Home Rentership

I've always known that life would be easier if I lived in an apartment complex.  Someone would take care of the lawn, there would be help immediately available for most issues, and I might even have a pool.

But I've always wanted the freedom of a home.  It is my absolute dream to find the perfect house and be able to do anything I'd like to it.

Today is one of those days that I hate having a yard.

My yard is HUGE out back, and I have an alley behind that the grass belongs to me, as well.  Not to mention the front yard.  It's a very large lot.  Last week, I kept trying to mow, but it rained every other day, and the grass was never dry.  Finally, it was getting so high in some spots, I was barely seeing my short little dog Basil from the door, so I knew I had to do something.

I got the lawnmower out of the garage (one the landlords leave here), and realized it had a crooked wheel.  I kept trying to kick it back in place, and barely made it through the front yard.  It was SO hard to push that way, and I have an odd slope that is very steep in the front.  I got to the back and the mower kept shutting off because the grass was so wet and tall, which also made it impossible for me to use the broken-wheeled mower.  I flipped the mower on its side and tried to fix it, but the metal is actually broken.  The wheel is dangling there like a loose tooth.  I could move it about 6 inches before it was putting more strain on the metal.  So I stopped mowing, and the next day it rained AGAIN.  It rained twice this week, and this weekend, one of my sweet friends graciously loaned me her mower.  I loaded it up in my SUV and drove the few blocks back to my house.

It works like a GEM.  I mowed most of the grass!  But some is a little too wet still, so I will wait until tomorrow.  I'm crossing my fingers for no more rain.

Yard work is not one of my favorite onederful activities when its this difficult and HOT.  But, I keep repeating, "I can do this.  I'm an independent, onederful woman."  Haha.  :)  But it sure would be helpful to have a husband or a roommate to share in the work!

Here is how the yard is looking now.

Still have some work to do, but it is MUCH better.  And I can see my dogs!  This picture gives a nice comparison of how it looked before, though. (And aren't the trees amazing?)

My other least favorite parts of living alone are:
-Doing the dishes
-Remembering to do things like unplug the blow dryer
-Feeling sorry for my dogs in the kennel all day
-Not being able to watch scary movies

My real favorite parts:
-Privacy
-Walking to my room in only a towel
-Stretching out on the couch whenever I want
-Having complete say in what goes on the walls, and everywhere else in the house
-If I want to leave the dishes for a day, I won't feel bad.

And here's me before the treacherous lawn mowing.  I woke up early to go with a friend to the farmer's market in the big city. ;)  Then we ate breakfast at a coffee shop, hit up Dillons and Lowes, and drove around looking at the most gorgeous homes in the town.  We can dream, right?