Yesterday I made a small pot of blueberry jam
And today paneer with chive blossoms, a softer version this time, very good with fruit.
Containers of whey for upcoming carrot and pumpkin soup
This is really good, so much more flavor than the kind you buy.
I'm returning to my patterned bands as I learn some finishing techniques. Here's one with whipped ends right,replacing the temp knots left,
and one with braided ends, the latest band off the loom.
There's more to do after the weaving's off the loom. I think next will be the heddle I made with special slots for the pattern threads.
Following on our condo chats and how some people vow never to live in one, a few thoughts.
I've been a renter, an owner of a freestanding house and owner of an HOA townhouse and an HOA condo apartment. My credentials!
I'm also a single older woman with neither financial nor physical strength to run a free standing house. Contractors are not easy to deal with when there's no man in the picture. The unnecessary struggle is very real, and exhausting. Also expensive.
That leaves the other choices. Renting puts you at the mercy of a landlord in a state where there are only vague guidelines on rent raises and what's reasonable. To rent a house exactly like the one I live in is currently $3k a month. Plus utilities. That's more than my income.
One bedroom apartments are currently $1800 monthly plus utilities. Rents have doubled in the last five years
Then if you want to buy a townhome like mine, they're currently about $550k for two bed two and a half bath, 1200 sq ft footprint.
Condos like my rental are up to $200k.
I bought when prices were lower, the condo, mine only, not joint, I bought at rock bottom because the market was poor at that time. We bought the townhouse from the builder at a desperate price because they wanted to complete the sales and leave the governance.
For a single older woman the trade offs of living with an HOA are: there's a massive inbuilt insurance of the whole development, trash is picked up, snow cleared, including paths and walkways, landscaping is done, mowing, dead trees removed, exterior maintenance and repair is HOA work.
I'm responsible for the inside of the townhouse. Likewise the condo apartment I rent out. I couldn't afford the maintenance and repair on a freestanding house, all of which I'd have to contract out.
So that's why I live where I do, and it's a beautiful place. If you have the strength or partner or finances to live elsewhere, you're very fortunate. It's good to remember you're speaking from an advantaged position.
But when you don't have those privileges, you make other choices. I'm happy with mine despite the drawbacks I've been complaining about lately!
Happy day everyone, play the hand you're dealt! It's all good sez Ted and Big Ursy and Pony and Ursula
I noticed that the recipe for paneer does not vary much from ricotta. I am just experimenting with ricotta, just a little two step from yogurt making. I never thought of flavoring it. Basil would be a good add I
ReplyDeleteIt's very much like ricotta, yes. I told an Indian friend a while back that I was making cream cheese and she said, oh that's American for paneer! You can definitely flavor it. I omitted salt from this batch because I would be eating it with fruit. But herbs would be good. You can sprinkle dried herbs on the finished cheese. Very nice with crackers. Which you can make..
DeletePS: The housing situation? You are a very practical woman. You are doing well for yourself.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the encouragement! I get a bit down with people saying oh I'd never live there, forgetting their privilege in having the option. I doubt if they mean to criticize, but my inner sensitive flower cringes!
Delete$200k out here would get you a house so run down it might collapse when you open the door. It would be small and dark inside with the kitchen being a sink and cabinet on one wall and a stove sulking in a corner. Bedrooms would be musty and the size of a closet. I may be exaggerating a little.
ReplyDeleteI like the braided end finish on the weave.
It's decades since even a rundown place at that price has even been on the market. You want a fixer upper, go double that, and it's unlikely any mortgage holder would lend on it. And rents have been high forever. They doubled during the pandemic. Housing demands great strategy for fixed modest income people!
DeleteI don’t consider a condo with an HOA “less than” in any way and am irritated when others judge based on their own decisions. To me, it makes perfect sense and removes a bunch of complications from one’s life, no matter your age. When we had loads of money (those were the days), we were about to buy an expensive townhouse condo in Santa Barbara. Beautiful. Incredible complex. Pool and clubhouse. Stunning landscaping, with out own private gardens and patio, as well. Then my employer asked me to move to Las Vegas -- fortunately before we paid any money. But it would have been a wonderful situation. We all make our own choices based on what makes sense and works for us.
ReplyDeleteWhat works for us, exactly! Thank you for getting it!
DeleteI saw someone using a fork to weave. Imagination, as much as necessity, is (one of) the mother/s of invention.
ReplyDeleteSo true, especially in weaving. There's no end to the possibilities, if you can imagine them.
DeleteI am a blueberry and blueberry jam kinda guy. I am sure your jam would appeal to me.
ReplyDeleteI'm just finishing my breakfast toast with jam as I read. Pretty good.
DeleteI have a great if overly chatty handyman. His flaw is that he does what he wants to do and often the items I want him to do are ignored, like unclogging the drains. But this week he installed new smoke detectors, fixed a lamp, installed a new shower head, fixed the chimney flue (but said he could not reattach the handle), put a filter in the air conditioner (but did not fix the flow switch which he says is probably not broken)), put a new motor in the bathroom fan, and put foam behind the stove where I think a mouse came into the kitchen. I trust him to be in the house alone and he is very kind and reliable. He was also willing to help my 88 year old mother whose condo complex has very strict rules about contractors, which keeps many away. If you live in Massachusetts I would share him.
ReplyDeleteHe sounds like a gem. A bit far from me, though! Thanks for commenting in here.
DeleteI can see the advantages, especially when doing lawns becomes more complicated or exterior work. Your jam looks good!
ReplyDeleteAs you age, things look different! I was my own handy woman for many years, repairing, tiling, painting, moving furniture, heavy gardening. But when you get older you find you need to adapt. Simple things like losing height, making it much harder, more climbing needed, to reach things. Hands wearing out with age no longer able to pop the hood on my car to jumpstart it. Carrying items while climbing stairs. So workarounds come into your life.
DeleteNo matter what form of housing we choose, there are always upsides and downsides. We do need to carefully consider what is best for US, rather than just doing the conventional or expected thing. Of course, that's true for everything, isn't it, LOL!
ReplyDeleteNail head bang! And I'd add: good to assume other people have made choices for good reasons, based on what's possible. Our situation may be different.
DeleteEvery area is so different in costs and what's available for housing. Each person has to figure out what works best for them. I'm lucky to stay in my home for now as my oldest son lives with me and pays some rent. I couldn't manage it on my own. You do a wonderful job of managing and enjoying life. I admire you!
ReplyDeleteIt's nice that you have that good arrangement, with a congenial son, best for you right now.
DeleteI agree wholeheartedly with you about the benefits of living in a townhouse, despite HOA regulations. I'm in northern NJ and there's no way I could have afforded a stand alone house on my own. Prices are about the same here, for a little less space. Mine is well managed and I have nice (but not nosy) neighbors. I can step out my door and find someone in a few minutes to chat with or just say hello to. And with the snow storms this past winter, I was grateful I did not have to shovel or find an expensive snow guy.
ReplyDeleteThis winter I was also glad not to have a car to dig out, though neighbors used to help. I agree about neighbors -- on my walks there's usually someone to chat briefly with. There's a good understanding of privacy, too.
DeleteYou've hit the nail on the button (whatever!) with doing what's right for each of us. So glad you share your creative energies on blogs, and some cooking tips as well as fiber-arts. I remember making a blueberry syrup for a pancake breakfast for a lot of my family who came to visit once. Blueberries are really wonderful.
ReplyDeleteYes, you too do what's best for you, even if it means a big move. That blueberry syrup sounds very good. I should check that out.
DeleteTerribly sorry for my misunderstanding and then comment about your HOA situation. I haven't lived in a townhouse or condo (only rented apartment or single-family home), and the way you and others spoke of HOAs made me think there was an alternative (that is, townhomes/condos with a less-fussy organizational structure). Or, I guess I assumed that. I'm apologize.
ReplyDeleteNo worries, Suzanne. I realized you hadn't got the whole picture, and I really thank you for your gracious response! Okay, it's done. Tie a knot and move on ;)
DeleteThank you, dear Liz!
DeleteI think different circumstances warrant different housing decisions, right? I've been an apartment/condo dweller all my adult life and I enjoy that kind of living. You're right that if you're a single person or a person who wants less responsibility for maintenance and upkeep, that's a good option. When I owned a condo in Florida we had a condo association and I don't remember it being particularly cumbersome, but of course the rules are different from place to place.
ReplyDeleteYou have a great situation now, with a rented apartment and a garden thrown in! Of course your landlords are probably thrilled at having a real gardener tending the place. In other hands it could be so different.
DeleteI know I mentioned Mark's comment about a condo association he audited years ago. I'm sorry if that offended you. It had nothing to do with living in a condo or townhouse, but the difficult people in the association.
ReplyDeleteNo worries. I couldn't follow why he would decide against it on the basis of a few people he'd never meet again! But we never know what decisions may be in our futures. Bwahaha..
DeleteI'm currently in a free-standing house but I have a husband who can fix things (like the hose under the sink that burst at 1 am this morning). A few years ago a friend and her husband sold their house moved to an apartment in a senior comples. I thought they were nuts. Meanwhile they used the money to pay off medical bills. Since they have some health challenges, the apartment (income based) works perfectly. Not only does the complex do all the outside work, there is no maintenance inside either. If she needs a light bulb changed in the vaulted ceiling, maintenance does it. The garbage disposal misbehaves, maintenance fixes it. The older I get, the more I understand and support her choices. What is right for one person is not the same for others.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like an ideal situation for your friends. They were thinking ahead. And, yes, I wonder if that burst hose would mean an expensive emergency plumber for a single woman, unless she was able to get down that far and fix it? Good example. But I'm sorry you -- he -- had to cope in the middle of the night!
DeleteI agree with Miss Merry. Our needs change as our lives change. Absolutely. Whenever I think of your living situation it seems to me that it's a pretty perfect set-up. I love that you have kind neighbors who come from different cultures. You have a nice place to walk, a patio area where you can sit outside and plant in as to your own wishes and desires. Now as to HOA's, I have no idea.
ReplyDeleteThis morning when Glen and I were at breakfast, the table beside us held six people who were discussing something so serious that I was sure it was politics of religion but NO, it was about a problem with their HOA! From what I could gather (you know how I love to eavesdrop), there was one member on the board that no one could deal with. Mediation is to be involved!
I think Florida and Texas is where HOA politics can get intense. That and retirement communities.
DeleteTo each his (or her) own when it comes to housing. When we moved to this apartment we looked into condos but, at least here, the monthly fees were just about the same amount as rent. Right now 2 bedroom apartments here are going for between $1800/$2400 per month, which is a lot more than what we are paying. We don't have to pay for hydro, water or parking because we're 'grandfathered in' - but anyone who rents in our building now has to pay for those things. Of course the landlord (a company) isn't local so they don't care how well the buildings are kept up and we do live in some fear that they will decide to evict everyone in order to turn the units into condos so they can make more $.
ReplyDeleteHere my monthly fee is $255. Compared to rent of $3,000 for the same type townhouse. One reason I needed to buy the apartment condo (different story from the townhouse) was that my then apartment rent was going up 25%. I could see all my savings eventually going into rent leaving me nothing, so owning was better. I used every penny I had in the world to buy the condo outright, and now it brings in a little income from renting, after I lived there several years.
DeleteI had a ton of paperwork to rent back then, to qualify then fill out a sheaf of papers. Every year or two the rent jumped! Around here rents go up all the time.
Rents go up here too, but they can only go up by a certain percentage (by law)....unless the building ownership applies to the rent control board for a higher increase which sometimes happens when they've done a large 'repair' to the building as a whole. If we were to move to another apartment (even within our complex) we would have to pay a whole lot more, along with paying for hyrdro, water and parking. Same goes if we were to 'improve' our unit by removing the carpet and replacing with laminate, so much as we would love to get rid of the carpet it's simply not doable.
DeleteIn NJ there's no set % for raising rent. When I inquired of
Deletethe State housing people they said the law only states reasonable, no actual amount. They thought my threatened 20% would be considered reasonable. I didn't, and started planning.
It sounds as if you got in just at the right time.