Back to Soul-searching and Reflection
Our weather people certainly got it wrong when saying we were supposed to be around 10 below zero this morning, because when I looked before heading to office, it was hovering around one degree above, and when they said it was supposed to be near 30 degrees today, I could see that supposed high fell very short of its mark. That strong southerly wind was certainly keeping the temps down because that's all it was doing was blowing all that cold air back on us.
I had a mid-morning appointment out of office with a seller which went very well. After finishing up on the business side of my visit, I was invited to stay and have coffee along with a nice chat. It was a good time spent, and since I wasn't pressed for time, we didn't have to cut it short. Before leaving, I was gifted a very nice primitive style bench which I greatly appreciated because I knew exactly where I would put it, which would be back in my accounting area. I couldn't have been thankful for that precious remembrance.
When I arrived back at office, I proceeded to switch out the chair I've been using with my new bench, and when I sat down on it, I found it a perfect fit. As many times I've wanted something I could temporarily place near me while working, that charming bench offers just the amount of space I've been needing. For sure I'll have to send out a follow-up note of thanks.
My noontime appointment was with a seller who had a number of transfer documents to sign because he's in the process of moving far out of town, and wanting to make sure we had everything from him before the closing date. Since he and his family have been very good customers of mine over the years, we had a nice visit before he left.
He just happened to have one of his friends with him, and somehow we got on the subject of growing and raising organic, so I offered a small plastic bag of my freshly- ground hot peppers which he willing took. In spite of my having warned him that its hotness creeps up on a person, he licked his finger, dipped it into the bag, and then put it in his mouth. Moments afterwards I could see his face turning red which prompted me to say, "Well, by the looks of your face, you didn't take my warning seriously." We all had a good laugh out of that one.
I'd crossed paths with his friend once before, but today I found out he and his wife have a side-line of selling homegrown products at the farmers markets in our area. He lives in another County, but did say they'll be selling at our City's farmers market this year, so I'll have to stop by and see what they'll be offering.
The stay was longer than I expected, and mostly due to our visiting about growing naturally. He's very much into promoting the vitamin and mineral benefits of eating organic produce. Before they left, I congratulated him on his new venture, and since they've been at it for about five years, he's got their method pretty much fine-tuned. I didn't ask, but I'm sure they're making a good profit because if not, they wouldn't be expanding. Good for them.
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As much as I wanted to get over to that filthy stove earlier, I didn't arrive until around 1:30 p.m., and after getting a good look at how bad it really was, I said to myself, "You're not going to have it completely cleaned up today.", which is exactly what happened. The first and foremost thing I had to do, was to turn the oven on and place my oven thermometer in it, just to make sure the thermostat was still working, which luckily it was. In spite of working on it for over three hours, and keep in mind I'd already cleaned the stovetop, I'd say I've got another two hours before it's acceptable.
I placed the burners in the kitchen sink to soak overnight while I toiled away at getting the oven racks cleaned, and in spite of my having gone over the oven twice with oven cleaner which I absolutely can't stand its smell, I'll have to heat the oven up one more time tomorrow, just to get that last layer of gunk loosened. Truth be told, I can't remember the last time I've had to use oven cleaner three times before an oven was fully cleaned. Yes, that's how filthy it was, but hopefully by the time I'm completely finished with it, the unit will be suitable for the next tenant.
From here on out, there's going to be an addendum to the leases I have signed which will talk about various things like never placing anything out of a box on an oven's racks without using something similar to a cookie sheet. Another requirement, will be no nail holes for pictures allowed on the walls because they're now selling those stickers which come off without taking the paint with them. I've also decided to substantially increase the security/damage deposits because a normal month's rent almost never covers a good cleaning up, and I'm of the belief that if one makes those deposits high enough, the tenants will likely be more conscientious about the care and maintenance of their living quarters, so once again, from bad things come good as long as we learn from them and adjust our thinking.
While there for those 3+ hours, afforded me time to get some long-overdue reflecting done, and likely why the time went flying by, which is why I strongly encourage everyone to get themselves "unplugged" and back to soul-searching and reflection. Like I said yesterday, "People seem to no longer fully focus on what their doing or being told because I'm finding myself doing far more reminding that I used to, and especially when it comes to very important things." Multi-tasking used to be applauded, but I'm now of the belief that it's having a bad effect on short and long-term memories.
Tonight's One-liner is: The greater part of critics are parasites, who, if nothing had been written, would find nothing to write.