But Will I Set off Airport Metal Detectors?

[bec_87rb]

Remember how my sister fell down our front steps and hurt her foot? Turns out the problem, that horrible noise she heard, was not a bone, but a tendon on the top of her foot snapping. When she went in for xrays recently, the little bones at the base of her toes had moved around without that connective tissue to make them behave. Tuesday, she is

Comments

[chhinnamasta]

So sorry to hear about your sister and hubby, but good to hear they both came through their respective operations ok. Hope this is the last foot mishap for your sis. She's done both feet now, so hopefully this is the end of the foot torture for her. Maybe sprinkle some holy water on those demon stairs of yours?

[bec_87rb]

Holy water seems appropriate. I have already called in a crew that denuded them of their villianous tentacle vines. Next step - scrape and repaint. I have the wire brushes and the paint, just need a day or two with no rain.

[chhinnamasta]

Have you performed the exorcism yet?

[bec_87rb]

Nope. I haven't even repainted - for weeks there has been rain nearly every day. We did get a crunchy granola landscape guy to look at the front yesterday. "I just like to see the terrain and let the plants dictate where they want to go." Dood. I have to send him some electronic photos of yards we like so he can get some idea what the plants are telling him, I guess?

Funny there is a volunteer eastern red cedar tree that he was itching to remove, but didn't want to say so, because they are native and favorable to wildlife. He just reminded us several times that they carry some kind of rust fungus that means we can never plant anything in the rose family in the yard, and what a hassle it will be when it comes down with the rust, etc. The last consultant, who was more industrial and less hippy, was just like, oh, yeah, first we take this thing out .... XD

[chhinnamasta]

Do you want to part ways with your eastern red cedar? What do you want your landscaping to look like? Is this for the front or back yard (assuming you have both)?

[bec_87rb]

I wanted it when I mistook it for one of those little field cedars that get to be maybe 12 feet high. Once he tells me that, yep, it's a real tree and will be 40 feet tall and 15 feet wide, I suddenly felt murder in my heart, yes. It's too close to the magnolia, also, and they will begin to crowd each other in a few years.

This is front yard.

[chhinnamasta]

Big trees are beautiful, but those root systems are murder on the foundation!

[bec_87rb]

Will you please tell my husband that? There was a cherry tree or a mulberry tree literally a foot away from the front of the house, and when I had it cut down, you'd have thought I cut off one of his feet.

[chhinnamasta]

We have a show up here on HGTV called "Holmes Inspection" -- contractor Mike Holmes inspects houses that have passed a regular home inspection, and gives them a "Holmes inspection". His critical eye never fails to unveil a multitude of horrors. All houses that make it onto the show are apparently on the verge of killing their inhabitants. Mike Holmes then swoops in and saves the day with his crack team of contractors.

Perhaps your husband could benefit from a dose of Holmes? Some of the episodes vividly depict what happens when root systems invade your weeping tile system or otherwise interfere with your foundation. Good stuff *wink*

Don't know if you'll have access, but up here we can view full episodes of the show for free at:
http://www.hgtv.ca/video/#holmesinspection/video