Everyday Adventures

The American Privacy Fence Dream

The Gingerbread Diaries

If you recall the little dance we did while buying the house, namely the circle of hell that was needing a new roof to get insurance, needing insurance to get the loan, needing the loan to get the roof, ad nauseam, we’re now facing it’s little sister: the driveway/fence dilemma.

We’ve wanted to put up a privacy fence along the side and back yard pretty much since buying the house. It’s not that we don’t like our neighbors, it’s more that we don’t want to be in the fishbowl every time we’re out there. Now that we have Duncan, a fence is even more important—the side yard is adequate for him to run around a little bit, but the back yard is better for playing fetch and pretty much everything else.

The only thing is, the back yard is currently where we park. And that’s because (and I’m sure I’ve mentioned this in the past) we share a driveway with our neighbors and it’s really the only option right now.

I take that back: we could park on the street, it’s certainly not unheard of. Clay St is definitely wide enough (which comes in handy for parties), but it’s also a busy street and the idea of being in a prime spot to be hit in the middle of the night doesn’t appeal. We could also park in the front yard, like we did when we first bought the place and we’re too sure we wouldn’t get nails in our tires in the backyard during construction, but I don’t want to do that on the regular, either.

With a bit of landscaping, we might be able to put a driveway in on the other side of the house. I say might because it depends on getting city approval. Not for the landscaping, but for the driveway itself. And what makes that more of a question, is that the main water line to the house would run under the proposed driveway location AND the access panel would be very near the driveway itself. We don’t know, yet, if that’s really going to be a problem or not.

There are steps to take.

First, we called a local surveyor and it was weeks before Todd got a call back from him (or any of the others we called). Seriously, they must not need the work. He was finally going to come out, but was supposed to call Todd before he did (so Todd could be there? I’m not 100% sure). Suddenly, one day we come home and there are flags around our property line. Did we know he was coming that day? Nope.

Anyway, great, we knew where our property line was (which was where we thought it was, so no big surprise, there). But what about the report?

The report, survey, some sort of documentation of our property layout was really what we wanted. Because it’s that thing we have to turn into the city with an indicator of where the proposed driveway would go (just drawn in was what I was told) to get the yay or nay from the city. But we have no report. And he’s not returning Todd’s calls.

He’s also not hounding us to pay the bill he eventually sent, either, so see my point above about not really needing the work.

So, Plan B.

I’ve asked Todd to measure the neighbor’s/our shared driveway to get an indication of how wide a space we need to allow for (no, the city website is no help when it comes to driveways’ necessary dimensions or anything else). Then we’ll mark off, on the curb, the same amount of space and take a picture of the proposed site both from the front as well as from the bedroom window, above. Then we’ll sketch the driveway in on a blown-up copy from the property appraiser’s site and hope that suffices. If we have to jog the driveway a bit to allow sufficient space around the main water access, we can do that, too.

I just want our own driveway so we can get the fenced backyard, but they will need to happen more or less simultaneously, so that Duncan doesn’t have his hall pass revoked for longer than absolutely necessary.

Worst case scenario, we get approval for the driveway, build the backyard fence while parking on the curb, and then have the new driveway installed. And, really, all installed means is just to have the sidewalk interrupted and graded, the rest we can choose to do later.

My big wonder at the moment is whether we should go ahead and take down the ginormous azalea bush that sits exactly where the driveway would be now or later. Same goes for the sprawling but not very big in reality something-tree (it has white flowers but no scent, who knows what it is) that would need to come down to make it possible for us to park in the side yard.

And then there’s the idea of building out a deck onto the back of the utility room where we could store the grill on the same level as the rest of the house and reroute the stairs a bit, but that may be a longer-term project.

 

The Lush Life

Everyday Adventures

Like most kids, I grew up taking baths, not showers. I don’t know what the magic age is in other homes for switching to showers, but for me it didn’t happen until I’d moved out of Mom’s house and after that, I was pretty much a showers-only type of girl.

I liked the idea of a nice, relaxing bath–bubble or otherwise–in theory, but in practice I just couldn’t get it right. I’d get bored just laying there in the water. My arms would get tired holding the book out of the water. The water would get tepid. I’d forget to bring something to drink into the bathroom or I’d run out. And then I’d have to shower afterwards, anyway, to wash my hair or rinse the excess bubble stuff off me, so what really was the point?

But I still keep trying to figure it out, every once and a while.

Last summer when we went to Jacksonville for Ancient City Con we also hit up St John’s Town Center, where I spent a ridiculous amount on teas from Teavana and also stopped into Lush.

Now, I’m pretty scent-sensitive (scent-sitive?) so I can’t be in places like Lush, Basin, Bath & Body Works, etc. for too long without my nose stuffing up, a headache starting, or an uncontrollable cough kicking in. It’s just too much for my sinuses to handle in those little places crammed with the competing smells. Thankfully Lush is usually a small shop and I could peruse the bath bomb selection before going into overload.

Most of the bombs were too strong to even consider, but there was one I fell in love with: Butterball, a long-time favorite of many, I’ve come to learn. So I picked one up, just to see if I liked it, and that was that.

I finally used it Thursday night since I had my Friday post all prepped and we got home from Witches Night Out earlier than expected.

Yes, more than a year after purchasing it. This is how seldom I make the time for a good long soak.

That may be changing.

I spent a good 90 minutes in the bath with my Lush Butterball. I loved the way it smelled and how good my skin felt afterwards. I watched two episodes of When Calls the Heart, and the peace of the bath was only broken by Duncan busting in when he and Todd came up to bed (should have latched the door; I normally don’t bother when I’m taking a shower).

Now, my arms still got a little tired from holding the Kindle out of the water (and I was a little antsy I was going to drop it the whole time), so I definitely think one of those racks that fit over the tub to hold a book, etc. will be needed. The towel I was using for a headrest also got more than a little wet when Duncan dashed in and I had to grab for my drink next to the tub to keep him from knocking it over. So a better solution there is needed, too.

And then there’s the issue of supply. There’s no Lush around here, and I don’t know if I want to order online and pay shipping or just do what I normally do and make some myself. A quick search shows that it’s not very difficult to make bath bombs (of course it’s not, it’s pretty simple, really) and the Butterball dupes out there are, again, on the simpler side to make. So there’s that.

Of course, the more difficult thing is making the time to pamper myself. Most evenings I have way too much to do to spare a couple hours for relaxing in the tub. Weekends are the same. I think I know, now, why planner friends have bath bomb stickers to plan their Lush bath bomb indulgences. And I just saw that they have a subscription service on their website where you can have your bath bombs delivered regularly in intervals of your choosing. Maybe that’s another way to remind myself.

So where are you on the bath question: For or against? Bubbles or bomb? Books or movies?

These are the important questions of our time.

 

Happy Howl-aween!

Just for Fun

Big thanks to Oriental Trading for partnering with me for another fun Halloween series!

You know we’re pretty enamored with our puppy, Duncan–even if he is channeling his inner monster these days–and you know we’re big Halloween fans, too. So, naturally, we want to dress Duncan up in cute costumes! Oriental Trading was kind enough to hook us up with some pup-sized costumes and over the next few weeks we’ll be showing them off, along with some ideas for companion costumes (and non-costumes) and a few safety tips for pets this time of year.

Behold, the elusive Bumble Basset!

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You can’t even imagine how many treats he got when we did these photos.

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There; we go, you can see his wings and at least one antenna in this shot.

I know not everyone is down with dogs in costumes, but I figure that if it’s not aggravating them, why not have some fun, right? And since we love dressing up, too, here are some ideas for costumes to coordinate with your cute pooch!

For Disney fans, pairing a Pooh Bear and other 100 Acre Wood characters is a natural fit for a bee-costumed pet. Then there’s the classic bee keeper (Oriental Trading has a great DIY version on their site) and I think it’d be super simple to create a human-sized bee hive costume with some pool noodles cut in half, lengthwise, and banded together. Spray paint it a golden yellow and attach some foam or pompom bees and you’ve got a winner!

But if you think wrangling a costumed pet is hard enough in street clothes, maybe dressing the part without going full-on character is more your speed, a la closet cosplay. Here is a pair of outfits that would look quite fetching (so sorry, that really wasn’t intended) with your bee-bedecked pet.

Bee Couple

 

Now, safety is very important when it comes to pets and Halloween. Knowing your pet’s temperament is key to knowing what they can handle. But no matter what, keep the chocolate away from your furry friends to avoid ending the night at the after-hours vet! Instead, carry a bag of pup-approved treats to reward them for walking nicely on the leash and letting strangers taken with their cuteness pet them all evening.

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Despite his thoroughly unimpressed expression, above, he was actually pretty chill in his Bumblebe Dog Costume. We have three more costumes to show you over the next 3 weeks, so come back and see Mr. Adorable next Friday!

Another Rip Roarin’ Retrograde!

Everyday Adventures

So… how are things in your neck of the woods? It’s glitch-city here, folks.

For those not up on the astrology, we’re winding down the most recent Mercury Retrograde. It’s technically over on the 22nd, but the shadow zone hangs around until October 6th or so, so if you’re feeling a bit on edge, remember that it’s just the way things are right now, take a deep breath, and try not to overreact.

I know, easier said than done, right?

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve had tech issues, short tempers, miscommunications, computer problems, missing mail, and more to contend with. Did the planetary alignment make these things happen? No, of course not. I don’t believe that astrology is a cause and effect sort of thing.. Instead, I take the view that astrology is a way to remind us of things that happen anyway, and a tool for insight and broader perspective. Not that the stars or planets predetermine my life (I reject that just as much as I do the concept of predestination), but they reflect it.

So when things were going haywire and someone said it was Mercury Retrograde (which happens four times a year, on average), I was like ‘oh, right, that makes sense.’

For me, Mercury Retrograde is a reminder to be kinder. To give people the benefit of the doubt. To back up my computer if it’s been a while. To be more careful about the important things.

I did wonder aloud to Todd the other night, though, if the recent retrograde wasn’t coloring our responses to Duncan’s antics, lately. He’s developed a persistent habit of nuisance barking while we’re trying to work on one thing or another. He wants to play, duh, but we can’t play just because we’re home. A couple times this week I’ve tried to wear him out a little (a tired dog is a good dog) but even the 45 minute walk last night didn’t get us much of a reprieve (it was a little better, I think, but I was more worn out than he was).

Tonight is the annual Witches’ Night Out in nearby Boston, GA. We went last year and really enjoyed the shops (check out the video here: 2015 Witches Night Out) and it’s a toss-up whether we’ll bring Duncan with us or not. On the one hand, it’d be great for socializing him and could tucker him out. It could also be fun. Plus he was really good when someone stopped to talk to us on our walk last night–barely woofed at all and eventually layed down and chilled until we were done.

On the other hand, it could be a night of dog-free drama is we don’t take him, he could get over-stimulated from the crowds, and we’d have to take turns popping into the shops.

It’s a dilemma. One we’ll decide upon depending on how we feel when we get home from work, I guess.

I’m going to remind myself to just breathe. “Witch” me well 🙂

Don’t Switch Voice Talent in the Middle of a Series

Everyday Adventures

You know, the wordier cousin of ‘don’t switch horses in the middle of the stream.’

If you listen to audiobooks, of course the reader is important. Their pacing, inflection, and interpretation of the material set the stage along with the actual words they’re reading. Some readers are iconic, some are annoying. A bad reader can make a book not worth listening to.

The powers that be opted to change readers between books 2 and 3 of the Red Cell Series and I thought it was for the better, at first, but then…

In Red Cell Seven [yes, that’s an affiliate link, if someone is masochistic enough to buy the book after this not-exactly-a-review], book 2 in the series, we meet a big bad that carries us through to book 3. I don’t recall if the Gadanz family was definitively identified by ethnicity, but I got the impression (from the family names) that they were vaguely Eastern European in origin. The reader did nothing to dispell this notion, especially with his pronunciation of Jacob as Ya-kob. So imagine my surprise when the reader of Book 3 voices Gadanz as a sinister Slowpoke Rodriguez (that would be the cousin of Speedy Gonzalez, for those who don’t remember their Looney Toons). Someone didn’t do their homework!

But that wasn’t my only complaint about the rest of the series (like it would be that simple, hah!).

Book 2 left me with character whiplash. Not just from the dumping of all sorts of players into the mix (though there were a lot of moving parts, or should I say targets) in this one. No, it was the waffling they did on their positions, like they didn’t even know their own mind. One presumes that the Frey had it planned out (not a given, but you always hope), but you couldn’t tell it by the characters. And while you can get away with a reveal or two (dun-dun-DUN) but I lost count how many characters switched position or motivation how many times.

Finally, in Kodiak Sky, came the biggest annoyance of any series: the giant inconsistency.

The following could be considered a spoiler, I suppose, but not much of one. You’ve been warned, in any case.

In book 3, Karen is said to know a little bit about Red Cell Seven because Jack told her some of it, but she didn’t know a lot. Uh, wait just a minute. In book 1, when Jack goes off to solve the mystery of Troy’s death, Jack tracks Karen down as her fiance died in similar circumstances to Troy. She, in turn, has a letter from Troy telling her to go to her late fiance’s family’s cabin up north (I don’t remember which M-state it was located in and don’t care enough to go look it up), where he (Troy) has hidden the story of Red Cell Seven and it’s believed betrayal by one of the higher-up members. It’s supposedly a pretty comprehensive missive. And Karen read it before Jack even did.

And that’s about where I would have checked out, but for that I was driving and it was better than the static-y morning shows that I could have switched to while on the highway. Instead I finished the blasted trilogy and, frankly, I’d well rid of it.

I can’t, in good conscience, recommend the series, even if you are his target audience. These are but a few of the annoyances, though they are the most glaring. It wasn’t so bad that I just couldn’t make myself finish the series, but it was more just to have something on and save me the trouble of finding a new, better book to listen to.

Hopefully my next read/listen will be more rave-worthy, right?