Because it's better than depressing everyone with my chronic complaints.
Most of you politely and graciously tolerate my complaints.
Recently, however, a few nervous nellies abandoned my blog because they considered it to be too depressing.
My advice? Lighten up, amigos. I might occasionally bitch and complain - but I do it honestly, with flair and style.
I'm fascinating even when I'm in a bad mood.
....he says with a smidgen of sarcasm....
Here are a few more random photos of my private domain.
This past weekend was chilly and rainy. The gloomy (but extremely intriguing) forest mists compliment my mood.
Yesterday (Monday) was sunny and cold. I had planned on driving to town but got a bad aura migraine headache, so I stayed home.
In the evening, just as the sun was sinking, the moon was rising above the forest.
I very seldom show photos of my house, but every now and then I give a glimpse - just to let you know it's there.
The inside is a minor disaster. Too small to hold my possessions, and messy enough to perpetually depress me. This is the living room, which I desperately need to dust and vacuum.
I plan to put up white wooden blinds on the windows. I'll only need six of them.
I did the same thing in my Texas house - but that place had twenty-three windows and I put up all the blinds myself.
I have three bedrooms - two of which are extremely small. I keep one of my pianos in this bedroom.
I love the front porch - which is on a high level. The previous owners left that little wooden bench-swing.
I also love this window in my bedroom. It's relaxing to lay in bed and watch the intrigue of nature.
The photo below was taken last autumn.
Critters occasionally get into the house. I've had one snake and three 'possums (not all at the same time).
And, trust me, it's no fun trying to capture them. Took me two days to get the damn snake......
And, trust me, it's no fun trying to capture them. Took me two days to get the damn snake......
The snake was in my bedroom (last summer). Is it any wonder why I'm always a nervous wreck around here
??
Here's the serpent exploring my dresser drawers. One of the drawers was open and he crawled in and disappeared!
The only critters I want to see in the house are my two cats.
How do the cats react to the critters? Possums can be vicious when cornered--those nasty little teeth. One of our neighbors had one in his garage, and it was terrifying. Love the mist photos! Your house looks neat and nice, quite homey. I don't see the mess you're talking about!
ReplyDeleteMargaret - if it wasn't for the cats I wouldn't have noticed some of the critters. They cornered one of the 'possums, which made it easier to get him into a cage. Possums do have a vicious bite, but they're initially timid and non-combative.
DeleteMy cat Bosco discovered the snake in my bedroom. It was curled up behind an antique trunk that's at the foot of my bed. This snake wasn't shy - he kept hissing at the cats.
I TRY to keep the house looking neat, but there's very little storage and nowhere to put anything. The living room looks nicer than the other rooms.
That snake gives me the creeps. HOW on earth were you able to dispatch him/her? I'd probably have resorted to gasoline and a BIC lighter. (Only half kidding; I'm that traumatized by them.)
ReplyDeleteLOVE your porch swing! And that first shot of the living room? If I were to open the door on the left, where would I be? And the one on the right? Nosy so-and-so, aren't I?
I love the porch swing, too. Unfortunately the wasps love it during the spring/summer months.
DeleteThe door on the left leads into the kitchen area. The door on the right goes to my bedroom.
That snake was fast and shifty - very difficult to catch. He finally went near the front door. I quickly dropped a large plastic trash can over him and ushered him out the door. He slithered down the porch steps and into the yard.
We had a small garter snake in our basement once. Thank God I never saw it! Mice are the major issue. I can't imagine anything bigger!
ReplyDeleteYour home is lovely. I appreciate the wood floors and furniture. I would enjoy a glass of wine on that front porch.
I was initially afraid of the snake because I didn't know if he was poisonous. Someone later told me it might have been a king snake - and they're not poisonous.
DeleteI forgot to mention that I also once had a bird in my kitchen. I think it was a sparrow - - I quickly whisked him out the back door.
I'm always apprehensive about what I'll find next!
Your home is lovely I don't see any dust. If I had found a snake in my house I would be afraid to open any drawers. I'd be more afraid of the snake than of the Possum.
ReplyDeleteJean, if you look carefully you'll find dust, dirt, and probably cobwebs. I'm not as good a housekeeper as I used to be.
DeleteThe snake really unnerved me because I didn't know if he was poisonous.He did a lot of hissing and was very fast. He did scare me more than the 'possums.
Not as good a housekeeper as you used to be, eh? I don't think any of us are. As long as our place isn't condemned by the board of health, I'm cool. Okay, so that's a bit of an exaggeration, but I'm definitely not as finicky as I used to be. Once upon a time, our kitchen floor was always clean enough for anyone to eat from, but I realized... hey! who the hell wants to eat on the floor??? Besides, with two cats ralphing, shedding, and shredding, it'd be a bit delusional to think the house is ever gonna be as clean as it once was... :)
ReplyDeleteIt's still pretty comfortable here weather-wise. Supposed to hit seventy later this week.
Our other friends in TN have had a lot of different critters invade their home, too. It's gotten to be a running joke. Almost every time we visit, we end up helping them shoo some kind of animal. Here, we recently had some kind of critter in our attic. We could hear it scritching and scratching, and the cats got cricks in their necks from staring at the ceiling. It's been quiet for the past couple weeks, so hopefully, it went on its merry way.
Susan, when I lived in west Texas my house was spotless - which is ironic considering all the dust, dirt, sand, and endless wind.
DeleteTennessee is a clean state, yet my house is filled with dust, dirt, and cobwebs.
I thought all those annoying Asian beetles were gone for the winter - but as soon as the temperature warms up, they reappear.
The critters in my ceiling and walls are driving me crazy - I don't know how they're getting in or what they are, but they scamper and scratch all night. They sound larger than mice. Perhaps squirrels??
Good riddance, Jon, to the nervous nellies, as you called them. I appreciate the honesty you present in your blog posts and sure, at times, you can write about some depressing topics, that’s not an issue with me and many others. Life isn’t always easy as the saying goes and personally I steer well clear of folks who can’t handle that others can be so direct. No plans to blog abandon from this end, so you are stuck with my comments going forward. Thanks for the inside tour, and dust and cobwebs come more so with country living. We never had possums and snakes invade our VA home, but did have mice, birds, and lots of creepy crawlers in warmer months especially.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind vote of confidence. It's a shame that some people can't tolerate negative things or opinions that differ from their own. I used to write a lot of humorous blog posts, but lately - for many reasons - I'm not in a funny mood.
DeleteI was shocked when I first moved to this rural area, because I never had to deal with critters in the house before. Possums were bad enough, but the snake really unnerved me.
In Texas there were lots of scorpions and they scared me more than anything. One night I found a scorpion on the headboard of my bed!!
Hi Jon - thanks for the tour. Your home isn't messy at all. In fact it looks much better than most bachelor pads I've seen - like my brother who drops his clothes all over the place. Plus one can hardly get past the front door without kicking his collection of footwear out of the way.
ReplyDeleteIt's really quite interesting how certain folk can't seem to handle the downsides of one's life. I say no loss if they choose to abandon your blog. No one has uppity days all the time. Is that a word ... uppity ?
Snakes don't ordinarily bother me unless they start to hiss and rattle. Although one in my bedroom would be another story. Speaking of critters, I was pulling out the garbage can last night and started to sweep away what I thought was pile of leaves. They stuck to the bricks ( frozen ) so I stupidly touched it. Nope, no frozen leaves. It was a dead rat. That'll teach me for not turning on the porch light.
Could the noise you hear in your ceilings and walls at night possibly be bats who got in through the attic ? It could be, since they leave their roost at night to feed creating scratching sounds. Might be something to look into.
Helga, I have a bad habit of putting my feelings in writing before thinking about it. I'm sure it sometimes sounds depressing. But that's part of my charm (*smile*).
DeleteI suppose it's best to put the porch light on before touching anything - but I wouldn't have expected a rat in December. I wonder if he froze to death?
I don't think those critters I hear at night are bats, because they are always running and scampering around. My only logical guess would be squirrels - but I'm not certain that they're nocturnal.
That snake scared me because it kept hissing a lot and I didn't know whether it was poisonous. I never heard a snake hiss before. It's unnerving.
BTW - "uppity" is definitely a word, but I don't think I ever used it in a sentence.
Maybe why I like living up north where there are less creatures that get in the house. Mice try to get inside in the fall if they can and squirrels will try to get into attics, but there is little else...and less bugs because we keep them at bay with the winters. I think it was something like -12 or 14 below last night. ;)
ReplyDeleteYou're definitely right about having less critters up north. That's one of the advantages of a colder climate. In my profound innocence (*smile*), I never knew so many creatures could get in the house.
DeleteI found out where the 'possums were getting in and fixed the problem - but I never figured out how that snake got in.
The temperature keeps changing here, from cold to mild. A few days ago it was in the 50s and I saw some live Asian beetles again. Apparently the cold doesn't kill all of them.
Your rocking chair is similar to mine. I love to rock!! Unfortunately my outside surroundings are not so good. Too much traffic, which is why I spend more time at the back of the house where the critters live.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to hear from you, Valerie! I have two of those rocking chairs but I keep one in the kitchen area. I would rather stay with the critters than with the traffic. Take care.
DeleteHey Jon! Long time no see!! I've been taking daily peeks at your blog, but every time I tried to leave you a comment - I always got some totally weird Error (imagine any number) notice which prevented me from posting!
ReplyDeleteI don't think this is due to your blog, but rather my ancient Windows 7 operating system which I sadly cannot afford to update at the moment. However, I am saving my pennies - in addition to buying a lottery ticket every week *fingers crossed*
I want to thank you and Helga big time for keeping me in your generous hearts! I did somehow manage to wish you, Helga, Susan, Lisa, Mr. Roy and Geo a Happy New Year in the comments section of my own neglected blog (after 25 attempts). And I want all of you to know that I do take long peeks at your amazing blogs, but I'm not able to leave any comments until I can afford Windows 10, etc. Still, I think of each of you fondly every day I am alive :-)
Jon, don't worry so much about the dust in your beautiful house. Quentin Crisp said it best: "After four years the dust doesn't get any worse!" I love your good taste - the piano, framed oil paintings, exquisite vases, classic furniture, two sweet cats, etc. Life doesn't get much better...
Anyway (while I'm still able to post!), A Happy 2020 to you and all your faithful readers!! Don't ever worry about me abandoning you for speaking the truth about your feelings and thoughts: That's what I like about you big time. You really are a very special person to me :-)
Dylan
Hey, Dylan - it's so good to hear from you. I always worry when I don't hear from you, but I know that you're having computer trouble. I have Windows 7 on my desktop computer and it presently doesn't work at all. I have Windows 8 on my laptop (which I use constantly) and have no clue when I'll be able to graduate to Windows 10.
DeleteAll I know for certain is that things were a lot less complicated before I had a computer.
There are a few other people who have trouble commenting on my blog, but I don't know exactly why. I recently changed my settings to allow anonymous comments - so hopefully (?) that might help.
I know that Helga and the others keep you in their hearts, and - of course - I do, too. I'm glad that you're still able to read our blogs - even if you can't comment.
A few people recently abandoned my blog and I very strongly suspect it's because some of my posts have been depressing. It's not pleasant to hear chronic complaints and unpleasant things - but I always wear my heart on my sleeve and try to be as honest as possible. My gloomy moods are part of my charm (*smile*).
I think Quentin Crisp is right on about the dust not getting any worse after four years....
It's depressing to be living here in poverty - in an impossibly small house - but I try to keep my favorite things around, and it doesn't look too bad.
Anyway, please take care and keep in touch when you can. You have a special place in my heart....Hugs!