a couple of years ago, and I may well change them again. And I used to give my car tune ups when you could do that, and I quite enjoyed the way the engine sang afterwards. But I sold that Toyota Corolla (a '79 with 5 on the floor) in 1993, when I bought the brand new Saturn (5 on the floor). The current car, an '08 Civic, also has 5 on the floor, and is my favorite car that I've ever had. Just got the snows on, something I could have done but just didn't want to do. I'd have to get a jack, something my Civic--bought used--did not come with, and I should have made them give me one.
I have changed tires, but I haven't had a flat in probably around 15 years. Once, years ago, driving along, I saw a teenaged girl by the side of the road with a flat. I stopped, told her I could change it for her in around 10-15 minutes, or I could tell her what to do, so that she could do it herself next time, but it might take 30 minutes or more. She chose the latter, and did it quite successfully.
But the furnace, electric stuff, plumbing, getting the house insulated (major improvement not only with smaller heating bills but less outdoor noise coming in), painted, etc. I hire people for that. I do mow my own lawn, and shovel my own snow. But I hire people to cut trees down when that's necessary. And Queen Dressmaker repaired my two 25 year old (now 30 year old) sweaters that my parents had given me. They still look good. And she also fixed one of my sport coats. I've had both pairs of Birkenstocks overhauled probably several times (I think one of those pairs is 40 years old).
I am loving apartment living as all I have to do is clean, no more maintenance or upkeep. I no longer miss the cost along with the stress. It has freed up so much time & energy to devote to reading, making art and seeing friends.😊
Me, too! I'm spending a lot more of my money on maintaining myself! It's a lot more fun.
😜
Egggzactly!
Hah! Keep maintaining. You are fabulous.
I pay people to cut my hair, fix my car, and rotate or change my tires. I may be paying an electrician to install new ceiling lights abs fans because my husband says he will do it but never does.
I pay for weekly massages from a goddess of bodywork. I pay for weekly cleaning of my apartment and revel in the order and cleanliness after it's done. Once a month or so I spring for a mani/pedi.
Pay my stylist to give me the smallest appearance of style, every four weeks. I pay a team to change my cars oil and to tell me that it has a "leaky rear axel" along with a faint odor of gasoline vapor. I used to pay a very strong woman to massage my back once I week, but since she moved out of state I no longer pay anyone to touch me 🤣