**FCD **has been in his office for a couple of hours. Daughter et al are all still asleep. I’ve been Netflixing and afghaning. And I did shower and dress, so I look ready to adult. Theoretically…
Happy Saturday!
It’s a N.O.S. 43 degrees outside, supposed to get up to a balmy 57 today.
Got home from the park early, and then logged in to irk.
I need to do some laundry, and pack up some stuff to take tomorrow for the house cleaning party. Friend2 left some stuff at my house so I’ll pack that up for her. I have a bunch of boxes on the back porch that I want to take with me for stuff that Friend1 wants to donate. Friend3 was at Friend1’s for Christmas, and so she already got a start on the de-cluttering.
I don’t know what to do with the dogs. I wanted my son to go with me and we’d take the pups. He could help with the heavy stuff and take the dogs out when they need to go. I don’t want to take them with me if he doesn’t go, my friend’s yard is fenced but there are some holes my dogs could escape through, so they need to go out on a leash. If I leave them home, they are going to drive my son crazy, especially since I won’t be taking them to the park in the morning. I thought about taking them to daycare but they are closed on Sunday.
I had lots of clients in lived in areas with stupid rules. One lived in an area where all the curtains had to have white linings, and all outdoor Christmas lights had to be white. Another one lived in an area that was all stick built homes on 4-5 acre lots, very expensive neighborhood. They couldn’t cut down a tree without HOA approval and all of the lots were wooded. One of their neighbors put in a field stone fence that curved across the yard and planted wildflowers behind it. Really pretty and looked like it belonged there, HOA had a fit about it. Looked a hell of a lot better than rows of geraniums and petunias.
Another client got in trouble for pressure washing their deck, all the decks in the block were supposed to be pressured washed at the same time so they would all be the same color. Somebody else I know had problems with a neighbor who wanted everybody to cut their lawns on the same day, so all the grass would be the same height.
Places like that make me want to paint my house lavender with fuschia trim.
I guess that I’m lucky that most places I’ve lived don’t have stupid rules like that.
Up, caffeinating, breakfasted, puppy crate cleaned, a load of towels in the wash and supper in the crockpot. Now it’s time for KP, throwing the towels in the dryer, putting a load of clothes in the wash and sweeping. I intend to put the patio garden to bed this afternoon, barring more rain.
Honestly, the more I hear about HOAs, the more I think that X-Files episode about one was not an exaggeration. DH and I agree that we will NEVER deal with one. If we’re paying the bills and the place isn’t a health/safety hazard, why does some control-freak busybody in desperate need of a life of their own get to tell us what color we can paint the mailbox (for example)?
I’m not in an HOA thingy, though my apartment does have some rules like the ones mentioned. I’m okay with them generally, though.
In my case, because it’s inexpensive and was the only place that would take me on such short notice and without having an “official” “steady” job. Though maybe that’s not quite “willingly.”
I like it a lot here though. It’s my home for now.
Evenin’ all. Back home after far too much driving, much of which was stoppy-starty-queuing.
Glad my apartment doesn’t have silly rules like that- the landlord even said he didn’t care if I repainted the place, so long as it looks good. The only bit they tried to get smart with is the 'no pets’rule that the agency came up with (the landlord knows about the axolotls, he’s fine with 'em) that, instead of saying just ‘no pets’ specifies ‘no mammals, no birds, no reptiles, no amphibians, no fish, no insects’. Leaving me OK with squid, tarantulas and scorpions. Plus maybe shrimp, which I’m actually pretty tempted to get.
I’m looking forward to not having to pretend to be sociable tomorrow. I can sleep in as long as I want without anyone questioning my life choices, huzzah!
Cloudy but warm out.
I don’t want to do much though, except take a nap.
Well, that sucketh mightily…
I finished de-leafing the front yard, then came around to do the back when I noticed something wasn’t right. The drive belt to the blades came off one of the idler pulleys and I couldn’t get it back on. I have neither the tools nor the strength, plus I’m not absolutely certain of how it should be run. So the back yard looks awful.
We need to take the mower to Amish Dave, our mower repair guy since it’s due to be serviced anyway - that’ll happen Tues or Weds, I guess. And maybe we’ll have another not-too-frosty day when I can finish the back yard.
I did get my groceries, so there’s that. And I guess now I’ll assume the Netflix-and-afghaning position for a while.
Still getting used to this new 'puter-thingy ------ its like when we had the new loaner car with all the bells and whistles. I know what I’m doing ------- but not quite. I have to say though that after over 10 years without a full-sized keyboard I haven’t been hitting the typos as much as expected.
I managed to pull together a yummy supper - salad, steak, peas, crescent rolls. The dishwasher is now sloshing away. It’s time to assume the recline position and chill the evening away.
ruble, I’m with you on upgrades to the old stuff. Even car rentals can be a bit of a learning curve. The Malibu that I rented to come back to Tennessee after I totaled the Toyota was so weird that I had to google how to open the gas door. :eek:
Got the annuals from the patio herbs cleaned out and the perennials moved closer to the apartment to stay a bit warmer during the winter. Then I went up to Mount Juliet to pick up some adhesives at Joan’s, but unfortunately, they were out of most of the stuff that I use. Looks like da Jungle will be getting an order tonight.
I found out today that one of my HS classmate’s son passed away. He was born when we were still in high school and is the only child of both of his parents. I really feel for Teresa and her son’s father.
So did we: Taco salad, and two Cadillac Grande margaritas each. OK, we actually went to the Mexican restaurant.
I have now mastered both two-finger-scrolling AND two-firm-fingers-to-do-a-right-mouse-click. Therefor I am officially exhausted and quitting for the night.
Tomorrow I move some essential folders over to this machine and see if I can figure out how to download AOL. I have a ton of text saved in “desktop mail”. I ain’t buying some damn app from Apple to read it. Does AOL even have installed programs anymore? To the best of my memory I haven’t seen one of this discs since ------ about when the first OSX came out.
Evening all. Spent 4 hours with kids playing soccer indoors (heck, it was in the high 60’s today, could just as well played outdoors). In between I ordered some new tires for the car (I still have the original ones from when I puchased the car, but the tread is getting thin and I’d rather do it now than wait for the inevitable flat). also went to Staples and managed to buy the exact wrong toner cartridge, so I’ll have to return it tomorrow. Also bought the Turbo Tax for 2019, so I can file pretty early.
ruble, I’m facing that same problem pretty soon…my 7-8 year old computer is going obsolete with the Windows 7 support ending, so I’ll be getting a new one come the new year with (shudder) Windows 10.
Red, sorry for your friends’ loss.
Moooomm, glad the kids got in safely.
Lucky that we don’t have that many rules (at least that I’m aware of). Fences are generally 6’ wood and people have window blinds instead of drapes, but that seems more of a “Southern” thing than a HOA. At least I’ve never gotten nasty notes from anybody…
All y’all take care now.
You may be in an even worse place than me. An Apple is always an Apple if you’re talking my “antique” 520c I still LOVE for writing or my new Air. Most of the same commands work and everything else. It is just that “new shoe” thing and a small blister now and again. I’ve heard from the OW a lot over the years every time she’s had to change from “her” Windows to the latest and greatest The Firm has installed. Maybe that is why I still run Mac. 
heres the dowwnloadabale version of aol dont know what its like … although some people say if you can find a aol 10 disc its still supported also
My DD and SIL left. I am missing them something fierce. SIL made brunch today: eggs Benedict. And he did the dishes afterward. They married young, but they’re still crazy about each other 7 years later and snuggle, smooch, and hold hands a lot.
My mama taught me that when your kids leave, you cope by keeping busy, so I washed their sheets, went to the gym, and walked to the grocery store. Now it’s evening, and I still miss them a heap. 
They live twice as close as they did when I lived in Wyoming, but it’s still not close enough. My son is about an hour away. I wish we all lived within 20 miles of each other and am very envious of those who live that close to family.
It was 67 today, and it was a good hockey tailgate. Much cheese was consumed. And the Canes won, thanks to me wearing my Greg McKegg St. Patrick’s Day jersey. 
HOAs make Dark Ages petty lords’ rule look reasonable.
Here’s my horrible HOA story. The now-ex and I bought a house in a semi-rural area in another state. We got a notice in the mail for an HOA meeting. HOA??? I scoured the closing papers: nothing about an HOA. Nevertheless, we were in one. Uh, OK. An attorney down the road was the president. One rule was no subdividing property. One woman in the HOA who never attended meetings put a trailer near her house for her terminally ill mother to use. The mother had something like 6 mos. to live. Over my objection, lawyer-president sent her a warning letter and then started court proceedings. I quit going to the meetings. The woman’s mother died before the case went to court.
Doesn’t get too much lower than that, does it?
Why HOA’s have the legal power they do is beyond me.
Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN 'Tis 68 Amurrkin out and cloudy with a predicted high of 77 and cloudy with some might be rain this afternoon and rain overnight. We shall see. Today we shall deheathenate (there’s a Baptism today) and head back to da cave for N.O.L. of sammiches ‘n chips. We shall sup upon steak, baked sweet N.O.T., bacon wrapped spareguts, sallit, and rolls. YUM! Chillage shall also ensue durin’ the afternoon.
Red so sorry about your friend’s son.
When I first moved into da cave, there was talk of a HOA. Notices of a meetin’ to form one were sent out. This was pretty much met with a collective PPPBBBTTTHHH!!! from the hood, so it never happened. 
Now I need more caffeine and rumbly tummy demands sustenance. Then purtification for deheathenization must commence.
Happy Sunday Y’all!