a home of one's own

i installed gutter screens with meticulous attention over thanksgiving break (and even blogged abt it here i think). for those who are pondering similar work effort in the future, i'd like to say that perhaps stapling them down in place is a good idea cuz all but 2 of my screens on the front of the house remain in place to date. every other one was blown onto the yard by the wind. and not even gale force wind at that. i am talking about the plastic gutter screens that come in 3 ft X 6" strips.

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bought two house plants for my living room. *now* the house feels like a home... what a little greenery will do to liven things up.

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ever since the mailbox incident i was worried about leaving the house unlit during the weekends at night....or worse, while i am traveling. a visit to the home depot has eased my mind to some extent.
i first looked into the kind of timer that you have to install in place of a light switch. but that proved expensive (the model i chose was $33 but could be programmed to do all sorts of fancy things like variable timings on different days etc.) later, by chance, i found one that you plug into the wall outlet and then plug a floor lamp into it. you use the dial to set the on/off times (allows two different settings). it cost me $6.97 + tax and works well enough for my needs at the moment. and best of all, i didn't have to deal with electrical wiring/circuitry at all.
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! toilet bowl cleaner alert!

the bath tub drain is clogged. i bought drano foamer but am not sure whether i should use it, given the uncertainty on its effectiveness as well the long run effects it could have on the plumbing/septic system.
esp. since i was informed by two plumbers about how those blue tabs we use for toilet bowls (to keep them clean and sanitary) are in reality very harmful for the toilet mechanism and the septic system even though the product descriptions assure us that they are completely safe. i've decided to call a local and trusted plumbing supply store before i use the foamer. of course i'll post the verdict here.

**update**: called grover's and they assured me that the drano foamer is safe to use. i trust their verdict implicitly. haven't had chance to use it yet but will surely blog on the effectiveness of said product in the next.

so last night when i returned home at midnight i found an empty beer bottle in my mailbox lying patiently on top of the day's mail (only junk mail, no real mail - and i am trying hard not to become completely paranoid right now).
i took it out of the box and in darkness, tried to first figure out what it was. dumbstruck in disbelief. soon enough neurons began to fire and message packets were delivered from one corner of my brain to another - lines of internal communication were restored. i took my mail out and put the bottle back in the mailbox. stood in the flourescent shadows of the pine tree in my back yard. and wondered what to do. then i came back into the house, closed the garage door and stayed awake till 5:18 am (the last time i checked the time).
today i called the president of the homeowners association and told her my story. about a harmless drunken prank that could have severe implications if left unaddressed. about my powerlessness in being the victim of a faceless trespass/crime. she understood and let me vent. was immediately on the phone with the suspected perpetrators, the renters from nextdoor. in 2 hours, two college kids were on my front porch - smelling of beer at 2:00 pm (it is after all superbowl sunday) and apologizing for the wrongs of their guests, their brothers/sisters-in-arm. i smiled loudly and accepted the apologies, gracious up to my eyeballs. not that i had a choice. i did make a case that we try and be civil and respectful towards each other; pointed out that we all have something to lose in an all out war.
but let's face it - being renters, what have they really got to lose if they were to take this up a notch? i live alone. i travel frequently. the house is unlit and unoccupied for days. i am the proverbial sitting duck.
meanwhile, a beer bottle is rolling around inside my mailbox.

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i have often wondered how people in this country live the way they do... tricycles on front yards left upturned for days, garage doors open for long hours with no supervision, cars parked permanently on driveways. the very same country currently that's near paranoia over identity theft. credit agencies are spreading word to householders that someone somewhere is going through their trash to get at confidential information, when their unlocked mailboxes stand day and night, tempting the criminal intention. how does this system function? is it just a matter of time before the whole structure collapses onto itself? how could it not be?