The second week of home ownership was not without its challenges. After replacing the furnace, we found out that the water heater had to go too. None of this is cheap, but thankfully we had a little set aside for surprise expenses. We are hoping that after these two replacements, no more major surprises will pop up.
The minutiae of transferring water, sewage, trash, mail address, etc. was all taken care of this week too. Having done this before really moving in, really aggravates the itch to actually do so. Friday was going to be that day, because we live in the early 21st century, and that was the day our Internet service was scheduled to be installed.
It did not quite go as planned, however. Despite booking a tech to install our new connection, Comcast just dropped the gear outside and took off. Now, I don’t mind hooking the equipment up myself, but what I could not do was hook it up to a working coaxial outlet. Because there is none.
Since we had already moved our TV over, but had no service, we ended up cuddling up to watch Into the Spider-verse on Netflix, using my phone as a hotspot. That is not a bad choice for a first movie, by the way. I’d forgotten how great it is. Anyway, Comcast is sending another tech today, to hopefully get us back online for real.
We had our first fire in the fire pit! No marshmallows were injured, but Kelly did come up with a wonderful summer cocktail to go with the mini pyre.
Kelly’s Fruity Fire
- 1 oz peach vodka
- 1 oz vodka
- Watermelon juice
- Passion fruit juice
Mix ingredients and serve in a highball glass, over ice. It’s summery and doesn’t taste like the booze that it is.
But that’s not all. We got new futons delivered and assembled, a new TV table to put our disconnected device on, laundry sorting set up, added more bird feeders and backyard decor, we mowed the front lawn for the first time, and Kelly painted the garage floor.
Before… 
… After
This morning, we moved the cats over. Gaius Baltar Lebowski is 13 and adventuresome by nature, but he’s currently hiding under a blanket, pressing himself against Kelly’s legs. Howard Moon Lebowski just turned 9 and is a gentle soul, easily frightened and still in his carrier, some two hours after arrival.
It’s a rough experience for these two boys, who didn’t ask to have their entire world turned upside down, so the next few days will be focused on their well being and adjusting. The biggest obstacle is the still-lingering smell of the previous owners’ dog, in the parts of the house where it spent most of its time.
Poor Howard Moon!