Upon Purchasing a Car

We knew that the day was coming for us to get a new car what with my new job and the commute and all. As we were avoiding that fact and going to get lunch Monday morning, our most current car, a 1977 Fiat Spider, was acting out.

Not up. Out. It was convulsing and not staying "ON" when the gas was released. This is kinda a big deal if you want to move forward at a green light, right? So we walked the Curtis and took off to the tour of car lots in G.P. and then to Merlin and then to Medford. As time was ticking and our patience waned, a glorious sales lady came, picked us up and drove us to her lot. No shit. We then got passed to another sales gal who helped us find exactly what we needed in our price range. Four hours and a test drive later, we was buyin' ourselves a 2003 Nissan Xterra with extemely low miles.

I won't even post them because it's like car sales person porn.
When we were signing the papers, we EACH got to pick our own pen, we got a free meal (from Taco Bell), and a new car! RAAAAAAAAAAD. I should send this post to our home seller folk to show them how it's done? Dinner and pens? Bitch, get back! You about to be skooled.

I've Never Felt More In Control

So I'm sitting on my porch, with my dog, without my dude, with a spectacularly clean home, a full fridge, a new car, all the bills paid... when it hits me. I am in control. That's funny. I thought I was supposed to get an email or mailer about this moment so that I could prepare. I think things really developed for me when I called Curtis' name and he stopped eating whatever he was eating and came to me, and sat down, and laid his cone noggin on my foot with a contended sigh.

Wow.
Now where is my mama to come to and sit down with and sigh with? Or that's right! She DID her job and that is why I am here right now. Not to toot my own horn here people, but to know me is to understand that I NEVER feel in control. My daily visual is of a ball of really, super expensive gold yarn falling from my hands to the depths of a very large and deep valley below, filled with gold yarn lovin' alligators.

Guns and the Men Who Love Them

I just dropped Dustin off out at my dad's house. We loaded up some firewood for our home since I will be in charge for the next 10 days. Because Dustin is going on a hunting trip. With my dad. In the woods. For 10 days.

Hunting. Dad. Woods. 10 days.
He's been hunting before and has guns and stuff. But it seems so odd to me that this guy, the same one that sets up fashion editorial photos and wears Seven jeans and tailored shirts, likes to shoot at deer and elk and shower in a tarp tent and cook over a pit for every meal.
He's always been an outdoors man but I've never seen anticipation quite like this before. It is very unnerving but also endearing. Get it? En-DEAR-ing? Funny.

Water Torture. Part Deux.

The last time we had a complete water malfunction, we suspected that by turning the water on and off at the main source, we were causing stress in the zillion years old pipes. So we fixed what we thought was the end of it and have been limping by with only hot water going to the beloved washer as the only side effect. Blah, blah, blah... we got cocky, turned off the water to tweak the washer lines and TA-FREAKIN-DAH we have ourselves another leak. A steady leak of scalding hot water. Wheeee! Not at ALL costly, annoying, or time consuming. No. We're fine. Really.

Dustin rented a concrete saw to correct the leak and we'll be back to "normal" again. Normal is, in our house, when you cringe to use a faucet because you are expecting a geyser of water to come shooting out thus drilling you in the chest, knocking you to the ground, and taking the other arm and leg you have left over as change from the last leak.

Stuff and Stuff

In order of newness...
Curtis in a cone (due to un-dude surgery and re-docking of tail).


The polished black tiles with flecks of copper in them as the back splash.

The RAD-TASTIC lawn. Perfect for Curtis rollin'.

The sink slope for which to drain veggies, fruits, and other goods.


The chalk board painted cabinet.