The House Behind Us

The house behind us has been for sale for, oh, I don't know, maybe four years. It is a small, two bedroom house with some fairly major problems. You know, plumbing (surface laid water supply line), wiring (most of basement is strung with extension cords), water (backs into a hillside that then drains right into the unfloored basement), only one (maybe two) legal fire exits, the kitchen extension was built on a deck, black mold, tiny rooms, rotting front deck, rotting staircase from street level, undersized lot, and those are just the ones that you can see when you cursorily inspect the house.
What it does have is a great sunny location and off-street parking.
The owner and his family outgrew the available space and moved to Juneau. Most of the work that he had done while living here was done by non-bonded handymen, not contractors. An example: the front deck (we call it the aircraft carrier) is built of untreated lumber, with non-code joist spacing, perched on top of mortar pillars taller than code.. That is all the pillars contain, mortar. No aggregate, no reinforcing wire or bar, just cement and sand. You can kick them in half with a stout kick. One lick of paint on the boards and is it any wonder that the deck is already rotten, with holes in the decking after only four years?
We know what the owner paid for the house about seven years ago. We are also well aware of what he is asking now. I'm not sure even a skeevy landlord would purchase this place to rent out. There are plenty of folks who would rent it, but nothing would get fixed and the likely result would be further deterioration and higher rents.
Anyone who buys this place as an investment/rental property is going to maximize the rent, because the turnover will be horrendous. We have seen that already, with five renters in two years.
Make a great spot for a community garden though.

Arias and Recitivito

I am now convinced that the whole reason satellite radio was developed is so I can listen to live Metropolitan Opera.
No, really.
Growing up in Virginia, I spent many Saturdays at my Great Aunt Mary's house. She was a life-long member of the Met Opera. We listened to the Texaco-Met Opera radio broadcasts all through the '60s. I cannot recall any of the particular shows, but the listening bug must have burrowed in deep, because there are only a few composers that I won't listen to with great appreciation. Most Wagner, for instance.
During a recent trip to Texas, I attended my first Met Opera HD broadcast at a movie theater. Live opera, on the big screen, with surround sound, intermissions, popcorn...what's not to love? The performance was Verdi's Othello, starring Renee Fleming. I am sure that there were other singers (Falk Struckmann sang a fantastic Iago), but they were all overshadowed by Ms Fleming.
I had to call Debi after the show to tell her that I had lost a small piece of my heart and that Ms Fleming held it. Her "Magnificat" or prayer to Mary was a stellar display of voice and comfort and belief. Marvelous beyond words.
Yep, all those satellites just for me.

So, at the recent (two months, but look how long it has been since a blog update) Friends of the NRA banquet, I won a $10 drawing. My choice of guns off of the Wall O'Guns was...a Remington R1, Remington's entry into the M1911 wars. Have not made the chance to take it to the range yet, but it is packed in the range bag with two boxes of 230 grain ball, just waiting. More to follow. (Photo from Remington web site)

Winter Arrives...and Leaves

After several days of snow, melt, freeze, snow, and snow, we now have wind gusts and a temperature of about 39. Good-bye snow.

WGOE - Richmond, Virginia - 1970's

Growing up in Richmond, the earliest radio station that I can remember would have been WLEE or possibly WRVA. Good stations, though I do not know if they are still broadcasting. They may be on the air, but the question is if they are still the same format from the sixties and seventies.

No, it was later that I was introduced to the station that still drives my listening memories. WGOE, the highest point on your AM dial, 1590. This was a top forty station that morphed into album oriented rock. Long before we all started listening to FM stations, WGOE was playing what would become FM standard.

The station never really had a huge power output. In the West End, out in Henrico, it was easy to hit hollows and have the signal drop out. But in-town, music like I still want to hear. Music giveaways like getting a plain white cover of J. Buffett's Son of a Son of a Sailor. The various ball teams (softball, flag football, basketball), all named the Nads. So we could all stand on the touchlines and shout, "GO, Nads!" Cheap, sure, but fun.

Right after I joined the Army, WGOE was sold and went about as far from its format as was possible. Christian music.

I think I'll have a drink tonight in remembrance of what was...and still can be on satellite radio.

Wet, Blustery, Schlect Wetter

Winds are 22mph with gusts to 37mph. Forecast to increase to gusts of 60. Light rain now, increasing to heavy this afternoon.
As of 20 September, we have received 22.47 inches of rain for the month. Since 1 August, 40.2". We are rapidly making up our deficit for the year.
Heard one the other day, "It only rained twice this Summer, once for thirty days, and once for forty."
Stay dry.

11 September 2011

Heh. Just when I feel like tossing the computer into the creek, I also feel creative. Hence the heh.

Lots happening around Schloss Sapper:

1. Visitor season is ending. Soon we will have our streets back, our sidewalks will be empty, and all the carpetbagging merchants will have moved on.

2. Debi will be returning from Denver. She went down at the beginning of August to help her Mom recover from an infection. Six weeks later, Mom is now in an Alzheimer's facility. That fast. Good days, bad days. Prayers are appreciated.

3. Back to the gym. The last few weeks have been so much turmoil, I knowingly dropped my lifting program. Big mistake, as I am sure many will agree. Feel like "...a 1-inch high meat carpet..."

4. My 35th high school reunion is coming up. Much retrospection involved. A great deal of commentary on the class FB page has been fun, with the cold water of just how many of our classmates are no longer with us.

Heh, indeed.