This was a week filled with new and probably not so exciting adventures. I don't think this quarantine thing impacts me as much as others; other than church meetings and activities my life is still basically the same. A weekly trip to the market, minor repairs as needed at rent homes - which usually requires a trip to Home Depot.
Monday I hauled in 8-9 boxes of things we stored back in late 2017 in anticipation of serving a mission. In sorting them over the next several days, Salvation Army got three boxes of books, a few items found their way to the trash and some will be offered up to family members. Then I brought in 4 tubs from the storage shed that have been there, basically untouched by human hands for several years. One tub contained several dolls that Sandy probably played with as a young child and a few more that she had made (cabbage patch type). And I found the doll case she had as a child, complete with lots of doll clothes. What does one do with these types of items that brought such joy to Sandy as a child, but now have little significance to her posterity? I can't see just throwing them away - that is like throwing a part of her away.
Tuesday I met with the realtor at the duplex I had hoped to put on the market last month. He offered some helpful suggestions to improve the curb appeal, such as painting the trim and the doors that face the road. I hope to get those done quickly and get it on the market.
Wednesday we had a retired couple move into the area from Kentucky (or maybe Tennessee) and the Elder's Quorum showed up (about 8 of us) to help unload their 26 foot van. We were done in two hours. What a challenge to move into a new to you area during a time when you are restricted from going and meeting new people and get to know your new community.
Thursday I left home early and drove the hour to Harrison to purchase a metal shed for one of my rentals. The old one was, well, old. The door did not function and it was an eye sore. The local Home Depot did not have one in stock and while they could have one shipped to me, it would cost $55 for shipping. And no, they could not have one of the three in Harrison sent to Mountain Home. Hence my drive to Harrison. Besides buying gas for $1.38 a gallon, I saved over $100 by buying it there,since it was cheaper than here.
Friday I spent a couple of hours replacing rotted trim boards at the rental I hope to put on the market. I returned on Saturday to hopefully repair a roof leak there as well. The downstairs has a small entry way that sticks our 10 feet and has an A-frame roof. There is a deck for the second story entry built over that roof and that is where the leak is. This job required removing several of the 12 foot deck boards to access the roof; I then tarred and overlaid rolled roofing over that area. It rains frequently enough that I should know in the next couple of weeks if I was successful.
I also mowed the lawn Saturday. As I look out the window now, everything is so lush and green and beautiful. The dog wood is still bright and pretty; the peaches that were up to 1/2 inch diameter are even bigger now - inspite of two nights freezing temperatures.
Today was church. While not ideal, I can still partake of the sacrament. And no one objects to my comments during the Come Follow Me lessons; I am also able to just pause and reflect on the moment without being rushed on to the next comment.
My scanning progress for the week: I finished scanning 799 pages of letters Sandy wrote to me from April 1975-Jan 1976. This continues to be an enlightening and positive experience to me as I view from this perspective 45 years later, the growth and maturity that this separation gave us. Now I am tackling letters I wrote to Sandy starting in 1967. I can't believe I was such a jerk to her back then! Glad she saw past all that!
Interesting things learned this week:
1. During my monthly adjustment with the chiropractor, he shared that the virus pandemic had reduced his business to 40% for the first two weeks; he was now up to 50%.
2. At Home Depot, one of the workers was telling another associate that he worked 65 hours last week. He explained that some of the employees were choosing to remain at home, so corporate had authorized employees to work up to 80 hours a week. When asked why he was working so many hours: 'I need the money'.
3. A worker at Baxter Lab (they make medical products) said that for a week or so Baxter was paying an additional $50 a day for those who came to work; evidently money will motivate people to put aside their health concerns and come to work.
4. All of my tenants paid their rent in full for the month of April!
5. While the local county has had 4 confirmed cases of the virus identified, none of them are at the local hospital.
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