6 Months

 Today marks the 6th month "anniversary" of purchasing a house in the Poconos.  (Sort of...we signed the paperwork on the 29th of August, but there is no 29th of February...at least this year.)  Six months and I sill sometimes wonder if I made the right decision.  There has been quite a bit of good, bad and downright strange over these past months.  I'll leave you to judge which would be which as I highlight some things that have happened since the end of August 2024.

  • I've had the HVAC/Plumbing/Electric company come out here at least 6 times over those months.  On the very day we moved in they came to clean the ductwork, which apparently had never been cleaned.  It took the technician 6 hours. I had them come out and put in a uv light in the HVAC system . (Studies have shown that UV-C light, the type used in HVAC systems, can effectively kill bacteria, viruses, and fungi.)  I've had a Nest thermostat installed.  (Trying to be more efficient and keep heating costs down...hasn't exactly happened.  I've had our oil tank filled twice this season and I'm afraid I'm going to have to have it filled at least once more before it's over. OUCH!). Had one of three sump pumps fixed.  (Will eventually need to get it replaced as although it works, it's OLD!)  Had a  leaky showerhead fixed.  Had the strainer in the kitchen sink replaced.  (Apparently it was installed incorrectly.)  We should be on a first name basis with the office staff there by now!
  • I've sat out by the pond, enjoying the fresh air.  Our backyard is an oasis of calm for me.
    But then it got cold, the fish died .  The table that I sat at fell (partially) into the pond. 

    The cover on one of the chairs blew halfway off and froze to the ground, making it impossible to recover and when it finally melted, ripped.  I'm wondering what it's going to feel like out there in the spring.  How will I feel about it?
  • This winter has been colder than usual, not just in PA, but in NJ as well.  I'm grateful for our plow service, especially since we are on a private road which does not get plowed.  (But the service needs to plow it a little in order to get to our house...don't know what we would do elsewise.)  I am so tired of ice.  (I'm also tired of I.C.E., but that's a post for another day).  However, I am not as tired of ice as the poor guy (or guys, I'm not sure) who decided that this private drive was a through street.  (No Google, it's not.   They don't listen to me when I report that it's the Gulf of Mexico and they don't listen when I say it stops at my neighbor's property and then picks up again after her house.)

      The gravel portion that was not plowed (just past my driveway) has iced over. 

    Last night my husband and I watched as some guy had to push his car back off of the iced over "road" and back all the way up.  When it says private road, take heed.
  • I've done more baking in the kitchen than I have ever done due to the size and roominess of the space. 

    There have been successes (vegan chocolate pecan pie) and failures (cornbread that wasn't a loss, but just wasn't that great.)  Been able to make some good meals with multiple ovens.  Actually, the best meal was probably the one that my husband made Christmas Eve, which was just lasagna (which he just had to heat) and garlic bread (also just heated up) because it was perfectly warm and delicious and just what our son and I needed after the Christmas Eve drive from NJ to PA.  Having a wine fridge has been fun, although when a bottle leaked, not so much.
  • Traveling back and forth to NJ.  Wasn't too bad until December.  Then there was the sinkhole on Route 80 East by exit 34 which caused a problem.  Thankfully it was fixed quickly.  However, less than 2 months later another opened (in the same general area) and while that was being fixed and the area evaluated, 90 "voids" ( significant empty space) we discovered leading to a indefinite closure of the highway.  Route 80 goes from NJ to CA, making it a well traversed road by cars and trucks. As of this writing a total of 135 locations, mostly abandoned mine shafts, have been identified by DOT engineers for closer assessment and mitigation. 51 locations have been drilled, and 36 locations have been filled with grout.  Maybe you shouldn't build a highway over mines?  (What were they thinking back in the Eisenhower administration?)
  • Enjoying the (relative) peace and quiet.  While there are a lot of barking dogs (when I go walking I feel like I am being surrounded) and a few roosters, the nights are (mostly) quiet.   (I notice the noise A LOT when I am back in NJ.)  Being in a more "remote" area does make one realize how much noise trees can make in the wind.  (Sometimes I feel like I am living in Twin Peaks East.)  I love having so many trees around us, for the most part.  The huge branch that fell into our driveway after ice and snow was not fun, especially as it was so cold we couldn't remove it for a couple of weeks.  Hubby and I worked as a team to get some of it out last weekend (it was warmer), but a large part of it will need to wait till spring and a clean up.

  • Furnishing the house has been fun (but expensive of course).  We did it slowly. Some furnishing from NJ came with us when we officially moved in.  More came a few months later.  A new (and very expensive) bed from Sleep Number on our first day. (I have to say it's been pretty much worth it).  Explored local antique stores and found one that I love where I bought 2 barrister bookcases (not at the same time), which remind me of the one that my parents had when I was growing up.  (How I wish it could have been saved, but the basement did a number on it.)  While we got 2 chairs, a sofa and a love seat from a furniture chain, our dining room and kitchen table came from a local business.  And so did the chair that I finally gave in and bought that was delivered last Friday.  We continue to arrange and rearrange things.  (Just did a move of items in the kitchen last week.)  I'm still mulling over what I should do with this space: 

     I have an idea , but...
  • Enjoying local businesses when I can.  (Wish there were more small business that I could support.)  Amazingly, we have not one, but two pizza places that have really good pizza.  Although we haven't been to Skytop since December (too much snow and ice), we are going out tonight to our local bar & grill.  (Yes, I know today is the economic boycott, which I support. I support people and tonight is the 4th Friday of the month which is when our friend, who is a musician, plays there.  We will go to support him as well as our favorite waitress there.  I will pay in cash.) I visit the local thrift shop about every other week.  It is small, but I've found petite clothing in my size relatively regularly.  I visit the local library frequently.  (Wish there was a book store in the area.)  And am so grateful that there is a small grocery store less than a mile away.
I guess that's 6 months in a nutshell.  We still haven't had many visitors, but I'm hoping to fix that this spring and am planning a housewarming/birthday party in the summer.   I will admit that I miss the NJ shore house, even though I know I could never sustain it.  I regret not taking more furniture , but hindsight is 20/20.

As we slowly move towards the warmer months, I'm hopeful that the next 6 months are full fun and less challenges.  But only time will tell.

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