These Pretzels Are Making Me Thirsty

So, the tree I thought was Japanese maple-y in my front yard isn't. It's still an ornamental tree - weeping birch - and I do like it. I had an estimate done for my lawn and edging earlier this week, and while the folks were in my yard I asked some basic questions to see what I was getting myself in for trying to do the landscaping myself. One of the things I learned is that I should have pruned the thing in the fall. Now it's not advised because open wounds could bring in bugs.

Who knew? Clearly not me. And for a second, I thought it was all a sign. I looked up my Celtic tree sign - I thought it was birch. Nope, I'm a total beech. ;)

I trimmed the hydrangea (also something I should have done in fall - which I did know, actually), and just doing that filled my garbage can. I'm not sure how I'm ever going to get the landscaping done when I run out of room so quickly. I can't have bags and piles of lawn refuse lying around. That's open invitation to bugs and critters. No thanks.

So now I'm back to debating whether or not to have someone do all the clean up and then I can maintain, gradually changing it to what I want, which is either river rock or maybe solid blue star creepers - so pretty when they're in bloom. Something that looks nice, but doesn't require a lot of sweat to keep looking that way.

It's the sticker shock that always stops me. And it's not like I don't have the funds to do this type of thing; I just don't like the downward spiral of my savings account. LOL.

One should run errands before one slathers henna on one's hair.

I knew this, I am just in putting-it-off stage of several projects - I need to get some river rock for my landscaping, which means I also need to get rakes, shovels and various other landscaping tools in order to put in a lot of sweat and labor. And I'm both lazy and couldn't care less about yardwork. Quite a terrible combo - toss in major allergies, and that about sums up why I'm stuck in putting-it-off stage.

Plus, what I really want somewhere in all this is irises, and I should have maybe planted those bulbs when I moved in.

So, it's sitting inside with a bag of henna on my head. Trying, in vain, to get all of the cat hair swept, vacuumed and mopped. Neverending task.

Speaking of cats. Want! She's a year old and tiny.


Oh, I wish someone on my flist lived here; I tried again to convince coworker to adopt for me. No go, and everyone else learned from the first time, LOL. Hopefully she'll be adopted out this weekend.

So, I bought a little hygrometer to find out how wet my house is. In the living spaces, it's between 50 and 60%. In the basement, it's 67%. Too high, all around. My office was kind enough to gift me with a fair amount to help buy a dehumidifier, but my question is this: if I put a portable dehumidifier down in the basement, will the humidity also drop in the living spaces? Or would it be best to install it upstairs somewhere? (Where, I have no idea.)

In other homeownership news, I'm having the dickens of a time figuring out why no one wants to do business with me. I requested a quote for conversion from oil to gas (which is cheaper than oil and electric and also cheaper). "It'll take a few days..." the guy said. Never heard a thing. Have attempted to contact. Ugh.

ETA: and I stupidly let the cats follow me to basement today - I don't like them down there because of the fuel oil tank. Sure enough, they came back up and shortly after Johnny started hacking and sneezing. I found a streak of fuel oil on her. I don't know how much she might have ingested while grooming before I found it and washed her. :( Keeping a close watch on her.

I also wanted someone to come clean up my yard, and then I would be able to maintain it. Again, set up an appointment, no one ever showed. Tried to call, no response.

Dude, I am attempting to give you money! Take it! Sheesh.

I went to shelter today to become a volunteer. They made me watch a video first, about pet population, etc. Basically, it highlighted the problem all shelters face. But no one warned me they were going to "follow" a cat taken to a shelter, found to be diseased and then euthanized. Like, they showed the injection. I ... am a sensitive soul. I'd already been teary through most of it, because videos of animals who are terrified and running away only to be shut up in a too-small kennel get to me anyways, but that made me lose it.

So I signed the paperwork, and then met a sweetheart cat I fell in love with. She started kneading me almost immediately, is two, gray/white with a black nose and weighs no more than five pounds. I cannot adopt for six months. She won't last a week. I don't need another cat!

I have asked a friend to adopt her and give her to me. What? ::blinks innocently:: If she's there on Tuesday, that is.

If a person owned by cats paints one of the only rooms in the house without a door and after leaves to run some errands, then that person will come home to at least one of the felines with patches of paint on his skinny tush.


Painting sucks. I usually like the end result, but the getting it done - hate. HATE. If I paint again, I will either invest in a sprayer, beg friends or pay a professional.

/collapses

From new house here!

Everything moved in about an hour and twenty minutes, thanks to my awesome, awesome coworkers and friends. I am sooooo tired and am now in "I swear this was all organized and made sense at one point" phase.

Johnny and Abe hid in the box spring while people were moving stuff. Johnny and Roy are now exploring. Abe peed the box on the way over and is now hiding under sofa. I have the Feliway plugged in (should have had it in before!), so hopefully he will be up and at 'em in no time.

Now, to rest or continue unpacking? That is the question! I think rest. And spend an exorbitant amount on dinner at corner deli.

I hear the clatter of cat claws on hardwoods. I need an area rug!