HGTV and Me

I like to watch HGTV. I especially enjoy watching people shop for their new home. I don't care if it is rather staged! I just enjoy looking at the pretty houses. Is that weird?

I used to think I would have enjoyed being a realtor. I'm pretty sure it isn't like the realtors on HGTV, though. That is, I'm thinking most of the people house hunting don't wrap it up in an hour. It would be fun, though, to look through homes...at least the nice ones.

 photo by Ambro and freedigitalphotos.net
However, there is something that really bothers me when I watch those shows. I really hate listening to the complaints! The two I've heard the most are, "Oh no, we'd have to put in granite counter tops before we move in!" or "Those appliances will never do; they are white." Oh no! Anything but white appliances! Stainless steel is currently fashionable, I get it, but good grief! Are we all sheep? Do we all have to have the same kinds of counter tops and the same color of appliances? Oh wait, did that sound sarcastic?


Maria (my daughter) did a post recently on First World Problems. You should read it as it is pretty funny. Now, as I watch the House Hunter whiners I realize they are just overwhelmed with their First World Problems. I should speak more kindly because some of them don't even get a swimming pool in their backyards.

All right. I'm really done now with the sarcasm.

In case you don't have HGTV available to you, here's another fun thing I like to do. Go to Realtor.com and you can browse through homes all over the country! Sometimes I look at homes for sale in our town, sometimes I look at homes for sale somewhere like Manhattan. Many have multiple photos or perhaps even a video of the interior. It's fun! They really make me appreciate the prices we pay in Wyoming for a lot of square footage! I just found a tiny studio apartment (no bedroom) in Manhattan for the same price as our four bedroom house with a large yard and two car garage here in Wyoming. Sometimes it helps you appreciate what you've got.

Well, I've reached that point in my blog post where I'm just kind of rambling. Mike says I talk that way when I am tired. OK, then. Good-night!

On the Brink of Relief

It has been really, really hot at our house over the past few days.  It reached 102 on Sunday.  Because our swamp cooler died we've been absolutely wilting!

However, Saturday we got a new furnace with an air conditioning unit!!!  Yippee!!  They are finally here!  Aren't they pretty?

To our great disappointment on Saturday, when the air conditioner guy was here to install it all, we were told the electrician couldn't come that day to hook it up.  So, we could SEE our relief at hand, but still, we were wilting.

I was so disappointed, not only because we were miserable, but my Mom had come to visit.  This doesn't happen very often.  She brought her two dogs and we were all ready for some fresh air.

This is Whitley

This  is not a great shot of Sophie but isn't my Mom pretty?

Bumble bee and her family were there as well.

Mike has always been kind of a dog whisperer.

As you can see, we had a lot of hot dogs (not to be confused with hotdogs) around.

I think Cordelia was onto a good idea.

She'd spray herself with the sprayer I use for ironing as well as for correcting Bode.  Then, she'd get a drink.

Well, Saturday during the night my Mom got sick from the heat.  By morning she was pretty miserable and so she loaded up her "girls" and headed home to her cool house (a few hours away).  By Sunday afternoon I was wishing I'd gone with her!

Yesterday (Monday), we were happy that the electrician showed up pretty soon in the a.m.  :-) but disappointed when he said he thought he was just coming to give a bid. :-(  Thankfully, he realized our distress and agreed to come back that afternoon with "some guys", which he did. :-)  The air conditioner guy said he'd come back as well, to get it all going.  :-) Yippee! 

Of course, with all this coming and going one of us had to stay home to facilitate all this.  The electrician did indeed come back.  He worked his magic and then he left.  And then he came back again because he realized he also needed to hook up the thermostat.  Then more guys came because apparently hooking up the thermostat required drilling and more guys to help.  Then, they all left.  We waited for the furnace/ac guy to return, as promised, to get it all going.  We waited.

I made an evaporative cooler of my own...

We waited.

This is my hair up OFF my hot neck.

We waited.

This is me trying to even keep my "growing out bangs" off my face.

I know, I know.... fancy, huh?

I won't show you the picture of me crying when the air conditioner guy called and said we'd have to wait another day as he was tied up with some other jobs.  All right, I didn't really cry but that was probably because I was too dehydrated.

He must have heard the sobs because he promised to come as early as we'd get up today.  I told him to come at 6:00 a.m.  He said that he would.  I set our alarms for 5:47 and we got up promptly, ready for the air conditioner guy. 

It is now 6:55 and he is

NOT here. 

I will not whine.

I will not whine.

I will not whine.

OK, who am I kidding, I'm whiny.