There are so many things to say...where do I start? Looking at today, it was probably one of the most productive days we have had since the start. This week, in general, was OK. Only one pair of vise-grips with slightly melted ends (closet light install) and the visit from the Roto-rooter guy that marked the second anniversary of our wedding marred our enormous progress during the course of the week.
The Anniversary
Our Anniversary was this week and it is always wonderful to celebrate in style. Instead of a fancy restaurant, however, we chose to spend it with our more than friendly Roto-Rooter service man, or more precisely the house chose that for us. It's not that we were missing much of a scene here in Bedford as when Tiffany had asked the cashier at Wal-Mart where one goes to celebrate an anniversary in these parts, she was a little more than shocked at the response...the Golden Corral. According to the cashier, you can order off a menu. The bright side, in my thinking, is that there isn't a dress code. We're still getting used to our small town. Back to Mr. Roto-rooter.
A nice enough man who informed us that our pipes were clay and that he wouldn't warranty the service because it is obviously going to be an issue again (why this wasn't on the disclosure statement when we purchased the house is a mystery to me...curious and maybe a good topic for a later blog post pending our further investigations). He also gave us the bad news about what it takes to replace stuff like that, which we are trying to figure out if it needs to be done. While I was not the one to discover the back-up in the front yard while weeding, I can tell you that it was probably an unpleasant experience for Tiffany that we should try to avoid in the future. For the record, we hope this is the last "crappy" anniversary we celebrate.
Wild Bush!
The Anniversary
Our Anniversary was this week and it is always wonderful to celebrate in style. Instead of a fancy restaurant, however, we chose to spend it with our more than friendly Roto-Rooter service man, or more precisely the house chose that for us. It's not that we were missing much of a scene here in Bedford as when Tiffany had asked the cashier at Wal-Mart where one goes to celebrate an anniversary in these parts, she was a little more than shocked at the response...the Golden Corral. According to the cashier, you can order off a menu. The bright side, in my thinking, is that there isn't a dress code. We're still getting used to our small town. Back to Mr. Roto-rooter.
A nice enough man who informed us that our pipes were clay and that he wouldn't warranty the service because it is obviously going to be an issue again (why this wasn't on the disclosure statement when we purchased the house is a mystery to me...curious and maybe a good topic for a later blog post pending our further investigations). He also gave us the bad news about what it takes to replace stuff like that, which we are trying to figure out if it needs to be done. While I was not the one to discover the back-up in the front yard while weeding, I can tell you that it was probably an unpleasant experience for Tiffany that we should try to avoid in the future. For the record, we hope this is the last "crappy" anniversary we celebrate.
Wild Bush!
Boy is that going to get our blog some hits in the web-sphere. Talk about a key phrase for search engine optimization...of course, the people using that web search may not be looking for our blog, but maybe they'll stick around for awhile and become fans. We don't judge you for how you got here. Actually, Wild Bush refers to the landscaping that was once well thought out and probably the envy of the block that is in front of our picture window. There is some particularly aggressive bushes out there that had done their best to displace every other living thing (except for snails, earthworms and wasps) within that once glorious realm. With Black & Decker hedge trimmer in-hand, Tiffany and I descended into the wild with vigor. 
What we thought was one big overgrown bush actually had three distinct root systems (one of which we unfortunately deprived of all branches and will have to come out). Six bags of thick bush pieces later, we had something that looked fairly groomed out front. I say this like it was a quick and non-painful session, but let's talk about the time frame here. We worked about four hours at least on it and got sunburned, were attacked by a crazy wasp once and after we tackled that we still had to mow the lawn, weed-eat the edges of the grass, etc. To top it off, we cleaned the back porch area and have a nice relaxing outdoor habitat for the two of us to grill happily away. We've also added many lawn things to our list of needs like a rake, leaf blower and an axe (useful for removing roots and fending off zombie attacks, if need be.)
What we thought was one big overgrown bush actually had three distinct root systems (one of which we unfortunately deprived of all branches and will have to come out). Six bags of thick bush pieces later, we had something that looked fairly groomed out front. I say this like it was a quick and non-painful session, but let's talk about the time frame here. We worked about four hours at least on it and got sunburned, were attacked by a crazy wasp once and after we tackled that we still had to mow the lawn, weed-eat the edges of the grass, etc. To top it off, we cleaned the back porch area and have a nice relaxing outdoor habitat for the two of us to grill happily away. We've also added many lawn things to our list of needs like a rake, leaf blower and an axe (useful for removing roots and fending off zombie attacks, if need be.)
Other improvements of note:
On other high-notes we finally got all of the base-trim out in our Hubba Bubba watermelon green and pink colored room, primed it and installed a new light in the closet. Tiffany and I both regret, every day, the decisions that the prior owner made to let his children choose the color schemes of their rooms...otherwise we would just have gotten new carpets and called it a day. Though if he had not been so loving, what would we have to blog about right?
Bedford, IN:
Living in this small town we have had some great experiences that we wanted to share with everyone...so you get a better picture of the metropolis in which we have put our roots down.
Conversation: When Tiffany called me about the mess in the front yard, my first stop on the way home was at the local hardware store...maybe I could rent a Roto-Rooter. I said that I thought I needed a snake. The guy in the front yelled to the guy in back that I had a snake problem, to which he replied "Does he need one for his pipes or does he have a snake that he needs to get rid of?" I reflect on this statement now and think...what kind of snakes might there be around that I need to get rid of? I'm not googling it. Ignorance is bliss.
Beer: Every renovation goes better with a few frosty suds at the end of a hard day...or during if painting because painting sucks. This town, however, does not know beer. Being so close to Bloomington, home of Upland and Bloomington Brew Co., you would think that maybe even a sixer of one of those two might be available on shelves. Turns out that at the Jay-C (local Kroger affiliate) and Wal-Mart, they have a most excellent selection of Smirnoff ice productsm Natty Ice and stuff like Sparks. Probably popular with the teenagers, but not really doing it for Tiffany and myself. We're not really beer snobs, but we got used to having the good stuff available. I guess you can't expect much from a Wal-Mart that doesn't have Boboli pizza crusts either. Our beacon of light in the beer world is the local package store, but that comes at a price!
More Bedford stores to come soon I am sure.
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