Snowy Sunday

[Shirlv]

Good Morning All, Beautiful snow scene out my windows. I plan to stay in my pjs all day and do absolutely nothing. Haven’t shoveled in years, figured Mother Nature put the snow there, she can take it away. Easy for me to say since I can stay home.
Safe travels

[Queen]

Morning all.

Doing the same as Shirl, absolutely nothing today. Looking out and all the snow and feeling so grateful we sold the house and moved to our nice little apartment. No more worries about frozen pipes, ice dams, or four foot drifts against the garage door. Also, slept almost all night without coughing, that was new and very welcome!

Hope everyone has a wonderful day.

[Cudedog]

Shirl, stay warm!

I like how you put "Maryland" under your name. What a nice idea! Haven't noticed if you have put it there before, but I think it would be really cool if everyone here began to put their location under their name. Interesting to see where everyone is writing from!

Queen, glad to hear you are feeling better and are able to sleep through the night. I have insomnia a lot, so I can relate!!

Ok, Sue - how are you doing this fine morning? I always look forward to your "check-ins" and hearing about your projects. My "project" this morning is to sit on the couch, laptop on lap. Lot of snow where you are? I'm almost finished packing - (not!)

Anne
North of Sacramento, Ca

[Queen]

Good idea, Anne, I just updated mine.

[Othersharon]

Good morning from snowy PA. We were apparently on the edge of the high number of inches of snow and of not so much. So no playing with the snowblower today! But some shoveling. I put the car in the garage yesterday just in case we got dumped on! Not complaining that we didn’t get the 3”-6”. But as with a couple other comments I don’t have to get out in it. Retirement is great! And my sweet neighbor already did my sidewalk out front. I will go out later and play with Rascal in the snow. He loves it and it’s such fun to watch him run around in it! But waiting for the temp to go up a bit! Mickie and Alice, hope you’re both feeling better soon. Tina, enjoying following your journey westward. Sounds like the gtg is forming up! Looking forward to hearing all about it! So not much else happening here but wanted to check in. Guess since coffee is done I’d best get a move on and get my day going! Have a great day and travel safe!

[dpf]

Good Morning! Sorry to hear that some of you are experiencing some health problems. I know what a worry it can be. I am not sorry that some of you are getting snow….we’re not and you can have it! In fact we’ve been having some really mild weather since New Year’s Eve.

Had a really fun time last night. Missy’s family didn’t have their Christmas get together until yesterday. They had asked Faye and me to plan some type of activity and we decided on a scavenger hunt. They had four teams of 4-5 people. We had twenty items for them to find and gave them an hour and a half to return to Missy’s house. They had a riot and they made the day of the residents at the local senior citizens apartments. One of the things on the list was a cloth ladies handkerchief and they figured out that was probably about the only place they would find one. While they were there the residents were helping them with a lot of other items…like a thimble, pink flower (real or silk). The items that they had the most trouble finding was a bottle of Gain fabric softener and a Newsweek magazine. We thought that Missy’s son and stepson would have a fit about playing the game but they were probably the two who were laughing the most when they came back to the house. Now the family wants us to plan another game for this summer that is a combination of a scavenger hunt and the Amazing Race. They want a list of things that they have to find, but they also want another part of it that makes them find places with clues in envelopes that lead them to the next location and clue. Planning that one will really tax our brains.

Worked at the bar four afternoons this week because Pam had a death in her family. Could have put in more hours but gave them to a girl whose husband is an officer at the federal prison and they need the extra money because of the layoff. Luckily they found out that the bank where they have the loan for their house is exempting federal workers from house payments with no interest for 3 months. That was a real relief for them. The poor girl is dragging…she has a daycare in her home from 7 in the morning until 5:30 plus they have three school age kids and then she was coming in to work from about 6 until closing. I offered to come in a help her later in the evening last night but she thought she could handle it herself.

That’s about all that’s been happening around here. Safe travels. Hope to see lots of pictures from the Q GTG.

Pat, South Dakota

[JudyJB]

Anne and others, if you go into the user control panel and select "profile," there is a space for you to enter your location so it will appear on the right column so you do not have to put it under your name each time. I usually just give the general area as I am usually moving.

Very cold night last night and supposed to be even colder tonight, although no snow. I will go out and add water to my tank and dump the waste tanks so I don't have to do it for a few days. Will also leave the faucet dripping.

Not much going today other than some preparation for my class and sorting through travel booklets I keep buying. Once I read or review them all, I will send them to my son in Ohio to add to my storage stuff.

Scavenger hunts are fun, but don't make up any hints that require getting out of your car near a prison! (Had such a hint a very long time ago. Not on prison property, but guards not happy with us nearby regardless.) BIG lesson learned for people developing the hints. Oh, and rule with this group was that the losers had to prepare the next scavenger hunt.

[Acadianmom]

Glad I'm not looking out at snow. It was cool last night and only 54 today.

I gave my As Seen on TV Grill a workout today. I usually only cook thin meat on it but I put a 1 inch ribeye on it. It took almost 10 minutes on each side to get it to medium. I like the taste of meat cooked on a charcoal grill better but I'm lazy. I forgot that I wanted to try putting an old cast iron skillet in charcoal after the discussion about cleaning cast iron.

I ask my neighbor if he had any tricks to starting a mower. He walked over and turned the key and it started right up. It just wanted to make a lier out of me. I bet if I go out and try to start it, it won't start again. The guy that comes to ride said he would bring the mower to get it serviced for me. I hope he doesn't forget. I was looking at the utility trailer and I think it must have a low tire. It's sitting lower on one side.

Martha

[cnq50b]

A little late for coffee, but thought I'd check in.
I'm with you Pat, glad that snow is something others are posting about but not me. Sounds like the savenger hunt was a real hit! That's a great idea for family gatherings - hope i remember it for our next family reunion.
Ava, hope you get to feeling better. Good to have ladies on here who can offer sound advice - thanks, Karen.
Martha, sorry about the tooth-ache. Can't think of anythine worse than having to wait to get in to be seen for these. Hope they can see you on Monday. By the way, my French son-in-law is getting some dental work while in France. He had gone here & knew he needed some work to be done - with out of pocket estimates around $800 - that's WITH insurance. His first visit there, prepping for a crown, cost $11. I know they pay for universal health care in taxes but that's a crazy difference.
Mickie, glad you slept without much coughing - hope you're on the mend now.
For everyone headed to or at the Q already, have fun - can't wait to see postings from you.

Was going to take Sadie to the beach today but clouds are moving in so it'll be pretty chilly - maybe we'll head that way & see what it's like. I know she'll enjoy romping off leash for a bit.

I was asked to be on the board of the HOA of the condo complex a couple of months ago. I'm finding out what they're up against. Some folks just don't think the rules apply to them - I knew it was a thankless job but am amazed at how rude people can be. Since no one else wants the job, I'll stay on it for this year & re-assess it next year. I probably just need to toughen up a bit. This is a very-well maintained community so I want to help any way I can.

Well, I think I'll take Sadie out.
Hope everyone stays warm & dry.
Take care,
Catherine

[Acadianmom]

Catherine, my husband had a friend that goes to France for a couple of months every year to put on horse training classes. I don't remember what had happened to him but he was in a hospital in France for over a week and his bill was only a few hundred dollars. He was impressed at how well he was treated. He told me that if he needed surgery for something it would be cheaper to fly to France for treatment than to pay his deductible.

It sounds like some of the people in the condo complex are like some people in campgrounds that think rules don't apply to them. Our local campground has posted pictures of vandalism that is probably from kids that aren't being watched.

I'm hoping I can see the dentist tomorrow. My tooth isn't hurting very much now but it feels like it is chipped.

Martha

[Bethers]

Pat, it sounds like everyone had a blast. And I think the idea for the summer game is a good one, too... Will be harder though. They might be sorry lol

I arrived in Q a little bit ago. Have only seen Lyn so far... We introduced our dogs. Because of the shutdown the cg hosts are supposed to tell those arriving to head to the short term free areas. I said thank you and drove back by Sheila in the long term area. I'll pay if they get it figured out.

I talked to Linda yesterday and her volunteer hours at her job make it harder to go anywhere. So I doubt she'll make it.

All the talk about locations and I noticed I still had myself in SD. Corrected that. I'm never quick with that.

[JudyJB]

Catherine, one good reason for being on a HOA board is that it really teaches you what to look for next time you buy a home in an area with a HOA. I was on board for 8 years or so because no one else would do it. Next time I buy into something, I would want to review the financial records for the past 4-5 years. Also would want to know how much money they had put away for future repairs and if they had had a study done to determine future costs!! You can get yourself into a real mess with condos and homes with HOA!

We had one early 50ish women move in who was supposedly on 100% disability, plus she was really bored. So, she spent a ton of time for each holiday decorating her door, her porch, her yard, her garage door, her neighbor's yard, common trees, etc.. And her list of holidays included the big ones but also Halloween, Easter, President's Day, Veterans Day, etc. We had had no decoration policy before this, but this lady would put out at least 50 items, including lights, for each holiday. And her next door neighbor with whom she shared a porch was trying to sell her unit in the midst of this carnival!

Wish I were in Q with those of you who are there!

[Cudedog]

All of the above a case in point of why I will never buy a condo or a home with an HOA.

In the past I have read where half the people in a HOA can't or won't pay their dues (or maybe half and unites are foreclosed and vacant) so the remaining tenants have to "pony up" for the shortfall.

A lotta pitfalls living under an HOA.

Anne

[JudyJB]

Most HOAs can foreclose on a unit with unpaid dues and then they get their money out of the foreclosure when the property is sold. However, if there are a lot of units in foreclosure and they do no sell right away, it can make things tight. But I would NOT buy into a place where they do not have enough money in reserves to tide them over for even a year or so of a lot of foreclosures. We put at least 10% per year beyond regular expenses into reserves and had a study done that told us when roofs and such needed to be replaced and how much it would cost. Our goal was to always have the money available so there would be no surprise special assessments.

A trick builders use in new developments is not paying for certain things while they are in charge of the HOA. A friend and her husband were shocked to find that their association owed $100,000 in water bills when they took over the books from the owner!! They asked me what they could do, and I told them nothing because they should have checked the financials before they bought. And they should have talked to me, also. And the longer a builder keeps control due to slow sales, the worse it gets because they have more time not to pay landscapers and utilities. Builders write the HOA rules, so they do it so they will benefit, not the home buyer.

We had only 56 units in 7 buildings, but one less than 10 years old building started sagging in the middle, affecting 4 units, causing cracking bathroom tile and water pipe leaks. It was built at the end of a pond on soggy ground, but the builder had retired and gone out of business and township not responsible. Luckily insurance paid part of digging and shoring up the middle of this huge two-story building, but we had to pay the rest. It is nice to get repairs to your unit paid for, but not when you have to pay for other people's units!

I also am very leery of ever buying into another HOA property.

[IrishIroamed]

RE HOAs~
My first condo was in a 6 flat that was converted to condos. Once all units are sold, and the original owners of the building stalled in turning over funds, the newly elected president and I (secretary/ treasurer), went to the bank with the election results, including the vote from the old building owner, and we closed the bank account. He wasnt happy to say the least, but didn't fight us because he knew we were in the clear.

Also, if you buy into an HOA, any reputable realtor and lender will want to see the financials of the association. At least in Illinois, that's how it works.

When I bought my town house, I was also on the board there for 2 terms. Foreclosing on units for non payment of dues is nearly impossible. What can be done is putting a lien on the property, then whenever it is sold, even years in the future, the lien had to be cleared, usually with it being paid off at the close of the sale, meaning less profit for the sellers. Oh well. Boo hoops. Changing by laws is a hassle too when owners have to vote on things. Most owners dont vote. Their thinking is they want to be in an HOA because they dont want to deal with anything. The kicker there was the were renters next to me, before we were able to change the by laws. Their patio looked like a trash heap with boxes from the patio to the balcony above them. The woman accused me of being a stalker when, as a board member, I took pictures of their violations. The owner kept trying to evict them for not paying rent, but just before court dates, they always paid up. Then the owner had to start all over again. We finally were able to get rid of them when the husband was arrested for armed robbery.

My last and final HOA was when I bought my house. I learned my lesson from being on previous boards and didnt run for office.

It's a thankless job.