House Hunting

I had a few minutes with my friend Christine this morning. We haven't seen a lot of each other lately. She's the one with the three hydrocephallic boys, and I have my two little guys, so the two of us are definitely hopping. She needed to go to the grocery store this morning. Andy and I were not doing anything at all, so we picked her up for the ride. I have a rental, because my car is in the shop from being rear-ended, and we thought it might be nice to ride around in a new car for a few minutes after we got out of the store.

We drove lazily around town looking at the houses for sale. There are quite a few, because the recent assessments on everyone's property just doubled, and people are being taxed out of town. The problem is, if you sell, where do you go? You have to leave the area. The assessments are obscene, by the way. I have a nice little house. We were very, very lucky to get it, and just a couple years before things started going crazy. It is right in town, and I have made a nice little garden and everything. But it is not worth what this assessment is saying it is worth. Maybe about half. But we're in town, on the east coast, in teh DC metro area. Apparently large numbers of people want to pay way too much money to live here.

Or do they? Several of these houses have been on the market a while.

Anyway, its not like we're planning to move, but it can be fun to wander around and look at other people's houses and gardens. Some need some work. Others are gorgeous. Oh, look at the gingerbread on THAT one! In the midst of this chatter, plans for summer, goals for the boys for summer, what we are going to do with ourselves in teh fall when Andy- the last of our boys- is actually in school two days a week. Dreams of getting housework done, yardwork done, porches repairs, ramps built, couches recovered. Dreams of time.

Generally, my house looks like a bomb went off in it right before the tornado hit. I am not a housekeeper. I keep my life in mounds and piles. If I have no time, those mounds just keep getting bigger, instead of occasionally disappearing. It is also over-run by toys. this partly because of a lack of time, partly because Joey needs almost constantly supervision. Toys invaded our living and dining rooms because of this, when I kept him occupied while I got things done. And then I stopped being able to do things. Both boys get very, very upset if I do stuff. Its very, very strange. And then keeping them engaged is very important, so I spend a lot of time- poor me- playing with them. ;) Having them be able to spend some time outside by themselves has been lif-changing. I can cook dinner- real dinner- every once in a while. Its nice to have some real food.

We're having tacos tonight. I can divide everything on teh plate, so Joey will eat it- even the meat. Yay for dinner!

Once Christina's boys come home, it is a constant schedule of feeding, changing, and trying to get her housework done. The housework usually ends up not happening, but her house always looks neat as a pin. I have no idea how this is done. :P