10 Unrelated Domestic Ponderings

1. If I wanted to, say, cut down some trees on a boundary line so that I can see a hermitic neighbor's pond more clearly - do I actually need to *ask* said neighbor for permission? The trees are mostly dead. I've never met him. The trees are not near his house, and neither will they make either of our domiciles more visible to the other.

N.B: I'm not asking if I *ought* to ask the neighbor. I'm really just whining about whether I *have* to.

2. Is it normal for service people to make one's life more difficult than easy? I've waited two months for the estimate for replacing the heating downstairs, TWO YEARS for a sink repair (to be fair, they have to totally recast a custom-made sink) and two weeks for a returned phonecall for tree pruning. Also, I was getting some painting done at the house we have on the market, and though they quoted us three days, it has now taken a full week. The garden beds that were supposed to be set up in front of the garage have been delayed by a month, and the "once a week" lawn mowing is happening more like every 10 or 12 days (yeah, that's right, Handyman Dan. I'm grumpy and pregnant...and watching the grass grow).

3. Is it a bad idea to leave the television in the baby's room? We don't watch it very often, but it's the only place we have to watch VHSs (see Domestic Pondering #10).

4. Is there some connection between testosterone and the leaving of bathroom cabinet and kitchen cabinet doors open?

5. If someone says to you when you're 8 months pregnant,"That dress makes you look HUUUUGE!," how would you take it?

6. What makes tartar sauce, tartar sauce? Is mayonnaise the only crucial ingredient? So, for instance, if I wanted to rip-off the the ancho chili tartar sauce that they serve on the amazing fish tacos over in Washington, are there any other elements I need to consider?

7. How come so many people say "I could care less," when clearly what they mean is "I couldn't care less?" Am I the only one that hears this?

8. Why is it that my darling stepdaughter scolds me for not buying energy saving lightbulbs but then throws piles of clean laundry into the dirty laundry basket? Exactly whose energy are we trying to save here?

9. How could I have lived this long before discovering the deliciousness that is cherries? I never ate them before - except for that one time when I shared a bag with my brother in the back of Nanny's car on a long roadtrip, and even then it took me like three hours to get up my courage and try one. I was afraid of fruit as a child. Perhaps I have answered my own question.

10. Why don't kids' movies have songs anymore? Toy Story 3 is a funny alright, but hearing the kids quote lines isn't nearly as fun as belting, "I wanna be a man, Man-Cub..."

Such. A. Good. Song.