Cruise Preparation (Well, Sort Of)

There's The List, of course. This year's version was 8 single-spaced pages, and that on top of the 15 page list for a 2008 Bermuda cruise. Then there's The Other List.

I no longer cruise full time having done so for about 8 years in the 1990's. Yet from time to time I'm away from home sailing for extended periods. That will happen shortly if our cruise to the Maritimes works out, and this means The House List needs tending. The current version included exterior work (set up for summer fun, clean and stain the deck, break out the outdoor furniture, prune the trees and shrubs, set up the hoses and irrigation devices, rake away last winter's remains, and more), interior work (touch up the paint, do spring cleaning, arrange finances so Sonia won't fret the details, stock up on provisions for home and afloat, and more), and so on down the line. If one isn't careful, this sort of silliness can cut into sailing time.

Next there are those special projects, and that's what today is about. I'm just now awaiting the arrival of the insulation technicians who will add enough insulation in the attic spaces to double the "R" value to approximately R60. This is the last year that improvements like this will qualify for a federal tax credit, an incentive of much interest to us. The job is also an admission that some home repairs are best left to the professionals. I thought about blowing insulation into the attic spaces myself using rented equipment, but eventually I came to the same realization I'd had concerning the light at the top of the sailboat mast: that's why they call them "experts."