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Friday, October 8, 2010

I like it here.

Earlier this afternoon, about a half-mile after I had crossed an old-style covered bridge over a small stream, I had to pause on my way home because of a cattle crossing. These were cows, not steer, but still...

Its moments like that which make living out here where I do so great, glimpses into a slower paced world mostly disappeared from these parts. That's not the whole reason why I just recently signed up for a fifth year on my lease, but it's certainly part of it. The rest of it has to do with how good I have it here at Orchard Ridge. They've never raised my rent and when I need something done, something gets done.

I asked to have my rear porch area power washed; they were here two days later. I asked if it was okay to remove the outside screams to wash my windows; they said they'll have the cleaning staff, do it next time they're working on the building. Two days after I first moved in here, my refrigerator went bad. It was a Saturday and they couldn't replace it until Monday, so I stored my food and beer in the refrigerator in a sample apartment a few doors down. I got up early Monday and left to do some things I had to do. When I came back there was a new refrigerator in place in all of my food and beer had been moved back from the rental apartment.I have a ground floor apartment in the rear of the building with a back door that opens out onto a grassy hillside in the woods below that. It's quiet and perfect for my dog, especially late at night when neither one of us feels like going for a long walk. During the day, on the other hand, there is a path of roughly a mile and a quarter or round the property which is ideal for our walks.

Being out here isolates me a bit from the city, and that's not the best thing for me professionally since I should be spending more time in there checking out the bar and restaurant scene. Getting to the city at night involves a 20 mile drive to the nearest train station and a 45 minute train ride. Coming back out means having to catch one of the hourly trains that run only until shortly after midnight and then making that 20 minute drive back home after drinking. That's not very much fun and, since I developed cataracts in both eyes, I have had serious problems driving at night even following two operations to remove them. This means that I generally get a room in the city for the night when I do go in; it's the responsible thing to do and a safe thing to do. But of course it costs me, $100 or more most of the time, so it's not something I can do a lot.

The choice I had to make in signing a new lease was between the comfort and pleasures of the lifestyle I now enjoy and moving in closer into what would probably be not as good a situation in terms of lifestyle but more convenient for the things I have to do. I opted for a nice life I now know. I mean, really, that should be the point, right? And, to be honest, the other option remains right there if I wanted. While each lease is for a year, either side can opt out of it with two months notice. That's another reason I like it here.

If you're wondering why I'm rambling on about this and about things most of you probably don't care about, this has been a test at a training session for my Dragon voice recognition software. It's got to be done, so I might as well get a post out of it, you know?

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