Maya Angelou
Sad sad sad. A great voice, stilled.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Goatness
Goats are coming, goats are coming.
Half my land is choked with vegetation, including some wild rose vines that will climb and then smother trees (like kudzu). It's so thick you can't see through it, which means that I can't use half my lot.
So, I've contracted with the Goat Lady to bring 4-5 goats, plus goatherder, to eat everything that's not nailed down. It'll take about five days. Goats will happily eat poison ivy, too. And they don't reseed in their shit. Seems that their stomachs are acid factories so seeds don't survive intact, unlike in horse and cow shit.
After that's done, I'll be able to tell where the lot line is and where I want to place my dwelling. Speaking of which, I think I've found what I want to buy for me to live in -- it's an Amish-built "cottage" (meant for storage) shed, 12x24 (288sf) that comes fully insulated with 3 windows and wired for electricity. All I'd need to do is plumb it.
What I'd like to do is build a deck of 24x24 and then put the shed on top of the deck, automatically getting the shed off the ground while leaving workspace underneath and providing an outdoor space to hang out on.
There's trees ringing the whole space so very little direct sunlight get in, except right where the extant mobile home is, which would suit me fine.
We'll see how it all goes. After I get my dwelling (of whatever kind) situated, I'll be selling my RV (sob).
Half my land is choked with vegetation, including some wild rose vines that will climb and then smother trees (like kudzu). It's so thick you can't see through it, which means that I can't use half my lot.
So, I've contracted with the Goat Lady to bring 4-5 goats, plus goatherder, to eat everything that's not nailed down. It'll take about five days. Goats will happily eat poison ivy, too. And they don't reseed in their shit. Seems that their stomachs are acid factories so seeds don't survive intact, unlike in horse and cow shit.
After that's done, I'll be able to tell where the lot line is and where I want to place my dwelling. Speaking of which, I think I've found what I want to buy for me to live in -- it's an Amish-built "cottage" (meant for storage) shed, 12x24 (288sf) that comes fully insulated with 3 windows and wired for electricity. All I'd need to do is plumb it.
What I'd like to do is build a deck of 24x24 and then put the shed on top of the deck, automatically getting the shed off the ground while leaving workspace underneath and providing an outdoor space to hang out on.
There's trees ringing the whole space so very little direct sunlight get in, except right where the extant mobile home is, which would suit me fine.
We'll see how it all goes. After I get my dwelling (of whatever kind) situated, I'll be selling my RV (sob).
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Grand Budapest Hotel
Just saw this movie Friday and the word to describing it is "charming."
It's the first time I've seen Ralph Fiennes in a role that I liked him in. The story within a story within a story is satisfyingly convoluted, and is obviously a pre-WW II corollary. The many cameos were amusing (Bill Murray etc). Ed Norton is pitch-perfect as a military officer. And F. Murray Abraham is his usual brilliant self. Tilda Swinton is unrecognizable and excellent as a raddled old peeress. Harvey Keitel is almost wasted in a minor role but, as usual, does it well. And then there was Willem Dafoe who stole every scene he was in, even when he's just standing silent in a corner.
But the locations trumped everything. There were several real castles (in Germany) used and they were magnificent -- wood-paneled libraries, sumptuous dining rooms, and more. Fabulous scenery, too.
All in all, a fun flick.
It's the first time I've seen Ralph Fiennes in a role that I liked him in. The story within a story within a story is satisfyingly convoluted, and is obviously a pre-WW II corollary. The many cameos were amusing (Bill Murray etc). Ed Norton is pitch-perfect as a military officer. And F. Murray Abraham is his usual brilliant self. Tilda Swinton is unrecognizable and excellent as a raddled old peeress. Harvey Keitel is almost wasted in a minor role but, as usual, does it well. And then there was Willem Dafoe who stole every scene he was in, even when he's just standing silent in a corner.
But the locations trumped everything. There were several real castles (in Germany) used and they were magnificent -- wood-paneled libraries, sumptuous dining rooms, and more. Fabulous scenery, too.
All in all, a fun flick.
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Latest Doings
We closed on the property on 28 Feb. Then I had to get insurance on everything and wound up with Farm Bureau. Seems that NC insurers don't want to insure mobile homes but there's a risk pool, which I got. It's all very complicated.
I'm still having trouble getting the title on the mobile home transferred to my and my brother's names. First, there was an "adjustment" on the original title, which everybody had signed and it was notarized. The DMV voided it because of that adjustment. They gave me a new form to fill and said I had to have my brother's power of attorney so I could sign for him.
I sent him the form, which he filled out, got notarized, and sent back. It seems that in Calif. notaries fill out a separate sheet and attach it to the form they're notarizing instead of signing the form itself. Lots of officials here seem to know that but some don't. Also, on the PofA she wrote in "California" instead of the county, so she crossed that out, initialed it, and wrote the county name above it.
So today, for the third time, I stood in in line at the DMV (I was #20) and finally got to a person, who promptly told me that there couldn't be any alterations on a form so the crossout and write-in the notary did weren't acceptable. And on the title form itself one digit in the VIN I had written as an "I" when it should have been a "1" and that wasn't acceptable either.
So they gave me a set of new forms and told me to start over. I am enraged. I snatched the papers out of her hand and stormed out, fortunately without shouting in her face "jesus h fucking christ, lady!!!"
Tomorrow I'm going to Marshall, a small town north of here, and try them to see if these very minor errors can be overlooked. I've made the I's look line 1's so we'll see. I believe in striving for perfection but I also know that almost nobody can make it. There needs to be some compromise.
On the upside, a new driveway is scheduled to be constructed on the property starting on the 10th, which will make access and parking much easier.
Aaargh.
Oh yeah, I have a tenant who's put rent money down on the MH but doesn't seem to know when he'll actually move in. Being a landlady is hard.
I'm still having trouble getting the title on the mobile home transferred to my and my brother's names. First, there was an "adjustment" on the original title, which everybody had signed and it was notarized. The DMV voided it because of that adjustment. They gave me a new form to fill and said I had to have my brother's power of attorney so I could sign for him.
I sent him the form, which he filled out, got notarized, and sent back. It seems that in Calif. notaries fill out a separate sheet and attach it to the form they're notarizing instead of signing the form itself. Lots of officials here seem to know that but some don't. Also, on the PofA she wrote in "California" instead of the county, so she crossed that out, initialed it, and wrote the county name above it.
So today, for the third time, I stood in in line at the DMV (I was #20) and finally got to a person, who promptly told me that there couldn't be any alterations on a form so the crossout and write-in the notary did weren't acceptable. And on the title form itself one digit in the VIN I had written as an "I" when it should have been a "1" and that wasn't acceptable either.
So they gave me a set of new forms and told me to start over. I am enraged. I snatched the papers out of her hand and stormed out, fortunately without shouting in her face "jesus h fucking christ, lady!!!"
Tomorrow I'm going to Marshall, a small town north of here, and try them to see if these very minor errors can be overlooked. I've made the I's look line 1's so we'll see. I believe in striving for perfection but I also know that almost nobody can make it. There needs to be some compromise.
On the upside, a new driveway is scheduled to be constructed on the property starting on the 10th, which will make access and parking much easier.
Aaargh.
Oh yeah, I have a tenant who's put rent money down on the MH but doesn't seem to know when he'll actually move in. Being a landlady is hard.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
RIP
David Brenner, comedian
I always enjoyed him, not least because his approach was low-key. He didn't yell, he didn't say fuck every other word (because he had a varied vocabulary), he didn't "punch down" like so many do today, and in general he didn't do sexist/racist jokes. He was a good guy who found the world funny and wanted to share it with us.
I always enjoyed him, not least because his approach was low-key. He didn't yell, he didn't say fuck every other word (because he had a varied vocabulary), he didn't "punch down" like so many do today, and in general he didn't do sexist/racist jokes. He was a good guy who found the world funny and wanted to share it with us.
Friday, March 7, 2014
Property Owner
Well, my brother and I have purchased a piece of property in West Asheville. It's a little less than 1/4 acre and has a 6 year old mobile home on it. We just closed on it last Friday. I've got a couple of minor repairs and then I'm going to rent it out for a while so I can get a second mobile home on the property. Then I'll live in one and keep renting the other out until my brother decides to come home.
That's it -- settled for the rest of my life. I'm figuring about 15 years but maybe more -- you never know. Mom died at 86 but my great-grandmother was 92 when she died and her sister was 102, so I could be around for a while. But I'm using 86 as a guideline.
That's it -- settled for the rest of my life. I'm figuring about 15 years but maybe more -- you never know. Mom died at 86 but my great-grandmother was 92 when she died and her sister was 102, so I could be around for a while. But I'm using 86 as a guideline.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
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