Hospitals and Hospitality

We're all a little preoccupied at the moment, so there may be no new updates for a few days. John's in pre-op now for carpal tunnel surgery. It's outpatient, but the healing time puts the kibosh on any two-person projects for a while.

Also, our very first niece was born last night. Seven pounds, nineteen inches! It's very exciting. Though I have been informed that she has been given tons of Disney Princess stuff already. :-P

And finally, my "older sister" is staying with us for a few nights. She just got back from two weeks in Thailand with our aunt and uncle and their family. I'm sure we'll have tons of catching up to do once she recovers from jet lag.

Tiny, less exciting updates about the house include: The skirting has been put on, but it's the wrong color. I had specifically requested dark brown or black, but I came home to blinding white. Luckily I plan to plant fast growing bushes around the perimeter. And if I get really sick of it, there's a paint for that. There's also a few interior problems with the house that they're going to have to come out and fix (like the fact that the bathroom door won't latch), but for the most part it's live-in ready. We did discover that the washing machine no longer works after its stint in the barn, so we're having to cart clothes back and forth to my parents' house. Now comes the decision about whether to buy a new one or pay to have it fixed.

All in all, it has been and is going to continue being a busy week. I'll update when I have something more substantial -- preferrably with pictures.

Things I've Learned Today

1) Contact paper smells really bad.

2) Microsoft likes to punish you for not routinely updating your XBOX by making it take forever when you do.

3) There is no such thing as "cry it out" when it comes to cats. They have infinite vocal power and stamina.

4) Never put duct tape on wood furniture, especially if you don't plan to remove it any time soon.

5) There is a 3M Command Strip for every occasion.

6) Valances can give the illusion of taller windows. Drapes can give the illusion of wider windows. Both are necessary in a manufactured home.

7) Working three jobs has more disadvantages than otherwise.

This Is Just To Say

William Carlos Williams is my second favorite poet of all time. His words are often simple, but they stir evocative imagery. One of his most famous poems is "This Is Just To Say," a sweet and good-humored piece of found poetry one might imagine he wrote to his wife Florence. Despite the playful nature of the poem, I have always associated it with theft. Any time I hear of something being stolen, the opening lines run through my head.

The air conditioning guys showed up this morning while we were trying to move some furniture before work. They went into the master bedroom, came back out, checked every room, went back into the master bedroom, and cursed.

"What's wrong?"
"There's a box that has all our copper tubing and wires in your bedroom there."
"Okay...."
"It's empty."

This is just to say

I have eaten

the plums

that were in

the icebox

Luckily, the company we bought the house from isn't going to charge us for new copper. I've tried my hardest to keep an eye on things, but with so many people going in an out over the last week, there's no telling what happened. I'd like to believe they just accidentally put an empty box in the house, but I'm not that naive.

The head air conditioning guy ran into town to get some more from the hardware store on the housing company's dime, while the other guy started setting everything up. Soon we should have A/C. Now if only we had clean water.