A few days ago I noticed (and eliminated) a few flies that were in my house. That’s strange, I thought, I’ve never had any flies in the house before. Yesterday morning I found a few more flying around and took care of them. Then I got home from work and caught three more! So that got me thinking, flies come from maggots and we all know where maggots get their start. I started to look in every corner of the lower level. Then I looked in the garage. Nothing. Not even a bad odor anywhere. As I stood in the garage thinking, my eyes landed on the door to the furnace. I grabbed the door knob, opened it with trepidation and got the answer. The mouse had breathed its last breath in my furnace closet, at the foot of the door.

I was glad the mouse wasn’t able to find his way out and chose to spend the last moments of life in a spot convenient for the house mortician, but how did he get there in the first place? After looking around, it’s still a mystery to me. Have a suggestion? e-mail it to me. The first person to send me the right answer will win a free mouse carcass (shipping and handling not included).

It’s now officially summer here at my house. That means warm and muggy air. But, my condo is cool! That’s right, my 16 year old central air conditioner with a rusty grill, still works! But perhaps I should start at the beginning of this story…

Before I signed the papers to become thirty years in debt, the home inspector was here and he told me the air conditioning unit was manufactured in 1987 (about the same time my condo was built). Unfortunately he was not able to test it because the weather at that time was too cool. Ever since then I was convinced as soon as temperatures got hot, I would find out Old Rusty was ready for the scrap yard and I would have to spend thousands of dollars on a new air conditioner. When I got home from work today it was pretty warm in my place. So I crossed my fingers, set the thermostat and moved the switch to cool. Cool is what I got.

Hopefully I won’t jinx Old Rusty and put him in an early grave by posting this.

Yes, I am now thirty years in debt. It sure beats paying rent to the landlord though. I’ve been in my condo for almost a week now and I like it a lot. Now, if I could just get the guy that unpacks all the boxes to work a little faster it would be even better.

Anyone interested in buying stock I would advice investing in home improvement stores. Since I moved I’ve already visited three different home improvement stores five times and let me tell you, there seems to be a lot of home improving going on around here. Each time I go the parking lots are packed and the lines at the registers are long.

Just two more weeks until I’m thirty years in debt. My apartment is beginning to resemble a warehouse with all the boxes I’ve got laying about. You don’t realize how much junk you’ve got until you start handling everything you own piece by piece. While going through a closet this weekend I discovered a bunch of junk that I haven’t touched since I put it in the closet eight years ago when I moved in. If anyone can tell me why I was keeping this stuff, they’ll win the grand prize for the week.*

*The grand prize for this week is a box full of junk that hasn’t been used for eight years.

So, my offer for the condominium has been accepted and the wheels are in motion for me to be thirty years in debt very soon. What’s funny is, I haven’t actually bought anything yet and I am hip deep in paperwork. Tonight I filled out the particulars of a loan application, which requires copies upon copies of bank statements, tax returns, check stubs, etc. I remember reading something several years ago that this modern computer era was supposed to bring us a paper-less society. If I have any money left after I’m thirty years in debt, I think maybe I’ll invest in a paper company.

Lately I’ve been shopping around for a condo. I’ve had more than enough of apartment living (do you have to explain to someone that it’s not the best idea to play their stereo at 2am so loud that the dishes rattle in their neighbor’s apartment??). Anyway, I found a nice place that I liked a lot and had an offer prepared. After gnashing my teeth all day while second-guessing my offer, I got a call from my realtor this evening. The seller accepted my offer! Woo hoo!! I suppose I’d better start practicing my signature. I hear all those closing forms are a real bear.