O Tannenbaum

I always saw this title in my Christmas piano books, but never knew where it derived. According to Wikipedia, "O Tannenbaum is the German version. How 'bout that?

I always talk about my "ugly" tannenbaum in a box that I've had the last few years. It has a certain appeal, I think, and I got it for a good price at a place that rhymes with Benard's. It's not the flashiest or the prettiest of things, but it works for me.

Dining Room

The Dining Room is starting to come to life. Here is what it looked like.











The border was stripped off, and the walls were primed and painted. The trim was also painted to match the kitchen cupboards. I found a cute table with a wood finish.

Hey Baby

I went to Omaha this past weekend to visit my sister's family, among them the newest member of our clan, Mary Madeleine (14 weeks). On Saturday we decided to walk around a craft show going on in the Old Market, and I offered to carry little Mary in the BabyBjorn (those Swedes are so clever. I do love them for their Swiss Miss). The Bjorn (with two dots above the "O") is a nifty sling-like contraption that parents can wear to carry infants. Plus, ain't no way some psycho-crazy-kidnapper is ever going to snatch anyone in this thing! And I can see why babies like it. It keeps them warm and cuddly and allows them to see all the action that we see. Look how happy she is!



After about 20 minutes of wearing the Bjorn and all 13 pounds of Mary, my neck did start to hurt a little. And I soon discovered the "looks" and "how cute!" I was getting on the streets weren't for me, but for Mary, especially when she zonked out in the craft tent. Oh well.

Flush Twice

This is the latest and greatest homeowners' advice I received. Who would've thunk it?

Flush twice, I was told. Always flush twice. No matter what. Whether it's a number one or two, flush twice. Whether I use one ply of toilet paper, or enough to make a cast around a bleeding wound, flush twice. It will keep the good water going in a one-person household. And if I have company over, I have to flush several times after everyone leaves. Unless my friends want to flush twice??,.... but I would never insist upon it.

Every "energy /water-saving " site I have ever read says how you should only flush once, and that you lose GALLONS" of water the more you flush. But in my case, the more I flush, the happier I will be. Or, the less I flush, the bigger my sewer-related bills will be. I learned this on Sunday afternoon after a sewer company spent about five hours trying to break the built-up "sludge" in my pipes. We noticed after I moved in that the drain in the basement was slow. The problem had most likely started before I even closed on the place. On Saturday it had had enough.

Luckily, the problem was fixed, there wasn't any damage, the repairmen were nice and very professional, and I didn't lose my sanity. The smell is pretty much gone (thanks to bleach and Glade candles), and I was lucky to stay at a friend's house on Saturday so I could shower and use the other necessary facilities. It was a pain, and not something I exactly wanted to spend money on, but it had to be done. Apparently the owner even showed up in my driveway toward the end, because he likes "challenges." Well, that's fine and dandy and all, but hopefully their next challenge won't be at my expense.

So when in doubt, flush twice. I said to one of the two repairmen, "won't this cost me more in water bills?" He looked me in the eye as he was rinsing away the "sludge" in my basement drain that was now, not plugged, and asked, "would you rather have us back here in a year doing the same thing?"

Good point. Flush on.