Isn't Technology Wonderful?

While I was writing that last post, my irrigation system was watering the yard without any human intervention. Given that I still can't find the instruction manual for the irrigation system, I'm feeling pretty good about that.

Now, my yard will be watered on a regular schedule, whether I remember about it or not, and it's all nicely programmed to fit within the limits of the city's water restrictions.

Best of all, I no longer have to run to turn off the system after zones 1-3 have been watered, because a tip from a friend has let me turn off zones 4 and 5. (Those are the drip systems set up from plants that no longer exist.)

Ancient History

Having finally remembered that I possess a large quantity of Ethernet cable, I now have an Internet connection in my office, at the low, low cost of an aesthetically displeasing trip hazard that runs the length of the hallway and through the middle of the bedroom.

Having a fully functional computer in the office has sent me on a trip down memory lane, as I have been perusing archival images of my home. I can now share with you the fully glory of the peeling white and green kitchen sink.

This is the sink that has given me a love beyond words for the cheap, stainless steel sink that has since replaced it. Oh, the joy of being able to do the dishes in my very own sink.

But the sink was not the only piece of original 70s, urm, design work left in the home. After tearing out the old carpets, I found that one bedroom and the dining room still had their original flooring.

One of these days, I'll have a full set of pictures to show you what this all looks like now. In the mean time, here's a preview, from just before I moved in. This is the back corner of the master bedroom, which I am currently contemplating turning into a reading nook. If you look carefully, you can make out the one functional phone jack in the whole entire house.

Things I Have Not Been Blogging About

• For the 4th of July, I got my yard some plants. Having tossed the little plastic pots they came it, I can't tell you what kind they are exactly, but one of them is a succulent, one of them is a tall, purply grass, and 3 of them are flowers. All were intended for the half-barrel planter in the back yard, but they didn't all fit. So now the small planter on the patio has a cluster of tiny pink flowers between the oregano and the basil.


• The male half of the couple in the house to the west of me is using up some vacation time, which means that I am going to get a new gate on that side of the house! In addition to working on his own home remodel, he plans both to make the fence between our houses a little more weather resistant, and to put in the gate. (How cool is that I have neighbors who bought new gates for the neighbors on both sides when they put in a new fence?)


• I still don't have closet doors. I've been trying, but I had a very discouraging Home Despot experience. I have found various other local purveyors of doors appropriate for oddly-sized closets, and hope to find some time to get some pricing soon.


• Because my closet is no longer the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning, however, the closet door issue has somewhat less urgency. I rearranged my bedroom over the weekend, and now have a large empty area to fill. (This is in the interest of giving myself options; I am increasingly inclined to turn my office into a guest bedroom, and am exploring various places to put my desk. Current favorite: the library. Which works as long as I can create a comfy reading nook in my bedroom.)


• I have come up with a way to make my necessary future bathroom remodel more expensive and painful: turn the faux master bathroom into a true master bathroom. This involves moving a bit of wall.


• The rose bush that I pruned way back when I moved in has come back with a vengeance. It is now covered with beautiful blooms, and has a couple of stalks shooting up taller than the ones I cut off.


• All is not well in rose bush land, however, because something is eating my rose leaves. I am going to try to identify the pest this weekend. Hopefully its total annihilation will follow.


• I am thinking of starting a compost pile.


• Oh! I now have pictures on my walls. The decorating is far from complete, but it's coming along. I finally got a lovely but oddly-sized print matted to a standard frame size, and it now commands the place of honor over the dining room table. My dining room walls are medium green. My dining room chairs are upholstered in royal blue. I had not considered the latter fact when implementing the former. But the print magically makes it work with its vibrant blues and greens! Isn't it nice when a total accident makes it look like you had a plan all along?


• Also, I am continuing to shop for furniture. More accurately, I am spending too much time wandering around furniture stores wondering why other people's taste is so different from my own, and how anyone can afford to pay that much for an overstuffed armchair that looks likely to cause lasting back pain.