Are We Having Fun Yet?

The last couple of months have caused me to pause and think hard about what I value in life. The last month we were in Utila, a good friend was diagnosed with cancer. It was shocking and unexpected, and made me realize how precarious our time on earth is. A month later, while in Ajijic, the woman we were house sitting for was also diagnosed with cancer. And then, after being home only a month, a fellow musician and friend died suddenly in his sleep.

Life is short, and when we lose people we love, or when we see people struggle with potentially deadly illnesses, it makes us sit up and think about how we spend our time. I felt so sad the morning after my friend died. I felt sad for his wife of many years - how empty her life must feel right now. I felt sad for all of us who gather biweekly to play and hear music, for we have lost a friend and a talent that we all so enjoyed. I felt sad for Steph and I - for how many moments we have wasted arguing over this stupid house.

The skies here are dark and grey and have been for weeks due to over 500 forest fires burning all around us. It looks like winter as ash falls from the sky like snow. The dark gloom matches my mood.


I have been working hard for weeks insulating, patching concrete, and cleaning up endless piles of debris, and Stephane has been busy keeping our upstairs "nest" clean. He cooks meals, buys groceries and is handling everything that I just do not have time for right now.

I broke down this week and called my old contractor in Calgary. We have renovated a number of houses together and I so appreciate how fast and how hard he works. He arrives on September 17th to try to help us get this reno completed in time for us to go south on October 12. On September 4 a drywall guy is coming to fix the mess my current guy has made, and then by the end of that week it will be my turn to put in the long days: I will have to prime and paint the entire basement, and put together all the kitchen cabinets. Once Jonathan gets here from Calgary he will hang the cabinets, install the counters, tile the kitchen and bathroom, finish the outside of the new windows, and then move upstairs to build the new ensuite upstairs while the flooring guys install the planking and carpet down. During that time I will be painting baseboards which I hope he can install before he leaves on Sept 28th. After that, we will be ready to put snowbirds in here up and down for the winter.

Having short term renters every winter when we go south is key to our two star retirement plan...it totally offsets our expenses down south. Last year was a shit show, and although we had some good rent coming in at times, it never came close to offsetting the money we had to unexpectedly put into the place after the first tenants trashed the place. By sticking to short term renters of our own age - homeowners from another part of Canada where winters are colder than here - we hope to avoid any tenant issues. Snowbirds often pay their rent in full, in advance, and because they are homeowners themselves, they treat your home with respect.

My goal is to complete the outside of the house upon return from Mexico at the end of March. We have a significant job to do in the backyard, which needs to be terraced to make room for the pool - which we need so we can do vacation rental next summer - also a big part of our retirement plan. In Oliver, there is always a shortage of accommodations, so vacation rentals are in high demand, and that will yield significantly more rent than long term tenants.

Now before you give me the lecture on "that's why there is an affordable housing shortage" please remember I tried the long term renter route - offering my home to two young men with a dog. I knew they would have a tough time finding a place, and I felt responsible. They not only stopped paying rent after the first month, but they trashed my house costing me over $15,000. Then the second long term tenant fled without paying her last month rent and when I got home I found her cat had poked holes all over my designer leather couch! So it is no wonder why people hold out for vacation renters...they are generally respectful, they pay more, in advance, and the law does not allow them to stay in your home and trash it while not paying rent. So I say, if people are concerned about an affordable housing crisis, maybe they should lobby policy makers to make changes to the Landlord/Tenant Act that currently favours bad tenants.

I know I sound cynical - I am so very tired, and more than a little crabby. Steph and I both continue to not sleep well, and the minor and major problems around here continue to plague me. Stupid stuff that makes me want to gouge my eyes out. Like yesterday: I finally decided on what stove I want for the upstairs. High end appliances are "in" right now - especially professional ranges, so finding one that is affordable has not been easy. I finally found one but it was only available through Home Depot online in the U.S. Unfortunately when I tried to buy it online, they do not accept Canadian credit cards. I had to drive all the way to Omak, Washington yesterday to buy $3000 worth of Home depot gift cards, and then come back and use the gift cards to make the online purchase. Unfortunately when I did, that particular stove did not qualify for the free shipping to my U.S. address in Oroville, Washington so the total amount in my "shopping cart" came to - get this - $4.38 MORE THAN WHAT I LOADED ON THE GIFT CARD! So I had to make the decision to either drive down there again for five freaking dollars, or pick a new stove with free delivery. So, I picked a new stove (actually a better quality - just less pretty), but when I tried to make the purchase, a sign came up saying "call your local store." So I did, and he was very helpful, however, when we got to the gift card part, it turns out that $2000 dollars on one of the cards is NOT THERE!! So this morning I had to call another number and try to find out where my $2000 went. To make a very long story short, I spent two hours on the phone and still have no stove and have to drive back to Washington tomorrow.

Good times.