Snowbird faces a few challenges in temporary nest

To rent a motel or a condo is the decision many snowbirds must make when they head to Florida, Arizona, or other locations that are warm in January and February.

After struggling for several months to find the perfect place to rent in Aiken, S.C., it became evident to me that the luckiest temporary transplants are those who own a second home for the winter. Owners have to deal with taxes, insurance, and property upkeep, but they know where they will be and they are in charge.

It's good that I didn't keep score of the number of calls and emails made to rent an apartment or condo. I may have given up the search. Rental agencies prefer more than two months' rental. Several places I contacted were unfurnished, and rental furniture adds considerably to the cost. Why Aiken? It's a nice size with friendly people, good restaurants, cultural events, and a mall.

My search ended successfully. I achieved my goal to live downtown when I leased a third-floor condo (with elevator) when the owner who couldn't sell it decided to drop the rent to $1,500 from $1,850 and the deposit from $1,000 to $500.

During the two weeks in Florida over the holidays, my anticipation to move into a new condo heightened. I would be the first person to live in the two-bedroom unit and when I was to arrive it would be furnished, good to go.

New condo, new furniture, I thought. Wrong! The owner apparently decided not to spend the money for new things in a city where used stores are prevalent. When I sat in the easy chair in the living room it sank so far I could hardly get up. I needed a step stool to get into one bed so I slept in the other bedroom, furnished with a white painted bed and chair that was no doubt dark wood in its youth. The dining table and four chairs were also the victims of white paint. The day I moved in an antique desk was delivered at my insistence to have a desk. One of the four dining chairs works as a desk chair.

Five days after I moved in the TV technician finally arrived to hook up my satellite service. At the same time the manager found a desk lamp. When the stove didn't heat after pushing every button several times, it was discovered the breakers hadn't been turned on. At this writing I am still waiting for the washer and dryer that have been promised several times.

As I usually do in rental properties and during long stays in motels, I rearranged the furniture in the condo and believe it looks homier than it did. The change included moving a large glass coffee table from in front of the love seat to the wall and using one end of it for the tallest of the three vintage table lamps that serve both bedrooms and the living area. Coffee tables are a nuisance anywhere, in my opinion.

I plan on having six people for dinner before I move out Feb. 1, but so far they can't find the leaf for the table to extend it big enough and there are only four chairs and four place settings of silverware. A tablecloth is no problem. I brought three, along with spices and packaged foods including oatmeal, flour, sugar, wheat germ, flax seed, and utensils including my favorite wooden spoon, whisk, measuring spoons, and rolling pin.

That brings us to the kitchen. Compared to this one, the kitchen at Posey Lake is like camping out. It is totally wonderful with granite counters, three times more cupboards than I have at home, a dishwasher and disposal which I don't have at home, a large microwave, and a black electric stove with five flush burners. I still haven't used the dishwasher or the disposal; I'm old-fashioned, I guess. Once the breakers were turned on, and I learned to use all the buttons, the stove has worked like a charm.

And, what do I cook in my little home away from home? The answer is not much. I enjoy shopping in different markets. The Kroger store here is 75,000 square feet, the largest in the chain, I am told.

I haul the groceries to the third floor, put them away, and then decide which restaurant to patronize.

Mary Alice Powell is a retired Blade food editor. Contact her at: mpowell@theblade.com.