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Gaius Baltar

The House, Part I

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I return often now to "the house". Seemingly abandoned during the midst of the pandemic, it stands half empty and frozen in time. The downstairs shows early signs up patch work and painting, while the upstairs is essentially untouched. Because of the halt in the upgrades I went ahead and took possession of the property and of course the responsibility for the further improvements. After a brief flurry of interest from other family members it quickly dropped off the radar with the other more pressing day to day situations and they were more than glad to let me take over the work.


The property itself is rurally located with a generous line of trees on the back part of the property which abuts a large lake. Originally a ranch style it was remodeled sometime in the late 70s into the two-story building with a large chimney and attached garage. Hidden by the tree line it his private and colorful, yet with a good selection of modern amenities including an awesome full-body shower, kitchen appliances and washer-dryer room. The back patio with the stone flooring, outdoor fireplace and hot tub make it a hidden paradise.


It has become my refuge. I can make the excuse that "I’m checking on the house", which in part is true, and then enjoy a remarkable solitude where the stress of the world melts
away. I have restocked the kitchen and set up the internet again (so I can run the security cameras). A nice warm fire in the fireplace, a grilled steak and a hot shower is
almost like heaven now.


And then there is the wine cellar.


Not large by any standards but certainly she had an eye for what we would call, "quaffing" wines. While my personal preference is cabs and merlots, she also had a nice selection of whites and champagne. For now, I just stick to the reds. I am pleased by the 2004 samples but may have to break into the selections from the 80s which she so carefully hoarded. I have my own cigars, which she always detested, and it’s a nice combo by the fireplace.


A glass or two and then it’s time to light up the video screen. I am a sci-fi fan so it’s a wide selection to choose from. I have been binging lately, “The Expanse”, old Stargate episodes, some newer stuff like “Britannia”. An hour-long episode is about all I can handle now, I guess its my ADHD kicking in and then I must go walk around, checking the rooms and windows. I always end up in the computer room downstairs, as if I might discover a missing disk or insert that I somehow missed before.


Sometimes at the end of the day I gaze out a back window at the wide field leading up to the tree line. I grab the dogs and we set off down the trail, chasing the sunset and distant memories.


With the ongoing pandemic I brought the work to a halt and have half-made the decision to keep the old place. It’s in a perfect location and in fairly good shape. A paint job and some trim work and it would be as good as new. And with property values in the area soaring now in would be an excellent investment to hold onto.


But obviously I will have to clean up this mess sooner or later.

Updated January 29, 2021 at 03:27 PM by Gaius Baltar

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