Give Me A Break!

We finally have a date set up for the mediation with the Nimbys. There have been several days proposed, but Mrs. Nimby always cancelled them. She's agreed to February 25. She can't do it any sooner because she has to go on a two week vacation. She claims she under SO MUCH STRESS because of everything that we (meaning the homeowners board, her neighbors) have been doing to her that she just has to get away. In the meantime, her non-complying Christmas lights keep blinking away, every night. GIVE ME A BREAK!

More alike than you think!

My daughter posted one of those lists on her blog tonight. Here's mine. Guess what - some of our answers are almost the same.

1. What is your occupation? Grandma extraodinaire.

2. What color are your socks right now? black

3. What was the last thing that you ate? Crazy Cake - an old family recipe.

4. Can you drive a stick shift? Yes. I believe it's a life skill - never know when a vehicle with a stick shift will be your only option.

5. If you were a crayon, what color would you be and why? Probably some shade of blue.

6. The last person you spoke to on the phone? My daughter who was translating what my grandson was saying.

7. Who is the person who sent this to you? No one sent it. I stole if from Annie

8. Favorite drink? Dr. Pepper

9. What is your favorite sport to watch? Shoot me before requiring me to watch any sport. But I like Jazz basketball in person.

10. Have you ever dyed your hair? I've been trying to remain my childhood blonde for decades.

11. Pets? No.

12. Favorite food? Hot Fudge and Peppermint Ice Cream Sundae

13. What was the last movie you watched? "Runaway Bride" It was on TV the other night and my husband actually sat through it with me.

14. What do you do to vent anger? I don't vent, I bottle.

15. What was your favorite toy as a child? My dolls

16. What is your favorite season fall or spring? Spring

17. Cherries or blueberries? I like blueberry muffins, but I don't like blueberries by themselves. I like my own homemade cherry pie, but don't like cherries by themselves.

18. When was the last time you cried? Can't remember

19. What did you do last night? Watched political stuff on TV.

20. Favorite smells? Aidan after he's had a bath - miss that since his parents moved out.

21. What inspires you? Music

22. What are you afraid of? Falling on all the ice and snow that plagues my hometown right now. Ask my family about my experiences in the last couple years of falling on dry ground!

23. Favorite dog breed? Don't really have one.

24. Number of keys on your key ring? I don't have a key ring. I only carry the key to my car. Heaven help me if I get locked out of the house. The only access I have to the house is with the garage door opener.

25. Favorite day of the week? Mmm - don't have one

26. How many states have you lived in? 2

27. Favorite holiday? Christmas

28. Ever driven a motorcycle or heavy machinery? I've put over 4000 miles on the back of motorcycle. Does that count? Plus I've piloted and docked a 75' x 18' houseboat - more than once. That's got to count!

29. Ever left the country? Yes.

30. Favorite kind of music? Anything that I can sing along too in the car.

31. Last book you read? "The Alchemist"

Clueless in the kitchen

My husband thinks he can find his way around the kitchen and figure out a recipe. But this is proof that he may not know exactly what he's doing. Keep in mind that while he's trying to make clam chowder from a recipe we got from a local restaurant that I'm upstairs at the computer.

"Can this go in the oven?"

Husband asks me this, standing at the bottom of the stairs holding up a measuring cup.

Me: "No, it can't. Put it in a oven proof dish."

He goes back to the kitchen.

Him: "What dish should I use?"

Me: "An oven proof, like I cook Crazy Cake in." I'm trying avoid interrupting what I'm doing to go downstairs to find him an oven proof dish.

Him: "Can I use this white round dish?" He's in the kitchen, yelling to me upstairs.

Me: "Yes that will work."

A few minutes later:

Him: "What's a sauce pan?"

Me: "It's not a frying pan." I figured that by the process of elimination and from the fact that he knew what a frying pan was, he could figure which pan would be a sauce pan.

I hear him rattling around in the kitchen for awhile. But since he hadn't asked me any more questions about equipment or the recipe, I decided all was well.

When I finally get downstairs, I discovered the "sauce pan" he was using was actually the dutch oven - too big for what he was doing. He was about ready to add the flour and butter mixture to the cut up vegetables in the dutch oven without adding any liquid. If you don't do a lot of cooking, you may not know that a flour and butter mixture is called "roux" and is used to thicken liquids (soup, gravy, etc.). I took over at this point.

I know he means well and thinks that he knows what he's doing, but next time, I think I will just assign him the cleaning up process. I know he can handle that.

P.S. The chowder was great. Yum...

Secret Weapon

Another little tidbit about the Nimbys and their swimming pool. It was revealed today at the meeting I attended that the Nimbys never got a permit from the city to install a pool. If the mediation goes to arbitration, it will be interesting when that little bit of info comes to light.

Also, not only is Mrs. Nimby a trust fund child, her husband is the grandson of a Rockefeller. Gee, I thought the Rockefellers were a great, humane, family. Way to protect and build on the family name and reputation, Mr. Nimby.

Troublemaker and Tree Lady

Thanks to my wonderful neighbors, the Nimbys (see earlier posts), I guess I'm getting a bit of a bad reputation. I had to go to a meeting today with some HOA board people, my neighbors (good ones next door) and the attorney who's representing all of us in the mediation with the Nimbys.

I introduced myself to the attorney. His response was "Oh, you're the troublemaker". Great, I think. I know it was in jest. But it's a little frustrating to be known by a complete stranger as "the troublemaker".

Last fall, I was invited to a party at the home of the HOA Design Review Committee chair. I've gotten to know her mainly due to all this tree stuff and the problems created by the Nimbys. The party was a varied group of women. Some of them lived in the neighborhood and others knew the hostess through other connections. Again, I introduced myself to a woman I didn't know. Her response was "Oh, you're the tree lady". I had to quickly make it clear that I was the downhill neighbor, not the one across the street who was causing all the fuss.

So watch out, this Tree Lady may move into your neighborhood and be a real Troublemaker.

Another Aidanism, or A way with words Part 2

I was reading my grandson a book today about a hippopotamus. I asked him if he could say "hippopotamus". His response was "Harrypottermus". Love it!