Yin and Yang

Life is so much fun. The wonderful Mr. Ozawa exceeded expectations in dealing with the gutters, soffit and eaves and the drainage situation. It rained for days and the basement is dry for the first time in years. He'll return tomorrow to discuss the next step in wrestling Grey Gardens into submission. No animal sightings except for the three hundred flies hanging in my bathroom when I returned from Vancouver Saturday night.

I figured out that the flies were actually promoted maggots who had been dining on whatever dead animal was stinking up my bathroom. It was under the floor boards, and they used the hole in the bathroom floor from the removed radiator to "move on up." I think they were part of the "jobs saved or created" group.

I felt like Tippi Hedron in "The Birds" as I ran to open the window and then slam the door. A half an hour later most of them were gone.

Today, I got thrown out of Whole Foods because the manager noticed Eddie and Lulu in the baby carriage, I refuse to leave them tied up when we walk to Whole Foods, and had no idea it was illegal to take them into the store in a carrier as opposed to all the real human babies with dirty diapers.

I was terribly discouraged, so I decided to walk down to the next shopping complex and have a bagel with cream cheese, a real treat. After walking with the dogs and the carriage for fifteen mintues, I was informed that the minimum for a credit card was ten bucks. No cash. Saved from the calories! Walked home.

Got an email from the gal on ebay from whom I had purchased some Hermes clip earrings. She sent me the receipt from ebay. It had the wrong address on it. She also sent the ebay instructions for delivery which had the wrong address on it. Somehow the earrings were sent to South Carolina to an address where I stayed briefly last December. I checked my ebay and paypal account and found my address was correct. After three phone calls and more than an hour on the phone, i finally got ebay to agree they made a mistake and they will refund the money to both the seller and me.. I called South Carolina. The post office said the mailperson had left the package on the front porch at the address. I called the agent who handles the villa. She called the cleaning woman who not only had the package, but said she had opened it and had the earrings. Soon I will have them. Maybe.

Then i went to pick up Ullrich's car at the mechanic because I am without transportation. The wonderful mechanic had ordered parts for my recently deceased Honda del Sol, which Ullrich totaled on Monday, and I told him I would pay for them anyway because I knew he had put the money out. He said he could return the two that weren't special order, so it only cost me a hundred dollars. So honest. So sweet.

Speaking of honest and sweet, the housekeeper at the great hotel where I stayed in Vancouver, the Opus, called me back as I left the room to tell me I had left some money on the desk. I told her it was for her. Should have doubled it. More honesty. More sweetness.

So, up/down/up/down. Always interesting and fun. Plus my clients last week from Perkins and Will and Busby Perkins and Will were the best.