Can't believe I published without noting the greatest news of all: I can see the living room floor! And sit on the couch! Somehow managed to consolidate more boxes down than I thought I could, then camoflauged the rest with extra quilts. The living room is certainly not quite where I'd like it to be, but I don't have to blush for shame when the mailman comes to the door.

I wrote a thoughtful and profound post on same-sex marriage on Tuesday, IE locked up, and it is now gone forever, and I haven't had a chance to write it again. If I still have any thoughts on the subject after life and health insurance class next week, I may rewrite them (in Word) and paste them over.

Certified copy of marriage certificate has arrived! Now I can get Ohio licenses and ID in my new name and all that cool stuff. Only it would have been a lot handier if it had come yesterday.

Went on first grand shopping expedition alone yesterday. Got an elusive green garbage can and expandable silverware tray. And a lot of groceries to sustain us through life and health class. Including a frozen turkey, which I put in the sink in hot water and turned it on and left it running and forgot all about it as I went outside for another load, greeted DOB when he arrived home, etc. Came back in and found water running all over the floor, into the remaining boxes we haven't unpacked yet. DOB was very nice about helping clean up the mess, but I can't believe I still do things that stupid. Oh well, if I didn't I might not have anything to write about.

YR convention on far side of the state this weekend, followed by life and health class all week, so this blog is dormant almost as soon as it begins.

Household ramblings

The garbage disposal has stopped chopping altogether. I don't remember putting anything inappropriate down it. Whatever I did, I'm sorry.

I will never look askance at anyone who doesn't get their thank-you notes out immediately and all to the right people. Right now I would be doing well to find the thank-you notes.

Today I took a walk in the neighborhood for the first time. It's a tidy little neighborhood, with modest brick homes on neatly trimmed lawns. The sky was blue, the clouds were fluffy, the air was crisp and I like living here. Just the thing to rejuvenate me for another attempt at the pile in the living room.

Random housekeeping observations

I saw DOB off to work for the first time today. (Thus far he's either worked in the home office or I've gone with him.) I couldn't quite shake the feeling of being either a little kid playing house or of acting in a 50's movie (the latter enhanced by his handsome black fedora, "Stewart.")

After the arrival of 26 boxes of wedding gifts and a reception on Saturday, the house is worse than ever, but hopefully this is the high-water mark. I will go break boxes down shortly.

The one advantage to a small house is that I have to do the dishes and keep the cleared areas neat, or I cannot eat or sleep. The disadvantage is that I cannot move anywhere without tripping over boxes.

The dryer is sounding again.

Things I have plenty of:
Elegant glass serving dishes
Candles
Wall decor
Bath towels
Kitchen towels
Small appliances

Things I could sure use more of:
Counter space
Cabinet space
Floor space
Wall space
Space space
Food

Don't think this guy will move the Supreme Court, but sounds like a worthy protest anyway, if he can keep things under control. Allowing open carry but not concealed is ludicrous anyway--does anyone really think they'll allow everyone to walk around like John Wayne? Instead they'll just prosecute those who openly carry for breaching the peace or inciting panic. If they're going to ban guns, they should be honest about it, not do it by a morass of conflicting laws.

In Which We Encounter the Garbage Disposal

Neither DOB or I have had previous experience with garbage disposals, having been raised in composting families. But we think the neighbors might object, even though compost smells better than cigarettes. Thus, we continue battling the contraption.

It backed up for the first time shortly after we arrived after our honeymoon. We called the landlord and were given instructions to use a toilet plunger to unstop it. Fortunately we had been given a toilet plunger as a wedding gift by a thoughtful (even if adolescently-minded) sibling, and had not yet had any trouble with that end of the plumbing. So we unstopped it and went on our merry way.

It backed up again. We plunged it again.

It backed up a third time, right in the middle of cooking a substantial Sunday dinner (potato peels, alas, were too much for it). This time even the plunger could not tame it, especially not once we turned on the dishwasher and it spewed filthy water and chewed up bits of potato peels and not so chewed up bits of things we had sent down several days earlier, not only half-filling the sink with this mixture but shooting it over freshly-washed dishes. DOB having an aversion to dirty potato bits on his clean dishes, we abandoned the dishwasher and both sinks for the evening and used the bathtub for necessary tasks.

Late the next day the plumber finally arrived, took things apart, and disengaged several plum pits from it. Apparently these are not supposed to go down it. Also it wants way more water than either of us have the patience to give it.

Right now we are at a truce. We don't give it plum pits or anything particularly huge or gloopy, and it doesn't do more than spit and wimper and then swallow stuff down. And when I'm in an especially good mood I turn it on while I'm rinsing dishes. Today I narrowly rescued it from having to chew up a dishcloth, so I hope it shows some gratitude.

QOC ##==>

In Which We Create a Blog

Actually it is mostly I, Queen of Carrots (hereinafter QOC) creating it, because the Duke of Burgundy (DOB) is making the rest of his business phone calls for the day. And dinner is getting cold. But not too cold, we hope.

Thus far our Duchy extends only to one small and slightly smoky (due to a neighbor) two-bedroom apartment in Ohio, but we plan to extend it much, much farther. Herein we shall expound on the terms upon which we shall govern the world once we get there.