Yearly Inspection?

Over the weekend, this notice appeared on the door to our building.

Yearly inspection? We've lived in this apartment for 2 years and 23 days, and this is the first time we've ever had an inspection. Must have something to do with that mouse I saw a few weeks ago. We haven't had a problem since, but somebody must be having an issue.

Anyway, Monday night I had to empty out all of our kitchen cabinets. I put all of the food into old grocery bags, and piled all of the plates, bowls, glasses, etc. on the counter. What a pain.

The notice said the exterminator would be coming between 9 and 10. Well I work from home, so I know that he showed up at 10:45. He was pretty old and he was probably only here for 15 minutes. I have no idea why I had to empty all of the cabinets (I worked while he was in the kitchen, so I didn't see what he was doing), but it seems like all he did was put a mouse trap in the back of the cabinet under the sink and another one in the crevice between the cabinets and the stove.

Then he went and poked around in the bathroom. He had something with him, but I don't see it anywhere, so I have no idea what he did in there.

After he left I had to put everything back.

I sorta hope this "yearly" inspection really only happens once every 3 years.

Moving Day In Boston

Ah. September 1st in Boston. Moving Day. Our apartment is situated right inbetween BU and BC, so September brings tons of new and returning students. But folks aren't just moving in, some have to move out. And that means that the sidewalks are littered with old furniture and the dumpsters are overflowing into the road.

Since we're staying put this year, I took my camera for a little walk.

It was quite the scene. There were bright orange stickers on every piece of furniture on the sidewalk warning people not to take said furniture for fear of bedbugs.

I saw VHS tapes and records, men carrying new couches and old, a girl watching two grown men struggle to move a huge TV, dressers, mattresses, cookie sheets, fouton frames, and the list goes on.

Of course there were moving vans galore, but I especially liked the Gentle Giant. They have an awesome phone number, too: 800-GIANT-MEN (too many numbers, right?)! Amazing.

Welcome to September.

[Don't forget to check out the new stuff at ELM.]

Magnetic Poetry

Magnets are like accessories for refrigerators. They give the appliance (and your kitchen) a little pizzazz. I like magnetic poetry sets because they invite imaginative interaction.

Paper Snowflakes

When I was home for Thanksgiving my brother and I made a bunch of paper snowflakes. They look so much better now that there's snow on the ground. 

Before & After

Before

After

I know these pictures aren't great, but I wanted to post them anyway. Today we rearranged the living room. I really wanted to use that horizontal book case behind our desk, so we had to find something new to put the TV on*. I like how it turned out, and we're much happier with our office area. We feel like we have so much room now that we're more organized.

*I put the TV stand together by myself!

Yellow

I love this little rocking chair. I saw it on The Vineyard at the end of the summer. 

There's something so adorable about the little yellow chair, the old fashioned screen door, and the deep blue shelf against a white wall. I can imagine somebody walking up to the porch and thinking "I'm home," after a long trip or a winter off-island. I also imagine this chair being used for many generations. 

Wort Hit

I spotted this sign hanging on a house in the Gingerbread community on Martha's Vineyard. Like many houses on the Vineyard, the houses in this community are named. The majority have cutesy names, like The Pink House, but I found this one a little confusing. I'm fairly certain the artist ran into spacing problems, which resulted in a sign reading Wort hit, rather than Worth it.

Both names raise questions:

• Why would you hit a wort or name your house after a wort?
  OR
• What is worth it? The house? The oddly colored piece of wood?

Jack-O-Lanterns

I love it! People really get creative at Halloween. The one in the back looks like it has seen better days, but the two in front are still fresh and silly. Sure, they probably saw this idea in a magzine or online, but they still went ahead and did it. They made the effort and look at the delightful result! They chose wonderful pumpkins and carved them well. 

Address

It's aging, rusting, and cracking, but it's also eye-catching because the color is still vibrant and the numbers are clearly visable from the road. These people want you to know their address. On a dark night you wouldn't have to squint and strain to try to figure out if you're at the right house, you would know with just a quick glance.

White Picket Fence

Fences are used to keep things out (or in). They are used to mark boundaries and protect property and privacy. While white picket fences seem old fashioned, they continue to be popular. 

To me they represent the idea of a happy family, the type you'd see on a sitcom. In reality, anybody can have this fence. I've seen sad looking picket fences and others that have been maintained. Some protect wayward yards and or guard homes that look like they should be in a 50's era photo album. 

The Pink House

On Martha's Vineyard there's a sweet collection of houses known as the Gingerbread Cottages. Although I've been visiting the Vineyard for several years now, this past summer was the first time I took a tour of this section of Oak Bluffs. The very first time I saw The Pink House I was with The Schwarz's mom. I wish I'd had my camera then, because there was laundry hanging out to dry in the back yard and the towels matched the color of the house exactly! 

The houses were so sweet that I had to go back, camera in hand. I don't know much about the history of the houses, but I know that they are built on an old campground. I believe I heard that that they were built when the jigsaw was new, which is why they have all of the intricate woodwork that makes them so beautiful and unique. 

Biggest Tarp Ever

I cannot believe the size of this tarp! It covers the house! I had no idea they made tarps of this size or magnitude. What kind of construction are they doing that it has to be hidden? Maybe they're hiding spies on a stakeout! Perhaps this is a house full of stolen goods? Or maybe the constuction workers just like to play Wii when nobody is looking. 

It's probably protection from all the rain we've been having, but it's more fun to imagine that something weird is going on.

*Bonus: Porta-potty on the premises.