Tuesday, June 04, 2019

Into a Bachelor's Paradise

I haven't been in my old house in years. I mean I haven't been INSIDE my old house in years. It's an old post WWII box built for returning Service men & their families. Four rooms & a bathroom in a 40' x 40' space on a big country lot with living & big bedroom up front & kitchen & tiny bedroom behind. In the days before labor saving devices, every room but the kitchen came with a ceiling light & one plug-in. My Ex added on to the kitchen, put a 20' x 20' bedroom on the back, turned the second little bedroom into a laundry room/closet & knocked out the wall between the front bedroom & living room. Roomy for one person & cozy for two. Then he added on a carport big enough & high enough for his truck & camper to pull into. Did I mention the tiny garage/workshop out back of the carport?? And then he added on a lean-to woodshed. Eventually he closed in the carport - I made him take all his tools & batteries outside! He had a tidy little house & a nice yard with shrubs & hanging baskets when I moved out.

Twenty years later I'm being forced to move back in. One thing I didn't do was GO INSIDE before I had to move. I mean - How bad could it be???  Well .  .  . it makes me look like Housekeeper of the Year!  The musty smell just about knocked me over when I came through the door.

He covered up all the windows when he was working nights about 15 years ago so he could sleep during the day & hasn't uncovered them since. I think he closed all the windows at the same time too. I made him open all the doors & windows to let the breeze in & hoped I'd be able to sleep there.

He has so many clothes that he put a dresser in the living room, another in the laundry & hung a line of shirts & jackets across the old beam that separated the front bedroom from the old living room before he took the wall down. And why aren't they in the closet or in dressers down in the 20' x 20' bedroom???? Well, he needed a TV stand - I can identify but what's with the BIG dresser in front of the closet so you can't open the door??? It's already full, he says. I suspect the neighbors foisted their cast-offs on him or they were a 'bargain' at someone's garage sale & he couldn't get them into the bedroom by himself. I have to remind myself that he's 81 after all .   .   .   .

I can get up the ramp the boys built but their porch was a waste of money. They built HALF a porch
& the ramp is too steep but I'm hoping it will be manageable when rubberized & filled with grit. The steps down to the bedroom have been replaced but I was too tired yesterday to try them.

The kitchen is a mess. The fridge is rusted out - I'm amazed that it still works - mine will go there!! But there is room for the freezer - if there's a plug-in. If I remember correctly, we had to put it into the garage because there weren't enough plugs. OMG - tomorrow I move!!

2 comments:

Sue said...

Good luck, sounds like you're going to need it!

Sharon in Surrey said...

Yeah. I'm good for about 6 hours on my feet then I either lay down or fall down!! And I still don't have a bed . . . .