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To recap, for those coming in at intermission: Denise and I have a house, inherited from her mother, in Brookfield, Wisconsin, a west Milwaukee suburb. For the last ten years, my brother has lived there, paying a nominal rent and supervising repairs and remodel, but at the end of 2025, he and his wife moved to Detroit to be closer to her family. The house has been empty since then, while we ponder what to do with it. Early in February, his son and daughter-in-law, Joe and Makayla, proposed to manage it as a rental for us. They're not terribly close, living in St. Paul, but at least it's closer than Eugene.
With me so far?
I flew out to Milwaukee on Friday, planning to meet Joe and Mak Saturday, then drive up to Central Wisconsin Sunday and Monday to visit my mother and whatever other siblings were close by. I'd fly back to Eugene Tuesday morning. This plan was ambushed, of course, by a major winter snowstorm that hit St. Paul Saturday morning, Central Wisconsin that night.
As of Sunday morning, Brookfield was getting wind and rain, not snow, so I headed over to the house to do a walk through.
First thing I noticed, on arriving, was the garbage and recycling cans out on the driveway, along with a plastic-wrapped newspaper. Also found a package delivered to the front doorstep, all there since January. (The paper was the January 4 Journal/Sentinel.) The recycle can had blown over, but the trash can was upright--and three-quarters full of water. Dumped it out, splashing my socks, and put everything in the garage.
On the walk-through, the house was in pretty good condition. A few minor things, water stains on the bedroom floor from a long-ago water bed, everything could use a good sweeping. There were also some missing linoleum tiles in the basement, and some garden cleanup. The only major things I've found were: some dangling conduit and electric outlet in the basement, from when contractors had to repair and reinforce the basement wall; an empty space in the kitchen for a dishwasher--David and Charlotte took theirs with them to Detroit; and a crushed and badly repaired 6-inch section of rain gutter over the garage door, coincidentally right above where the trash can was sitting.
Took lots of notes and pictures, which I'll share with Joe and Mak when I get home to a computer. I am now done with my responsibilities for the weekend, with Monday still free.
With me so far?
I flew out to Milwaukee on Friday, planning to meet Joe and Mak Saturday, then drive up to Central Wisconsin Sunday and Monday to visit my mother and whatever other siblings were close by. I'd fly back to Eugene Tuesday morning. This plan was ambushed, of course, by a major winter snowstorm that hit St. Paul Saturday morning, Central Wisconsin that night.
As of Sunday morning, Brookfield was getting wind and rain, not snow, so I headed over to the house to do a walk through.
First thing I noticed, on arriving, was the garbage and recycling cans out on the driveway, along with a plastic-wrapped newspaper. Also found a package delivered to the front doorstep, all there since January. (The paper was the January 4 Journal/Sentinel.) The recycle can had blown over, but the trash can was upright--and three-quarters full of water. Dumped it out, splashing my socks, and put everything in the garage.
On the walk-through, the house was in pretty good condition. A few minor things, water stains on the bedroom floor from a long-ago water bed, everything could use a good sweeping. There were also some missing linoleum tiles in the basement, and some garden cleanup. The only major things I've found were: some dangling conduit and electric outlet in the basement, from when contractors had to repair and reinforce the basement wall; an empty space in the kitchen for a dishwasher--David and Charlotte took theirs with them to Detroit; and a crushed and badly repaired 6-inch section of rain gutter over the garage door, coincidentally right above where the trash can was sitting.
Took lots of notes and pictures, which I'll share with Joe and Mak when I get home to a computer. I am now done with my responsibilities for the weekend, with Monday still free.
