Taxes, Fees & Other Charges

Bad new first. Had two dead bunnies to take care of this morning. One was a little white outside baby that a dog, (arrgh!) probably one of Evil Neighbor Jerry's two new pups (aaarrrrrrghhhh!) attacked and broke his front leg. He was found and brought to me last week, and even though he rallied, I found him gone last night. Then early this morning, there was a little grey one squished on the road in front of the house. Sigh, but so it goes. Grey bunny on grey road at grey dawn. I took both of them down to the cemetery.

Good News now. We are going on our trip anyway! I am going to have Good Neighbor Nancy take care of all my critters and keep and eye on the house. This is most likely the only window of opportunity for this trip, as the weather will be good and Sweetie is still not working, (but finally has some prospects,) we have money and a van to sleep in and a dog that loves to travel. Once Sweetie gets a job, there will be no vacation anytime soon.

So, we're just going!

I am kind of psyched about it, but he is really really psyched to take me to where he spent 8 years in the Air Force.

25% off

It has been a rough day.

It started out well enough, with vacation plans to New Mexico in the works, errands to be run, chickens on the front porch. We call them the Gang of Four, the two banty roosters and the two larger hens.



But all is not well. Last week, we filed papers to evict our renter, who has paid rent scantily and intermittently for the past year. Last month, we all agreed that if he just left by the end of August, we would call it even. Just Leave. How fair is that? When we found out that he was making no plans whatsoever to vacate, we filed the papers. We have been way too nice.

This morning, on our way out our driveway, he pulled in and presented us with a totally bogus bill for the "work" he has done for us on the property, in exchange for rent. $4700! Asswipe. Giving us a bill is bull, as he needs to file a counterclaim in court, which I am sure he will not do. Because it costs money.

Still, it upset Sweetie to no end and it was all I could do to calm him. Now, I am upset.

The hearing for eviction is September 30, so our plans for a vacation are now on hold, not wanting to leave our own home vulnerable to his mischief. It sucks. He may have occupancy until the end of October; this is how eviction works in Indiana.

However, once the property is free of him, I plan to move my fiber operations there. It is a whole 1000 feet away. We will not rent it again, as we have had to evict the last three tenants. We will hang on to it, then sell when the market is better.

Fuck.

Our Customers Come First

The roosters and the big hens are now flying the coop and investigating the yard. Reese's just ignores them. Found all four of these chickens on the front porch this afternoon.

Here is a great video of the Korean Bassist, H J Freaks. The song is called Fuwa Fuwa Time, by K-ton, and the title translates roughly as Light and Fluffy time, which sort of explains the pink and lace outfit.

Use proper parking procedures

The little neighbor girl, Lezlie, ran to tell her grandmother, "Nana, that mean rooster is trying to kill the girl chicken!! Come help!"

Yes, it looked as though they were killing the hens, leaping on the girls' backs and biting their neck feathers, wings flapping like crazy, squawking the entire fifteen seconds that the episode lasted. I left that one for Nana to explain.

I have a dozen eggs this week, and the banty hens have been quite broody for the past couple of weeks, but they not are mature enough yet to hatch healthy chicks. Come spring, I will let them sit on their clutch.

Those eggs will apparently be fertilized.

Answers on page 108.

On the knitting front, I horrified Sweetie when I ripped out the shawl I have been working on for weeks. I told him that it was okay, but as a non-knitter, he would never understand.

The now-evaporated shawl was wrong on several fronts. The fabric was too dense on the size three needles. The pattern was not right for an angora blend. The square shape was wrong and using up too much yarn.

So. May it RIP. Ha ha!

I have since cast on The (triangular) Handsome Shawl from Victorian Lace Today on size 7s. I have over 5 ounces of yarn which is plenty. This pattern is easy.

One thing that gripes me is that the pattern graph, as shown in the book, is in teen-ientsy print. I have enlarged it, (thank you scanner!,) so that my brain doesn't hurt from the looking at of it.

By the way, Eeyore is doing well! The super-duper anti-robotic did the trick.

Dispose of properly.

Some days I listen to sad songs, and yesterday afternoon I pulled up Iris DeMent and Emmy Lou Harris singing Our Town.

I love Iris' voice; it's so quirky. This song always just breaks my heart into pieces.

Other songs do that to me, too. Songs by John Prine and the late Steve Goodman.

(I do love happy songs, too. I'm not a total secret goth.)

Maybe yesterday's mood was brought on by it being Sweetie's 47th birthday. I told him that my own downhill slide began when I turned 47. Seeing him grow older makes me sadder than the thought of my own self, aging.

Step right up

Woke up way too early this morning, for as late as I stayed up. Rooster began to crow just before 5 am, so I put the ear plugs in and fell right back to sleep but only to suffer through yet another mild anxiety dream.

I was one of six bridesmaids(!) for my friend Amanda, who is already happily married in real life, thank you very much. We were all gathered at some sort of retreat center/dormitory, where there were lots of people, lots of activity. Very happy.

Then, I started losing things, dropping things. Where is that bag of clothes I brought? Where is my knitting basket? Just, everywhere I went, I lost or misplaced one more thing or two. Then, I'd knock over the light trying to look for something, only to lose something else. Then I ripped a couch cushion. Then I couldn't find my dress. And so on.

One cute part were all these little kids going around to all the wedding party to deliver gifts that Amanda had made. Hair decorations, bracelets, and necklaces. I especially liked the Hello, Kitty necklace.

My sub-conscience is a dark and disturbing place, you all.

At some point, I was in bed, (I guess this wedding went on for three days,) with a crying toddler, bless her heart. I tried to sooth her. She wanted to nurse. What the heck, I thought, won't get any milk out if it. It calmed her, though, and we fell asleep.

Lastly, the plumbing broke, and there was no place for a dozen women to pee. Yeah, I can hear you laughing through the internets. Yes, no flushing capability, and all of a sudden, everybody had to pee. I had to go so bad that I got stomach cramps.

That's l when I woke up, and it was not yet six. I stumbled to the bathroom, still thinking my bladder was ready to burst. Didn't have to go, after all.

WTF? What a weird freakin' dream. Why do I have these dreams? Dreams bursting with details, dialogue, problems.