Homeowners and Finished Floor

The Official New Homeowner Pose

We now, officially, have a New Jersey contingent for Frail Deeds Dancing. My daughter and Wingman finally closed on their Maplewood home yesterday after wading through the gross incompetence of the seller’s attorney. They had an adventuresome afternoon following the closing as the cable guy, the pods with all of their household goods, and two moving guys they hired all showed up within fifteen minutes of each other. By the time I caught up with them last night they were all moved in and in the midst of unpacking.

Close Inspection of the new Digs

It was reminiscent of the many times my wife and I did the same things with a much younger version of our daughter, not to mention ourselves. I experienced the same feeling of pride that accompanied my son and ABFA’s purchase of their house. I’m excited for their future together in what looks like a very close knit neighborhood and a great house. The First Blog Reader spent her first night in what should be her room through her teenaged years and is already making the place her own. She’s helping with the unpacking by positioning the refrigerator magnets.

Magnet Emplacement

Staking out her Claim

I told the new New Jerseyites to value yesterday because it was a day they will remember for the rest of their lives. Hindsight with its 20/20 quality provides that kind of perspective. There are so many days like this in everybody’s life that pass so quickly that savoring is neglected. This is what becomes of being an elderly curmudgeon – I look back on some of my own “special” days and wish I’d appreciated them more at the time they went down.

Out Front With one of her Buddies

The New Kitchen

Yesterday was also a big day on the home front as Deckzilla Dude finished the first floor project. I’ve decided living in the middle of a construction zone is not quite as entertaining as one would think. He did his usual fantastic job with the new hardwood floor and I was finally able to start attacking all the accumulated dust. The garage is once again available for both cars, now that the snow has seemingly vanished, but I’ll take it.

Couches Minus Cushions Back in Place 

Front Door and Dining Room

Once the garage was rendered sawdust free I started at the top of the cabinets and worked my way around the entire first floor top to bottom removing the residue of the past weeks’ construction. I joked with my wife later that she’s ruined me in the cleanliness arena because the state of the first floor was really bothering me. By the end of the night I had all the major furniture back in place and the first vacuuming finished. I’m going to finish cleaning the floor today and start the arduous task of moving all the displaced items back into place including the virtual jungle of garden plants that have seized control of the master bedroom.

I took a break from my incessant dusting to see another movie, Hidden Figures. I truly enjoyed this historical drama about female African-American mathematicians in the early days of NASA. Race in America is always a spicy subject and Hidden Figures takes a more measured and effective approach. Racism cannot stand the light of day and fails in front of truth. The unquestioned talents of the three dynamic ladies here demonstrate that in no uncertain terms. Taraji Henderson’s quiet dignity as the main character is almost mesmerizing, as is her ability to run at full speed in high heels. Those runs to the distant colored bathroom are an eloquent statement in themselves. I wasn’t sure I was going to like this movie and I didn’t; I loved it. I was moved to learn more about these remarkable ladies and while the filmmakers took a lot of dramatic license with real events, especially with the timing of events, their true story is just as compelling. It’s a wonder that this story waited so long to be told.

Today’s Soxfather’s Sister’s morale photo injection: