Joining us this morning for an extended brunch were more cousins—John, Rachel, and her boyfriend Rob. Jeanine and Maya teamed up to make a perfect batch of popovers, while Brooke prepared a fruit salad that could feed a small army. In between catching up on everybody’s news, we engaged in a raucous game of Hues and Cues.
My nephew, Mario, and his new bride, Brooke, are staying with us for two nights. Mario has business in the Seaport District starting on Monday, and they will stay at a hotel in the area starting on Sunday. Kyle, Nico, and Maya joined us for dinner and a sleepover to spend time with their cousin. Jeanine was pleased to see her new sofa-bed pressed into service with high marks for comfort.
Jeanine and I enjoyed a morning walk around the neighborhood, where we encountered four-foot-high snowbanks and igloos big enough for an adult. It would be safe to say that we have had more than our fair share of snow this winter, but you will find no complaints here. One of the things I love most about living in New England is that we get all four seasons in their full glory.
This morning, our family’s offer to purchase this triplex in the heart of Somerville was accepted by the seller. I say family because this home will be jointly owned by all three kids. Each will own one of the three nearly identical units. Jeanine and I are helping with the down payment, while the kids will cover the rest. Each can choose to live in their unit alone, collect rent from roommates, or generate passive income by renting their entire floor out.
When we started looking for a property last week, this was the only one that met all of our criteria. The 3,816 sqft. home has 9 bedrooms, 6 baths, a huge basement and off-street parking. The closing is scheduled for April 15.
The nice thing about having a really long driveway is that it affords significant privacy. The downside is that it takes a long time to clear snow, especially after a powerful Nor’easter. Last night, we received about 11 inches of fresh snow, and it was the wet and heavy kind. I had an appointment with an orthopedist to evaluate my hip and knees at 8 am, so I had to get an early start on snowblowing the driveway. I have two sets of batteries for my electric snowblower, and I had to use each set twice to complete the job. On the first pass, I cleared a path just wide enough for one of our cars to reach the road. I took care of everything else on the second pass later in the day. I always make an effort to get down to the asphalt when temperatures are below freezing, and more snow is in the forecast. Failure to do so just makes future snowblowing that much more difficult.
Incidentally, I learned that my hips and knees hurt because of decades of wear and tear. The doctor saw no immediate or foreseeable need for replacement joints. The plan is to continue my stretching and strengthening routine and to address pain with Ibuprofen.
Nicolai will be honored by the Soccer Unity Project at their annual fundraiser. The Unity Ball event will be held on April 10th at the Park Plaza Hotel in Boston. Funds raised will ensure that young people — especially girls and youth of color — can continue to experience the power and joy of sport. Nico will share the spotlight with Miles Robinson, a defender for the US Men’s National Team, and Ally Sentnor, a midfielder/forward for the US Women’s National Team.
This evening, Jeanine and I hosted our second six-course $1000 donation dinner party, with the proceeds going to our church. Our neighbors, Tom and CC made the donation in addition to providing an expert selection of wines and Champagne. They invited two other couples who are long-time friends of CC to share the meal, and we used the occasion to celebrate a pair of birthdays as well.
Last night, we received 3 inches of wet snow, the kind that sticks to tree branches, creating a beautiful winter wonderland. After clearing the driveway, I set out for some aerial photography and a honey-do list of errands. Pictured above is a distant view of the Old North Bridge and Visitor Center. My shopping list included an offset spatula, Portobello mushroom caps, candles, a zucchini, a red onion, and a yellow squash. This mission required stops at three different stores and was not completed to the satisfaction of my boss. I forgot the candles, and apparently, I do not know the difference between a zucchini and an English cucumber. In my defense, I doubt Jeanine knows the difference between a Forstner bit and a brad-point drill bit.
I met Kyle in Lowell to tour a multi-family dwelling he is considering acquiring. He is serious about investing in real estate to create a source of passive income. We then traveled to Somerville to tour a triplex that Jeanine and I are considering purchasing.
Jeanine noticed from the windows of her sanctuary that the roof vent for our cooktop had been dislodged by the ever-so-slowly (think glacially) advancing sheet of snow sliding off the roof. If snow or rain were allowed to enter the exposed exhaust pipe, water would drip down onto our cooktop and potentially damage the fan motor. I decided that an immediate repair was called for. I must admit that the idea of climbing a 20-foot ladder onto an icy and snow-covered metal roof in below-freezing temperatures was not something I was looking forward to in the least. Even so, postponing was not an option. I made one trip up the ladder to assess the situation and a second to return with the necessary tools and hardware to complete the repair. When I completed the work, I decided to take a picture of the river from the rooftop. It did not occur to me to take a picture of the repaired roof vent until I was back on the ground, and at that point, the risk of a third trip up the ladder seemed like a bad idea.
Most evenings, just after dusk, our driveway sensor chimes. When no visitors or deliveries appeared responsible for the alert, we eventually figured out that it was being triggered by members of our local deer herd. Pictured here is one of three that visited last night, as captured by one of our security cameras.
When it came time to install path lighting for the driveway, I opted to install a 300-foot LED rope light along one side. The white light string can be programmed for different types of animation, which makes for a fun greeting to the house. When covered by snow, the lights can still be seen as a soft glow in the snow bank, which is even more fun.
Homeowners often seek to remove heavy snow from their roofs. We designed our home to handle a substantial snow load and selected a low roof pitch, hoping to keep fallen snow in place on top of the house. This is because snow, on average, has an R-value of 1 per inch of snow. That means that our recent 15″ snowfall added R-15 to our R-50 insulated roof, helping to further reduce energy loss from the house. Pictured above is the right side of the garage roof with an entire slab of snow and icicles inching their way off. By design, neither rain nor snow falls over an entrance to the house.
For Christmas, Jeanine gifted Nico two tickets to the world premiere engagement of Wonder: The Musical at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, MA. By all accounts, it was wonderful.