Note how I put schedule in quotes in the title?

Today, in another post, Monika asked: “One thing I always wonder but haven’t really wanted to ask until now: You are renovating/fixing 3 houses… Do you see the end of the tunnel or are you going til you no longer able to do all this work?”

To Monika, I answer:

Yes.

Yes.

When I took on the Cross Properties I knew enough about renovating/restoring houses to know they would get done when they got done. I have never had a timeline.

My two big mistakes were:

1. I was in the middle of a massive renovation of the house I still live in. All this stopped when I closed on the Cross properties. I should have…somehow…ignored the intense lure of the new project and finished my house.
2. I have started, stopped, started, stopped, started, stopped, and started work on the Carriage House. I wish that I had started and stayed and stayed. I estimate that I have easily lost $100K in income. Stupid Ross.

I am currently working on the Turret Bathroom in the Carriage House and hope to finish it.

After that, I might move onto the living room. It isn’t a huge amount of work and having that big room finished would be quite inspiring.

I never expected to move into the Cross House with it finished. And I assume that my own bedroom will be unfinished for many years after I begin sleeping in it. I have done this many times previously. Ditto for numerous other rooms.

Previously, I posted that I will not move into the Cross House until my current house is done. I sooooooo do not want to be traveling west every day to work on The Other House after moving into the Cross House. I am currently doing something every day on The Other House (my Project 2025), and the kitchen looks a billion times better than it did a month ago, and may be done soon! Ross happy.

In secret, I resumed work on the Cross House kitchen and yesterday ordered the metal cabinet that will be under the east window, and I sent Dr. Doug all the plans for the kitchen island and its cabinets. I have been shopping for a stainless steel induction range on Facebook Marketplace. I do not know when I will have the money for the custom soapstone sink; until I do I can simply use the temporary sink now in place.

My bathroom, is the SE upstairs corner, is close to being done. I would like to finish it in 2025.

At the beginning of 2024 I assumed that I could get all three properties done at some point, something I assumed since buying the Cross properties in 2014.

With the collapse of my famous energy due to age, I no longer think the above, and can easily envision my dying in 2049 with the Cross House still unfinished. This makes my soul sigh.

Also, as with all big old houses, the work can never be finished. This year I spent 6 months renewing work done in 2014/15.

It is important to note that, mostly, I enjoy the work and find it deeply nourishing. The Cross House saved me in 2017, as I have detailed.

If my lighting sales shot up, I could have Justin working on the properties every week and that would hugely speed things along. Beginning in July though, for reasons I cannot explain, my sales slumped and have stayed slumped since.  I have always had the occasional month of slow sales, but never six months in a row. This terrifies me.

Or, I need to marry well. Or, unexpectedly inherit a lot of money. Several people have suggested my starting a YouTube vlog and I have given this a lot of thought but am always stopped by: Where will I find the time? I watch a lot of vlogs and it seems that it takes 40 hours to produce a single vlog post. Where would I find 40 hours a week for this? Not all vlogs, of course, take that much work. Handsome Dan produces short videos without much talking. But he produces a lot, and now has almost 600K subscribers. That is enough to make some real money (or so I assume). But Handsome Dan is way younger than I am. I watch him sprint all over his massive project and think: Hey! That was me at his age!

If I can train my cats to become old house workers, I have zero doubt that I would have a million subscribers within weeks.

Or, I need a young boyfriend who loves me, cats, and working on old houses. And who has his own tools. If he looks like Handsome Dan, too, that would also be a plus.