Bean Soup & Icy Weather

Yesterday morning I started some bean and ham soup in my crock pot. I picked up one of those packets that have all kinds of beans in them. Even had a little packet of Cajun seasoning.

I had it for supper. But it was a little spicy for me. 

I called Charlie and Linda next door and asked if they wanted any. So he came over and picked up the rest of it. Maybe their tummies aren't as sensitive.

It's been raining on and off all night. As you can see above, my green gazebo is a bit under the eaves of my apartment. So I can walk outside or let the dogs out and they don't immediately get wet.

It's easy to move the gazebo a little by inching each leg a bit. 

I look forward to sitting under this gazebo come springtime. So hope it makes it through the winter!

Now the rain has turned to ice. 

I woke up this morning and it was so hot in here. I got up and saw that it was in the eighties on the electronic thermostat. 

I tried to adjust it, but it wouldn't go off. I turned off the fan. I turned off the thermostat. Nothing worked and it just kept running. 

I could see dollar signs for electricity in my brain. 

I called Charlie next door. He said to go to the breaker and see if "heater" was listed. I did and it was. So I turned off the breaker. Don't know why that didn't occur to me. But if I flip it back on, same thing happens.

Luckily I have a little black Duraflame heater. So I got it out. It works by remote control. I will use that if I need to. I bought it a year of so ago after going quite awhile without heat. I didn't want to be in that position again.

I called management. Lines were down and it took me awhile to get through. So I'm in line to get someone out to work on it. 

I'm comfortable, so I'm in no hurry. However I was hoping to get some painting done in the bathroom. But I'm not going to start with that and then have to deal with someone coming to the door. 

So I guess I'll wait. I have a whole week before the maintenance guy Kenny will come over on his day off to install the new vanity. 

Since learning about what I'm planning, the couple next door are considering redoing their bathroom too. 

Here is today's photo of the pupsters. Notice Abi all but salutes when I point a camera at her. I think she was an actress in a former life!

So I'll be inside with Law & Order SVU reruns on in the background as I go about my day. Waiting for someone to come work on the thermostat.

You know I was reading yesterday that more and more people are leaving the housing market and going into the rental market. 

There are of course pros and cons to either. But if you're a woman my age living alone, renting just seems to be the better solution. Especially if you don't have a home paid off.

I fix up this place as I please. The manager here knows that. She said it seems a lot of people living here do what they want. 

I think that's because it's about 75% seniors here, and many live here more than 20 years. So they plant trees, and treat their homes more like they were home owners. I'm no different.

It doesn't matter if you can't own your home. You can create a wonderful home no matter where you live. 

After watching me decorate and redecorate and find solutions for thrifty fixes, I hope everyone sees that it is possible to love where you live. 

It's important to live in the now. If you have a landlord who is more picky, however, I can understand your frustration. But then, you can always repaint if you decide to paint your walls another color. Paint is a pretty cheap solution.

If you move out, you can put things back to how they were if it's an easy fix.

I will probably live here a long time. So I'm going to make it the home I want, in the ways that I can. 
 
So don't settle for living in a place you hate while you look toward the future to live better. Tomorrow is not a given. 

You need to feel good about your home. So if you have questions on how you might solve a rental or decorating problem, email me and I'll try to help.