A Pilgrim’s Digression

This weekend, we have trekked over to the house nearly every day, in one case three times in one day, in order to obtain an estimate on some work from tree removal companies.

We have about seven trees that we would like removed.  Mind you, we still aren’t closing on the home until March 31, but as soon as we do close we are going to have professionals lined up, ready to do our bidding and put the grounds and the house in tip top shape.

We obtained estimates from four tree removal companies this weekend, and the estimates ranged in price from $1750.00 to $970.00.  $970 was the final estimate we received today, and we accepted it and signed a work order.  As soon as the house is ours, we will schedule the work.

Following are some pictures we took today of me standing around under the trees we are going to cut down.  My brother-in-law, who has a landscaping business in Pittsburgh, offered to cut the trees down for free, with my help.  So we took these pictures intending to email them to him so he could get some perspective on the work to be done.

But the low estimate we received today changed our mind on that subject.  I am going to pay to have the work done on my timetable.  We’ll invite my brother-in-law down to help us with some other issues, like planting grass and fencing in the back yard, after it is cleared.

The final two images are supposed to be of our gutters.  My brother-in-law also said he could help us install some kind of gutter shield to protect them from leaves.

It certainly is nice to have family willing to travel five hundred miles to help us out.  Considering I can barely change a light bulb without an instruction manual and a female assistant, I don’t think I am going to be of much use, when Dan comes to help us.  But I’ll do what I can.

While we were showing workmen our trees, our next door neighbors came over to introduce themselves and chat.  The man’s name is Kerry; I think his wife’s name is Megan.

This is the part of home ownership I’ve always been wary about.  I am not comfortable in social situations, and I much prefer to be left alone.  I don’t want new friends, and I don’t need them.  But what can I do, short of being cold, to declare my lack of interest in getting to know new people?

In the end, our conversation with the neighbors yielded some interesting information.

For example, Megan pointed out a house on the next street over, diagonal to our rear corner, in which a convicted sex offender lives.  She said not to worry too much, however, because his vice is masturbating in public.  He has three kids and a wife.

We also learned that the guy who is selling us the house did not live in it six months.  He moved in to the house in November, vanished in December, returned in January and put the house on the market in February.  The one time they spoke to him, he said he should have stayed in Tennessee.

Kerry said he thought he was gay, but this is a standard thing to say about someone who is weird, middle-aged, and single.  Lynn did notice, however, that he has good taste in draperies.  Maybe he followed a lover to our part of Virginia, or maybe he came here in pursuit of hot young men from the local military college where he taught.  Who knows.

Considering how uninhabited the house appeared, and how barren the landscape outside, his unhappiness in Virginia has thoroughly manifested itself in an unkempt yard.

Kerry, it turns out, is a do-it-yourself kind of guy.  First thing he asked me was, “Why are you paying a professional to cut your trees?”  He and his father-in-law cut down the trees on his property.

I answered, “Because you really do not want to put a chainsaw in my hands.”

The real reason is I am lazy and uninterested in doing this work myself.  I understand the thrifty impulse to save money by doing work yourself, but it has no appeal to me.  I really don’t consider thrift a value, unless there is a good reason to be thrifty.

I’ll save money by using coupons in a store, but I am never going to bake my own bread.  Similarly, I have no desire, none, nada, zilch, to fire up a chainsaw and cut down trees.  I might run a mower over the grass, but that is about the extent of my do-it-yourself impulse.

And that isn’t a particularly strong impulse, either.  We have had someone cut our grass here at the townhouse where we are still living for all three years we’ve lived here.  I am considering hiring him to cut our grass at our new house, as well.

So we met our neighbors, and they seemed down to earth and pleasant.  They are younger than us.  Kerry is 25, and Megan just graduated from Radford University.  They know everyone on the street, and they pointed out who lived in each house, and they told us stories about each one.  Kerry asked us if we drank.  I said I frequently drink beer or wine with dinner.  Kerry asked us if we partied.  We said no, but we won’t be bothered if they want to throw a party.

Kerry said, “Phew, we thought maybe you were Mormons.  You seem pretty straitlaced.”

There is a large Mormon population in the community where we are moving, so I think they were worried that we were some of “those people,” moving in next door.

It was pleasant to meet our new neighbors, but I am always wary of opening up too much or forming any kind of relationship with people.  I do fine on my own, thank you.  Neighbor, I’ll chat with you occasionally, say hello and wave when I see you, but I am probably going to say no if you invite me over.

Lynn is another story.  I think she took to this couple immediately, so I can already see myself standing around uncomfortably at a barbecue, sneaking glances at my watch in the hopes that time will pass more quickly so I can leave.

Anyway, we’ll see what the future holds soon enough.