This means war

Remember how last month I got a bill from my doctor for a fee I'd already paid? And how I sent them a letter telling them that no, I paid the debt in May?

They just sent me TWO dunning letters for the same debt, one of them threatening collection.

I just e-mailed their billing office AND left an angry telephone message on their voice mail. I can understand a two or three day delay in posting the debt, but nearly two months???????

And in less sanguinary news...

Dining room and deck are basically clean. Sliding door is about to go to the hardware store for a replacement screen, and please wish me luck on doing so without the bloody thing falling out of the open rear windows on the car (I'm planning to drive at about 20 mph with the flashers on).

Mercedes Benz to phase out gasoline vehicles by 2015

Really.

Over Mount Tom and through the Flats

I drove, with a brand new screen door sticking out of Sapphy's trunk, flashers going all the while, as I learned that spline is not, repeat NOT, a good substitute for bungee cords. Fortunately I made it home with the new screen door still firmly in place, not flying out the back of the car into someone's windshield as I headed down Mount Tom.

It's white and the rest of the door installation is a sort of bronze color, but so what? The old screen door literally disintegrated as I walked into Home Despot to get a replacement, and it was most pleasing when the guy in the Door/Window section said he'd be happy to chuck the old thing into the dumpster.

Now, off to find food. And some way to stay cool in this nasty, muggy weather.

Ah, yes. Yard work

And in my last post of the day, here's what will be done to the Last Homely Shack and its grounds in about a month, more or less, by the good folk of Cotton Tree Service:

1. The hideous yew bushes and overgrown shrubs that ring the building will be removed. All of them. Including the rose bush that is about the size of Cincinnati and is threatening to engulf the neighbors.

2. The maple trees in the front and side yards will be pruned and shaped so the branches no longer scrape the roof.

3. The front and back yards will be mowed and mulched.

4. The gutters will be cleaned.

5. All waste and junk in the driveway will be removed.


The owner, Dave, said that mulching instead of putting in a new lawn will be much more ecologically sound, and mean far less maintenance. He also said that the trees in the back yard are in "incredible condition" and some of the healthiest trees he's ever seen because I haven't used pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers on the property, and opined that the soil underneath is likely very rich. At most, he said I might want to put in some ornamental plantings, but otherwise, let the soil and the land alone.

I will definitely post before and after pictures. It should be quite a contrast.