The Thirty Year Cycle ~ Keeping The House In Repair

I know that it was thirty years ago because I remember that it was the year that my son Jonathan was born, 1976, the Bicentennial Year, a year full of speeches, parades and hoopla now long forgotten.

The house needs painting every eight to possibly ten years. It needs to be tented and fumigated for termites at about the same intervals. Still, termites do get to do a bit of damage in between, and the rain and humidity can start some rottng of the more exposed areas of wood even when it's painted. Thirty years ago I was younger and more ambitious than I am now, full of energy but with a wallet depleted by the expenses of having a five year old daughter and a new born son. I replaced rotted wood and torn screening, and then painted the house myself.

This time I took advantage of a new city program. Now that I'm collecting Social Security, and the house is paid for free and clear, I can claim a much smaller income, thus qualifying for the money to paint the house and replace the damaged wood. Here a carpenter is replacing some wood around the eaves in preperation for a coat of sealer followed by three coats of premium paint. Such a deal! I love it! Why can't the city beautify the neighborhood even more? Perhaps replace everybody's car or truck that's more than five years old? Hell, the boat is more than five years old too...