Door Shuts Softly

Hello,

Ever since Leroy put insulation around the kitchen door it was hard to shut and it had gotten harder. When I went out I would have to pull sharply to get it to latch. The entire neighborhood probably thought I always left home in a rage as I slammed out. When inside the only way for me to make it latch was to bump it solidly with my butt. Leroy did not lower himself to such tactics; he merely put on the deadbolt. That worked, but I like it latched.

Especially during the extremely cold weather we did not lock the door because we did not want to come home to find that we had forgotten our key. That has only rarely happened, but we did not want to freeze on our doorstep. Besides, many people in town have said they do not lock their homes. It seems that if someone needed to get in when it was so cold they were welcome to do that. Sometimes, because the latch had not caught, the door was slightly ajar when we got home. I always felt bad about trying to heat the outdoors when it takes enough energy just to heat the indoors.

Just a couple days ago the door would not close. Investigation revealed that the latch holder had a screw loose. After it was tightened the door closed with ease and almost silently. Now again it is a little harder to get it to latch, but nothing seems to be loose. What a blessing this has been. It is the small things that make life joyful.

When visiting Brian, he always complained at how much I slammed doors. Maybe now I can develop new habits. Can an old dog learn new tricks? Yes it just takes longer.

Paula