Inane Chatter » house

It’s gonna be a scorcher!

Zannah — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 23:22:31 +0000

I’m preparing for the weekend by making all indoor plans. Except for a trip to the grocery store that I foresee putting off until Monday or Tuesday, I don’t want to leave the house. (I might try to run in the wee small hours, but don’t hold your breath.) I’m going to clean out my closet, which should lead to cleaning out the guest bedroom so it can stop doubling as my work clothes closet, and while I’m at it, I’ll try to clean out my dresser drawers, too, since I noticed this morning that I can barely close them. And now that I’ve published that little to-do list, you have to hold me to it.

Tonight is about Chinese food (Jess, we chose Chinese! I know how much you care…) and one of the movies from the DVR. I’m so ready to be lazy this weekend. Except for the closet cleaning, of course.

Down to two and a half free shelves

Zannah — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 01:30:28 +0000

I was home from work a little early today, so I decided to spend my free afternoon doing my favorite kind of housework: putting books away. I shelved all of the new books, and since I had to put them in the right places (alphabetically), I had to move all of the books, shelf by shelf. We used to have six free shelves on this last bookshelf in the dining room, but now we’re down to two and a half. Another 60 books or so, and we’ll be out of shelf space again. Poor us. We’ll have to buy more bookshelves.

Go see Bridget. She had an alien encounter (and made Cleveland look gorgeous). Then watch this. (The two things are not at all related.) I laughed so hard I nearly cried.

Bloodbath

Zannah — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:21:03 +0000

Roxy is fine. Thought I’d start with that, since that’s pretty much how John started a phone call to me late at night on the first Monday I was in Rhode Island. That’s two weeks ago now. John got home from work that night and everything was fine. He went out to rehearsal at Will’s place just before seven and got back right around ten. He said both dogs met him at the door, as usual, wagging their tails and looking stupidly happy, as usual. But Roxy was soaking wet all around her neck. And then he saw this:

And this:

And lots more. Those two pictures are of opposite corners of the first floor of our house. There was blood EVERYwhere. It was on the dishwasher, the blinds, the walls, all over the floor, the couch, and, of course, the dog. Who was fine (and not really bleeding anymore). John spent a couple of hours cleaning up, and then he brought Roxy upstairs to sleep and left Riley downstairs. Roxy spent all of Tuesday at the vet, who didn’t have much to say. She had a shallow gash along her shoulder, which apparently bleeds like a scalp wound would on a person. As far as we can tell, Roxy had a seizure while John was a rehearsal and Riley did his crazy holding her down thing and in all the thrashing around, managed to scrape her shoulder. Blood flew during the seizure, I’d imagine, and then Roxy did her recovery thing, which consists of her wandering aimlessly around the first floor, rubbing on everything and bumping into every hard surface. This time, she tracked (and rubbed) blood all over everything within reach.

She really is fine. John said she wasn’t bleeding anymore by the time he got her into the bathtub. The vet didn’t even have to shave her. We realized we can’t leave the two of them loose in the house when we’re not home after this, and so we can’t use the pet-sitting service anymore. We can crate them while we’re at work or when we go out, but if we’re out of town, we can’t crate them all day and all night except for the three hours a day the pet-sitter is visiting. Maybe if we had a house-sitter… Luckily, the kennel had an opening (two – they have to be boarded in separate runs now, too) for the RI trip, so John left them there Wednesday morning and came to see me Wednesday night.

While I’m documenting seizures, she had that one Monday night two weeks ago (6/14), another short one the following Tuesday night (6/15), and she had one yesterday around noon (6/27). Short, we were home, no big deal. Every person who answers the phone at our vet’s office knows who we are. I called this morning to update her file with yesterday’s seizure, and all I had to do was say just that: “This is Susannah, and I’m calling to update Roxy’s chart.” They used to have to ask for my last name, my phone number, all that stuff, but not anymore. On a positive note, two weeks ago she only had two seizures in a row, 24 hours apart instead of 12. This time, she had one yesterday around noon and hadn’t had another one by the time I left for work this morning. She seems to have broken the three-in-a-row-12-hours-apart pattern. Yay!

So much for doing nothing

Zannah — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 00:17:14 +0000

Our do-nothing weekend was surprisingly productive. We made it to the book sale and bought a ton of books, went to Home Depot on the way home, and then spent maybe half an hour re-potting my herbs, planting seeds in the little face pots, and hanging flowers from the front porch. While we were out front, our neighbor came rushing over and gave us a pound cake! We couldn’t imagine what for, but then she apologized for being so late with it and said it’s a thank you present for helping her husband and daughter shovel out the driveway and sidewalk last February. I’d completely forgotten about that, at least partly because I didn’t help. That was all John. Such a good neighbor. And SUCH a good pound cake.

Today, we slept in again (sleeping in is a beautiful thing) and then totally cleaned up our super messy bedroom. Everything is put away, we got rid of some things, we dusted everywhere, and vacuumed the whole room, including under the bed. I haven’t attacked my closet yet, but that’s coming soon. And it’s not that scary.

Pound cake isn’t scary, either. I want some.

Losing my mind

Zannah — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 22:38:24 +0000

I thought something I had planned for July was actually happening in June, and I was getting John all annoyed about it because it would have happened tomorrow (Saturday), and I’d be gone for the whole day right after coming home for the first time in two weeks. And while we were talking about it (two days ago), I realized it might actually be scheduled for a Saturday in July, but I couldn’t be sure…. I checked, and yes, it’s not until July, and yes, I can’t tell one month from the next. But that means we can both sleep away the whole weekend, and that kind of rest is something we could both really use. John got in last Sunday night from Rhode Island and has worked almost nonstop since then. His mother and youngest sister stayed a couple of nights earlier in the week (college visits), so when he got home from the airport, he spent a few hours furiously cleaning the house from top to bottom. Several days later (now that I’m home to see it), it still looks good. Having your mother come to stay is a powerful motivator. I have the same reaction to visits from both sets of parents.

Anyway, we have deliberate plans to do nothing this weekend. I could see myself going for an early morning run, but only if I happen to wake up early enough (’cause it’s HOT here). We might try to get rid of some of the crap in the basement, but that might take too much effort. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see.

Plants and animals

Zannah — Fri, 28 May 2010 23:26:44 +0000

Because my boss can be pretty cool sometimes, I didn’t have to go to work today. I had a long long list of things I could/should do, and I had great plans to do them. And then I didn’t. Well, I did a few of them. Actually, I did nine out of nineteen, and to be fair to me, some of those things were meant for later in the weekend. Okay, I did plenty today. But I didn’t run and I didn’t go to the grocery store and I kept my out-of-the-house errands to a minimum because Roxy had a “welcome home” seizure last night before midnight and another one this morning, shortly before noon. She’s fine now, but somewhat groggy (we’re under instructions to give her extra medicine after seizures to help prevent clusters – clearly didn’t work last night – and that makes her woozy), so I thought it would be best if I stayed close to home.

One of the few errands I did run today took me to Home Depot. John needed grass seed, and while I was there, I bought a rosemary plant and an oregano plant ’cause MY FACE POTS WERE DELIVERED! Yay! And I already have a basil plant, so I’ll put all three into my new pots and put them…somewhere…to grow. The deck, maybe? I could put them on a plant stand on the front porch (if I had a plant stand. I think I just added that to my shopping list for the weekend.). I definitely can’t put them anywhere in the yard. The rabbits will get them. Like they’ve already eaten the three (maybe it was four) black-eyed susan plants that came back this year. I need plants rabbits don’t like.

I’m a gardening fiend

Zannah — Sat, 08 May 2010 15:39:46 +0000

That’s short-lived, I promise. I don’t like gardening, but I’ll do what I have to do to keep the neighbors from attacking. We missed mowing the lawn last weekend because of the trip to Pittsburgh, so throughout this past week, the grass got taller and taller and weedier-looking and weedier-looking. It looked awful, so bad we could have been hiding cars on cinder blocks in the front yard, and we lost the dogs every time we opened the back door. I knew we had a busy weekend ahead, so since I got home from work early yesterday (yay!), I decided that the least I could do was get a head start on the yardwork. I spent over three hours out there, weeding my flower bed in the back and mowing the front lawn. It made a big difference this morning, as John was able to clean, mow, and weed-whack the backyard while I mulched the flower bed, all in about an hour and a half. (I carried every one of those giant mulch bags all the way to the bed by myself, and I can’t remember the last time I was so completely covered in dirt. Actual dirty dirt.)

We were right on schedule to get out of the house with plenty of time to get to DC (I’m meeting some people – details will follow after our meetup), but then John checked his work email. Apparently, something didn’t go quite right after an update and everyone’s panicking (probably unnecessarily), so John’s trying to calm them all down. I’m waiting to find out if he’ll be stuck working or if he can still go with me. End result? We’re running late. But, since this is a group party-thing I’m going to, it’s not that big a deal if I’m not right on time. And since I’m leaving tomorrow for a week, I plan to only spend an hour or two at the thing anyway. I’ll probably want to stay longer (I already want to stay longer), but I don’t want to leave tomorrow feeling like I hardly saw John this weekend.

Oh, we’re going. More later.

The A/C is still alive

Zannah — Sun, 02 May 2010 23:42:36 +0000

We turned the A/C off while we were away ’cause it was making some not-good rattling noises Friday afternoon. And then we had 80-degree weather all weekend, so we came home to a stuffy house. Turned the A/C back on, and voila! (or “wa-la!”, as Mindy used to say), cold air! We’ve been home for almost two hours, and so far, no rattling. Maybe it fixed itself while we were gone.

I’ve got a couple of random pictures of the UPitt campus from Saturday’s graduation ceremony. Saturday was a beautiful day, all warm and sunny. We woke up to pouring rain this morning, and after dropping Emily, Tom, and Molly at the building for the big university commencement, John and I hit the road for home. It’s an easy four-hour drive (easier on a Sunday afternoon, in daylight, when we’ve only been up for four hours, not fourteen), and we stopped at Wegman’s on the way home so I wouldn’t have to go back out for groceries. We ate lunch around 2:30, so we’re having tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella for dinner. Light, fresh, easy.

Emily in her cute wrap dress and new pearls. Oh yeah, there's a sign behind her. We'd hate to forget where we were...

Emily in her gown and hood, while we tried to figure out how she was supposed to wear the damn thing.

The diplodocus (Elmer) outside the Carnegie Music Hall, our meetup spot after graduation.

The Cathedral of Learning (real name of the building)

Some church through the trees. Pretty.

I liked Pittsburgh. We saw some really nice neighborhoods, some cute shopping districts, and I’m sure there are other places around the city we would enjoy hanging out in. I’m not sure when the next opportunity will arise, though, since Emily will be moving away this summer to start her new job in New Hampshire? Philadelphia? Probably not North Carolina, but she’s got interested parties in all three places. Good for her.

Look what we did!

Zannah — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 22:55:10 +0000

By we, of course, I mean mostly John. After mowing the lawn (John), some light weeding (me), dog poop scooping (me), and then tying up a sagging bush (blame the three feet of snow that sat on top of it for a month) with neon yellow string (mostly John), John decided that today was the day to somehow attach these extra pieces of latticework (or trellis? not sure what you’d call it) to the corner of the deck. In the morning, we’ll have a little shade. I haven’t figured out what to do about late afternoon. I took pictures! I forgot to take a before picture, but here’s one when we were two-thirds of the way done.

Actually, here’s a before picture, no trellis yet, with John hard at work doing…something. On a ladder.

And here’s the finished product. From the yard…

…and from the deck.

Since I had my camera out, I figured I’d take some pictures of the yard when it’s at its best. And the dogs. So here’s most of the backyard, with my flower bed in need of mulching. Maybe next weekend.

Here’s the rose bush that’s trying to take over the deck.

Technically, that’s two rose bushes. Here are few pictures of the dogs taking advantage of the shade.

It’s breezy and the wind chimes are…chiming, I guess, and we could hear them clearly if the windows were open, but did you see how high the pollen count was today? My car is covered, and even though I was outside most of the day, there’s no way I’m letting clouds of pollen get into the house.

Most of the day got away from us, but all the chores are done (minus the grocery shopping) and John asked for two hours to himself so he can concentrate on his project for school before we settle in with dinner and maybe a movie. He’ll have to spend much of tomorrow on his project, too, but at least he’ll have done something today, and he won’t have to worry about the lawn and stuff. And tomorrow morning, we can catch up on the four hours of Lost we have saved on the DVR. Hopefully, the rest of my weekend will include nothing more taxing than a morning run tomorrow, catching up on TV, lots of Internet time (I have to get my fix in on the weekends, now that I know what my weeks at work look like), a trip to Wegman’s (hardly a chore), and some play time outside with the dogs. Maybe at the dog park.

For now, I need a shower. And comfy clothes. And I’m in for the night. Oh, one more thing for tomorrow – set up a couple of lunch dates with a couple of friends.

I have priorities, really I do

Zannah — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 03:07:32 +0000

And they don’t include working after I get home on a Friday evening for several hours. But I promised myself I wasn’t going to talk about that. Instead, I’ll mention that Roxy got so excited about the pieces of lamb fat she was going to get that she repeatedly walked herself into the narrow dead end between the arm of the couch and the wall. Head first. She doesn’t like to back up, so she’d stand there, tongue out, tail wagging, with her nose just barely over the arm, until I nudged her backwards with my hand on her chest. Like three times.

John is in the office pretending he’s Brian May, and I’m pretending I have time to check some of my favorite sites before my eyes close. We don’t have any plans this weekend (other than the usual light house cleaning, lawn mowing, grocery shopping, and something (I know there was something else I wanted to do, but did I write it down? Say it with me. No!)), so I hope to run and relax. And relaxing had better include catching up with my favorite online people. Also my new favorites, thanks to a recent thread at the Dooce Community and, of course, Spoke’s Blog Love series (first day here).

Before I go to bed, this is for Mom, Sandwich Stealer (not that one), Jess, and other people I could name but will not. Today. Just you wait.

I think the point of mentioning my priorities in the title was so I could say I still have mine, and I think they’re in the right order, but I need to work a lot harder at figuring out how to make them happen every day. Or most days. I feel a bit overwhelmed, and not by anything bad, but by not being able to make time for all those little things I like to do. But I will. I will figure it out.