Skunk vs. Skippy

We had a phone call tonight from our young friend C..... seems a skunk got into their yard and sprayed her two dogs. Most of the skunk-stuff got on Skippy, but her other dog Molly got some of the spray as well. C's mom was on her way to Kroger to buy tomato juice, which works on taking the skunk odor out of a dog or cat's hair. I don't know how much tomato juice it takes to bathe two dogs, but thankfully, C's dogs aren't that big.

C was worried that Skippy would jump into their pool to wash off the skunk odor, but I told her that I didn't think the dog's mind would work that way. C's dad is at his job in Louisiana.... he misses all the good stuff, as C said.

Both C and her friend L stopped by here yesterday, collecting soaps and cosmetic items for the local Battered-Women's Shelter. (How sad that our society even needs such a shelter.) C was collecting the items as part of a Girl Scout project. I went through all the bathroom cabinets and dug out all the free-sample products I had and never used, plus I had some cosmetics that were give-aways from my friend S who sells Mary Kay. By the time I was done, I had filled up a little shopping bag for C.


We went to Babbo Bruno's tonight for dinner.... haven't been there since the second week of May when we ate there for our anniversary. We were happy to see K there, but sorry to hear that C and her family have moved to New Mexico because her husband got a new job out there. It was a quick move, with just a two-day notice, so we didn't get to say goodbye. I can't imagine having to move three kids, a dog and a cat, and a houseful of furniture in just a couple of days. Not too long ago when we went to Babbo Bruno's, C had tears in her eyes and I'm wondering if she had an inkling back then that they would be moving away. Very sad....... K will miss her a lot....... and we're all hoping that C and her family will do well in their new home.


We're still talking about the "big house" on the lake..... We've compared the price to other houses that have sold, and this one is (again) over-priced. The owner is in a bind, and must sell this house..... he used to work for Enron, and we all know the end of that story. That's why this house is up for sale. Nearly a year now that they've been trying to sell it. The original price was way higher than the current price, but even with the reduction in the selling price, I can see why it's going to be a hard sell-- the kitchen is smaller than what you would expect for a house that size, and the taxes are higher than you would expect for a lake house. They could've kept the taxes at a more reasonable level by opting for three bedrooms instead of four, and by leaving out the small half-bathroom. The garage is also super-large, with room for three cars.

The reality is that the house is what it is, and that's not going to change. My feeling is, if we're going to consider that house, then put in one offer and only one offer, way less than the selling price, so it's more comparable to the other lake homes that have recently sold up there. If the seller is indeed so anxious to sell, then he'll accept the offer and we'll have a great house for a reasonable price. If he refuses it, then so be it. He'll either be stuck with that house for another six or ten months, and after that time, he'll be willing to take our low offer, if we're still interested in it at that time. I just can't see coming up to his asking price when we're "settling" for a small kitchen and making do with the higher tax bracket this house is in. Clearly, this seller built more house than was necessary, and it's just sad that Enron burst his bubble.

As my sister keeps saying.... "Relax-- in two months, this will all be over." And she's right--- in two months, we'll either have a weekend home, or we won't. I'm getting just plain worn out by all the looking, discussing, figuring, planning. It seemed so easy a month ago when we were in the house on top of the mountain in the Hill Country. I knew that the magic of that house would wear off once we drove back down that mountain.