Homebody

I spent the weekend messing with stuff around the house. After a crazy week at work, I didn’t really want to go anywhere or do anything. So now my flower beds have been weeded (again), my files are organized, delicious meals have been cooked and their leftovers have been packed away in the fridge, the laundry is done and my house is clean. Well, as clean as any house I’m in charge of cleaning will ever be. Which means there’s an untidy pile of magazines stuffed into a corner of the bedroom, doggie nose prints on the windows, and most likely dust bunnies under the couch. I happen to find doggie nose prints charming.

One year in to homeownership, John and I are definitely still loving our house. It is our oasis, our refuge, our palace. I love that we have a little back yard where Seamus can bask in the sun and dig the odd hole. I love how we’ve made it our own. Sure, we still have to sort out what we want to do with the wallpaper in the living room, the dining room/office is kind of a mess and we have no furniture in one of the guest rooms, but it is our place and it is great.

I do have a few questions that I’m hoping those of you who’ve had a house longer than I have can answer. First of all, termites. We had a termite inspection last year before we bought the house, and we didn’t have any. Now the company is sending us notices saying that we should get the house inspected again. Do we really have to do this every year? And then there’s the homeowner’s association. They sent us a notice saying that when they did the spring inspection, our grass needed trimming (possible, depending on the day) our shrubbery needed trimming (done) our tree needed trimming (also done) and our front steps “need maintenance.” Now, my front steps look fine to me. Absolutely fine! They’re not dirty. The railings are painted black and not rusty or anything. And that’s pretty much all I can come up with in terms of front step maintenance. In fact, I would say that my front steps look like my neighbor’s front steps. I called the management company and left them a message telling them I’m going to need a little more guidance than that. They haven’t gotten back to me. What exactly can a homeowner’s association do to me if we disagree about something they say I should do? Can they fine me? Can I ignore them? Anyone got any Homeowner's Association stories?