Spring Cleaning aka Ka-ching! Season

Home maintenance is important to both of us.  Richie's dad built spec houses on Long Island (bought the land, the blueprints, materials, built the house and sold it) and from his dad he learned the importance of maintenance.  This is definitely not a case of the shoemaker's children running around barefoot. 

The wood trim on the second floor of the house, facing the street, is showing the effects of our weather - the paint is peeling and I wanted to have it scraped and re-painted.  Richie said, "The whole house gets painted - there's no point in fixing the wood only to have to paint a year or two later."  And then the more I studied the wood trim, the more I wanted it gone with just a smooth surface facing the street. 

The contractor gave us the bid to tear out the wood and re-stucco (they call it "lath, scratch, brown and color coat" whatever all of that is) and it seems okay to me ($5,225) given the fact that I have no idea what so ever on what it should or could cost.  I know their work lasts. 

I am waiting for the painting contractor to get back to me with a bid for painting the house, washing the upstairs walls and painting a bannister to match a wall.

Then the contractor and the painter get to arrange a schedule whereby perhaps the painters start at the back of the house while the contractors work on the house front.   Their problem and, as they are all sensible adults, am sure they will work it all out.  If not, I will happily pass amongst them - I LOVE to wrangle with contractors. 

Meanwhile, yesterday I'd stuck a couple of slices of leftover pizza in the microwave when it gave a kind of loud shuddering groan and the power went out.  Done for.

We already knew that the convection toaster oven was taking longer and longer to toast an English muffin.  Time for a new one.

So today's Big Adventure is going to Sears for a toaster oven and a microwave.  Coffee pot? you ask?  Got the back-up Mr. Coffee in its shiny box, ready to roll.

The Spring cleaning part is wiping off where all of the appliances used to sit.  I think I can handle it.

Note to apartment dwellers:  stay where you are - toilet leaks?  garbage disposal dies?  This is how you fix these messy little problems - "Hello, Manager?"  Absorb the above as a warning.  When you own the house, there ain't no manager - you're it. 

Later that same day...The Sears' Lady told us that today's young people have no idea what a "toaster oven" is - "The just put their Pop tarts in the microwave..." she said rather sadly.