Lyrics not found anywhere else on the net

My three year old can read. She has this thing about wanting to read the song lyrics for her favorite songs.  Alas, her current favorite song's lyrics are not to be found ANYWHERE on the internet... and I know how to look for this sort of thing...quotes and all.

So, of course I had to take measures to remedy the situation.  Without further ado....

Splashing in the Tub
Album: Taxi
Artist: Music for Aardvarks and Other Mammals

Gonna wash my ears
and then my nose
and then my knees
and then my toes

and the water's warm
and full of suds
and I'm having a good time splashing in the tub

I'm splashing in the tub
I'm splashing in the tub
and the water's nice and warm
and I'm playing with the suds

I'm splashing in the tub
I'm splashing in the tub
I'm having a good time splashing in the tub

Gonna wash my hair
and then my face
and under there
and every place


and the water's warm
and full of suds
and I'm having a good time splashing in the tub


I'm splashing in the tub
I'm splashing in the tub
and the water's nice and warm
and I'm playing with the suds

I'm splashing in the tub
I'm splashing in the tub
I'm having a good time splashing in the tub


I'm splashing in the tub
I'm splashing in the tub
and the water's nice and warm
and I'm playing with the suds

I'm splashing in the tub
I'm splashing in the tub
I'm having a good time splashing in the tub

Writ and commit

We sign papers on Wednesday. For a brief time, we will be true owners of acreage! I say brief only because we will be handing it over to the bank so they will build us a house on it. :)

Cash will be tight for a while. We are typically a fortunate lot, a month ahead on our bills, and never have to worry about buying incidentals like middle-class clothes, sensible gifts for family members, organic meats, and occasional treats. Our expenses are low and we live within our means.

Our expenses are set to increase dramatically. First, little girl is going to preschool in a week! I can hardly believe it. Then, as soon as the bank approves the loan we will be shelling out a good penny on closing costs. For a few months we'll make interest-only payments on the construction loan. During this time we need to save all of our money for appliances and a damn fine snowblower. If winter has a fury, we'll need a set of snow tires too.

We can't even think about putting a new roof on our present abode (which must be done before we rent or sell).  Whew...  it is going to be tight, but worth it!

Down the road, when the old house is sold and the little one is public education (online), then we can breathe a bit easier. It's just getting there from here.

Fourth Strike

Someone beat us to it...  apparently while we were drafting our offer paperwork with our agent, the seller had already accepted an offer the day before. I spent a weekend in mourning. But, I'm not really that bummed about not getting *this* piece of property. I think I've been burned too many times to get attached to a parcel that specifically.

What really knocked me down was the total lack of forward progress. I feel like we've been chasing our tails for the past year with nothing to show for it. Well, not nothing... we are much wiser and a good measure more jaded.

So... when? How many offers do we have to make before one goes through? Sigh. I'm not giving up though... we are going to look at three more potential plots after work.

Pins. And. Needles.

We put an offer in on 20 acres yesterday afternoon. We didn't hear
anything back yesterday. First thing this morning, I checked online
and noticed that the property is GONE from my favorites list. So, I
pulled up the web listing our agent gave me and noticed that the
status has changed from "Active" to "Pending".

So... is it pending because they have accepted OUR offer, or pending
because they have accepted another buyer's offer??? They had recently
dropped the price dramatically, so it would not surprise me if they
received more than one offer. In addition, we offered just under the
newest asking price... what if this other speculated mystery buyer
offered asking??? Or, even offered higher than asking because it was
listed at a much higher price just a couple of days ago?

AHHHHH! I'm a ball of anxiety and there is nothing to be done about
it but wait for our agent to contact us. Though if we haven't heard by
9am I'm calling first... In the mean time, how am I supposed to have
a thought or breath that is not connected to this property? This will
be the 4th property we've made an offer on... if we've been outbid I'm
going to feel utterly defeated for quite some time. On the other hand,
if OUR offer has received the blessed acceptance, I'm ready to go out
and buy some little flags and maybe some string, and start planning
where stuff goes. :)

So, do I need both an Arena and a Round Pen, or can I just have an
arena and make it into a round pen with some movable panels?

This land?

There is yet another parcel calling for our attention. It meets most of our needs, while leaving a few question marks. In terms of the land itself, it the most lovely of all that we've seen. It has mature trees and open spaces. It has level areas and rolling hills. It is within my commuting range.

 The question marks are mainly those of access. It is nearly a mile down a private road which traverses 3 or 4 other parcels depending on how you draw the lines. Are these easements documented? In addition, this private road is dirt, in an area that can see heavy snow in a typical winter. Do they get snowed in? Can a small car make the journey?

 Nearly as important as physical access... what about access to cyberspace?

 Well, I've sent letters to 3 of the neighbors asking for information. If I get anything back at all I'll be pleased as punch. If their answers are not prohibitive I can start dreaming. Maybe, just maybe, we'll have ourselves some land. In my wildest dreams, it becomes a farm for raising hypoallergenic horses. :)

Watcher

I love to watch lightning. Too bad the storm passed to the south, we only observed a few flashes.

Little bug independently made the astute observation that lightning is like fireworks. I was happy to have her watching the skies with me for a bit.

It was a little bizarre to see a big storm to the south and a beautiful sunset to the northwest!

Test

Testing a post from email!

Quick notes for today:
*gelatin is the answer to my sore knee
*I get to ride a horse tomorrow!
*Need to get cash to pay for my riding lesson
*Wonder if I could persuade DH to go land hunting today...

Rural Requiem

So, we're trying to move out of the city and have a house built on twenty acres. I'm closer now in my life than I've ever been to achieving my childhood dream, having a horse. I know it sounds quaint, but there you have it. Because I can't sit around and watch dream become reality I've also started riding with a friend who has two lovely horses. I love riding them, though I have a lot to learn. I still feel super clumsy with the tack. Friday we're supposed to hear if the seller has accepted our offer. Then we start perc testing, surveying, etc. If the seller doesn't accept we will offer more money... my worst fear is that there is a more competitive offer on the table right now. Hopefully that isn't the case. I hope my phone vibrates in my pocket with the good news today, and I hope it does so at a time when I'll be able to check for the message/email/etc. I'm pulling 12ish hours today... work plus an extra project/favor this evening. I'll miss my little bug! Well, I must go hit the road. Latte on the way!

Sleep Bleep

Ugh. Little bug's sleeping schedule (or lack thereof) has me full of angst.

DH has always had issues with a 24 hour day. When he's the one that wakes bug, it's a recipe for disaster. She wakes later each day, naps later, then goes to bed long after I do. Then, DH stays up even later to get some time to himself, which leads to a big desire to sleep in, and the downward spiral continues. Now, I wake her on the weekends and can sometimes make corrections. But, why bother when its all for naught by Wednesday?

It just doesn't seem right, not to mention what an agonizing transition we will have come time for preschool.

Le sigh. At least I can vent a bit. If this is the worst problem to face our family we'll take it and count ourselves fortunate.

I'm pretty worn, I've worked a couple of extra hours each day over the past couple of days. I've also missed out on a couple of hours of sleep prior to each of those days. I know many people in this world work more than the standard 40 hour week, but I've always enjoyed not being one of them. On the bright side, I've been learning some awesome software.

The worst thing about working extra has been my inability to contact anyone associated with lending, building, or selling us 10 acres. Business hours and such. Maybe I'll make a few calls during the day tomorrow.

So, all of the important things seem to be moving extra slowly, and I wish I could take a nice long nap until they arrive.

In the mean time, I've enjoyed a round of texting with Bug. She sits on my lap while I type in Word in huge font. She reads every word I type, answers the questions I type, and begs me to type more words! Funny, she seldom pays such close attention when I'm talking to her. The mommy filter is strong with this one!

Not yet...

It is slightly too early to go to bed, though I'm exhausted. I finally slept better last night, but one night does not make up for an entire week of crappy sleep. I had some stress/excitement lately which ended quite well. But, it also threw me off. Something about my internal rhythms just has not recovered...

I had a dream last night about an old friend. I was trying very hard to hang with her, to be interested, to *be* friends. She was friendly, and there was nothing negative about our interactions. But, it was all forced. I felt so thoroughly uninspired. The feeling has clung to me all day.

I live my days looking forward to the next thing. But, in friendland, I'm not sure now if another letter will reach me or not. I'm not sure if a phone call will come my way.

Though I hesitate to pin my joys on material things... there is more of a sure thing for me to look forward to. At last, in roughly two days, I will be in possession of an android smartphone! I cannot wait. I suppose I'll just keep looking forward to that and all else will be or not be at its discretion.

Imbolc Observed

I have always intended to celebrate more of the wheel of the year events. While I don't consider myself Pagan, and have no belief in any personified God(s), I do have a great appreciation for the universe. What better way to celebrate that than to observe our planet's own cycles? This has been my thinking for a couple of years now but I have never practiced this intention until today.

I began by finding the Celtic station on Pandora. Next, Little Bug followed me from room to room as I lit candles. Then, we planted six varieties of herbs. Bug was a big help. She brought me seed packets, dropped seeds in the cup, and cleaned up the dirt and water on the kitchen floor. Last but not least we ate some fruits and veggies while coloring springlike pictures.

So, if for some reason spring does not come, no one should blame us. :)

Merry Imbolc, and may your spring be on its way.

Le sigh

Times like these, I really wish I had a dog, a real best friend like dog. I would need a dog unlike the one we had when I was a kid... She was a great dog in many ways, but callous. She had no tolerance for my tears. If I ever wanted her to get off my bed or leave the room I had only to fake a few sobs and she was gone. That is not the kind of dog I need. I need the other kind. I envy people their dogs.

New Year

Another update from the depths of intermittency.

Child: Her mental feats continue to amaze. She can spell more words now, read more difficult text with greater fluency, and uses an extensive vocabulary. I'm starting to think about preschool, wanting a great one that will support her abilities without making too big a deal out of them. Of course, paying for it is a whole different matter...

Friend: I am very fortunate to have received two letters from Basic, and I get plenty of updates from her husband. She is presently under the impression that she will be based close to home. That outcome is awesome enough that I am not sure that I believe it. Rather, I suspect it is a ploy of her superiors to boost her morale. I hope to find myself wrong in the future.

Self: Still casting about for some purpose. I did gather some gardening supplies today, and have a vague intention of planting some herbs. I have made a few efforts toward writing as well. I hope my will to continue continues. Lastly, I'm reading some Joseph Campbell and considering watching the content of my dreams more closely.

So concludes this update.