Today’s guest blogger is Annie Holmes. I’ve written a lot about my friend Annie Holmes, artist, writer, dog lover, and sail boat enthusiast. Today she sent me a photo taken of her long ago and published more than once by the photographer. Shows you that a good photo never dies.
Annie writes: This photo is nearly 20 years old. It is one of a series taken by Bob Grieser, professional boat photographer, who sells photos to advertisers, publications, etc. Meggie and I were just out tooling around Shelter Island basin one day when Grieser showed up in his skiff and asked to take pictures. I said sure. He gave me one of the slides way back when, and it’s fun to see other images from that shoot show up now and again. Makes me realize how much fun we had and how much I miss Miss Megan the Australian Wonder Dog.
January 2010 issue of Sailing Magazine
Sailing with a dog is great fun – especially if the dog is well-behaved and likes to go with you anywhere. It also helps if the dog is a good swimmer and isn’t afraid of the water. In my case Miss Megan was the best sailing dog in the world. She knew HOW to sail. She knew to go to the high side of the boat as I tacked and because of her instinctive ability, I didn’t have to change sides each time I tacked the boat. Meggie was “moving ballast.”
Meggie and I probably put 10,000 miles on that dinghy. It's an antique El Toro, named HOT YOT.
Meggie was a purebred Australian Shepherd, my favorite breed of dog. She was so in tune with her humans, you almost didn’t have to give her a command. She just knew what you wanted, and she’d do it. Besides being a good sailing companion, Meggie was a beloved therapy dog, visiting the sick and the elderly in two different hospitals. Our biggest adventure together was probably our trip up to Oregon (from San Diego) in my old ’76 camper. We went to get a boat that was given to me. [That adventure is another story. Ed.] We stopped all along the way and hiked the beaches, shopped in the little towns, stayed with friends, and she protected me at night, when we slept in the camper. Well, she would have if anyone had bothered us. No one did, but it was a great feeling of security to know she was there, sleeping or sitting in the front seat, keeping watch while I slept.
If you want a dog to like the water, don’t force it into the water. Dogs are naturally good swimmers, but it must be their idea. If you toss a dog into the water to “teach” it to swim, it will never go near the water. Just get her used to being near the water, walk in and out yourself, swim and act like you are having a good time in the water. Eventually the dog will want to join in. THEN you can teach them to rescue you in the water, or sail in a small dinghy, or ride with you in a kayak or canoe. Meggie loved it all, and I miss her great heart and spirit to this day, even after a decade without her.
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I tend to laugh when watching TV shows where couples are looking for new homes. They always have a tight budget and they want every bit they can get for that budget. So far, that’s real. It’s like most of us.
However, when Mrs. Budget looks into the kitchen and says in a snotty voice “It needs a bit of updating” I become skeptical. Do I hear a bit of behind-stage coaching here? When I look at a new house, I’m looking at potential. Does this house have the potential to be what I want? That’s what they should be looking for as well.
On the TV, however, the Budgets are really picky. They want good value for their money. Well, the home owner wants a good profit on her home. Let’s get real. Unless you flip houses, most homeowners offer a lived in house with a lived in look. When the Budgets are offered a home with a brand new kitchen, I’d kind of want to know the backstory. Why would a homeowner spend that amount of money on updates and then turn around and sell the house? My updated kitchen has a lot to do with me. I chose black granite because I like it. My cabinets are tall because I had the space and I can use the tallest shelves to store rarely used items. It’s very personally mine. I wouldn’t have done it and then turned around and sold the house.
If the homeowner does update the kitchen/bathroom/bedrooms/outside for re-sale, there’s no guarantee the Budgets will like it. Would they really change out perfectly good NEW Cabinets and counters for something they liked better? These shows would like us to believe this is true. Where’s the motivation for making those upgrades? What will the homeowner get for his/her trouble? Lots less money in this tight market? A quick sale?
There are different ways to look at this. I’m willing to put on some fresh paint in neutral colors to some of the rooms, but I’m not willing to spend thousands of dollars to make it into a freshly remodeled home that might possibly, in a blue moon, suit the Budgets. If I’ve chosen black appliances in MY kitchen instead of stainless steel, why does Mrs. Budget look at it as if she’s seen a mouse under it? It’s not her house yet. I get to live in it until it’s sold. If she wants stainless steel she can replace it when it belongs to her. But why should she? Most of us don’t have the money to replace something that works perfectly well.
Is there, perhaps an understory to these shows? Are they trying to influence us to remodel a house we’re trying to sell so it’s an easier sale – for the Realtor? Are they trying to influence the buyers to buy a house – all they can possibly afford in many cases – and then throw out things so they can have the latest fad? Aren’t these shows often sponsored by huge home-improvement shows? Yes, I think there’s an understory to all of this.
So, let’s keep the home improvement stores happy and ask what if Mr. and Mrs. Budget buy an “outdated” home and remodel it themselves. If they can find the money after just buying a new home, they can remodel it just the way they like. They can spend their money on their new house. That way every little thing is just right – or maybe it isn’t. Maybe, like a lot of us, they will find remodeling is hard on their cash flow. Loans are hard to get. Maybe they’ll settle for good enough.
I still hate the way they’ve been coached to they say “It’s outdated.” I always want to slap them.
Marilynne
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A new washer!
If you look at it in terms of the purchase power of the general public, I am fortunate this week to have ordered a new washer and dryer. I was even happier to find that it came with a rebate for delivery and removal of the old machines. Great!
Except that I prefer to send my old machines to be recycled. I know a firm that will pick up my old machines, recondition, and re-sell them. In effect they’re recycling them so I was happy to pay them to pick up my machines.
So, what will that do to my rebate? I’m not sure. Technically they should pay the cost of the people who are going recycle my machines. But who knows. The world of rebates is a crazy world.
About half of the rebates I apply for are never paid. That’s a lot. Most of the ones who don’t pay are small software companies. A large company like Sears has its reputation at stake. I believe they will pay the rebate.
However, their own-line rebate forms were a little difficult. When I thought I’d made a mistake, the “help” didn’t put me on the right track. It just kept insisting that I do this step. This led to me download a mail-in form twice (I thought they needed it online) and re-enter their form about four times. By the fourth time I was frustrated enough to YELL at them through “Contact Us.” Kudos to them for having that link. Many companies now days do not.
I took the mail-in form they had given me at the store only to find they had written on it – and I had written a password on it. Not good. I was looking for the online form when I decided to try online once more.
The fifth time was a charm. What they were asking for finally made sense and I was able to complete the rebate.
We’re talking about a half hour here. A half hour to complete an online form. It should have been easier.
Now, if they’ll be able to fit my new machines through the door, I’ll be a happy lady. (I have an old house with creative sizing when it comes to doors.)
Marilynne
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