Catchup.

Whew! It's been a long week. So long, in fact, that it's next week already and I am only now blogging about the last one. So we've been having some plumbing issues of late, and since neither the b.h. nor I has ever lived in a house with a septic tank for any length of time, it took us a bit to realize what the problem was. We called the landlord last tuesday, and he said he's send somebody out. I awoke the next morning early (for me, anyway) and came down the stairs to use the loo. I was still in my pjs, which is to say that I was almost completely naked. This is usually not a problem because our property is really large, and the windows in the house that don't have curtains look out at the private sides of the yard.
Not so on this particular morning. As I hit the third stair from the bottom, I heard a voice. Since the eyesore- er, condominiums have stared going up across the street, I have often been awakened by the sound of voices, but this one was really close. And it was female. Of course, had I been awake, I would have just backtracked up the stairs and put a robe on. Alas, I was only sort of awake, and therefore by the time I stopped I was a few feet away from a non-curtained window, looking out at an older couple with a back hoe. Thankful that the sun was in their eyes at that moment, I leapt toward the wall next to the window, looking around to figure out how to get into the bathroom without being seen. Through the kitchen? No. Definitely not, though I did take a step in that direction first (again with the lack of wakefulness). Through the living room then. Around into the office, and reach for the bathroom door with my left foot while hiding behind the office door. Opening bathroom door, I poked my head out, realised that I still had to break cover for at least two or three feet, so I reached out and pulled the curtain which serves as a door to my laundry closet(which serves as a laundry room)* over to the office door, thereby creating a nudity barrier between myself and the poor innocent couple that came to empty our septic tank. This was all probably very unneccesary, as they probably couldn't see and weren't looking, but I am quite shy.
I went back to bed, woke up a couple hours later, and went to work. When we got back in the afternoon, the couple were just finishing up. They had dug up a very sizeable part of the yard in order to get to the tank, and they had cut the (very poorly placed) telephone wire in the process, but they got the job done.
That night I slipped down to the 40 Watt to see Robyn Hitchcock. He was fantastic. He was wearing purple trousers and a purplish shirt with lizards on it. The Venus Three, his backing band, consists of Peter Buck, Scott McCoy (does that man have eyes, by the way? Has anyone ever seen them? Because every time I see him- day or night, inside or out- he is wearing sunglasses. Weird), and the guy who currently plays drums for REM. They did some new stuff and played several of my old favorites. I saw a lot of people I know and didn't really hang out with anybody, so I actually got to watch and listen to almost the whole set. It was very, very pleasant. (Photos to follow, when I get them uploaded.) The Creepiest Guy In Athens was there, front and center, as usual, and he spotted me before I spotted him, as usual, so there was no avoiding him. I also saw a woman that I had not seen in a few years, who I assumed (hoped?) was either dead or just gone. She didn't see me, though. Thank gods.
The phone was working again before we even woke up. No funny story there, just a general sense of annoyance that they didn't talk to us and then went and put the line back exactly where it had been (on top of the septic tank, where it will likely get cut again the next time said tank needs to be emptied. Fortunately it is unlikely that we will still be here then).
The patch of yard over the tank is now fenced in (chicken wire), and will make a lovely (and likely lush) flower garden. Putting in the posts was hard work, as the ground is somewhat brick-like out there. I also planted some of my pole beans. They were getting too big for their peat pots, so I mounded up some organic garden soil, bought a couple tall stakes, and plopped them down next to the "garden." It's not a real garden yet, of course, but I have a space marked off and it is currently under a tarp to keep the grass from growing. I hope to have enough cash after this weekend to get a truckload of soil and some boards to build boxes and get things started.

Today I spent a good bit of time sowing another round of tomatoes, peppers, and some flowers. The others are looking really good, though I have lost track of which are which in some cases. The moonflowers, sunflowers, and some of the four o'clocks have been planted in their respective spots and pots.

My first batch of homemade root beer was a total failure. The yeast (I used two different kinds in different bottles) must have been old, because there were no bubbles to speak of. Bummer. All is not lost, however. Both J and I decided to freeze a bottle and eat it in popsicle form. Mmmm. I will try again later, but first I am going to give Ginger Ale a shot. Ginger is a lot less expensive than root beer extract, so that's what I'll do until I get the yeast thing mastered. Bought some new yeast at the store yesterday, so I may give that a shot tonight.

Other than that, everything is pretty much the same.



I realize that this isn't as funny if you haven't been in my house, and I apologize (and Z, if you're still with me, I apologise for my spelling of apologize).