Month: June 2011

I’m Just Not That Person

I really wish I was the kind of person who enjoys yard work. I really do.

But I’m not.

I see the dedicated ones puttering around in their yards, weeding, pruning, planting, mowing…and the worst part is, they always look happy to be doing it. You can just tell when you’re watching someone who is enjoying their yard work. You will definitely not get that impression from me.

It all just seems so futile. No matter how much time and money you pour into your lawn, the weeds always come back…if they ever even went away in the first place. They’re always there, lurking, taunting, proving that having a nicely manicured lawn is impossible, no matter how many chemicals you throw down, or what companies you employ to do it for you. The whole lawn could die in the heat of summer, but the weeds will still be there.

Then there’s the whole watering issue. It seems like a complete waste of time and resources to me, just to ensure green grass. If it rains, fine…the grass can be green. But if it doesn’t? I’m not spending our hard-earned money on making sure the grass gets water. Especially when there are so many places in the country that are truly struggling with their water levels…why thumb my nose at them that way. I’ll let God take care of the watering of my lawn in the way He sees fit, thank you.

And don’t even get me started on the tools needed for yard work. The lawnmower is OK…it’s basically like pushing a heavy, very loud vacuum cleaner. But the edger? That thing *always* sounds angry. And trying to get it where it needs to go is like trying to walk a cat on a lease through a car wash–it’s just not happening; that thing is going where it wants to go! I’m pretty sure that it’s planning my demise, especially when the sparks start flying when I accidentally hit the driveway. And then there are other scary-looking pieces of equipment like pruning shears and metal rakes. Yep, the tools needed for yard work frighten me.

I guess yard work just isn’t for everybody. Certainly not for me. I’ll do it because that’s what homeowners do, and because I have to, otherwise I’ll be “that neighbor.” But you won’t find me enjoying it…instead, I’ll be thinking about the moment when I’m done, and I get to go back inside where the air conditioning and ice water are.

My Cardinals Bucket List

I got this idea over at Diamond Diaries…a list of Cardinals-related activities I hope to do before I die (even though I really hate the term “bucket list!”).

  1. Go back to the Commissioner’s box…with the children. We had such a good time sitting in those seats on our anniversary that we’d really like to share the experience as a family. Plus, it would be really fun for the children to go to a game where they could get as much food as they wanted, (within reason, of course), and not worry about how much it costs. And the seats are six across, which works out well for us!
  2. Attend Social Media Night. OK, this one is kind of cheating to list, because I already did it this year. Up until last month, though, it was still something I wanted to do “someday.” Since it’s still fresh in my mind, I’ll include it anyway–I really wanted that “Tweet me in St. Louis” t-shirt!
  3. Go to Opening Day. This is another hopeful family event. Ryan has been to Opening Day once, and he told us all just how cool it was, so of course, we all want to go. Busch Stadium is awesome any day, but I can’t even imagine the atmosphere on Opening Day. I especially want to see the Clydesdales in action!
  4. Visit all of the minor league ballparks. I’d like to take road trips to Memphis, Springfield, Palm Beach, and the Quad Cities to see the “baby birds” in action.
  5. Get tickets to the Redbird Club. Again, cheating a little, because we have Redbird Club tickets for later this summer. But I didn’t even realize until last week that that’s where our seats are located, and I haven’t even technically been there yet, so it’s still on the list.
  6. Attend Spring Training. I think it would be so much fun to escape the lovely St. Louis winter weather and go to spring training one year.
  7. Get something autographed. If it was a Lance Berkman autograph, that would be fantastic. But really, I’m not choosy…I’d just like a Cardinal autograph. Maybe even Red Schoendienst, since he’s one of the coolest Cardinals ever, and he’s still on the field for batting practice on a regular basis.
  8. Go to a playoff game. Just to say I’d been, even if it was the wild card round.
  9. Be a season-ticket holder. This is a way in the future dream. But someday, when the children are out of the house, I’d love for Ryan and I to have season tickets. I don’t even care where in the stadium–I’d just love to have the option of going to all of the home games.
  10. Meet Fredbird. The children and I technically did meet Fredbird a few years ago at a Qdoba grand opening. But it was really more the children than me. And I didn’t even get “beaked,” so it doesn’t really count.

Do We Live in a Library?

…or “Why I hate HOAs.”

(And, yes, before anyone has any smart remarks, I realize that based on the number of books in our house, one might mistake it for a library. But, if you’ve been here, the sheer volume of our house will make you realize that books or not, this is no library!)

We got our summer “newsletter” from our HOA this weekend. It was filled with the usual nonsense, but the last section really got me:

“Are you a quite neighbor? Voices carry, and so does dog barking, loud music, home theater systems, loud TV’s, loud parties, etc. A reminder to residents that we live in close proximity to one another and voices/noises carry. Keep in mind that the city does have a noise ordinance and violations can be issued at an officer’s discretion. Horns honking and car alarms sounding early in the morning and late at night are an obvious noise nuisance and quite disturbing to the quiet enjoyment of our residents. In addition, please keep your car stereo volume turned down when driving through our community.”

There are so many things wrong with this excerpt that I don’t even know where to start. First, it really annoys me that the whole thing is vaguely threatening. The casual mention of an officer, instead of simply mentioning the ubiquitous HOA fine, is meant to intimidate. But, then again, that’s what HOAs do best–rule by intimidation.

And, sure, I get the sentiment of the newsletter–no one wants constant noise in their neighborhood–but voices carry? Seriously? I should be able to talk as loud as I want in my own house/yard, and I’ve never heard anything from any our neighbors in the area of loud voices that should warrant such a warning. Loud music? Sure…our next door neighbor is a prime offender, and yes, it’s annoying. But voices? Give me a break.

The other thing that bothers me about HOAs is that they read like an apartment complex covenant, or dorm rules. Surely responsible adults must not be the ones buying these homes, if all of these rules are necessary. You’d think that there were shared walls within our community when “close proximity” is mentioned. Before you know it, they’ll be instituting specific “quiet hours”–oh, wait–isn’t that what they’re already doing?

When you live in a neighborhood with an HOA, you’re basically giving up your rights. Want to build a deck? Have to ask the HOA.  Change the color of your front door? Ask the HOA. Personal freedom? Not so much, if your community has an HOA.  Again, I get the purpose behind them, but in my experience most HOAs have way too much power, and are run by people who enjoy abusing that power.

I wish we had any other option. But when we were looking to buy our home, we discovered that every neighborhood in our metro area, (and I do mean every), had an HOA in place. Short of leaving this area altogether, we had no choice but to live in an HOA community. And even if we had looked to move elsewhere, I fear that HOAs are becoming increasingly common, and we likely would have run into the same problem in other areas, as well. It’s too bad that we no longer trust people to act like respectable citizens without policing their homes. And it’s also too bad that a minority of people who can’t act like respectable citizens have caused others to feel that this kind of policing is necessary.

You Haven’t Changed a Bit!

It occurred to me the other day, that depending on the context, the phrase, “You haven’t changed a bit,” isn’t always a compliment.

Sure, we like to hear that we haven’t changed, especially when it comes to our appearance, from those we knew “way back when.” But if those words are being applied to more than just our looks, I think we have a problem.

I recently ran across someone I knew from high school, (and even before), and those were the first words that came to mind–“She hasn’t changed a bit.” Yes, I was partly referring to her physical appearance, but it was more than that. Her attitude and demeanor, the way she carried herself, it was all just as it was 15 years ago. There’s something unsettling about someone changing so little since they were 16 years old, and I think it’s because it shows a lack of growth and maturity.

I hope that I’ve changed–and changed for the better. I hope that I’ve “grown-up” enough that people who knew me way back when would notice a difference in who I am. My basic beliefs haven’t changed, of course, but the way I approach the world has, and people should be able to observe that.

So, while people may long to hear those magic words, I really don’t think, “You haven’t changed a bit!” is a compliment, after all.

Quote of the Day

I know he was referring to the Cardinals recent situation, but I found this quote from right fielder/first baseman Lance Berkman in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch to be relevant to pretty much any situation:

“It’s rarely a good time to panic. And when it is, it’s usually too late.” Lance Berkman

Marine Week at Busch Stadium

It’s Marine Week in St. Louis, and that event spilled over into last night’s Cardinals game. Directly across the street from Busch Stadium, there’s an area known, (somewhat sarcastically to those of us who live here), as “Ballpark Village.” As nothing else is on that land, it was the perfect place for the Marines to set up their static aircraft display. We didn’t have a chance to go walk around it, but we did get a good view of it from the bridge connecting the parking garage with the stadium area.

The Marine Band played before the game, including one of my favorites, “Stars and Stripes Forever.” They were very good, and it really added a festive air to the pre-game rituals. There is also something very grand about seeing such precision in a musical performance–just a reminder of the great ceremony that accompanies everything military!

The Marines also present the colors before the game. There was something really cool about seeing them standing at attention in the outfield, in the middle of the players warming up–it was like they were oblivious to everything around them but their task, which, I guess, they actually probably were!

At the end of the National Anthem, there was a Harrier jet flyover. I don’t think I’ve ever been at game with a flyover before, although I’ve certainly seen plenty of military aircraft at all of the air shows we’ve been to. It was really cool to see them go right over the stadium, (although a few of our children thought it was a bit too loud!) and it certainly added a little something to the end of the anthem.

In addition to being Marine Week, the Cardinals were also on ESPN last night. Guess who showed up to be filmed for the filler shots?

In all the times I’ve seen the Clydesdales at Grant’s Farm and the Anheuser-Busch brewery, I’ve never seen them all dressed up in their finery. They attracted quite a crowd–even the police officer assigned to keep people at a respectable distance was taking pictures. They are quite a magnificent sight to see!

It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment decision to go to the game, and in the end, the Cards lost, but it was still a really cool game to be at–full of unexpected moments and very unique events!

Quote of the Day

“Football is to baseball as blackjack is to bridge. One is the quick jolt. The other the deliberate, slow-paced game of skill, but never was a sport more ideally suited to television than baseball. It’s all there in front of you. It’s theatre, really. The star is the spotlight on the mound, the supporting cast fanned out around him, the mathematical precision of the game moving with the kind of inevitability of Greek tragedy. With the Greek chorus in the bleachers!” Vin Scully