Dreams Die in Old Age

 

Much as we might rail about failing abilities in our older age, Father Time seems impervious to listening and keeps marching right along. As I alluded to in other posts, we’ve been giving lots of thoughts to our future and continued ownership of our lake property. Sometimes that was hard to do when we were actually there as the property is so special and magnificent, it sucked us into the sheer joy of  our ownership and the surroundings that are so peaceful, quiet and private. We miss all that when we’re away but more and more some of the impracticalities begin to show themselves.

The burden of maintaining two places has fallen hard on our aging bodies. Our main property has been poorly neglected for three years since the only time frame when we can accomplish stuff at home is the summer window when we’ve been up north. Since we enjoyed a warm Fall Marc was able to mostly complete the shed build but we still haven’t gotten to pressure washing the house and shop and trim paint touchup, nor replacement of our back door and frame which dry rotted from standing snow. Obviously, that now waits until next year.

The travel distance also comes into play—the necessity of returning home weekly to keep up with yard work, mowing, laundry and grocery shopping grows old when it’s a three hour trek each way. Since we don’t want to subject the cats to constant travel, it’s one or the other of us that makes the trip and it was during one such trip when Marc went home that I endured (alone) that horrific PTSD inducing wind storm which destroyed so many trees on our property and had me in fear of my life. 

There are other trivialities: the electric co-op charges a whooping $45/mo. service fee year round before any usage charges; major shopping (Walmart, Menard’s, Home Depot, Petco) is at least an hour to an hour and a half away); our well, while producing just fine, is so filled with iron that without expensive correction in the form of softeners and filtration, is ruining the RV fixtures, is undrinkable, and turns everything pink or yellow. 

The weather there is more severe; winds and winter storms come off the lake and without fail we can count on major deadfall and tree cleanup every year when we return. 

But the real shocker came just yesterday when we received the annual tax statement and found that our taxes increased by a staggering 20%! I suspect that is due to the completion of the shop, but it now really puts future ownership into question given that our home place has also taken a significant leap of 10%. 

We plan to be in contact with the Realtor we purchased from to get a market analysis soon and are leaning towards returning there this summer with the intent of completing a few tasks (staircase handrails, burning of the last of the deadfall and downed trees) and then getting it on the market. If that’s the path we pursue, it would be nice if it would sell in one season but if it doesn’t, its not the end of the world. Many are of the opinion that “but you did ALL that work”—well, yeah, but that sweat equity should be worth money and money cures many woes!

 

I always had dreams of a waterside getaway and fortune smiled on us and allowed for it as an experience of life we got to enjoy for three/four years. I’ll need to be happy with that and realize that options and the world get smaller and smaller as we get older and older. It’s life.