New Year New Dishwasher

The goal for today is to stay warm and dry. I took Hubby to work this morning in the freezing cold and snow. Then, I went to the grocery store, just in case, to pick up some necessities – i.e. toilet paper. Now I am sitting alone in my house waiting for the new dishwasher to arrive. Long story short – current dishwasher is loud, does not do its job well, and Hubby hates the way it loads.

It has occurred to me more than once in my first weeks as a homeowner that homeownership is expensive. Regardless of how great a house is and how much it is billed as move in ready, I have determined that either the person who believes it is a terrible optimist or ignorant of the vagaries of home ownership . I believe Hubby and me to be both.

What has surprised me the most in this entire experience is that Hubby has embraced the craziness of it all as a personal challenge. He has painted. He has installed smoke detectors. He has put additional insulation in the attic that made our bedroom go from a bit on the cold side to toasty warm – that is until the temperature drops way below freezing outside. He even unclogged the toilet when it required a trip to Lowe’s and the acquisition of a snake. (I will admit that he was not motivated until I informed him that I was not running from the second floor bedroom to the basement in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and that I was calling a plumber.)

For me, things feel like they are settling down a bit. I have been able to some knitting. I am doing some writing. The space is beginning to feel like home to me. All the upheaval and anxiety that have marked the past few months is slowly resolving. It helps that I have made a point on some cold, winter evenings to put on my jammies, sit wrapped up on the couch, drinking hot tea, and knitting or reading.

Then again, I will need all the calm and balance I can get. My brother, sister and nephew are coming for a visit next week. It will be the first time in many years that my siblings and I have been together. It will be my nephew’s first visit to the States.

We are a family familiar with airport joy and grief. I have lived two thirds of my life with family a hemisphere away. We moved to Argentina when I was thirteen. I thought that once my siblings and I graduated from high school that the three of us would stay together. Things didn’t work out that way. My brother lives in Phoenix. My sister lives in Buenos Aires. When my parents retired, they left my sister and nephew in Buenos Aires. Life is a funny ole dog.

The dishwasher guys have come and gone. They left a nice, quiet dishwasher behind and took the ancient one with them. Aside from the fact I took them of a tour of the basement on the quest of the breaker box that took them through the forrest of hanging bras and underwear, it was okay. The live too far away from me to care.

Now, I must remember to embark on a deforestation project before my brother and nephew arrive as I am sure that they will join Hubby in the Mancave. Washing alley is just through the magic door to the basement wild.