changes

Between editing or new writing projects, I am kind of floating along. We are still trying to get certain things for this house, making it ready for the snow birds who arrive in January when we are back in Oregon for lambing by February. The house seems to mostly rent in the spring and I am not sure of the reasons for that. We don't take renters through the summer as it costs too much for a/c, and summer renters in Tucson expect discounts. Where we'd get less renters; still have to keep the wireless and cable going in between, it's better to shut it off and reopen its listing for October (on the years we don't go down to do work on it).

This year, we've made certain improvements which maybe renters won't care about but might matter to some. Because nothing major went wrong this time, we have the freedom to play a bit with upgrades. We are still debating whether to change what is an indoor utility closet to an instant need hot water heater (from the gas one) and buy stackable washer and dryer. 

When we bought the house it had a dryer in an outdoor storage room and the washer in an inside, hall utility closet. Mostly I have used the clothesline that is under the back patio cover because I enjoy hanging out a wash. We cannot expect renters to feel the same. To add to it, the dryer is more a problem since we will have to use, for the first time, an agency that cleans these homes and makes them ready between renters. I am guessing they would prefer both to be inside. The water heater though became a question that went beyond its cost to longevity. The contractor who cleaned the chimney here (it has a wood-burning fireplace) said he'd bought them for his string of rentals, and they failed in a year and a half. With a rental, that's not good news. Temporary roadblock.

The most recent improvement came due to a failure of the recliner we had bought used when we first got this home. We got down here to find the lever on the side was missing. The neighbor, who has been doing the home cleaning and maintains the swimming pool, said it disintegrated with the last renter. He suggested a thrift shop out of town which he said is fantastic for bargains.

Tuesday, we headed out to Catalina and the Golden Goose Thrift Shop. The parking lot was surprisingly full with people leaving already with sacks and big smiles. It gets much of what it sells from nearby wealthy communities. It has great antiques as well as things you'd never see elsewhere. It is all volunteer labor, donations, and what money they make goes to two Arizona charities.  

When we walked through the doors, we headed for their furniture and saw what we wanted immediately. It was not easy resisting all the art, dishes, funky items but we were on a mission. The chair was at a price we could afford and a style that I had admired but hadn't imagined affording. Within an hour of leaving our house here, we had the chair loaded and headed back home. We were lucky we go there early as they said they had two that morning. We bought the last one. It fits with our eclectic house :).

Doesn't it look cozy, just waiting for a reader to settle back and get lost in a book.

 The second photo shows my workspace here in Tucson. It's one corner of the livingroom which seems to be a good place for my writing in both houses. The closet alongside serves as a coat closet, has a bookshelf for the modem and other equipment for keeping the home going.