Household Help

At one time I used to mow the lawn.  It got too much and we hired a service to do it.  I still have all the lawn mowers.  When it snows, I shovel.  While I own a snow blower, it hasn't worked in a few years.  For as often as I use it, hiring somebody to remove the snow that exceeds my hand shoveling capacity seems like a wise option.

Some other hiring on the horizon.

1. Tree Removal
2. Housecleaning Biweekly
3. Professional organizer for two rooms
4. Electrician
5. Carpenter

These sources of assistance have not been easy to find.  The tree surgeons seemed happy to do what we need, second estimate expected shortly.  The others have remained a challenge.

There are websites that match task to provider.  When I needed a new disposal installed, it did not go well.  Somebody who I did not expect showed up to do it.  He said I prepaid.  I don't remember engaging him.  But he did a good job and I have a functioning disposal.

The organizer, electrician, and carpenter have not gone well at all.  I went to Lowes to see if they allow tradesmen to post their business cards.  They don't.  I've tried carpenter near me searches.  Mixed results.  Some not available for what I need done, or really don't serve my region.

Electricians should be easy.  It wasn't.  One estimate considerably higher than expected charges for what I need that are posted on websites.

Organizers say OK, then for some reason bail out.

And I'm not quite ready for somebody to come to the house every two weeks.  Gone are the days of the cleaning ladies that my mother and other stay at home housewives would bring in weekly, assign them whatever is best done that day, then do some other things the next week.  Now we have crews, often franchised, with a protocol checklist that does not always mesh with the best use of time or effort.  This one can wait.

And we've not even gotten to snow removal.  I'll make an effort in the fall to restore my snow blower to adequate function.