The Misadventures of House Living

So I've been telling everyone how AWESOME it is to live in the Highlands, how much we LOVE our house, and all that. But there are always glitches in the grand scheme. Nothing's perfect. We're learning a few things along the way.

1. Petunias do not care for themselves. This is unfortunate, because apparently Amy and I don't do a good job of it, either. We were so excited that the home-owner was leaving us her huge pots of beautiful petunias. We promised to water and love them and pinch them. The petunias now look more like a ratty bird's nest. Next year, we shall fill our planters with fake plants or something much more hardy. Lesson learned.

2. Ants can live ANYwhere. They are just tiny enough that they can crawl into any place. They can go all the way upstairs. They can find your kitchen trash can, sink, and counter. They show up really well on white bathroom tile. They can have entire metropolises in your garbage dumpster. Ants are bad. But...they can be overcome if you carry around a can of Raid and set out 40 ant/roach motels and put globs of Terro everywhere. Lesson learned.

3. No matter what your dad tells you, you should ask for an actual demonstration of how to run a lawn mower before attempting it for yourself. I knew lawn mowing was going to be a daunting task. I hadn't looked forward to it. Luckily, due to the dry spell, it didn't grow for a while. Then, due to the monsoon season we had, it grew...and grew...and grew. It was way too wet to even mow for a while. But then the time came that the lawn HAD to be mowed. Amy was the first to volunteer. She was off work, and it was hotter than hell's kitchen, but she went out there determined. The lawn mower won the battle, though, and never even started. Amy says she just wasn't able to pull the cord hard enough to get it going. The weekend came, and I decided I would be the hero. I went out with an even greater determination. The lawn would be mowed. Dad tells me how simple it is to mow. "Just pull the cord, then push the mower, Lori." I can do this. I pull the cord. Amy was right. It IS hard to pull. I'm determined, though. This dumb lawn mower will NOT get the best of me. I set my feet firmly and give that mower string a YANK to end all yanks. Well...it actually did end all yanks. It fell right off into my hand. You see, Dad hasn't actually used a lawn mower since sometime before they invented sliced bread. He "forgot" to mention that there's this choke thing that you have to hold while you pull the cord. So...I'm left with knee-high grass, and no way to mow it. I peek over into my neighbor's yard, and by some miracle, she's out and about. I throw the broken mower piece to the side and dash to her yard. "Mrs. Kay, I'm going to need the phone number for your lawn mowing service after all." Lesson learned.

I didn't want anyone to think it was all fun and games here on Payne Street. We've been having to do some actual real life things, and I just wanted to make it clear that I'm still learning. Hope you all are still living, learning, and having fun with it as well!

Highlands are fun!!

So I'm officially a "highland dweller" of Louisville now. I always suspected I'd enjoy living in the Highlands area. There is plenty of culture, restaurants, bars, people, diversity, etc. I had no idea I'd love it this much!! I love that I can set off on a walk and end up in SO many different places so easily! I love that my neighbors range from a wonderful restaurant to a little old lady to tons of people my own age. I love the Highlands!! I've been out and about and done more things with friends in the last couple weeks than I'd done in the last several months at my old place!

My biggest fear in moving was in acquiring a roommate. I've lived on my own for a good while now, and I'm like a crotchety old person, completely set in her ways. I worried for myself and Amy! None of the things I had worried about have been an issue! Amy and I work pretty opposite schedules and rarely see one another. Even if we are both off work at the same time, one of us is usually out and about with various activities and friends. When we are both home at the same time, we truly enjoy seeing one another. Tonight, for example, we met after work at the grocery, picked up some items for dinner, then came home and grilled. Amy's boyfriend joined us, and we had an awesome meal!! This whole grilling thing is a little tricky, but we're catching on in a hurry. Tonight we grilled pork chops, steaks, and sweet potatoes. Amy also fixed some mac n' cheese and green beans, as well as a salad. The three of us feasted, and we still have a ton of food left over for the rest of the week. I would have NEVER done all of that on my own!

As a bit of housekeeping, I've heard rumors here and there that I'm not updating my blog quite often enough. For those of you still visiting here enough to realize that (HI mom and granny!!), just rest assured that if I'm not actually posting, then I'm out doing something much more fun and exciting. Since I've been doing SO much of the latter lately, the blog has suffered terribly. I apologize. I would promise to do better, but that would require cutting down on the social life, and I'm quite opposed to that idea. So...thanks for staying tuned!