True friends will never desert you. Just an aside...carry on.

I just got something in the mail that really upsets me.

When my mom died, I inherited some stuff from her. Minivan, condo, and two seriously ugly-ass building lots in Cape Coral, Florida. I know they are ugly. I've seen them. I guess some people would like them, but they're awful, tiny, weedy, sandy things across the street from a man-made canal. I don't know why my parents bought them - investment of course, and perhaps at one time they intended to build and live there. Tell you what, it was one of those deals where you get a free couple nights in a hotel if you see a sales pitch, and these are not the actual lots they bought; there was a whole big scandal about it back in the 70s. I don't know what they're worth; not as much as they used to be worth now that the housing market in FL stinks. She used to get offers in the mail for $40K or more, but now they've stopped. So I figured I'd hang on to them for a while hoping the market would improve - don't even know if anyone would buy them now.

Now, the mail. The city of Cape Coral has decided to run water lines and of course us lucky lot owners have to pay for it. It's about $5,000 if I pay before Oct. 23. After that, it'll be $17,000.

I dunno about you, but I sure don't have an extra $5K laying around. Heck, I'm not even sure how I'm gonna come up with the $1K in taxes for the condo due at the end of July.

So I thought - well, this would be a good time to at least put the lots on the market and see what happens. But I can't even do that 'cause they've not been probated yet; they are not in my name. I have to pay MORE money to a FL attorney to get to where I could even sell the lots if I wanted to. No idea what that would cost. I guess I ought to find out.

This is just one of my periodical FREAKOUTS about money. I do this every now and then.

Did I mention that we just bought a water softener and a new air conditioner? And hubby wants to buy a new travel trailer plus of course a tow vehicle for it? OK, I kind of want one too -- we love "camping" and the kids aren't gettin' any younger y'know. (It's not really camping if you have a/c, a queen-size bed and a microwave, is it? :))

I'm the one that makes sure all the bills get paid on time. It's not exactly a low-stress job these days.

So offer a coulpe free nights in the camper to whoever buys the lots.......

Juniper, I think you will be surprised to find out those little lots are worth a hell of a lot more than you think, even in this depressed market. You need to have them appraised. If you can sell them off you could probably buy all those things you want.

Not upset per se, more like melancholy.

I really miss the people at my old job. They were so much fun. We used to laugh and laugh, sometimes so hard we cried.

Here and now, erm...not so much.

Hmmm, blue, I feel your pain. Mine isn't about the cow orkers so much, though of course I had forded some deeper relationships at my old job. We laugh here. I just miss feeling like I was in charge of my job and I owned my job and if good things happened it was my doing and if bad things happened it was my fault.

Here, sometimes, I feel like I'm just starting out at the MaCDonalDs.

Yah, I know what you mean--things are just kind of happening, and you have no control or over them, or much input into the process. It can be very unsettling.

Juni - you could easily borrow the money using the lots as collateral. As Merc advises, get an appraisal (which will happen anyway if you take out a loan against them).

Call a real estate attorney in the area and get some advice about the water assessment. I didn't know you could assess utility infrastructure costs against land owners unless it was in an association. Something seems funny about that. Especially the $5k now or $17k later. Honestly, it sounds like a scam.

Quite common for the local town/county government (or one of their insidious "authorities") to decide you need water, sewer or sidewalks, and you have to foot the bill. It's common for it to be cheaper for those required to pony up the money now, as opposed to those that join in later, or make them wait until the property is sold and the lean satisfied.

Phone and internet still out at the dar household. grumble grumble

My boy is wounded.
I'm not worried about it marring his beauty - he's not a showcat and I'd love him one-eyed and battleworn.

But it's the first time he's been hurt.
And (to a tiny, weeny degree) I feel like a parent whose child takes the skin off their knee while cycling or skating. I'm hurt that he's hurt and I grieve that he will always know that the world is painful from now on.

Stop smirking behind your hands, you owners of cat-brawlers.
It might look like strawberry jam in the photo, but this is a significant gouge for the tiny Diz cat. It wouldn't have taken much more for it to come through the other side - you can see right through it.

I don't know if it's another cat or if the boy squeezed into too small a space and did a coyote. All I know is he is NOT going out of my sight outside again. Nope, no way. He's just not bred to be robust enough for it.

I'm bathing it in salt water. And pretending to lick it clean while doing so (making licky noises by his ear as I swipe it). Well it works when cleaning his ear with a pokey stick, now Dylan of blessed memory is not here to do it for him.

Tell him ....

"Suck it up ya Nancy!"

I have a few outdoor cats and they strut around a lot like they are the kings of the neighborhood. Occasionally one of them will get a whooping and come back with a good gouge or three. They tend to stick close to the house for a bit, heal up, and then get back to their routine.

He'll be just fine catmom - just don't embarrass him in front of the other cats.

An A/C unit at the lodge had a compressor go out. Today's estimate was 5,200 bucks. Fuck.

Some SHIT STICK stole my brand new gas grill last nite. I only used it 3 fucking times. SHIT!!!!!!!

Ugghh!!! That totally sucks Fargon. sorry to hear that.
Where was it? How? When?? Were you away?