Morning all. Doing slightly better at avoiding the snooze button, but the clock was still within slapping range. Nothing that walks me up needs to be within slapping range. Especially when it is still dark. So Another few inches away and we will see if that helps. For now, onward we go.
I like the location. I like the thought of a family home where the family doesn’t need to sell but is slowly being surrounded as the city expands. It might bring out the greed in certain family as well as bring up problems. Depending on the story that goes with it. Which I am not sure about at this time. But it could be something to return to later.
Thursday, October 19th: A crack ran across the surface.
A crack ran across the surface. I could see why it had been discarded but for my purposes, the crack did not matter. I negotiated a reduced pirce, rar reduced from what I would have paid normally. Even with the reduced price, the seller couldn’t resist offering a warning.
“You know that crack is where it will break.? In a piece of marble this big it will be the weak point. It isn’t just cosmetic.”
I nodded and thanked him for his caution. I also decided that given his honesty and need to deal fairly even if it risked his profit, I would hire him if I found I was ever in need of his skills. The slab of marble was loaded into the truck and I watched the weight sink the bed low.
‘Sideroads, I decided. Today the highway and high speeds would not be for me. ‘Also might want to go with the ones with fewer potholes.’ With everything loaded and paid for I slowly drove away. The shape of the slab caused it to jut into the air well over the height of the truck’s cab and it felt like a rudder or a solid sail directing the wind. When it gusted the truck rocked. I was happy to get into the streets more heavily lined with trees. There the wind level was cut down significantly.
I still felt like a swimmer with a shark fin attached to their backs but the truck rocked less. I took the older streets partially because the old growth trees blocked more wind and partially because they were in an area where the roads were well maintained. For the most part it was a wealthy district. As most people were off to work at this time of day there were few around to complain.
My house was just as old, but it was not in a pricey district. Admittedly that may change at some point. Originally my family house was large. And it was build in the Second Empire Style, looking a little like it belonged to the Addams style of house building. It was well maintained however. It wasn’t the first house on the property. The first house had been a simple farm house. Them the farm made money, lots of money. Business ventures outside the farm took off, the family became quite wealthy and while they kept a town house in the city, they wanted their main family home to reflect their status. The new house was built and people of influence were invited out for country weekends.
Over time the family fortunes diversified and remained fairly steady so the house was always kept up. However it was no longer as country as it once was. We kept our land, but the encroaching city gobbled up many of the farms around us. Now if you climbed to the top floor and looked out you no longer saw an unending vista of farmland. There was a definite edge to where our land ended and a new subdivision was being built.
Ten til Midnight 