I was looking at my bank balance yesterday and was pleased at what I saw, especially given that I had recently purchased a new washer/dryer and a refrigerator. I’m keeping in reserve some funds for a boiler, as I expect the 34-year-old boiler in my basement to buy the farm any day now, but over and above that, I thought I might want to splurge on a new set of Apple HomePods.

So I loaded up the Apple web page and began exploring.

That’s when I received a text, well an iMessage really, from the handyman who had done some work for me last month.

I had broached the subject with him about getting a new back door as that was still the weakest link in my house’s insulation. When we had the cold snap the other weak, just walking into the kitchen was like entering a meat locker. Without the meat, of course.

He wanted to know if I was still interested in getting a new back door, and of course I was, so I replied, “yes, definitely.” 

Shortly thereafter he showed up with his back door man in tow, and they took the measure of my back door.

It appears that, like apparently everything else in this hundred and three year old house, the back door is a non-standard size, so it will have to be custom-made. I indicated that I’d like it to have a built-in window shade. 

They messaged me back a little while later with an estimate which came to $2000 for materials and labor.

Which might seem like a lot, except if you recall when I had windows installed a couple years ago, that company was initially going to replace the back door, but they subsequently backed out of installing the back door with a lame excuse, but their estimate for the door was $4000, so in light of that, $2000 sounds like a bargain.

It looks like after I send them half the cost (so they can order the custom door), they should get it within a week, so I should have the new back door within two weeks.

But plans for a new set of HomePods will have to wait a month or two.