Update on the Digs - Day 5

My temporary life of luxury

Day 1 - overcast - went clothes "shopping" in my friend's closet (no she doesn't mind - we use to be roommates and "shop" at each other's closet) and found the perfect pair of thongs ( no not the undie kind - the footie kind). I know I said I didn't like anything between my toes. I think she bought these for me because they were much smaller than the other thongs in the closet. By the way, exactly how many thongs are too many (5 - 7 pairs - all different colors)? Am I weird that one color is fine with me?

So now I can be barefoot all day and leave the thongs by the door to put on when I let the dogs out for their business.

Day 2 - overcast. This is not happening. The first time all summer I have access to a pool and I'm stuck indoors. Trouble though in the bedroom. The dogs have decided they are my new best friend and have taken over the bed. Did I mention these animals are a 90lb chocolate lab and a 50 lb corgi that are dead weight when you try to move them out of the way so that my 5"10" body has somewhere to put my legs? Did I also mention that I can't even take a shower without an audience or for that matter go anywhere in the house without the dogs attached to me?

Day 3 - overcast but enough sun to actually attempt to be by the pool; however, I had to go get groceries because I had invited family and friends over for pool time and dinner. I bought so much food I had to put the overflow in the refrigerator in the garage. Not to worry, there are 3 refrigerators in this house. One in the basement that is filled with beer, wine, soda, water and gatorade so when you're at the pool you have easy access to refreshments. I stress over making sure everyone has everything they need. So, there is a variety of appetizers that everyone likes, a huge salad (my specialty - most any veggie except mushroom - you don't even notice there aren't any mushrooms in the salad for all the rest of the veggies), fresh yellow and white corn on the cob, ginger and teriyaki chicken and no meal at my house would be complete without dessert - chocolate pound cake. The salad was the only thing that there were leftovers. I expected there would be leftover salad because I call my salad "the three day".

Day 4 - Labor Day - SUN finally! I floated around the pool for 3 hours. I still haven't gotten use to all the bathrooms. I have taken showers in 2 out of the 4 bathrooms with showers. It is just easy to take a shower in the bathroom located in the daylight basement that has access to the pool. I can leave my suit down there and walk naked up to the top floor where my bedroom is and get dressed. I know my friend would have a heart attack if she knew I was roaming her house unclothed. Gee, what would the neighbors think? Like I always say-parts are parts, I have all of them and I'm not ashamed about them! The dogs are getting thoroughly spoiled. Carrots, dog cookies or ice cubes are generously being handed out. I'm giving out so many carrots I need to go buy more to last another 11 days. The cats get tuna - real chicken of the sea low sodium tuna every morning. I think all the animals will need to go on a diet. Oh I almost forgot the dogs like zucchini, yellow squash, bagel chips and tostitos too - courteous of my guests on Sunday!

Day 5 - rain. I think I deserve a do-over on this housesitting thing. This is my vacation. Okay I'm vacationing on the cheap within my own city. It's the kind of vacation you take when you're unemployed. I shouldn't be complaining. So except for the weather - here are the good things: breakfast each morning on the screen porch overlooking the pool, Sirrius radio in the car, use of 2 showers, new thongs (flip flops!), a DVD collection to rival blockbuster and a CD collection to rival Tower Records (now if I can just figure out how to work all the electronics.....). I'm truly relaxing.

Tags: Atlanta, Observations, Personal Lessons, Relationships, Technology, Travel, Vacation


Minor update: This taking care of the animal thing is nerve racking. First, the dog shat on the sidewalk in the backyard. It's raining. I've got to improvise and get the shit off the walk. Sticks and leaves do the trick while I hold back the gag reflex. Next I notice I didn't close the door real well when I took the dogs out. The cats are indoor cats. Three cats love that love to hide. This house is freaking big when you have to go looking for 3 little cats - one's so little it is called Little Bit. Little Bit was an outdoor cat that was rescued. Little Bit thinks he's a dog and is always at the door to go outside when the dogs go outside. It's a challenge to keep Little Bit in the house. Found all three cats by ringing the steel cat bowls. The bowls that hold their tuna fish each morning. Was that mean of me to tease them with the promise of tuna when no tuna would be forthcoming? No way, I just needed to find the cats otherwise I would have gone into panic mode to try and find a cat in the fenced wooded backyard, in the rain and I'm not exactly good with catching fast cats!