Well….after I had a brainstorm yesterday, I think I’m going to start thinking differently about this house and what is acceptable as I clean it up and repair the big faults in the walls and everywhere else…I think I’m going to start thinking of this place as an old French chateau or an Italian villa instead of the pristine American house where it is necessary for everything to be perfect…when you look at some of those old European houses, they seem to embrace the age and flaws in brick work, walls and floors instead of covering them up and trying to make them perfect….and that is part of the character of those old houses…now, this one is not 150 years old or sitting on a hill in Provance but I can treat it as it is and take my mantra of letting the next owner make it perfect to it’s logical conclusion….is this a rationalization for not wanting to spend the time or money to make this place perfect? Yes, it is….but it also serves the purpose of quieting the guilt for running out of steam as I get older and as I stare at the huge missing pieces of the plaster skim coat in the big bedroom that I know will still be visible when I’m done with them….and I do need a way to accept how they come out no matter how good or bad…so, I’ll give that a try and see how it works….may change it tomorrow…who knows?