Our neighbors aren’t meddling and trying to match us up with eligible young men, but my roommates and I have discovered that our new house doesn’t come without a price. I don’t know when the last person who cared lived in the house, but it wasn’t too recently. After I finished painting my room and bathroom I turned my attention to the yard. This photo shows the result of Thursday evening and Friday morning’s work. When our landlord said we’d be responsible for the yard, I didn’t think that would include moving 20 rusty pipes that were lying under what was probably years’ worth of sediment and leaves. I would rake off a layer, haul a pipe to the street, rake off some more, haul another pipe away, and so on. We can walk around the north side of the house without being scared now!
Last week was a hard one. Some of the things that happened sound like the back cover of a Lemony Snicket book. On Monday alone there was an unsuccessful shopping trip, a homeless fish, a small amount of bloodshed, cold waffle fries, and an unwanted guest.
By Thursday things were looking up. My boss gave me the afternoon off, which was the beginning of a beautiful weekend. It included such good things as fireworks, homemade muffins, new fabric, Atonement (finally!), and time with friends. Not to mention the sleep earned by one who has done much yard work. I finished the weekend with a sense of accomplishment and refreshment, which almost never seem to go together. We just need more three-day weekends. I want this house to be a place my roommates and I can feel at home, and where others enjoy being. After this weekend I feel a little bit closer to that goal.
6 comments:
I promise this Shetland (ahem...me) will take a more active roll in the domesticity of 1120!
did you like Atonement?
I think I used to live next door and I had about a two inch gap between my floor and the wall, where light and bugs would stream in from the surrounding wooded area.
I've always won the "unwanted guest" war and my weapon of choice is boric acid. Buy it at home depot and put it around all your baseboards (its a powder) no more smelly sprays. You'll win. trust me.
:-)
p.s. they eat cardboard so if you have alot of boxes - stash them all in once place away from the kitchen.
p.p.s. i wish i was there to kill them all for you. :-/
The second paragraphs is tantalizing. Spilled blood? Homeless fish? Caroline, your readers want more.
I miss you and can't wait to get together and see your new abode! Boric acid and that insulating spray foam stuff will help a bit! (think fix a flat for household gaps!)
The spilled blood and homeless fish were concurrent: my fishbowl broke while I was washing it, cutting my finger and leaving Henry with no place to go besides the plastic container I'd put him in temporarily. We both survived the incident.
I'm so glad Henry is okay! Once, I knock my fish bowl over from the window sill onto my bed - the guppies were swimming in a pool of water on my bedspread. I managed to scoop them up back into the bowl with a cry of joy. Then - without thought - I scooped up the gravel and poured it back into the bowl as well - crushing the poor fish who had just survived my bedspread. It was a sad day.
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