Last I checked, this was the 21st century. I rarely use my checkbook anymore -- paying bills online or via debit card is the way to go. I can't even remember the last time I had to order a box of checks. In fact, I don't even have a checkbook holder & hardly ever have check blanks in my purse. It's the rare place that doesn't accept Visa or MasterCard.
So when I went in to the county courthouse to pay for my car tabs on Monday, I was in for a double surprise. What should have been a simple procedure turned into me owing $200 more than I had budgeted -- and I still have to go all the way back to this out-of-the-way dinky town to give them a check. Because they don't take plastic. No, ma'am, they surely don't. Sigh. So I made the trip for nothing.
Somehow, I never received my Personal Property Tax form to fill out in November 2008, and was not billed for PPT on my car. So it looks like not only did I not claim my car as a taxable item, it also looks like I tried to dodge paying taxes on it. Seriously, you'd have to be an idiot to try to pull that. But apparently, people do -- and the woman at the assessor's office acted like I was one of them. I then pulled out my wallet and said, "Well, I don't have a choice, might as well just pay it now and get it taken care of." She looked at me like I was from another planet and said, oh, we don't take *those* - it has to be a check or cash.
Oh well. I'm just grateful I have the money to cover it -- although it wipes out the "New Dell Computer" fund. Donations to the fund can be sent directly to my PayPal address! =)
Stay cool -- it's hot out there.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
June Days
It feels like the summer is just flying by! We've had a lot of rain & thunderstorms over the past few days. Other than a few downed limbs, no real damage.
I came across this class list on another blog & thought I'd pass it on. Enjoy!
Spring Classes for Women at THE ADULT LEARNING CENTER
REGISTRATION MUST BE COMPLETED by Tuesday, June 20, 2009
NOTE: DUE TO THE COMPLEXITY AND DIFFICULTY LEVEL OF THEIR CONTENTS, CLASS SIZES WILL BE LIMITED TO 8 PARTICIPANTS MAXIMUM.
Class 1 Up in Winter, Down in Summer - How to Adjust a Thermostat Step by Step, with Slide Presentation..Meets 4 wks, Monday and Wednesday for 2 hrs beginning at 7:00 PM..
Class 2 Which Takes More Energy - Putting the Toilet Seat Down, or Yelling About It for 3 Hours?
Round Table Discussion.Meets 2 weeks, Saturday 12:00 for 2 hours.
Class 3 Is It Possible To Drive Past a Wal-Mart Without Stopping?–Group Debate.Meets 4 weeks, Saturday 10:00 PM for 2 hours.
Class 4 Fundamental Differences Between a Purse and a Suitcase–Pictures and Explanatory Graphics.Meets Saturdays at 2:00 PM for 3 weeks.
Class 5 Curling Irons–Can They Levitate and Fly Into The Bathroom Cabinet?Examples on Video.Meets 4 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginningat 7:00 PM
Class 6 How to Ask Questions During Commercials and Be Quiet During the Program Help Line Support and Support Groups.Meets 4 Weeks, Friday and Sunday 7:00 PM
Class 7 Can a Bath Be Taken Without 14 Different Kinds of Soaps and Shampoos?Open Forum.Monday at 8:00 PM, 2 hours.
Class 8 Health Watch–They Make Medicine for PMS - USE IT! Three nights; Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 PM for 2 hours.
Class 9 I Was Wrong and He Was Right!–Real Life Testimonials.Tuesdays at 6:00 PM Location to be determined .
Class 10 How to Parallel Park In Less Than 20 Minutes Without an Insurance Claim.Driving Simulations.4 weeks, Saturday’s noon, 2 hours.
Class 11 Learning to Live–How to Apply Brakes Without Throwing Passengers Through the Windshield.Tuesdays at 7:00 PM, location to be determined
Class 12 How to Shop by Yourself.Meets 4 wks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM.
Class 13 How to Fight Cerebral Atrophy–Remembering To Take a List To The Store, Avoiding Separate Trips for Each Item Needed.Cerebral Shock Therapy Sessions and Full Lobotomies Offered.Three nights; Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 PM for 2 hours.
Class 14 The Stove/Oven–What It Is and How It Is Used.Live Demonstration.Tuesdays at 6:00 PM, location to be determined.
Upon completion of any of the above courses, diplomas will be issued to the survivors.
I came across this class list on another blog & thought I'd pass it on. Enjoy!
Spring Classes for Women at THE ADULT LEARNING CENTER
REGISTRATION MUST BE COMPLETED by Tuesday, June 20, 2009
NOTE: DUE TO THE COMPLEXITY AND DIFFICULTY LEVEL OF THEIR CONTENTS, CLASS SIZES WILL BE LIMITED TO 8 PARTICIPANTS MAXIMUM.
Class 1 Up in Winter, Down in Summer - How to Adjust a Thermostat Step by Step, with Slide Presentation..Meets 4 wks, Monday and Wednesday for 2 hrs beginning at 7:00 PM..
Class 2 Which Takes More Energy - Putting the Toilet Seat Down, or Yelling About It for 3 Hours?
Round Table Discussion.Meets 2 weeks, Saturday 12:00 for 2 hours.
Class 3 Is It Possible To Drive Past a Wal-Mart Without Stopping?–Group Debate.Meets 4 weeks, Saturday 10:00 PM for 2 hours.
Class 4 Fundamental Differences Between a Purse and a Suitcase–Pictures and Explanatory Graphics.Meets Saturdays at 2:00 PM for 3 weeks.
Class 5 Curling Irons–Can They Levitate and Fly Into The Bathroom Cabinet?Examples on Video.Meets 4 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginningat 7:00 PM
Class 6 How to Ask Questions During Commercials and Be Quiet During the Program Help Line Support and Support Groups.Meets 4 Weeks, Friday and Sunday 7:00 PM
Class 7 Can a Bath Be Taken Without 14 Different Kinds of Soaps and Shampoos?Open Forum.Monday at 8:00 PM, 2 hours.
Class 8 Health Watch–They Make Medicine for PMS - USE IT! Three nights; Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 PM for 2 hours.
Class 9 I Was Wrong and He Was Right!–Real Life Testimonials.Tuesdays at 6:00 PM Location to be determined .
Class 10 How to Parallel Park In Less Than 20 Minutes Without an Insurance Claim.Driving Simulations.4 weeks, Saturday’s noon, 2 hours.
Class 11 Learning to Live–How to Apply Brakes Without Throwing Passengers Through the Windshield.Tuesdays at 7:00 PM, location to be determined
Class 12 How to Shop by Yourself.Meets 4 wks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM.
Class 13 How to Fight Cerebral Atrophy–Remembering To Take a List To The Store, Avoiding Separate Trips for Each Item Needed.Cerebral Shock Therapy Sessions and Full Lobotomies Offered.Three nights; Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 PM for 2 hours.
Class 14 The Stove/Oven–What It Is and How It Is Used.Live Demonstration.Tuesdays at 6:00 PM, location to be determined.
Upon completion of any of the above courses, diplomas will be issued to the survivors.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Let's go swimming!
Be careful what you say around my house in earshot of Baxter. The word "swimming" is forbidden unless you actually mean it. Say "wanna go swimming," and you have an extremely excited blue heeler who is bouncing and ready to head out to the creek.
I'm so lucky. I live a few steps away from a cold, spring-fed creek. I've been known to spend hot summer days with a chair set in the creek, soaking my feet in the cold water and filling my head with whatever book I'm reading at the moment.
Baxter, on the other hand, is a man of action. Swimmin' in the creek is serious business for him. If you have a ball or a stick to throw, all the better -- he'll launch himself off the creek banks and into the water & bring it back for another round. And another. And another. I've learned to throw things up creek and into the deep water to make him swim upstream and into the deep water. But he never seems to tire!
This weekend, I started training Baxter to dive. Yes, you read that right: Dive. He's not quite sure he likes the idea of sticking his whole head underwater to retrieve a toy. Right now, he'll stick his nose in and blow bubbles or make a quick poke into the water, but he won't completely submerge himself. Instead, he'll make like a raccoon and pull the toy into shallower water with his paws. Smart or stubborn? Bad owner? Whatever -- it's great fun! Hopefully, Baxter will forgive me someday for making him do stupid tricks.
I'm so lucky. I live a few steps away from a cold, spring-fed creek. I've been known to spend hot summer days with a chair set in the creek, soaking my feet in the cold water and filling my head with whatever book I'm reading at the moment.
Baxter, on the other hand, is a man of action. Swimmin' in the creek is serious business for him. If you have a ball or a stick to throw, all the better -- he'll launch himself off the creek banks and into the water & bring it back for another round. And another. And another. I've learned to throw things up creek and into the deep water to make him swim upstream and into the deep water. But he never seems to tire!
This weekend, I started training Baxter to dive. Yes, you read that right: Dive. He's not quite sure he likes the idea of sticking his whole head underwater to retrieve a toy. Right now, he'll stick his nose in and blow bubbles or make a quick poke into the water, but he won't completely submerge himself. Instead, he'll make like a raccoon and pull the toy into shallower water with his paws. Smart or stubborn? Bad owner? Whatever -- it's great fun! Hopefully, Baxter will forgive me someday for making him do stupid tricks.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Birdhouses
Having fun with a new craft project.
Cute, fun & whimsical. Here are the first two I've done. I have plans for more, but need to make a supply run.
Want one? Email me or check them out at my Etsy shop: http://cottagestudio.etsy.com
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Bathroom FAIL
No worries, people. This blog is not potty humor.
If you've ever been in my house, you know the bathroom had some white(ish) linoleum, and the laundry room was just a concrete floor. Rather blah.
About a month ago, the boyfriend put in some lovely tile in the bathroom & laundry room for me. It added a lot of "wow" factor -- and only emphasized my poor color choice of bathroom paint and the dreariness of the unfinished concrete wall & floor in the laundry room.
No big deal, right? Paint is relatively cheap.
The bathroom was the first room in the house that I painted, and let's just say the color turned out a bit (ok, a lot!) brighter than I planned. Apparently, I got better at my color choices as time went on, because I love all the other colors I've used in other rooms of the house. Or so I thought.
I picked out what I thought were two good, soft colors for the bathroom, colors that complemented the mocha-ish-ness of the tile. On one of my recent road trips, the boyfriend offered to start the paint job. Of course, I was more than happy to let him do the work.
Turns out the blue (ok, maybe it was more like a turquoise) in the bathroom was extremely difficult to cover up, but he got it done. I couldn't wait to see the bathroom, thinking it was going to be fab-u-lous.
Well. I failed on that one. Once again, the bathroom paint color sucks. Plus, I somehow thought that semi-gloss was a good idea. Now, you feel like you are in a bucket of melting vanilla ice cream -- the cream-ish color I picked out turned out to be the exact color of my bathtub. Oops.
So. No pictures, and no home tours right now.
Oh well. Paint is relatively cheap. Hopefully the third time will be the charm.
If you've ever been in my house, you know the bathroom had some white(ish) linoleum, and the laundry room was just a concrete floor. Rather blah.
About a month ago, the boyfriend put in some lovely tile in the bathroom & laundry room for me. It added a lot of "wow" factor -- and only emphasized my poor color choice of bathroom paint and the dreariness of the unfinished concrete wall & floor in the laundry room.
No big deal, right? Paint is relatively cheap.
The bathroom was the first room in the house that I painted, and let's just say the color turned out a bit (ok, a lot!) brighter than I planned. Apparently, I got better at my color choices as time went on, because I love all the other colors I've used in other rooms of the house. Or so I thought.
I picked out what I thought were two good, soft colors for the bathroom, colors that complemented the mocha-ish-ness of the tile. On one of my recent road trips, the boyfriend offered to start the paint job. Of course, I was more than happy to let him do the work.
Turns out the blue (ok, maybe it was more like a turquoise) in the bathroom was extremely difficult to cover up, but he got it done. I couldn't wait to see the bathroom, thinking it was going to be fab-u-lous.
Well. I failed on that one. Once again, the bathroom paint color sucks. Plus, I somehow thought that semi-gloss was a good idea. Now, you feel like you are in a bucket of melting vanilla ice cream -- the cream-ish color I picked out turned out to be the exact color of my bathtub. Oops.
So. No pictures, and no home tours right now.
Oh well. Paint is relatively cheap. Hopefully the third time will be the charm.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Days gone by
Today would've been my grandpa's 93rd birthday. It's also the 22nd anniversary of my grandma's passing away. I miss both of them more than they could ever know.
It's a good day to remember both of them and all the memories associated with them. I don't have very many photos of me with both of my grandparents, but this is one of my favorites:
Time may have faded the photo, but it hasn't faded the memories or the smiles. And I cherish those. You never know how much family means until you lose it. So hug someone you love today.
It's a good day to remember both of them and all the memories associated with them. I don't have very many photos of me with both of my grandparents, but this is one of my favorites:
Time may have faded the photo, but it hasn't faded the memories or the smiles. And I cherish those. You never know how much family means until you lose it. So hug someone you love today.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Summertime
Here we are on June 1! Time absolutely flies.
May went by so fast, I have to look at my calendar and pictures to see where it went. I spent a week out in California, visiting my friend Jessica. It's beautiful out there. The redwood forest, the ocean, her rose farm...I got some great photos. This one's my favorite:
May went by so fast, I have to look at my calendar and pictures to see where it went. I spent a week out in California, visiting my friend Jessica. It's beautiful out there. The redwood forest, the ocean, her rose farm...I got some great photos. This one's my favorite:
Yes, I know I need to PhotoShop out the car mirror in the lower left-hand corner! (You didn't notice it until now, did you?)
I also got to try an Olallieberry pie. I've never heard of this berry before (it's a cross between a loganberry & a youngberry, each of which is a cross between a blackberry and another berry -- confused yet?). Deee-lish. 
Jessica and I also went to a tourist trap called the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz. Despite living in SC for several years, she'd never been there. We decided to go out there on a whim and check it out. It was...far out. I'm not sure how much of it was an optical illusion, but there is something going on there. I went in a skeptic and came out a believer.
Blogspot is giving me photo-posting grief. More photos later!!
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