We have friends from Alabama visiting this week so there was some initial panic trying to de-frat-house the place. I guess you could call us domestically challenged? It was somewhat short notice. It would’ve been less short notice if we ever answered the phone when unfamiliar numbers show on the caller id or ever checked our voice mail. We’re mostly just embarrassed about our non-checking-voicemail and nasty household habits.

We got the house cleaned for the most part (the public and guest rooms are presentable but past the office door there be dragons). But now their visit has been delayed. So we have a clean house which is always a novel thing for us. It’s fun while it lasts. We’re hoping to see our friends Thursday or Friday and that they’re not very allergic to pets because the guest room is usually the cats’ room.

I used this event as an opportunity to buy new sheets and towels for the guest room and bathroom (which is usually my bathroom). There was a clearance sale on swell products at Target and I had a ball buying semi-retro completely mismatched linens. My favorite bits were the groovy multicolored round target bath mat and the martini-glass toothbrush holder.

I’ve decided that there’s just no getting around the seventies suburban look of this house. Combine this with an accidental collection of mid 20th century furniture bought and inherited from different sources over the years the best option is to embrace the suburban retro concept. It’s certainly unusual and wouldn’t be entirely out of place here. The difference, I guess, is we’re doing it in an ironic way, right? Heh.

We also finally got a stucco guy to actually answer his phone, set an appointment, show up for it, give an estimate, and come back to actually do the work! In that order! This is no small task folks. And bonus jackpot: his guys do yardwork as a sideline so now our yard is completely weed-free. It looks amazing. Cost us a fortune but no more hay fever and goathead encrusted ankles for me!