GrumpysMonkey

I’ve been meaning to post about this for some time, but we’ve been so busy that I seem to have found myself in some sort of funk. We’re swamped between Cook Local, our jobs, the house, marathon training and the cats. Don’t worry, we’re fine, but things like personal blogging are falling a bit to the wayside these days.

But, since I have a little bit of time this sunny Friday, and I need to focus on something other than work for a few, here are some things that we’ve been doing around the house.

We planted primroses on either side of the front door. Some day we’ll actually remove that bottle of Drano too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rosemary tree and catmint (anyone want a long wheeled cart?)

 

 

 

 

 

 

That’s a rosemary tree (a gift from the Sloan’s), and catmint, a plant that’s supposed to attract hummingbirds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, we’ve got the salad table that John built. Currently, we’ve got butter lettuce and romaine in the center section, and 4 kale plants in the right section. We’ll be planting sunflower greens in the left section next week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last, we’ve got a tub of Brussels sprouts. It’s hard to believe that this wine barrel will eventually be home to huge club-like stalks of Brussels sprouts.

 

 

 

 

And just because I don’t think you can ever have too many pictures of cute cats on a Friday, here are a couple of Binky and Wingnut.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don’t think I’m that hard to please (though my ex would probably say differently). For a business, particularly one that does business by making house-call appointments, my requirements are simple.

• Give me a window of time for your arrival.
• Show up within that window.
• Call if you are delayed.
• Be considerate.
• Wipe your feet if it’s muddy. 

Really, that’s about it. 

Seattle Appliance Repair has failed on us multiple times. 

A little background. We have an antique Wedgewood Stove. In Seattle, there is only one company who works on Wedgewood Stoves. Yep, that’s right. Seattle Appliance Repair. 

So a couple of weeks after we moved in, I called and made an appointment for a Thursday (my work at home day at the time). They said they’d call that morning and let us know where we were on the schedule. 

Around 11am, after no phone call, I called them. The conversation went like this.  

Me: Hi, someone was supposed to call me this morning to schedule a time for our stove to be serviced. 

Them: Oh! What was your name? Let me check and find out why they never called you and I’ll get back to you in 10 minutes. 

They never called back. 

Fast foward a month and I decide to try again. Same deal but for a Tuesday. 

11am Tuesday morning, after no call again, I called them. The conversation went like this.

Me: Hi, I’ve been trying to have someone out to service my Wedgewood Stove. Someone was supposed to call this morning. 

Them: Oh, I don’t know why they didn’t call. Let me check and find out where you are on the schedule. I’ll call right back.

Fast forward 15 minutes.

Them: We can’t fit you on the schedule today, how about tomorrow.

Me: I’m not available tomorrow. I am only available on Tuesdays. This is the second time this has happened. The first time I called two months ago, the same thing happened. 

Them: Oh, I’m so sorry. How about 3-5 pm today? 

Me: Perfect. Thanks!

And they never showed up. They did call on Wednesday and offer to come, but I was already at work. 

It is now the next Tuesday and they have still not called. 

Unfortunately, I need my stove worked on. But I’m desperate to avoid Seattle Appliance Repair at all costs. Back to the drawing board.

It’s that time of year again. John and I have just signed up for our favorite race, the Beat the Bridge race. Beat the Bridge benefits the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Since diabetes research is a cause close to our hearts, we’re hoping that you might want to sponsor us.

Sponsor Patricia

Sponsor John

Beat the Bridge is fun because the first 2 miles of the race need to be completed within 25 minutes of the starting time or the drawbridge is raised and you have to wait until they lower it again to be able to continue. The first year we didn’t beat the bridge. Last year we did (by about 2 minutes). This year we’re going to kick that bridge’s ass and make it beg for mercy.

I was chatting with friends this weekend and it struck me that I utter that statement a fair amount. “Back when I was married… err, married before…” But I’m married now. Happily. Very happily. So why does this statement semi-regularly come out of my mouth? It took me a couple of days, but I think I realize now why I say this.

My married life is divided into two pieces. The first piece, the bad piece, lasted almost 6 years. Yes, there was some good in there, but really, I knew from the beginning that things were not good and the amount of time I spent miserable was, well… the majority of the marriage.

The second piece, the good piece, has lasted less than 18 months thusfar (no, there is no portent of doom here or any reason for anyone to worry. We are very happy and never have I even had a fleeting thought otherwise.). This time that I have spent married and happy is just a small piece of the time I spent married and miserable. So when I am telling stories about the married and miserable time, my brain just seems to assume that married = miserable = not where I am now.

It isn’t that I don’t think I’m married. John is my husband. I have never been tempted to refer to him as anything else since we married. Emotionally, we were “joined”, long before the actual legal ceremony. If you ask me what my husband’s name is, you will only get John’s. If you ask me if I’m married, I will immediately answer yes. Yet somewhere in my brain, the assumption is that since I’m happy, I’m not married (since married = miserable). I expect that as the time I spend married and happy grows, and the time since I was married and miserable also grows, I will eventually stop uttering this phrase and it will merely become “when I was married to my ex” or “in my old life” or something like that.

Today was the first really nice day in Seattle. It was over 70 today. The sun was shining all day. I had to dig out the shorts and the sandals. It was absolutely amazing. Look at the forecast for the next two days!

 

Mon
Apr 6

Partly Cloudy

70°
44°

Tue
Apr 7

Sunny

68°
43°

I know that it won’t last. It’s too early for the sun to be out to stay. But starting now, we’ll have more days like today and less days like last Monday when yes… it snowed.

So how did I celebrate the sun today? I gardened, went to the farmers market, opened ALL of the windows, and just now, we sat outside in the backyard and had a glass of wine and a snack. It is amazing what a little vitamin D can do for the energy levels.