Prairie Place on 1st

My early morning was spent working on a sale file that is now ready for title work to be done so we can get it closed. I was happy to find I had all the information I needed, which meant I didn't have to call the selling agent for more details. As I've said before, the more people involved in a sale, the more easily it is for someone to drop the ball. 

I then hurried home so I could get some cookies baked for my open house at Prairie Place on 1st. It may sound a bit corny, but I've started providing something homemade whenever having those units open. Since there's usually a good turnout, it's always nice to have something sweet to serve or take with them. I used a recipe for lemon cookies which my grandmother gave me a number of years ago, and they turned out as good as I both expected and remembered.

Having three hours to kill before my open house, I decided to work on some sidewalks in great need of edging. For some reason, I've discovered few if any of our residents bother to keep the grass and weeds from growing along their sidewalks, which in turn create matted messes if left to grow year-over-year. Even though most sidewalks don't appear to be in need of edging, you'd be surprised how far that thatch can extend inward towards the center and still go un-noticed.

Today's project revealed between four and six inches of matted thatch. You can believe by the time I was finished, I was wet from head to toe from sweat. Thank goodness there was a sunken area in the back yard where a tree used to stand which I filled up with all the clumps of sod and dirt that I removed. 

I gave those sidewalks a once-over sweep, but I'm sure the next rain we have will have the rest of it all washed off. When I stood back and looked at the finished product, I was shocked to see how much wider the sidewalk appeared in comparison to those of the neighbors on either side. I'm hoping they'll take the hint and clean up their own. 

I can remember as a youngster, how many of our residents used to be diligent about edging sidewalks, but for some reason, that's all fallen out of fashion and I don't know why. I'm definitely in hopes it's not because of how all the lazier our residents have become from their dismissal of the idea that pride in ownership is a very important thing when it comes to maintaining the re-sale values of their homes. 

After a quick shower and change of clothes, off I went to my open house. I got there about a half hour early just so to have time to turn all the lights on and unlock the doors to those remaining units I have for sale. 

It wasn't but a minute or two after 1:00 pm when the lookers started to arrive. I was exceptionally pleased by the number of people I visited with, as well as the strong interest being shown. I'm not a clairvoyant, but I'll not be surprised if one, possibly two of those units get sold this week. The ones that were showing the most interest, were people from out of town which stands to reason why all the more elderly want to be closer to their families, friends, churches, banks, and health care providers. 

After my open house finished, I stayed awhile to visit with some of the residents who were in the common area. I can assure you there wasn't one that had a negative word to say about their condos which of course came as no surprise. 

There were about a dozen cookies left, so I asked one of the residents if she'd like to take them and share with everyone at the weekly Monday morning coffee they have in the banquet room. She freely accepted after having eaten but one of them. I'm just glad it was a great day for everyone, and all the more so for me because I had another illuminating conversation with several woman in attendance who just happened to be related to some people I know, and also related to me on the opposite side of our genetic "fences". 

It took some time to go back and shut off all the lights, lock doors, and pick up signs, and just as I was ready to pull away, one of the staff from Good Shepherd happened to be seated outside on break. Since I hadn't seen or spoken to her in years, we had a good chat regarding what's been happening in our lives which was pretty much all good. I'm sure she remembers when I sold the home she's still living in a very many years ago. Where have all our years gone?

Tonight's one-liner is: People must not deny their manifest abilities, for that is an evasion of obligation.

original post... https://niowarealty.net/mason-city-2/2019/07/28/prairie-place-on-1st-3/