If my blog, lately, is all about the house, well, tough. I’ve been reading, but we’re so focussed on getting moved in, getting organized, tweaking things before we get complacent and never bother, that everything else seems unimportant. Well, everything except NaNoWriMo, and I think I’ve got a handle on what this year’s novel will be.
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Last night, when I went to drag Cleo in from her perimeter patrol of the back yard, there was another gecko visitation. This time, however, it stayed on the wall, and didn’t threaten to land in my hair. They’re cute little lizards, and they eat the mosquitos. Anything that eats bugs is welcome in my yard. (Even spiders, as long as I don’t have to SEE them.)
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It’s nearly 7:30, and I’m still a little sleepy, but I’m feeling listless, and can’t sleep. I’m sitting in the room that is currently our computer room, and will eventually be the library/game room. The entire western wall is a giant window, and I’ve got it all the way open, and am watching the sky lighten. I sort of wish it faced east, but, this is nice, too. All the windows have tinted screens that diffuse the light and heat, but also make it difficult for people to see into the house, unless they’re standing directly at the window with their noses pressed to the glass. Anyway, the sky is amazing, and there are so many trees – if you look out the back windows from any upstairs room, all you see is the treeline, and one neighbor’s chimney, which I think is pretty cool for a suburban neighborhood. If you wanted to turn naked cartwheels across the bridge that connects the east and west wings of the 2nd story, you could do so, safe in the knowledge that the neighbors couldn’t see.
The import of that last bit of babbling: We don’t need draperies. I’m not a fan of drapes anyway – I leave windows open whenever possible – but this just tickles me. All the windows have vertical blinds, anyway, and box valences might be in order, for color, but no heavy draperies.
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One thing I love about my new neighborhood is the total sense of, well, neighborhood. We have a nominal homeowners association (fee: $36/year), and they do welcome packages, and maintain the park in the center of our section, and stuff like that. Yesterday, Brett, who is either president or on the board, came over to introduce himself, and make sure we didn’t need anything. (Apparently he was good friends with the sellers, who told him to make us feel really welcome), and then he brought over Russ, who does everyone’s lawn. Every time we’re outside, someone else driving by slows their car, tips their hat (well, virtually), and drawls, “Welcome to the neighborhood, y’all.” It’s kind of homey.
Also – and this has made me smile every time we’ve driven back to the house with a new load of stuff – people really decorate for Halloween. One house up the main street of our area, rivalled Willow Glen’s Christmas “disco house,” but, you know, in Halloween style. Flickering light over the front door, cemetary in the yard, ghosts and witches dangling from trees – it’s a bit over the top, but in a good way. Even the more restrained families have something seasonal in their decor, though, lots of pumpkins made of leaf-bags, lots of scarecrows and autumn wreaths. Today we’re buying some outside stuff for decorating, and I’m missing my ceramic ghost lanterns a lot. Can’ wait to put them on the mantel.
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As I discover things about the house, I’m acting like a kid in a candy store. So, despite the title, “List-less” here are some lists.
Features I Like A Lot
Dishwasher – has option to wash ONLY top or ONLY bottom rack.
Fridge – having way too much fun with water dispenser. Jeremy, Brett, Liz, Clay? I have ice now. Crushed or cubed. :)
Pool – The fountains are on the timer with the filter, and they’re just so neat…it means the pool is a ‘feature’ even when it’s too cold to swim.
Patio – the wooden deck is larger than I thought. We’ll have to get an umbrella until we can build a pergola, but our table and chairs will definitely fit.
Yard – No grass, just ivy and paving stones. The dogs don’t seem to mind. The paving stones are shaped like Texas, which wouldn’t have been my choice, but I’ve convinced myself it’s whimsical, not annoying.
Living Room – The accoustics are AMAZING.
Garage – We’re actually parking inside it. We’re determined that we will not use the garage to accumulate crap. No, really, we won’t.
Front Yard – There’s a string of lights down the front walk to the driveway. I love that.
Things that Must Go
The motion sensor light in the upstairs bathroom. It’s driving me crazy. Well, it was. This morning I finally figured out how to override it so that you don’t have to wave at it every time the lights go out.
Most of the carpetting. It’s not ugly, but the sellers have dogs, and I think their collie had fleas. Also, with my allergies, and the fact that they had cats, getting rid of as much carpet as possible, is just a smart idea. Flooring for the two offices and the family room has been ordered. We’ll do the dining room next month. The library, guest room, and master bedroom will remain carpeted, as will the stairs and bridge (to muffle sound).
The lava rocks in the back yard. I love the ivy, hate the rocks. I plan to plant actual living plants in the planter (right now there are plastic ones), and put something softer in place of the rocks. Maybe something mossy, or some kind of springy groundcover.
The wallpaper in the master bath. I don’t mind the blue stuff in the kitchen – just have to change the accent color from pale blue to terracotta to warm up the room, but the red stuff in the master bath has to go.
The paint jobs in both offices. Mine isn’t so bad. Green tea paint, solid on one wall, brush strokes on the rest. I plan to bring in lavender, add a chair rail, and do deep lavender on the bottom half of all the walls, to break up the green. I’d thought about repainting the entire room, but I sort of like the dusty, muted color. It’s relaxing. Chris’s office has floral stencilling, and a cloudy sky paint job. It also has pink (well, mauve) blinds. I offered to switch, but he just shrugged and said, “Your window faces south. Too much light.” Well, then, he can suffer. But I think we’re painting his lower wall a deep red, and then doing gray above it. And no, it won’t be a semi-gloss. Ugh.
It’s now about eight in the morning. I’m going to go cuddle with Fuzzy and the dogs for another hour or so, before I drag Fuzzy out to breakfast.