Chores Over the Years

 

Amy and I bought our house in March 2000, when we were in our mid-twenties. I can still remember closing on the sale, celebrating at a nearby restaurant, and then breaking out in a cold sweat realizing I was personally responsible for an entire residential structure.

I'm not handy now, and I was even less handy back then. My two responses to this - gaining a new responsibility and having no idea how to handle it - were to study up, and to put myself on a schedule. Meaning I dug into "Dummies" books and "how-to" sites online, on things you need to do as a homeowner. And then I created a calendar for when those things needed to be done. I figured that I couldn't always prevent problems, but that it was worth it for me to invest an ounce of prevention since I was sure I wasn't ready to bear the pound of cure if I didn't.

These chores have become part of the regular rhythm of a given year. I clean every window and door in the house in April and October, turn off the outside water spigot once winter hits, and install room air conditioning units prior to the first hot spell of the year (because we don't have central air). Twice a year, I go all the way up to the roof of the house to see if our water sealant is holding up and our gutters are clean. Once a year, I check every circuit breaker in our panel. And so on and so forth.

Not the sort of fun activity one imagines when the weekend beckons. But it's the responsible thing to do if you're a homeowner, so as not to neglect the very place you are living and raising a family.

Over the years, I've been able to outsource some of this to the kids. For example, in their teen years, Aaron and Jada have at times owed me money and worked off that debt by taking on various things around the house that I would've otherwise had to do myself.

Ah, but presently they are both far from home for months on end. And one day, they (and, several years later, even Asher) will be out of the nest for good. And Amy and I remain, and we're now longer in our mid-twenties. So not only do meaningful chunks of time each weekend need to go into house maintenance, but I add to that time allocation by making sure I stretch before and after, especially my creaky back if I have to do things like hold the vacuum nozzle in weird places or hoist a broom up the stairs and onto the 2nd floor porch roof. 

I am lucky to have a roof over my head, luckier still that I own it. And, the aches and pains of middle age are also something to be thankful for, that I've gotten this far in life. This old house and this old guy are indeed getting older together, and while I wish for easier weekends I am thankful for the ones I do have.