Tag Archives: home improvement

communication, complaints, home, music, rants

I think Kate Bush sang it best, back in 1982…

Good afternoon, ladies and germs… Today, on this Wednesday, and the third day my house has been occupied by inconsiderate clods, I have an old Kate Bush song in mind. It’s a song from her brilliant 1982 album, The Dreaming, which also happens to be the very first album I ever heard her do. The song, quite appropriately for my mood today, is called “Get Out of My House”.

Here are the lyrics…

When you left, the door was
(slamming)
You paused in the doorway
(slamming)
As though a thought stole you away
(slamming)
I watched the world pull you away
(Lock it) So I run into the hall
(Lock it)
Into the corridor
(Lock it)
There’s a door in the house
(slamming)
I hear the lift descending
(slamming)
I hear it hit the landing
(slamming)
See the hackles on the cat
(standing) With my key I
(lock it)
With my key I
(lock it up)
With my key I
(lock it)
With my key I
(lock it up) I am the concierge chez-moi, honey
Won’t let ya in for love, nor money
(“Let me in!”)
My home, my joy
I’m barred and bolted and I
(Won’t let you in)
(Get out of my house!) No stranger’s feet
Will enter me
(Get out of my house!)
I wash the panes
(Get out of my house!)
I clean the stains away
(Get out of my house!) This house is as old as I am
(Slamming)
This house knows all I have done
(Slamming)
They come with their weather hanging ’round them
(Slamming)
But can’t knock my door down
(Slamming) With my key I
(lock it)
With my key I
(lock it) This house is full of m-m-my mess
(Slamming)
This house is full of m-m-mistakes
(Slamming)
This house is full of m-m-madness
(Slamming)
This house is full of, full of, full of fight
(Slam it) With my keeper I
(clean up)
With my keeper I
(clean it all up)
With my keeper I
(clean up)
With my keeper I
(clean it all up) I am the concierge chez-moi, honey
Won’t letcha in for love, nor money
(“It’s cold out here!”)
My home, my joy
I’m barred and bolted and I
(Get out of my house!)
(Won’t let you in) No stranger’s feet
(Get out of my house!)
Will enter me
(Get out of my house!)
I wash the panes
(Get out of my house!)
I clean the stains
(Get out of my house!)
(Get out of my house!)
(Get out of my house!)
(Get out of my house!)
Won’t enter me
(Get out of my house!)
(Get out of my house!)
(Get out of my house!)
(Get out of my house!)
Yeah! Won’t let you in
(Get out of my house!)
(Get out of my house!)
“Let me in!”
“Woman let me in!
Let me bring in the memories!
Woman let me in!
Let me bring in the Devil Dreams!
“I will not let you in!
Don’t you bring back the reveries
I turn into a bird
Carry further than the word is heard
“Woman let me in!
I turn into the wind.
I blow you a cold kiss,
Stronger than the song’s hit.
“I will not let you in
I face towards the wind
I change into the Mule
“I change into the Mule.”

God, I love her. She is amazing.

I know not everyone appreciates Kate Bush. I think she’s an incredible singer, songwriter, piano player, and all around goddess. I’ve loved her music for about 40 years– that is, since I was ten years old. Kate Bush is pretty intense for a ten year old, but even back then, I loved how creative and gorgeous her music was, and how interesting and intelligent the lyrics were. “Get Out of My House” even incorporates a mule, complete with braying, which as a former horse girl, I can totally get behind.

I’ve read that this song is really not about a literal house. Instead, she’s referring to her psyche– not letting anyone in to get to know her, or what’s deep inside of her soul. She is the master of herself, and she won’t let anyone in “for love nor money”. She protects her heart and her mind by becoming very stubborn, like a mule, complete with “hee haws”. She keeps everything under lock and key.

Well, I’m not as much like that with my psyche or, at least this week, with my house. Yes, it’s a rental, and yes, as I’ve pointed out, the work being done this week is for our own good. And I have seen a little bit of progress. For instance, the two workmen have stopped habitually leaving the front door open, and they have turned down their god awful dance music, so my head doesn’t pound incessantly.

However, the two guys who have been here all week have really been annoying me. Every day, they make messes that they don’t clean up. They move my stuff and just leave it wherever they put it. Yesterday, they left chocolate on the floor where Noyzi could get to it. I think my landlord brought it over for them with the customary German coffee break, but they just left it on the steps. Fortunately, Noyzi doesn’t eat things he hasn’t been invited to eat. If Arran were still here, we’d really have a problem. He would have eaten that chocolate in a heartbeat. Chocolate can be very toxic to dogs.

That fucking radio has been torturing me for days. I was tempted to remove the batteries, but unlike these guys, I was taught not to touch other people’s things.
Some of the crap the dudes have been leaving in my house this week.

This morning, the guy didn’t even ring the doorbell before he came barging into the house. I mean, where I come from, if you don’t live in a house, you don’t just come in without at least knocking. At least not the first time you show up during the day. It’s common courtesy and basic manners. Tomorrow, I won’t be deactivating the door lock before they arrive. They can ring the fucking doorbell like civilized people. I may be a tenant, but this is still my home.

And, sorry, I know this is going to sound really petty and kind of mean, but right now they are outside at my freshly oiled teak patio table, sitting on the chairs with new cushions on them, eating lunch, while listening to their industrial powered radio. Much to my shame, when I saw that, it really pissed me off. I wish I were a more laid back, less territorial person, but I can’t deny that I feel like telling them to get off my patio and get back to work, so they can finish up and get the fuck out of my house. It’s an irrational response, I know… but it’s the one I’m honestly experiencing right now.

It’s not so much that I mind them using the patio or even the table and chairs. It’s the fact that they didn’t even ask, and they have no regard for the fact that they have invaded my home, and are messing with my things. I can’t speak to them, because we don’t speak the same language. I didn’t hire them, and have nothing to do with their employment, other than the fact that I live in this house and they have invaded it, as they take their long coffee breaks. I’m sure it never even occurred to them how annoying they are to me, nor would they even really care. But they can have lunch on my table and chairs without so much as a “do you mind?”. Earlier this week, they ate in their van.

The two guys reek of pheromones, inconsideration, and sexism, and I want them OUT of my life. I feel like I used to feel when I waited tables and was forced to be nice to people who were assholes. But this time, I’m not working for anyone. I just have the misfortune of being a tenant.

And y’all, before anyone leaves me a lecturing or shaming comment (cuz it’s happened before), bear in mind that I do have some idea of how difficult it is to do this kind of work, especially when it’s hot outside. I do have some empathy for that. I wish I were a more compassionate person than I am. I guess it comes from being treated with little consideration for most of my life and, in turn, not necessarily being taught to be considerate myself.

Yes, that’s right. I kind of had to learn from people other than my family to have regard for others. But even when I try to be hospitable, it comes off as kind of awkward and weird. Usually, people don’t accept, anyway. At my age, I figure I might as well be real. And I want these dudes to finish their job and just beat it. Get the fuck out of my house! NOW!

Just one more day… just one more day. Hopefully, I won’t emulate Marguerite Perrin before tomorrow…

“Get the hell out of my house in Jesus’ name I pray!“

I’m getting really close, y’all.

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complaints, dogs, home, housekeeping tips

I never said it would be easy, only that it would be “worth it”…

Good afternoon, y’all. I’m getting a late start today. My house has been overtaken by alien forces.

The guys in my house right now should add this song to their playlist…

Actually, what’s happening is that this week, our landlord is having new windows put in. We’ve been through this before. When we lived in our former German house, it was half furnished with new windows. The remainder were put in within weeks of our tenancy. I remember the process to be quite a pain in the ass, especially since the people who made the windows got the wrong measurements. We had wood over our windows for about a week or so, until new ones could be made.

This time, it looks like they got the right measurements, but the whole house is being done all this week. The same guys did our landlord’s house last week. Now, it’s our turn to deal with the noise and the dust. I’m at a disadvantage, though, because I’m not the one paying the window guys. I’m just the tenant’s wife, who doesn’t really speak German and is kind of in their way.

I’d take off if I could, but that would mean leaving Noyzi home alone. He doesn’t fit in my car, and it’s not running right now, anyway. It needs a new battery, and probably new tires. And these guys have already shown me that they were born in a barn. They came into the house this morning– promptly at 8 AM– and immediately started moving stuff in my office, Noyzi’s room, and the bathroom. I had just finished writing a blog post, but hadn’t yet published it. I had to rush through that, then move to my bedroom, where I quickly practiced and restrung my guitar.

When I took Noyzi for a walk, I realized that sitting upstairs would probably be a bad idea. The workers’ crap is all over the place. I’m all hot and sweaty and I’d really like to take a shower, but the upstairs bathroom is a mess.

I asked the guys in English to keep the front door closed, because I don’t want Noyzi getting out. I don’t think he’d actually go out by himself, but I don’t want to take the risk. He spooks easily, and we live near the Autobahn. We already lost one dog that freaked out and got killed there. I don’t want that to happen to Noyzi, too. I don’t actually think Noyzi would get hit on the Autobahn. He’s very street smart, and avoids danger quite adeptly. But he’s still a dog, and he gets scared. Not only would I be heartbroken to lose him; it would also cost us a lot of money if he got hit by a car, even though we’re insured.

Far be it for me to criticize anyone for not being fluent in English when we’re in Germany. BUT… most younger people, which these guys are, know a little bit of English. I would expect them to at least know “close the door.” I mean, I could probably say that in German, if I had to, and I might have even tried, if the guy hadn’t immediately cut me off and said he doesn’t speak English without even trying to listen to my request. It’s one thing when I open the door and someone starts going off in rapid fire German at me. I never invited them to a conversation. I’m just minding my own business, in my own space.

This guy is in my home, which we’re paying a lot of money to live in, and I have the right to make a simple request that he and his colleague not leave the door open so my dog doesn’t escape. I was NOT impressed by his basic lack of respect toward me. Moreover, if Noyzi got out because those guys left the door open, I would be raising major Hell.

I’m pretty sure I rolled my eyes and gave the guy a major bitch glare when I said, “Keep the door closed. Because of the dog.”

The guy seemed to understand my request. I did also ask the landlord to tell them to close the door. Nevertheless, even though they seemed to understand that I wanted them to close the door, they continued to leave it open a few times. So I moved downstairs and, much to my shame, took a passive aggressive approach to teaching them. Every time they left the door open, I closed it HARD. There were also a couple of glares, too. I know you get more bees with flies than honey, but to me this is a pretty simple thing.

Another thing that is annoying me is that these two have a love for German pop dance music. It has a very hard, driving beat that pulsates through the floor. It’s giving me a headache. So, I decided to turn on my music downstairs. It’s an eclectic mix of everything from bluegrass to disco. That should entertain them as much as it does me. And, although it’s only 2:45 PM, I’m strongly considering doing some day drinking… because fuck them. 😉

Normally, I wouldn’t take this attitude. I have a lot of respect for tradesmen and service providers. But yes, it does annoy me when someone invades my home, immediately spreads their shit all over most of the upstairs, where I do my work, and without even asking me if it’s okay to start there, and playing their crappy music, while acting like they were raised in a barn and not closing the fucking front door behind them. I don’t even care if they think I’m a raving bitch, either. They wouldn’t be the first. 😉 Besides, I’ve got underwear older than they are.

With any luck, this won’t go on for the whole week…

On the plus side, as today’s post title indicates, the end result will be worth it. I know from our last house that new windows will make our house more comfortable on many levels. The house does need them. And next year, we’ll probably get a heat pump… if we don’t move. That will mean no more buying tanks of oil every year and, maybe, better heating and cooling. Maybe… we’ll see.

I do appreciate our landlord. He’s a good guy who treats us with respect and never harasses us. I doubt we’ll have to sue him when we eventually move out. I am grateful for the upgrade in the house. I just wish these guys were more considerate and didn’t treat me like I don’t have the right to be in my own home.

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musings, politics, social media

It’s funny when Facebook photo groups get political…

Featured photo is a screenshot of the Exploring Virginia Facebook group’s landing page.

Sunday, already… ugh. As I mentioned in yesterday’s travel blog post, we had a busy Saturday sprucing up the backyard. We bought new umbrellas– one for the backyard/garden, and the other for the back balcony that we seldom use. We also have a front balcony that I only go out on when there are rainbows or fireworks. 😉

Setting up the new umbrellas was not that easy. We had to take apart the old setup, which was pretty messy and kind of a pain in the butt. Then, we had to move the new umbrella stands, both of which are big granite stones. One weighs 50 kilograms (and thankfully has rollers), and the other weighs 25 kilos, and had to be hauled up a flight of stairs. But the job was done by mid afternoon, just in time for rain. I decided to peruse Facebook, as is my typical way of killing time.

My eyes landed on a post in the Exploring Virginia Facebook group. I am a member of that group because I was born and raised in Virginia. I like the photos people share. It’s like a taste of home. But yesterday, someone shared photos of the Trump Winery. The winery, which was once known as Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyard, is currently owned and operated by Trump’s son, Eric. According to the company, it’s currently the largest winery in Virginia and the largest French vinifera on the East Coast.

The photos of the winery did appear to be very beautiful. It looks like a gorgeous estate. However, as might be predicted, the post very quickly became political, with people on either side of the political spectrum commenting about the winery’s affiliation with Donald Trump. It was getting nasty when I finally navigated away from the post. I told Bill that I was pretty sure that post was going to get “schwacked”, as Bill would put it.

Sure enough, later when I checked the group, I found no sign of the Trump Winery post. I noticed that the admins had highlighted this group post from March.

I don’t think this is an unreasonable policy, although it did appear that a lot of people were unable to help themselves. Most of the comments, while political, were basically respectful. Some were below the belt and/or obviously attacking.

All I could think about is how this man, Trump, has so many people who would ordinarily be nice, reasonable, and civilized, fighting among themselves and with perfect strangers on a social media platform. Some people are dying to see Trump re-elected so we can have more of the same behaviors in the future. Others are terrified that he’ll get back into power. To me, that kind of polarization really makes him unfit for leadership… but then, I think he’s unfit for a whole lot of other reasons. I strongly believe that Trump is a criminal; there is ample proof; and that should disqualify him from foisting himself on the United States and the world as a whole.

Some people compare Trump to Christ. I’m very serious. They would compare the pushback against Trump to what Christ experienced. I’ve seen people equate Trump’s “sacrifice” of his business career and forfeiture of a salary (neither of which he actually sacrificed) as something heroic and Christlike. I fail to see how a man who gives up his $400,000 salary as president, yet requires his Secret Service detail to stay in his hotels, is sacrificing anything. I don’t see how a man who tries to overthrow elections, brags about molesting women and cheating employees, and regularly insults anyone who crosses him has anything in common with our Lord and Savior. 😉

In any case… I did think it was sad that the post went south so quickly. It did appear to me that the Trump Winery is a beautiful estate. I would never go there, nor is it likely that I would ever buy wine there… and it’s not necessarily because of the name on the label, either. I used to wait tables at a fine dining restaurant in Virginia, and I’ve never really cared for Virginia wines as a whole. But, the fact that I live in Germany also makes it unlikely that I’d visit or taste the wines. I can appreciate the nice photos, though.

As I write this blog post, I took a look at what’s going on in the group right now. Someone posted a picture of a shop offering “organic firewood”. A responder apparently was offended by the photo and said, “don’t be making fun of” the guy whose shop was photographed. A few snippy comments ensued, with one person noting that people are always looking for insults these days. Several more rude comments followed… Remember, this is based on a picture of a storefront offering organic firewood…

This post will probably end up deleted or edited, too…

I miss the days when people were more cordial, and kept their politics to themselves. Or, maybe it just seemed that way, because I lived in Virginia, which used to be a very “red” state. Virginia has some pretty intelligent and educated people, though, and the state has become a lot more diverse. So now, it’s become less civilized, as the “bluer” folks come in and change the status quo. People on either political side are threatened by the prospect of change, especially when it involves local culture.

I guess I don’t have anything earth shattering to add… other than to say that I think it’s too bad. Virginia is a beautiful state, and I miss it. I don’t miss it enough to sit on a plane for eight hours, but I do miss it, and it will always be my home. I think it’s too bad that people are so on edge these days that we can’t just admire beautiful and interesting photos. I think Trump is one big reason why we can’t have nice things…

I am, by the way, also in several similar German groups. I never see this kind of political crap and rudeness posted in those groups. Maybe the Germans were more like that around World War II.

Just a thought. 😀

Well, I think I’ll sign off. We need to make a run to the nearest military installation for supplies. 😉 It’ll be my first visit to the commissary since 2020.

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