Tuesday, December 25, 2012

No sugarplum visions for me

Oh heck no. I dream about day after Christmas sales and getting to the Hallmark store after everything's been sold out.

Monday, December 24, 2012

A Postal Mystery

We moved in October. I dutifully made a trip to the local post office to obtain a change of address packet (the last time we moved was 1979 when this is how it was done) But no, the USPS, a company you think would embrace the concept of snail mail, now wants you to notify them of address changes via their website. There's also the added bonus of charging a buck for this service. Whatever.

So I filled out the proper form online, paid the fee and my mail has been forwarded accordingly. I have notified friends and businesses of the change.

Here's where it gets curious. We have recently received several pieces of mail from sources we do not correspond with. These don't have the little yellow forward sticker but our name and address is entered correctly with no need for forwarding. I'm pretty sure all of them are soliciting donations. Did the post office sell our name and address to bulk mailing companies? Weird.

So today is Christmas Eve which of course led to a discussion of why isn't it called the day before Christmas since eve technically isn't until dusk or thereabouts. (Can you see why my husband exasperates me at times?) This all started because he wanted to take garbage to the landfill and I told him it was closed on Christmas Eve.

Anyway, I think I'll drive to Anchorage and take some cookies for the barn owners and carrots for the horses. I also have a friend whose Cavalier King Charles Spaniel had puppies that I'm dying to cuddle.

I hope everyone who reads this has a wonderful holiday. May Santa be good to you.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

I Admit It, I Drank The Kool-Aid

I watch HGTV when there aren't reruns of House, Storage Wars or Duck Dynasty to be found. House Hunters lured me in with the worship of hardwood floors. People wouldn't consider homes with wall to wall carpeting and were thrilled to find hardwood beneath such coverings.

So, fast forward to my first glimpse of our new home - hardwood floors galore! "Ooh," I gushed. "How beautiful and oh so in vogue." Only three rooms have carpet.

Having lived with these floors for a couple of months, the honeymoon is definitely over. They have to be swept/vacuumed/Swiffered on a daily basis to stay decent looking. That's an hour out of my day. I hate being a slave to housework. Plus, you have to move the furniture every day because dust and dog hair roll under and behind every piece.

So I ask, what is the attraction? Do people like being Stepford Wives? All the advocates state that they're cleaner but it's just because they have to be constantly maintained IMO.

Oh, and let's not forget how noisy they are. I am clipping the dog's nails all the time to try and keep the click clack of little feet to a dull roar. I have spent a considerable amount of money on area rugs that they constantly displace, despite the non skid mats underneath, in an effort to secure some peace and quiet.

My husband isn't thrilled that I want to add carpeting to my short list of things we definitely need for the house. Let him maintain them for a couple of months and see if he doesn't sing a different tune.