Painter!

Painter! We have painter! It's such an exciting day (I'm being honest about that, and it just shows you have old we really are that we get excited about that kind of thing) There is a slim chance that we will have a fence AND a freshly painted house BY THE END OF THE MONTH! Wow! Of course now I've probably just jinxed myself, and everything will fall apart. Hopefully not though. The painter we picked is neither the lowest nor the highest bid, but we like him, and he comes with good references. Thanks again to my friend, T, who gave me the referral.

Home Improvement Frustration

M and I have been valiantly trying all summer to get a new fence and a paint job for our house. We did not think this would be such a big deal because we plan to use the Microsoft home improvement tool (a telephone and a checkbook) to get the job done. No gathering of tools, no visits to Home Debit, and no hours and hours of hard work. Easy right? Ha, ha, not so fast.

You know all those unflattering, unkind things people say about the intelligence, integrity, and possible drug abuse of painters, roofers, and construction workers? I now believe that any and all of those things may be true. The first problem you face with these guys (they're always guys) is just getting them to talk to you. M probably called four or five different fencing companies trying to get estimates from them. You would think that a business would not survive if you completely fail to call the customers back. He finally found some companies that would come and give him estimates, but some of them were sky hi. After MANY months (and two letters of complaint from our HOA) we are FINALLY getting a fence in the next few weeks (knock on wood).

Roughly the same thing happened when we tried to get a house painter. M called one guy who said he would be out on Friday. Then he called back to say he would come at 11:30, oh wait, he meant to say SATURDAY at 11:30. Saturday at 11:30 came and went without any sign of him. He called to ask if M wanted to set up an appointment some time? Argh! Now he's supposed to come this afternoon. We shall see.

Meanwhile, I've been searching for painters too. My friend, T, very kindly forwarded several recommendations and I called three of them from the list. One called me back. He said he would call in the next two days to make an estimate appointment. He called four days later to ask if I was home right at that moment. Fortunately I was and he said he would come in an hour. Three hours later he actually appeared. If our house ever gets a paint job and a new fence I will be thrilled and amazed.

The Teeniest Tiniest Little Green Frog

Yesterday I went out into the garden to pick some mint leaves to use with dinner. While I was out there I was rearranging pots a little and admiring the flowers. When I moved one plant, I saw a brief flash of movement. A little searching revealed the cutest little tree frog, and I'm sure it could literally have sat on my pinky nail and fit perfectly. It was one of those bright green tree frogs (Hylla Regilla?) with the black and gold racing stripe along the body, and I REALLY wanted a picture. I ran inside for the camera, and when I came back out, it was still there. However, every time I leaned close to get a shot, it would jump away from me. At least M got to see it, but I don't have any great photos to post. That is so much better than being surprised by say, centipedes, in your garden!

Kitty Again

The kitty continues to get a little better every day. I don't know if she will ever be completely back to normal, but at least she's looking more and more comfortable in her own skin. When she first came back from the vet, she would contort herself into all sorts of poses trying to find something that didn't hurt. She still wobbles and turns her head to one side when she sleeps, but at least she doesn't lay there, with her eyes open, looking pained.

Poor Kitty Update

The good news is that we have our kitty back after three nights at the vet. The bad news is that she is not quite the same as she once was. When the vet called this morning, they said that she was much better and that we could certainly come and take her home. We took this to mean roughly "kitty all better now." However, when she came out of the carrier after arriving home, she walked, if you'll forgive the comparison, like a drunken sailor.

If you've ever seen an animal with partial paralysis, you know that shuffling, uncertain gait that I'm talking about. Nevertheless, she was glad to be home. She shuffled into the litter box without incident, and M put the food and water dishes on the floor so she won't have to jump up to the usual spot. She does not look like a happy cat though. You can tell that it still hurts to move, and she does not have any of her usual sparkle. Mostly, she just finds soft places to hide, but she did come out long enough to get an ear rub and to prove that her purr box still works. All we can do now is wait and see if she improves.

Poor Kitty!

Our poor little kitty has been attacked by a mean and nasty dog! On Sunday, I heard our black cat come screaming through the open back door, and then I heard the scuffle still going on outside. When I went out, I saw the dog under a bush and I heard the cat yowling. After chasing the dog off, I could see that it was our tortie cat underneath. When I pulled her out, I could see marks on her neck, blood on her tongue, and that horrible rapid breathing that comes with shock. We rushed her off to the vet where she has stayed ever since.

They say she has no broken ribs or punctured lungs which is good. They also say that the various little wounds are beginning to heal which is also good. However, she can't seem to use one of her back legs properly. They think she probably has swelling on her spinal cord which is causing the weakness. It may or may not go away, so they've been keeping her and giving her steroids and antibiotics. Our black cat keeping wandering the house looking for her, and I can very much empathize with his distress.

Burning the Midnight Cat Food

M had some extra work to complete one night last week, so he came home, had dinner with me, watched a little tv, and then went up to the office to work. Around 10:30 I kissed him goodnight and went to bed as usual. Everyone was comfortable with this plan except the cat. MY sweet little cat came up to bed with me and curled up next to my feet. HIS evil, evil, demon cat decided that if M was staying up then so was he. And he was thrilled about the idea of a late night. He went galloping up and down the hall, he attacked my feet, he jumped on the other cat. He generally went wild. The final straw was when he raced into the bedroom after midnight meowing bloody murder. M had to come take him into the office and shut the door. I ended up getting about three hours less sleep than usual that night, and I was not a cheerful person the next morning. People usually say they like keeping cats because they are quiet, unobtrusive, and do not cause much trouble. Obviously these people have not met our cat.

Big Tv

Imagine this: M and I are in Costco, and we are standing in the electronics department in front of a really big TV. There are other men surrounding the TV as well. I can't actually see the drool (thankfully) but I get the feeling that it may be there. I say "well it's your money, but do we really NEED a new TV?" he turns away from the massive screen "we don't NEED one, but look at that picture. Listen to that sound!" He's clearly hooked.

We don't actually buy a new TV on that day, but it does get him started on the hunt. Every once in a while we head into an electronics store to see how their merchandise compares. We look at all different types and all different sizes. It turns out that TV's range in price from about $90 (the kind I foolishly thought was good enough for my apartment) to the price of a small car. Fortunately for me I do not have one of the most classic TV purchasing struggles. M is a sensible man and does not even look at the massive 50-inch-and-up models. We wander the aisles, dodge scary and hyper-intense salesmen, and try to tell which one is best.

We end up back at Costco (nearly salesman free!) and finally buy our very own BIG TV. I have to admit that I am now quite addicted to the sharp picture and the movie-like sound, so I can't complain too much about the purchase. However, I did laugh the last time I was in Costco and I heard a couple talking. Him: Look at that picture! Her: Honey, our old TV is still perfectly good...

New Fish!

Sadly my old goldfish, Quin the Quintessential Koi, gave up the ghost about a month ago. We'd been together since I was a sophomore in college, so it was a bit hard. Nevertheless, he had lived a good, long, goldfishy life. M kindly buried him in the backyard (he was waaaay to big for the toilet) and put a big rock over him to keep the cats away (you know it's true love when a man buries dead things for you). I cleaned the tank and let things stand, dry and empty, since then.

This morning we decided it was time to remedy the situation. With my mom and my nieces along for company (and expert advice if you ask Big Niece) we went to the special fish store near our house. We saw all sorts of fancy saltwater fish, spiny mini-lobsters, snails, crabs, and even a clown fish JUST like the ones in the movie. The goldfish section is off in the corner because they are not considered very impressive by "serious" fish people. We don't care; we like goldfish. We had a hard time deciding, but we finally settled on a Red Cap Oranda and a classic little Fantail. We've named them Satsuma and Clementine because they both have coloring like a tangerine. Hopefully these will be as beautiful and long-lived as Quin.

Luxury

Okay, there can no longer be any kind of doubt that M and I are members of the bourgeoisie. We are the bloodsuckers who live a life of luxury on the backs of the poor proletariat. We are the yuppies who consume and consume and consume without creating anything of value ourselves. We are members of the western military industrial complex. The proof? We have air-conditioning--- and it works.

Sorry, sorry, that was a political science joke (half truth). The really big news is not about our bloodsucking ways, but the fact that it was 97 degrees outside yesterday! 97! That is just not something we are used to in the Pacific NW. For us, anything over about 85 is cruel and unusual. Most of us are like frogs; we like cool slightly damp places with just a touch of sun now and then. All I could do was lay around and read. Today, on the other hand, we've cranked the air-conditioning for the first time. I don't mean to brag, but aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh that feels good. Because it's partly cloudy you could almost imagine that it was a 70 degree day, but all you have to do is step outside to realize that the heat, and more importantly some humidity, are still out there. I think I'll just stay inside today and enjoy the ill-gotten fruits of Capitalism.

Being Useful

When we contemplate a weekend, M and I always try to leave room to "do busy things" as he likes to put it. Busy things are all those sorts of chores that need doing on a regular basis such as vacuuming the carpets or buying groceries or weeding the garden. This is really the perfect term because these are things that aren't horrible or painful; they just require the spending of time and the will to actually get going. The will to get going is something we often lack on weekends because there are just so many nice ways to waste time. Sleeping until 10:00 is fun, drinking tea and reading the paper is very pleasant, and hanging out with friends in any number of places is always a good time. However, since we bought the house we are finding it more and more important to do the busy stuff.
This weekend, I am proud to say, we did many busy things. Yesterday we did all the grocery shopping at both TJ's and Costco. Today we finished painting the spare bedroom (okay, I still need to do the trim, but the WALLS are done at least) and now there is not a speck of that horrible neon yellow in sight. M broke out the lawn mower for the first time (our first ever lawn mower by the way) and mowed the front AND back lawns. I weeded, planted, laid plastic over weedy paths (Will this work? I want to avoid weed killers, and everyone who thinks I'm being silly can just kiss my slightly hippie behind!) and swept the sidewalk and the patio. I also planted my bleeding heart plant underneath the trees in the backyard. I hope, I hope, I hope it will survive and bloom beautifully.
The odd part about all of this? It's really kind of fun! When I was a kid doing these kinds of chores often seemed like a form of painful cruelty invented by my parents. Now that we have our own house, though, I actually like taking care of it. Perhaps the glow will wear off eventually and I will be grumbling by next spring, but for now it's a satisfying way to spend a weekend. This afternoon, M and I are off to pick molding and a new door for the spare bedroom. Maybe while we're there we'll pick up some soil amendment and a few annuals for the garden. Oohh the possibilities.

Heather or Erica?

Mark and I used to have this running debate. He called this plant an Erica because that is what they are called in South Africa. I call this plant a Heather because that is what they are called both here and in Scotland. We would go back and forth about this in a good-natured way until one day I made an important discovery. Erica is the latin name of some varieties while Heather is the common name for the whole group of shrubs. Some plant tags even list this one as Heather Erica, so I guess we can safely say that we are both right about this one. Now we have this beautiful Heather Erica growing very harmoniously in our front yard.

Tiny Patches of Spring

These little beauties are just coming up outside our front door. I've never been a huge fan of grape hyacinths, but these are just so cute and springy by the door that I can't help liking them. Besides, the previous owners kept both the yards so devoid of flowers that I'm happy to see anything colorful peaking out from the nooks and crannies. The tulips are taking their sweet time, but I have faith that they will bloom some time before summer.

Cherry Blossom Festival

As promised, I went out this weekend and took a few pictures of the cherry blossoms in our neighborhood. We have one tree next to our driveway, and then they also grow up and down the street. They are beautiful, delicately sented, and full of pollen that makes me sneeze. They are so springy that I can't help being delighted by them. The Japanese were definitely on to something.

Grrrrage Door Openers

On one recent Saturday, Mark and I decided to head down to Nameless Mega-box Store to pick up garage door openers for our house. I assumed when we bought the house that the original openers had died from old age, and the previous owners just removed them. We thought (naive people that we are) we could just buy new openers and install them ourselves (meaning I would stand there and Mark would do the work). After searching through acres of home improvement goods, we finally found the right section, picked out belt-driven models, and took them home. Then we discovered the truth: our house has never had garage door openers because the brilliant, brilliant builder put a beam in the way. This beam precludes any standard variety opener, so our house has probably never had one. We then went back to Nameless Mega-box to return the old openers and ask about alternatives. The man there got quite gleeful telling us about the dangers of all non-traditional openers ("and then, if the spring doesn't catch you in the eye, the door will fall on your head!"), and said that we are basically screwed. Never daunted, Mark called in a garage door specialist who came out to the house. His opnion? We are screwed. The only solution is new tracks and new doors which is a five figure solution to what should be a simple problem. This is quite a bit more than our origianl budget of not much. For the moment we continue to jump out of the car, open the front door, run through the house, open the garage door, jump back in the car, pull into the garage, jump out of the car, close the garage door... Thinking about all this makes me realize that I am a spoiled, spoiled person.

Tulips

Here is a series I took of tulips. I like these pictures because they show the flowers (which I like) and the sunshine (which I really like). These flowers were also quite satisfying because we bought them as tightly closed buds, and then watched them open in only about twelve hours. Steerpike decided to pose as well.

Fish Update

Well folks, I know you've been on the edge of your seat wanting to know how the goldfish is doing. I am proud, and more than a little surprised, to say that he continues to survive, and even seems to be mending nicely. We added some stress coat (Aloe Vera gel for fish) to the water, and it seems to be doing a good job of smoothing his raggedy edges. His poor tail is still in ribbons from the loss of blood, but I do believe he will eventually recover entirely.

Flying Fish

Yesterday I got up at my usual ungodly time. As always I dragged myself out of bed in the dark, hobbled over to the bathroom, dressed, washed, combed etc. By the time I finish with all this I am beginning to wake up, but I'm still pretty bleary-eyed. Imagine my surprise then, at coming down into the kitchen and finding a fish on the floor. My poor, sleepy brain actually had trouble registering the fact that it was a fish because fish really are not part of the usual landscape for our kitchen floor. Once I registered the fact of the fish I noticed that this was actually a fish I knew, and that it belonged across the room in the fish tank. At first I thought the poor thing was dead because it was clearly dried out, it did not move at all, and it was covered in dust bunnies (okay, yes, we have one or two small dust bunnies in our house). I was just think "oh no! Poor Fishy! We hardly knew ye!" When the fish went !GULP! in a big way. I ran around frantically finding a bowl, scooping water from the fish tank, and trying desperately not to squash the poor little guy while putting him in the bowl. He didn't move at all. In fact, he sank to the bottom of the bowl and sat there without moving a muscle. I started to think I had imagined the gulp, and that I'd just plunked a leathery, dead fish into a bowl of water. By the time I had to go, he was still not looking good, and I really thought there wasn't much hope.

However, by the time Mark got up, the fish was swimming slowly around the bowl. Mark returned the fish to the tank and poured out the bowl of dust bunnies and slime (when fish get dried out they lose their protective gel coat). Long story short (too late for that you're probably thinking!) the fish survived his near air-drowning. He is a little the worse for wear from his experience. Without much gel coat, he looks very rough and it is hard for him to glide through the water as he should. His tail and one fin are ragged and shredded because they were deprived of blood for too long. Over all, though, he is alive and he will eventually recover. This weekend we will definitely have to go to the pet store and buy a cover for our fish tank. I just don't think I can take any piscine rescue missions so early in the morning.

Sofas for the Bourgeoisie

What an experience is shopping in Western Washington. You would think that all the Microsoft money would have cured salespeople of making judgments about people based on their appearance. However, it seems to me that age and clothes still make a huge impact on how you are treated. The effect seems also to be magnified when the items you are considering are of the "big ticket" variety. Two weeks ago Mark and I made our first foray into the world of sofas. Since we moved into the new house we've been thinking a nice, new sofa would be good for the front room. Thus we went out on a rainy Sunday afternoon, and stopped into a nearby Lazyboy store. Our sales lady took a very good look at my ratty sneakers, fleece, and ponytail, and just about turned around again. Now, to be fair, Mark thinks I may be overly sensitive on this one, but our experience at Bassett cannot be doubted.

Dressed a little (but not much) better this time, we ventured into Bassett just to see what was available. We wandered around and found that it was very hard, no pretty well impossible, to catch a salesperson's eye. Finally, we actually went up to the counter and stood in front of the two people working there. They flatly refused to look at us or break their own conversation. We walked out, question unasked, and sofa unpurchased. We then had nearly the same treatment at Macy's. Granted, weekends are busy in furniture stores, but this seems a little extreme to me.

In the end, we are going to buy the sofa from one of the two small shops we visited on the side. In both cases the salespeople were polite and attentive, but they still made sure to mention the payment plan right away. I guess next time we should break out the tweed and cashmere before we go shopping so we can be sure to impress the right people.

Yard Work

We finally did it. Last weekend, Mark and I broke down and did yard work. Granted, there is not that much to be done at this time of year, but we still needed to get out there. This was my first real experience with raking leaves. Now this may sound funny to some, I mean come on what could be a more perfect example of a suburban American chore. However, you must remember that I am not from Suburban America. In the country no sane person rakes their leaves. If you tried, you would end up with raw palms after only the firsts acre or two. Thus I found myself standing in the yard wondering how you are supposed to get the leaves into the yard waste bin. Raking them into a pile was easy, but this next bit escapes me. Are you just supposed to pick up armfuls and not worry about getting covered in dirt and worms? Is there some tool I am missing? TV and movies are full of leaf raking moments, but it's sort of like fictional dinner parties, you only see the picturesque beginning. I am at a loss. Mark, resourceful person that he is, eventually invented a dual shovel and rake combination that seemed to work pretty well, but I still feel there is a better answer out there somewhere.