The best investment you'll ever make . . .

Monday, January 31, 2011
Back in my college days, as the ever-muckraking news editor of the student newspaper, I had the chance to talk with the college president. We discussed a myriad of topics, including the rapidly rising cost of higher education. Is it really worth it, I wondered out loud. How could tuition prices climb by thousands of dollars every year? 

He admitted it was a lot money. (College tuition in the '00s consistently rose at a rate twice that of inflation.) Then he compared it to buying a house.

"Sure it's a lot of money up front," he said. "But you ultimately you realize: it's the best investment you'll ever make."

Considering that I now have a degree from a college that no one outside of northern Minnesota knows about, I think he might have been pulling my leg a little bit.

For instance:

At the end of last week, a home-owning friend called me up. "Um, what do you know about black mold?" she asked.

My mom called up before the latest snowfall. "If it snows and I have to shovel that driveway again, I swear . . . " she sputtered. .

And then last morning, Andy came home early to deal with the whole ice dam issue. 

Remember the ice dam on our roof that causes ice to drip down into our door frame? It flared up a couple weeks ago, but the cloudy mild days of late kept the dripping at bay. But yesterday dawned sunny and I woke up to the thunk, jiggle, and clunky sound of Andy attempting to open the frozen shut front door so he could leave for work. At mid-morning, when I open the door to check on the whole "inner door icicle" situation, the equivalent of a bucket of water rained down on me. I knew that morning shower was a waste of time!


Andy climbed onto the roof and started redirecting snow and ice.


I filled a couple thermos with hot water and threw them up on the roof to assist with the melting process.


I kept plugging away at my office work. Boots on. Ready to assist where necessary. In less than half an hour Andy had shoveled most of the snow off the roof and broken up a big portion of the ice. The icy drips coming from the door frame slowed and eventually, disappeared completely.

Oh a house. The best investment you'll ever make . . . but of what? Your time? Your worry?

Whatever we call our houses under our breath, at least they'll always be "Home Sweet Home."

5 comments:

  1. I laughed aloud over Ada the Muckraker. I guess that would make me your informant in the Student Senate office, where nothing interesting enough to inform on ever really happened.

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  2. Your life is full of surprises and challenges. Pleased to meet you as I never have met a mudracker ;-)))

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  3. Betsy: I thought of you when I wrote that. Ah, the muckraking days. Those were the good days, eh. Even if all that happened of consequence was a dress code scandal or too.

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  4. Ada, I have heard about this upcoming severe storm. Thinking of you. Hope all will be fine.

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  5. What a beautiful blog...can't wait to explore more.

    I found you on blogfrog. Hope you can stop by and follow back...I have a really fun giveaway going on right now too!

    http://www.notjustbabytalk.blogspot.com

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