Wasps and Knobs

There are wasps all over the place. They have been looking for places to live, and unfortunately they've been looking where we live. Those stingy little fuckers hover endlessly around our windows and deck, exploring all the nooks and crannies. Our deck, by the way, is not even wood- it's that plastic stuff, so no tasty wood pulp to lure them there. Scott has doused the doors and windows with his Crazy Wasp Killing Spray, and took a few wasps down, too. That shit is potent! As soon as the spray hits 'em, they fall to the ground dead. Awesome. This morning a wasp found it's way into our room, and wasn't too pleased when we told him he had to go. There was a battle, but Scott won. I hope they eventually find other places to live, and leave us alone.

The weather is pretty awesome today... it's in the mid-upper 70's and mostly sunny with a gentle breeze. If only every day of the summer could be like this. Hopefully there will be a few more weeks of mild weather before the oppressive heat and humidity settle in. I have high hopes for this year... 2005 was super hot, 2006 wasn't too bad, 2007 was super hot, so maybe 2008 will be okay? And by "okay" I mean not 95 degrees with 90% humidity for two months straight, except for that day it rained. Like last year.

Yeah, I'm in the minority. Most people sit around all winter waiting for the warm, sunny days of summer, and they like to go on vacation in places like Florida, Hawaii or Vegas. Not me. I sit around all summer, with the air conditioner blasting waiting for the cool, brisk weather of autumn to return. The idea of vacationing somewhere tropical gives me hives- I'd rather go to Alaska, New England or Europe. I spend inordinate amounts of time plotting ways to move to Maine. Maryland is great, but from May to September it is just crazy hot. Is there anyplace in the US that is exactly like Maryland, but ten degrees cooler in the summer? That's where I want to go.

There's nothing new with the house. Scott tells me I should use our tax rebate to do my knitty room, so that will be the first room done. Well, except for the carpet- that will get done after we've finished all the painting. That's pretty much all we've done- establish an order of completion. First we do all the painting, except for the kitchen. Then we put in the new floors, except for the kitchen. Then we replace the kitchen counter top and sink. Then we paint the kitchen. Then we do the kitchen floor. It seems like there is a ton to do, since we have to repaint all the doors and trim too. And there are a myriad of other projects to tackle: replace/repair window screens, replace cheap blinds with respectable window coverings, replace hideous brass lighting fixtures, fix the furnace, and eventually replace the appliances with better, black ones. Oh, and replace the front door. I think that's all the major stuff.

No wait. There's more- like getting new furniture, getting new non-brass doorknobs, putting knobs and draw pulls on the kitchen cabinetry, and renovating all 2.5 baths. Haha, we also want to install extra cabinets in the kitchen (possibly get a rolling island), and buy a wicked pot rack. I've also got my heart set on replacing the switch plates with much cooler ones. We've got us some high expectations.

The knobs are my favorite part. I've been looking online, and learned that doorknobs are lot more expensive than I realized ($40-130!), but they are so great. We hope to put a different knob on every door. And on every cabinet door or drawer too (they'll probably be all the same finish but different designs)! That way we can match each doorknob to the room. It just seems more interesting that way.

If we actually manage to accomplish any of this, I'll let you know.