An Empty Kennel…..

There has been much going on these days.

During our stay-cation we did over 18 miles worth of hiking.

We learned that GF pizza sucks royal – I can still taste the foulness in my mouth 3 months later.

The husband and I have not touched anything that we are not suppose to have since August and at least for me I feel much better.

I have lost around 5 lbs due to not eating wheat or sugar.

I learned that strange forms of sugar make me vomit – this was by pure accident.

I have Stella the dog in CGC classes which the little shit is thriving in.

We have been dealing with a type of skin yeast infection with the other dog.  Can I tell you it is not good when you dog smells like a Frito.

There have been many dinners with friends, brunches after pack walks, and a good Bloody Mary is my new Sunday drink with brunch.

The most exciting thing is that if the stars align we will be adopting a new dog very soon.  Let me tell you about this boy.  He is young and handsome.  He really thinks that he is a rock star.  I guess if you were treated as such you would think so to.  He had a rough start, there has been some medical stuff but the boy is now on the road to recovery.  The rock star status came to be because he has been spoiled rotten – trying to make up for all the bad by every human who he meets.  The boy thinks that he should be petted by everyone.  He believes that he should meet/play with everything he comes in contact with.  He tried his smooth moves on Stella which only got him a yipe (he put his paw on her).  I think Stella told him its only our second date and you will keep your paws to yourself.  The girls seem to be okay with him.  Currently we are only walking the dogs together a couple times a week.  It is always best to do things very slow.  The husband has been walking him everyday for the last week and when I’m off we take the girls with us.  He is an interesting fellow who for his breed is very narcissistic.  We are not  sure if this is new because of being spoiled and not having rules, boundaries, some basic manners so this is why we are watching every little thing he does.   I really don’t want to deal with a dominate dog.  So we wait and see to make sure he is right for our family.

Now I am off to give Lena a bath to rid her of the Frito’s.

Rain, Weeds, & Maple Seeds

There has been days of this:

Due to much of this:

You have to admit it’s pretty darn awesome.

Gardens to plant:

Many pots and baskets to fill with flowers:

Major yard clean up of weeds, weeds and more weeds. Even more clean up of the seed dropping from the Maple Trees. This would be the neighbors Maple Trees that surround us and also the weeds because the rental next door just cut the lawn – for the first time this year in late May 2010 – this would be the back yard.

Now look how pretty it is. I know it still wasn’t done when I took this photo – As of yesterday the whole entire back 40 is weed free.

Which is why we went through 5 yards of black goodness – that would be pure compost.

Oh and how can I forget the Greek Spring Festival, which was the first festival of the year. I wish I had some of those honey buns now.

There have been many conversations from Ghetto said neighbors, which include endless hours of the following Ghetto-Speak.
“F*#k” – insert whatever comes to mind that makes no damn sense.
“She’s a Bitch” – use best ghetto slang you can muster up.
“She’s a Skank” – is that even a real word?

Now repeat for the next 7 hours.

That leads to the husband and myself beating a path to the nearest, quietest, restaurant and enjoying these.

I guess it would be fair to say that the husband and I have been a bit outdoorsy of late. We have literally been covered in some sort of dirt, mud, compost for the last 2 months when mother nature found it fitting. I need to have a talk with mother nature about 86 degree days and high, nasty humidity. Working in the back 40 feels like the damn Amazon Jungle complete with bugs. Ewww.

There are more photo’s here, and more to come.

The husband: I want to order 4 more yards of compost in.
Me: Okay, what are we going to do with the rest of it?
The husband: I want to re-seed the back 40 area, after I cook and kill the weeds that have taken over the grass.
Me: What about, cook it, kill it, no grass and we just landscape it? Bring in a River Birch and a couple White Pines, thin the triangles out and finally just redo it.
The husband: I like that Idea, I like that Idea a lot. Think about how we tie it all together.
Me: Okay.

What the hell was I thinking – OY! Yes, a new project for fall.

One Year!

The Husband: Do you know what tomorrow is?

Me: December 14.

The Husband: It is the one year anniversary of your blog.

Me: Really! – No, I haven’t been paying attention.

Today is one year – Shit, where has the time gone? A year ago I was standing up on the top of a parking garage taking photos for the header of this blog. It was cold and windy that day. Who knew that I would still be at it a year later. The people I have met along the way are amazing. The DIY’ers blow me away with their designs, ideas and restoration. Starting this was one of the smartest things I ever did for myself. When you live in a city that you don’t really belong in – THANK YOU DSL for bringing me all of those things that are not obtainable here.

Tuesday I am back it – the floor – yes – it awaits for me and my 5-in-1.

Day Five

Let me first start by saying to all who are checking in thank you, it means the world to us. For a very long time the husband and I have always felt alone in what we do. Meaning the kitty stuff. Here, where we live, the feral kitty problem is something that is just not talked about and when it is talked about, you wont hear about it for at least another 9 years or so. I am hoping to help change this.

The Stats for Today’s missing are ZERO. For whatever reason the sicko _____ did not put a trap out last night. Interesting! Don’t get too happy I’m sure there are reasons and he will be back at it probably by day break. Sicko ____ is now going to have to make up for lost time.

During all of this crap, because that is exactly what it is, as you know we are officially on vacation. I need to embrace this and have some damn fun and get the hell away from this damn house and city as often we can.

You have probably also noticed that we are in the middle of landscaping project that we haven’t touched in a week. Well here’s the deal, we will be shopping for stone pathway either Monday or Tuesday. The stone we wanted, we cannot get here in our region, imagine that. I really wanted Mexican Blue beach pebbles, not happening! Time to go shopping for another color. Damn it. Two more yards of Sweet Peat just arrived on Friday morning that needs to be moved and spread. You know what we will be doing early tomorrow morning – spreading sweet peat.

Tonight we went to and saw a show. A Friend of ours gave us tickets, thank you T is was a great show and a nice break. We also screwed up the dates to the outing we were suppose to go to this afternoon. I can’t imagine what we would be so preoccupied with that we can’t keep our dates straight.

So on the 1st full day of vacation I started with my traditional local Farmers Market run for a poppy seed roll. It seems that since we got the farmers market this has become a tradition. They didn’t have any – booooo – but I did bring home this cute little cantaloupe from T’s booth. Thank you, I know it will be yummy. I still may however draw a picture on it because it is really that damn cute. When one is looking for poppy seed roll one should have a backup plan. Local bakery.

Today felt like the 1st day of a vacation. Traditions were met and a fun evening came to be in spite of a shitty week.

Oh yes and our camera finally bit it. We have one of loan, thank you S until we go shopping for a new one.

Doors

I have a tiny problem – I think.

I have a small confession. I think, I may possibly have a door fetish.

There I said it, now with that out of the way.

I want these doors.

These are not just any type of door, these are the doors I swoon over.

Someone get me the drool bucket, make that a trough because I want these.

I must have them.

I have no use for them at this moment. However, I have ideas I tell you that involve that front porch.

B has other ideas for them which I think the husband was not amused at. B should have been talking me out of these beautiful, gorgeous doors, not encouraging more ideas.

The husband stated and I quote: “You lost me at the word doors“.

Could this be due to the fact that I have gotten two more doors – for free. This makes 4 doors in our garage at this moment. I have one that is an Arts and Crafts with all of the lead glass in mint condition and one that needs some work that is like the ones in the photo except it is one full door not French doors.

Now where can I get a pickup truck to go them – we down sized our old one – this is the only time I miss that gas guzzling monster.

Do you think the husband would notice if I brought home 2 more doors? – well actually – 4 pieces that make 2 doors.

It is Official

Happy Summer Solstice all.

Even though it has been cool up here in the north – I’ll take 75 degrees any day of the week over 85 degrees – today is the official 1st day of summer.

Raise your glass and toast to summer’s official arrival.

Cheers everyone.

From Zero to Sixty

If you ask the husband and I will concur with him – people I have been in a funk. I have had zero motivation to do anything that needs to be done. The reason for this funk is that living in a negative environment day after day will take its toll on you. Humans need positive stimuli, positive rewards, intelligent conversation from time to time. Hell, I’ll take anything at this point, I am that desperate. Living in this city is like a constant battle to keep ones head from just exploding.

So what has changed in the last couple weeks?

Well, a get together with some out of towners. It is interesting to see peoples first reactions to this city. What is even more amusing is their reaction when they become intimate with it. What is not so obvious at first becomes just painful. Like a cut that turns into a nasty staph infection. It is not what is at the surface but what lies beneath.

You drive, walk, visually see that something just isn’t right but you can’t put your finger on it until you start talking to the folks that actually live here day after day. All kinds of people, from every walk of life and then it just leads you down a path of more questions, followed by a WTF.

Validation, it is a beautiful thing my friends.

In the last two weeks the husband and I have been working on the yard. When you have neighbors that haven’t fully grasped the concept that if you allow weeds to flower then seed you will have more weeds, your neighbor will have weeds and this cycle just repeats itself over and over. They have never lived in a house with a yard – they come from the concrete jungle of the city – so we hope by example they will learn to join in the battle of getting rid of the weeds.

It has not been all weed pulling, the re-landscaping of 16 feet of our driveway side property was my Sunday project. The mess had to go, so I called B up and told him what I had and asked if he wanted it. I like to give my plants away and see them find new homes. So they are now residing as landscaping for a late 1800’s, early 1900’s commercial property. That just makes me feel good.

The “Ghetto Lawn” will have its date with a Bobcat in fall. All the landscapers I know are booked solid. Fall I feel will be a better time due to cooler temperatures. We have too many unfinished projects that will require the warmer weather to complete, so I think and hope that I have snapped out this funk and have taken measures to bring some balance back into my life.

Now I can Breathe Again

I have started 3 different posts in the last week and found myself so mentally wasted that all I was writing was a bunch of gibberish nonsense.

Work is one big brain drain at the beginning of the month. Everyone wants this, wants that, expects you to magically know all things about them and then some. I’m sorry my crystal ball is not back from the shop (is what I think) so you staring at me with that glare in your eyes isn’t really helping. Needless to say things didn’t get back to normal until this past Friday.

We had election primaries here, which were somewhat interesting and frustrating. We will wait and see who is walking the walk and who is talking a bunch of political-speak that results in nothing. Only time will tell, but I’m leaning towards the political-speak that results in nothing.
Nothing good that is.

Oh, an yes, they did get their renewal just like I said they would. If you want to get something passed – I’m telling you – the fear factor is one good way of getting it passed. It worked like a charm. A little threat of security goes a long way. We will see what the next couple months bring, for I think things are going to get rather interesting and someone is going to have a lot of explaining to do when the money runs out again. I’m betting they will be coming to ask for just a little bit more next year.

The husband and I went out last night and purchased a new PC. We really wanted a Mac but the funds are just not there to make that happen. I was really hoping that the computer would hold out until this fall but that grinding noise that it is making makes me think death is around the corner.

The monster tower has all our music files, other musicians music files from recording so getting new PC and getting the monster tower in the shop feels like a win, win deal. Now if they would only call so we can go and pick it up.

Even though I am not a Mom – I don’t think fur children count – I wanted to wish all the mom’s out there a happy mothers day.

Tomorrow I will be heading to hang out with my mom. My mom is a low maintenance kinda woman. (wonder where I get that from) So she and I are going to just hang out. You know do girlie kind of things like gossip about family members, drink tea and eat bon-bons.

Rules of Engagement

One should always follow the rules of engagement when one is drinking the spirits of the gods.

Rule number one – Food.
If one is going to be drinking it is always a very good idea to eat that prime rib dinner which is why you went to the restaurant to begin with.

Rule number two – Water.
If one is going to skip eating said prime rib dinner then one should be drinking water with said spirits.

Rule number three – keeping track of said beverages that one is drinking.
Enough said.

This past Friday the husband and I met with a fellow blogger friend for a pre – dinner drink. Oddly enough we weren’t the only ones who had the same idea.

The husband and I found ourselves among some of our favorite peeps from our dysfunctional little city. Like minds think alike, introductions were to be had, the spirits flowing like a river, with long over due stimulating conversation.

Was is it any wonder why the rules were broken?

I guess I needed a walk down memory lane to remind myself why one should never break the rules of engagement.

Hello world!

All things are connected, people to a home, a home to a neighborhood, a neighborhood to a city, a city to county, a county to a state. You get the idea. I created this blog for the specific reason to keep me sane, for one needs an outlet when you are the outsider in a city that holds its past so near and dear and refuses to change.

Sometimes things need to be reinvented; our home is one of them. What do you do with a stripped out no bells and whistles bungalow? You envision what could be and go for it. What do you do with a neighborhood, a city that needs to be reinvented? Envision what could be – then beat them over the head with a stupid stick till they get it.

Grab a coffee, tea, wine or a scotch and have a toast with me. Here’s to surviving in a dying city – cheers!