January 2021

Here is a link to photos and videos from January.

The Modern Convenience of Home Heating

There was a long, cold, dark night a few days before Christmas last month, when I found myself lying alone under blankets on the couch by the fire trying to keep warm. Outside, it had just snowed three feet and the temperature was dipping below 0, and our heater was only putting out minimal amounts of heat. I was at our house by myself trying to deal with that problem while Becky and Alex were at the apartment. For better or worse, I had stayed up all night attempting to replace a part sent by the manufacturer hoping it would fix the problem. It didn't, and the HVAC repair man couldn't get it going either when he came. The heater was a tankless unit that heats the tap water and the hydronic baseboard heating that runs around the walls of the house, and it had a history of problems ever since we bought the house. So we decided the best course of action was to replace the heating unit along with some of the related plumbing issues. The HVAC pros came over early in January and got the job done over two days. It works better than ever now. The HVAC company has interest-free financing for 18 months which will be helpful; some of that additional COVID stimulus funding will be even more helpful.

Confessions of an AirBnB Host: Lessons Learned from a Year of Hosting

As I was going over some finances for our 2020 taxes, I realized that the amount of revenue from renting our house on AirBnB in 2020 was exactly the same amount as the cost for the new heater. Incidentally, now that we have heat again, the AirBnB is back in business for 2021 with several bookings.  I've actually enjoyed being a host and running this little side hustle, and I was reflecting on a few things I've learned in the first year of doing it:

Most Guests are Great. In most cases, guests don't complain too much or leave too much of a mess, and so I just show up to clean during the week and go through the usual routine. The worst guest I've had so far had a birthday party for their kid, and apparently for the adults too. Someone was smoking pot or something in the basement in an area where they shouldn't have been. And someone in the group left their car partially blocking the driveway for a few days because I guess it wouldn't start, so I was stressing over whether or not I'd need to tow it.

You Can't Please Everyone. I've had 30 plus guests stay, and all but two have left 5-star reviews. The two that didn't weren't the best guests either. People leave feedback occasionally: sometimes helpful, sometimes just picky. Do you really need a flat sheet if you are using a duvet cover? Sorry you had to uber to your destination but Google Maps could have told you that before you arrived. Yes I know there are some cobwebs up in the rafters that I'll eventually get, but does that really justify 4 stars?

It's Only Profitable if I Don't Count the Mortgage. But it does cover the utilities, property taxes, and then some. In any case, my whole goal here is cut the losses on a house that we are only able to use part time until we have a more tenable long-term plan. That said, there is a lot of incentive for owning a home with a guesthouse or basement apartment that could be rented on AirBnB to mitigate the mortgage, so it's something to consider I think when buying a home.

You Don't Need to Live in a Tourist Destination to Get Guests. Our house is in a residential area near a small city that most people haven't heard of. I still get guests just about every weekend, even through the pandemic. Most are people in town visiting friends and family. Some were visiting family but didn't want to stay in the same house because of the pandemic. 

Will Poo for Tractors

Potty training is an ongoing effort, and like other things with Alex, it requires a very strategic, focused and persistent effort. He's become averse to pooping in his diaper, so when he starts pulling his pants down we know he needs to go. We try to use that sign to our advantage, and whisk him away to the bathroom when it happens. Often we don't whisk him fast enough. So we've been trying a preemptive approach that has evolved into taking him to the potty in the evening after dinner, and letting him have some quiet time while looking at his favorite tractor book (see photo above). So far we've had some good success with this, To reinforce this, whenever he poos on the potty, he gets a new Hot Wheels car or toy tractor in special cases. There are only so many toy tractors in the world, but by now it seems we have most of them. Alex is beyond excited with each new one, taking it everywhere with him and even to bed until the magic wears off after a couple days.

Other Outings, Activities and Miscellanei 

In the photos and videos, you'll see us mostly inside because it's freezing right now. But there is one above of us throwing rocks on a frozen lake (it makes an interesting sound). Alex has really been into stacking these alphabet blocks and knocking them over (best dollar I ever spent at a thrift store). We've combined it with something else he has been into lately, which is being pushed on a scooter. You'll see some video of us doing scooter pushes in the gym at the church, which he wanted to do all night. We took a drive down to Paramus, NJ to make use of a Cheesecake Factory gift card, but didn't think to plan for the long wait. So we just ended up exploring the very fancy mall where it was located instead. We had fun playing Mario Kart and other games at a bowling alley. We've become regulars at the trampoline place with pits of foam blocks, and Alex is getting more daring, stepping out of his comfort zone which is one particular pit of foam blocks. Alex has learned to say "no," and use it with dramatic effect. We've started watching the TV show 30 Rock, and for some reason Alex really likes the theme song and comes over to the TV when it starts playing. Becky's mom got us a fancy dollhouse, which you'll see in some of the photos. It came in a box with so many little pieces, it took all day to put together. But it is useful for teaching Alex the names of things in a house. No family trips to the real house this month, but we'll be there in February, enjoying full heating this time.