Wildlife

Evil raccoon about 5 feet from my porch.

You'll have to imagine the crows. Though I can't quite paint the right picture w/out their audio.

Something will happen.

Big big excitement around my house tonight. I was vacuuming (see exciting already). I turned off the vacuum to go chase a couple moths and heard a bunch of crows causing an uproar. I think maybe there is a crow baby running around somewhere near the back yard. Otto keeping running outside all excited and the crows go crazy. My guess is that there is a little crow baby they are trying to defend. Anyhow, I went out tonight and found not only 15 or so crows surrounding Otto, but a raccoon up in the tree staring at him. And Otto just sitting oh so calmly waiting.............. and waiting and waiting and waiting.

And the biggest excitement of all? Remembering that I now have lights outside!

Housing Crisis, Part 2

The back porch, temporarily supported by pieces of wood.

One of the reasons I was so bummed to be paying $500 to get my sewer lines rooted out, is that I have been attempting to save my pennies to stabilize the back room in my house. It seems that no foundation and wood beams sunk directly into the soil is not an appropriate way to support a covered porch - particularly not in Seattle. Mine has been slowly sinking for a while now. Not only that, but bad windows, no foundation, and lack or insulation = cold and moldy. Yuck. Anyhow, that project started this week.

So........ imagine my excitement when I went down to the basement today after washing a small number of dishes and noticed that once again the sink is backing up.

The grouchy rooter.

Another grouchy rooter, another toilet removal, and more rooting with absolutely no promise that the problem is fixed. On the contrary, I am getting assurances that the problem is probably not fixed. Roto Rooter is very excited to run a camera down my sewer lines (excited to the point of almost not taking no for an answer).

Why does this issue need to involve a toilet in my bathtub?

Does this teach one a life lesson? Does it make one a better person? Is it just part of being human? Sucking up makes me a better person? That which does not kill you can only make you stronger? (Kanye West and my mom)

So, that's me, bigger, better, faster, stronger. All because of the creeping expenditures of my sewer issues.