Friday evening my husband surprised me by suggesting we grab dinner out and then go to Salem to the Home Builders Show.
I always enjoy the home builders show but he has never cared for it. I don't know why; maybe be he is in the business as one of his three jobs?
So off we went. The place was full of displays. I was amazed.
We looked at replacement window places because we are considering making that investment. Our 22-year-old windows leak badly and in the winter I know all the heat goes out the cracks. We have attempted to put up things to stop the draft but to no avail.
Another thing I would like to do is put in a walk-in shower. One with a seat. This is forward-thinking for when we are too old to get over the side of the tub. I figure we should go on and make the house relatively handicapped accessible before we need it, you know? An accessible bathroom is the missing piece.
The third thing I would like to do is add on a sun room. I don't think that will ever happen because my husband doesn't like sun rooms, mostly because he claims they always leak.
Barring that, I would like to get an outdoor shed because if I can't bring myself to throw junk out of the house, I would like to store it if nothing else. That isn't going to happen either, though.
Anyway, we looked at those kinds of things. We still haven't made up our minds on the windows but we did see a few things we liked and will investigate. That is the purpose of the Home Builder's Show. To bring in business at a later date.
After we left, we found ourselves in a police blockade on US 419 as we headed for the interstate. This was a sobriety check. It was pouring rain and the policemen were in yellow slickers checking licenses. Their little police hats were in plastic and water raced off their brims.
I have been driving for 30 years and this was the first time I'd ever been in a sobriety check. I guess we aren't out late enough or in the city at the right times. We miss all of the excitement.
I have a problem with sobriety checks and similar things because I think they are fundamentally un-American.
Of course we breezed through that without incident - neither of us drink. It rained very hard all the way.
And that was the end of our Friday night.
Kurt's company sometimes goes to those home shows and they get a lot of business. Maybe you should consider some nice new flooring? It's one of the easiest things you can improve to get a major impact--a lot of bang for the buck!
ReplyDeleteShop for those windows. The chick that owned our place put in new windows and I think she bought the cheapest things she could find because they still leak like crazy and it's cold in here! On a positive note, they tilt in and so they are a breeze to clean!
I'd love one of those sun rooms too.
www.GreenerPastures--ACityGirlGoesCountry.blogspot.com
I have the tilt in windows too Debi, but I still don't clean the stupid things... just one of those little jobs that always goes to the bottom of my list.
ReplyDeleteWish I had known about the Home Show... although it's pretty difficult to drag Hubby out on a Friday night after the long work week. *stick in the mud curmudgeon*
Di
The Blue Ridge Gal
Just curious why you would "have a problem with sobriety checks and similar things because [you] think they are fundamentally un-American." How are such events "un-American"?
ReplyDeleteJeff, I think I know where Dew is coming from. How would we like it if every time we left Wal-Mart, they stopped us to check our pockets or our purses? For no reason. Or what about if the cops came into our backyards every now and then to check and see if we're growing pot? Or what about if the government put our personal information through a data base every now and then to make sure we're not going to sites that could encourage illegal activity--say, one of those sites that tell you how to avoid paying taxes? Or how to make moonshine? Just checking. Up in Jersey, they can stop you for no reason now just to check if you have your seatbelt on. They used to have to be able to see you not wearing it or have another reason to stop you. But now they changed that--they can stop you for a seatbelt check period. Where does it end? It's kind of an invasion of privacy. What if I'm in my car farting?
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, it really doesn't bother me because I am glad they are getting drunk drivers off the road. I see the importance of government intrusion, if you will, for a greater good. Plus, I don't fart, lol.
www.GreenerPastures--ACityGirlGoesCountry.blogspot.com
Our sun room is my favorite room in the house. We don't have any heat so it's off limits in the winter but it's great this time of the year and onwards. I wanted one of those shower only stalls with a seat too but figure it wouldn't be a good selling point if we ever looked to sell. People with kids still need a bath tub. We need windows too but first I really would love to find someone who knows how to upgrade and expand an outdoor tiled deck.
ReplyDeleteSounds like an eventful Friday night in the "big" city...hehe.
ReplyDeleteJeff - for all the reasons Deb said. I like the "innocent until proven guilty" thing that used to be in this country. Now we're all guilty of everything until somebody else decides otherwise. Stopping me for no reason other than the fact I'm on the road is an action that implies I'm guilty of something.
ReplyDeleteThere also are illegal search and seizure ideals that once were in place. Essentially we've relinquished a lot of rights and turned into a police state in the last 25-30 years.
You got it, Dew. We have allowed this country to be turned into a police state, but it has been in the last 8 years, not the last 25-30. OTOH, sobriety checks have been around for a lot longer than 25-30 years. I reckon we are just more sensitive to the subject, now that we don't have habeus corpus rights (and a bunch of others) any longer!
ReplyDelete