engaging conversation

we had some neighbors over last weekend [the ones we like] and one of them brought up how their now son-in-law asked for their daughter's hand in marriage. it made me chuckle because it was funny. and it made me remember this story. when i met my husband before he was my husband i lived in grand rapids. and he lived in midland. i guess i had to move away to find someone in midland. anyway, he had a ring made and before he proposed to me he thought he would take it over to my parents' house and show them. now, my husband's name is jeremy. but everyone calls him jay. one night he called my parents' house. my dad answered. my now husband told him it was jeremy and was explaining to my dad that he had something to show them. and he wanted to know if they would be home. my dad said they would and hung up the phone. after he hung up the phone my dad turned to my mom and said, 'i don't know who the fuck jeremy is but he's coming over.'

this can't be right

after my reunion was over last weekend we ended a great trip with none other than breakfast. at the texan. with good friends. in the middle of my inhaling, of some of the best breakfast food ever, i glanced down at my placemat. you know, the paper kind. with all sorts of advertisements. please take note of the second ad down in the first column. in particular the second line underneath the company name. nevermind the company name at this point [if you can't read it you can click on the image to enlarge]. immediate cremations? like for when you murder someone? what the hell? and it's a society?

here's your sign

so you call yourself a handyman. really?

cracking up

[sounds of firecrackers]

will: dad what was that?

husband: firecrackers.

will: is that like peanutbutter crackers?

part doo

oh yeah. last friday i had someone out to get us a quote on a fence. a six foot fence. just on their side of the yard. while the guy was here the neighbor across from our neighbor walked out in her yard and was staring at the guy taking measurements. i was in the garage at the time painting and looked up just in time to catch her spying. a few hours later my husband, kids, grumpa and myself were out on the patio eating dinner. out of the corner of my eye i see neighbor lady making a beeline for our lot line. with her dog in tow. i glanced. and continued on with my conversation. i believe she was on her way over. to talk to me. until she saw my husband and dad sitting with my at the table. that were blocked by the grill. nothing like feeling like a prisoner in your your own home.

doo [doo] onto others

back in october the house next to us finally sold. after two years on the market. the day the family moved in i walked over and introduced myself to the wife. i knew the second i laid eyes on her that we would not be the best of friends. i could tell by the look on her face. and her body language. and it's okay. some people just don't mesh. i later find out that they have a huge rottweiler. that happened to come over while we were standing there. and it promptly takes a dump in our yard. i should have known right then that this was not going to have a happy ending. i told her it was okay. that we were dog people. however, it was not an invitation to have the dog come and crap in our lawn on many other numerous occasions. not only on the side yard but in the middle of our backyard as well. now, the dog is not on any kind of containment system. no leash. no fence. no nothing. the dog is very aggressive. when we are out in the yard, our yard, it comes out and barks furiously at us. it also charges to the street when people walk past their house. i had a general concern for our children. they assured us that the dog was a big baby. well, you just never know. and that dog could kill in an instant. at this point, i said nothing. the neighbor lady does not make eye contact with me so I could only imagine me going over and talking to her about her dog. the husband is extremely friendly and easy to talk to. he works six days a week. making it difficult to connect. fast forward eight months. we went to arizona for a week over memorial day. we get home to a bright, blue inflatable pool about three feet from our lot line. with no fence. and the ladder left in the pool 24/7. now, i am not a rocket scientist. but that spells disaster for me. i don't leave my kids out unattended. for many reasons. number one big, huge dog. now, number two the pool. i can't believe my eyes that they have this pool up without a fence. not to mention leaving the ladder in the pool. for some kid to crawl up. and fall in. during this time they have also put in a line of arborvitae and some other random shrubbery to keep the dog from going in our yard. news flash. the dog still comes over and takes a dump in our yard. the last time i saw it i was downstairs with the plumber and it came over by the egress window on the side of our house and took a big dump. that was it. i called animal control. and they were out in about an hour. and while i was at it i called the township to see what the ordinance was on a pool. the ladder either has to be a fold up one. or taken out when the pool is not attended. well, the ladder came out after they got the notice but it was still right next to the pool. to me that makes no difference. so, i called the township. about a fence. that we will now be putting up. and the guy proceeds to ask me about our garden shed. we just had one put in a month ago. and per the company that installed it we needed no permit. and we were not aware of any restrictions on how far to place the shed from the lot line. they are all over the place in our subdivision. yes. i should have called to confirm. so the neighbor called the township on our garden shed. that isn't even on her side of our yard. she doesn't get it. i called on her dog. and her pool. because it was a safety issue. not a personal issue. this morning my husband and her husband cleared the air. he said if we have any issues to just talk to him. duh. later, my husband went to the store to get a paper and notices our neighbor lady had driven to another neighbor because my husband had mentioned she was one of the first people to purchase a house in the subdivsion and might know about varies ordinances. i'm sure she will thank him for that later. i called her and told her we owed her a beer for that one. and thank god she wasn't home. i did make a mental note that it is quite ironic that i found moho's neighbor to be great blog fodder. mine. not so much.

here's your sign

i spotted this sign on my way to get groceries last sunday morning. upon returning home from the store i drove back to get this captured on camera. because i know my mom, and anyone else that frequents garage sales, would pee. their. pants. as did i.