What nature tells me in no particular order and things you learn from house hunting OR watching a whirlwind

1. It is amazing how much lower you can set your thermostat and still be comfortable when the temperature outside is hovering around zero Fahrenheit.
2. The accumulation of pointless scraps of paper seems to be the human condition.
3. Pointless scraps of paper may have information that could lead to your economic demise, so you should shred them.
4. Shredders have built-in-obsolescence.
5. Finding a new place to live has much more to do with gut feeling than with the intellect.
6. When your gut tells you that a new place to live is right, produce your checkbook instantly.
7. Ignore that other place you saw that is for less money and has potential, but your gut tells you is wrong, even though, intellectually, it is probably the better deal.
8. Play close attention to potential neighbors who cause you to worry.
9. Enjoy the future.
10. Worry about the present.
11. Forget about the past.
12. Never rent from an octogenarian who lets her 50-something son take a crap in your potential bathroom while you are looking at the house.
13. Do not rent a duplex where the college students from Idaho in the other side take it upon themselves to park in your driveway just because they know it is vacant and slam doors incessantly while your are assessing the place.
14. Put a black mark to landlords who don't even have the decency to return your call.
15. Amuse yourself at landlords who ask you for advice about their rental houses, and realize that you must project some amount of authority to even be asked.
16. Note that college-age kids, while full of vim and vigor, often are quite unmindful of appropriate attire for arctic temperatures.
17. Be mindful yourself of how sharp your tongue can be to previously mentioned college students and landlords.
18. Understand that feeling like you are in a wind tunnel is an acceptable feeling given the circumstances.