Life is a little overwhelming lately.
Our 2001 CR-V has, we think, reached the end of the road. For a long time now, starting it has been erratic. We finally figured out that it had to do with the auto-lock going crazy and disabling the starter. After watching countless YouTube videos, Don figured out how to get around it, but it doesn’t always work, so he hasn’t been using the car except to start it (when he can) and drive it a bit. He’s afraid to drive anywhere where he would have to turn it off because it might not start again.
Yesterday, he drove it to recycle and the muffler started acting up. It’s now hanging by a thread. We’ve patched that exhaust system so many times that it’s insane to try to do it again. Pouring more money into it seems ridiculous. It’s depressing.
My car is overdue for a 30,000 mile maintenance and the dealership is about a half hour away. Because of COVID concerns, I called them to ask the best way to do it. They said to make the appointment at least a week ahead of time, drop it off the night before and it would be ready at the end of the day the next day. That would mean that Don would have to follow me there and bring me back. I held off because of the starter problems on the CR-V, not sure if I would be able to commit to an appointment if Don’s car wouldn’t start.
I’ve been wrestling with this for a few months now. And now the CR-V can’t be driven.
We’re also about to nail a tarp to the shed roof – the rear of the roof is leaking because the strong winds around here have damaged those shingles (but not the ones in the front of the shed.) And there’s a leak from somewhere on the porch roof that is rotting the wood around our front door. We spent yesterday trying to figure out where it’s coming from and doing some caulking. Since we’re due to get very heavy rain tomorrow, we’ll see if any of the caulking makes a difference.
And this week we have to figure out insurance – whether Don’s eye treatments will be covered, and whether I can find some good dental insurance.
I’m getting more and more tense just writing this!
We need to work. We need some money coming in so we can deal with all of this. I am absolutely sure we’re not special as so many others are dealing with the same kind of concerns. They’d be concerns no matter what, but in the middle of a pandemic? Everything is more complicated.
I’ll end on something cute – our neighbors have chickens. We hear the rooster every day and we’ve had glimpses of them at their feeder. The other day I looked up and about 5 of them were in our yard and our woods. I called my neighbors to give them a heads up. (We didn’t mind them being on the property, we were just concerned for them.) I talked to the daughter who is the one raising them. She has ten! And they were surprised by one of the chicks being a rooster. Anyway, it was fun to hear their story and how surprised she was to discover they all have distinct personalities. I saw them in our yard again yesterday, but I didn’t have my camera with me. They’re really beautiful! (Don now wants chickens, of course.)
We call the rooster Mr. Pickens because his call sounds exactly like the “Whoo-hoo” cried out by actor Slim Pickens at the end of Dr. Strangelove.
Stay safe.
Happy Sunday.
Now I see why you have been anxious.
Can the car place let you have a loaner? Or could a friend follow you to the car place and take you back?
That would solve 1 worry.
It doesn’t replace the CR-V though.
It seems there is always something to worry about but 2020 has been throwing alot of it at us at once. At least a vaccine sounds like good news and maybe things will be getting back to normal by summer.
Stay safe
No to a friend. Enclosed car even with masks on? I don’t feel comfortable with that.
Thanks, Marilyn. Stay safe!
Oh, true. I wasn’t thinking about being in the car together. 🥺
xoxo
What if you ride in your friend’s car with masks AND with the car windows
down?
It’s pretty cold here – asking someone to keep the windows down might be a bit too much! We have been very, very careful during the pandemic and there’s no way to social distance in a car.
But thank you, Maryanne.
Stay safe.
It’s funny, cute, sad, and ironic about Mr. Pickens and Dr. Strangelove. That movie seemed far out at the time. Little did I know how spot on it was then and now. Also cute the chicken mom didn’t know one was a rooster. Guess they couldn’t hear his morning song. :-). I’m so so sorry for the shitstorm of car/house/shed/insurance/etc. We have no idea how many people are suffering in 100s of ways due to the situation brought on by Covid. The news reports numbers but very little about how much everyone, those who aren’t sick, are going thru. Knowing that you are loved and appreciated by many does not pay the bills or take away the worry. I hope that at least you can get to the tree lot to pick up your tree. I’ve seen reports that sales of live trees this year are eclipsing the recent past. For some reason, that gives me comfort. Stay safe and take good care of yourselves. XO
No, she didn’t know one was rooster because sometimes baby chicks aren’t sexed yet – this one wasn’t. So they didn’t know until he got older, but well before he called out.
We plan on getting our tree on Tuesday, Nora. We need some sparkle.
Stay safe.
We have three vehicles. I was driving a 2001 Honda Accord up until this past May. It started having problems and we knew we couldn’t rely on it anymore (much like your story), so after much research and negotiating online, ended up buying a 2016 Honda CR-V. Brian drives a 2008 Toyota Corolla that now has 263,000 miles on it. It still runs just fine but has obvious wear and tear things on it and rattles a lot underneath. So we kept the Accord as a back-up. Well, now the Accord won’t turn over. We tried a new battery. That wasn’t the problem. So the car is in the shop. We figure it’s either the starter or the fuel line. Who knows. If it costs a fortune to fix, we won’t do it. We’ll just scrap the car. And then have to cross our fingers and pray that Brian’s Corolla lasts until the CR-V is paid off.
I hope you can figure out what to do with getting back and forth to the car dealer. I guess having a friend take you (masked with windows cracked open?) or Ubering would be your options.
Sending you a big hug. These times are anxiety-producing.
xoxo
Oh no! I feel for you, Melanie. Our CR-V is old – 20 years old – and it’s been used a lot, including 3 cross country trips. We don’t have a garage, so the car is rusty. It’s a miracle it was still kicking until recently. We aren’t driving all that much right now and my car (thank you Dad) is in very good condition. I think I’ll get the oil change I need at the tire place in town and wait on the rest as we surely aren’t putting on many miles.
No Uber around here – we’re in the country.
Thanks, friend. Stay safe.
well … crud! that’s a lot to deal with, none of it fun, even just one thing, let alone all at once and especially while all the other big and scary stuff’s been going on in the world. you don’t deserve that. wish i had solutions to offer.
i will keep praying for you!
better days are ahead!
stay safe and take breaks to do something nice for yourselves! maybe check on the chickens?
hugs and prayers,
kathy in iowa
We worked hard nailing a tarp to the shed roof – we’re tuckered out. But we accomplished our goals!
Thanks, Kathy.
Stay safe.
That is just an awful lot to deal with any day, much less during a pandemic. I am sorry I have no solutions…all I have is sympathy. It’s the burden we all face at one time or another when dealing with well loved, but aging and high mileage vehicles. We’ve been lucky, in that my husband is a mechanic by trade, and that has surely saved us over the years. But, it added an extra burden to his days and sometimes his hours off.
Interesting chicken’s story…how fun that they wandered over to your property. Raising chickens could be fun…think of all the fresh eggs you’d have! Stay safe! ;)
Forgot to mention how much I love that view of your living room. What a neat perspective! ;)
i agree, donnamae … any time of day, especially in the morning and most especially when life matters pile up … to be greeted by such a cozy, comfortable and comforting space and be able to call it home! :)
claudia … things will get decided, done, better!
xo
kathy in iowa
I hope so. Right now, it seems pretty bleak!
xo
Thank you!
We have a good mechanic, but with a car that’s 20 years old, there’s only so much he can do!
Stay safe, Donna.
Oh, believe me I know. We’re trying to keep our Tahoe running til next Spring. Every time we go to start it, seems like something else goes wrong. Fingers crossed! ;)
xo
Would like to send you my husband Thomas round the corner. He’s a car mechanic. Would only cost a meal from Don’s cooking, after repairing the car😉. Could be different causes, and an automatic car can’t be pushed to start. There is no way to read out the car’s computer in distance but there are some ways to bridge an automatic system. Thomas is a real expert in cars and would guide Don, if he could do it.
I ‘m so sorry for this nasty difficulties even during this pandemic, it’s disgusting. I wish I could help (can I ?). Give a sign, may be its an idea via email or phone, Thomas can speak some american english and has knowledge of technical expressions in english. You choose, all the best, Helga
Our car is so old that there’s no computer, Helga! The real problem is the exhaust system. It’s rusted out and I think it wouldn’t be worth it to repair it. But thank you so much! And thank Thomas.
Stay safe.
2020 is not over. We just keep trudging thru… I too am having issues with my vehicle starting. I have taken it in twice for that problem, but is starts just fine in the shop. The first time was here in my own garage. Probably had the vehicle for 2 years at that point, then about a year later, on the hottest summer day ever, anxious for the AC, it wouldn’t start. That was over a year ago.
When I got an appointment which took 2 weeks, they said it could be 1 of 3 things. All 3 costly and they didn’t want to just pick one yet and told me to bring it in the next time it wouldn’t start. I just turned around and said to the other technician standing there “how do I do that if it won’t start?” They both just looked at me!
Yesterday, it did it again. Fooled around with it a bit, even opening and closing the door and finally it said ok. Both Gary and I were good with vehicles, actually he is a pro. In our younger days, we built and drove race cars. Neither of us were good enough drivers, so we hired a driver who could actually win races. And now, all the new computerized controls require you to take it to the dealer so they can hook up to their diagnostic equipment. Makes me want my old 1977 Camaro back. That was a reliable car.
As for the leaks. I am hoping the caulking holds up here too. I don’t want to ever have another skylight! Ever!
Take care…
Such a pain, leaks! We’ve had several over the years. Finger crossed for your caulking and mine. And good luck with your car, Kelly.
Stay safe.
Maybe you could borrow a car from a friend?
Other than that I would use Uber
Yes we understand about house maintenance
It sees for us it is always wooden shingle repair or wood rot
Try to hang in there
We’re in the country – no Uber here, unfortunately!
But thank you, Linda.
Stay safe.
Here’s my saga. I broke a tooth the day before dentists reopened. Had a root canal and then a crown. A month later a water pipe broke on the second floor and water poured into our cellar. At the same time we had a sewer line backup. Plumber and contractor came next day, no water upstairs for ten nights so sofa sleeping . After the drain man left at 930p next night , our oldest dog suddenly looked very ill. Off to ER after hours vet. 130am on the way home/25 minute drive. Get home he vomits blood. Back we go to vet. 440am were told he has HGE, haemmoragic gastroenteritis, an often fatal disease. 3 1/2 days in ICU he’s ready to come home. We go to pick him up, get off the highway and our 19 year old Honda Odyssey sounds like a B-52. Hospital bill $4,000. Days later we get the word the exhaust system, catalytic converter blown. Replacement $5500. Not doing that. The only thing we care about is that our dog is ok. Even the vets were amazed . And so it goes. One just never knows.
Oh my gosh Barbara this is awful
I pray circumstances will get better for you
There are no words , it is a lot to deal with
Yes on top of a pandemic
Thanks Linda, we’re good. I haven’t been in a store, only doctor appointments since March 4. My sister does shopping and errands. I’m so grateful our dog is okay. We have another 16 year old Honda that needed some repairs this year for about 1/2 the other’s cost so hopefully that will keep going. Another funny thing is we have friends who bought a house in Portugal in March and had tickets to move in November. We were going to buy their vehicle but now they cannot get into Portugal bc of Covid. We’re just going with the flow.
Oh my goodness. I’m so sorry for all of that, Barbara. You’ve had quite a saga. I’m also very happy your dog is okay because that, of course, is the more important thing. Do you have two cars, so that at least one can be used?
Bless you and your sister and your dog!
Stay safe.
Thanks , Claudia. Our back up car is a 16 year old Honda Element that has an ongoing, expensive oil leak. I was telling Linda I had the great idea of buying our friends used vehicle bc they bought a house in Portugal and were due to move mid Nov. We never had a used car but we trust them. Then Portugal declared a covid “state of calamity” and no Americans are allowed in. So now the friends have a house they cannot get to. We are so grateful that we have an excellent ER vet close by- by Bradley airport bc our little guy would not have made it otherwise. I hope you & Don stay safe as well.
I always liked the look of the Honda Element. I’m sorry you couldn’t buy your friends’ car. It’s always a risk when you buy a used car, but knowing the owners well helps a great deal.
Take care!
Even without a pandemic, a lot of these situations would be so much to deal with!! For you and Don, though, perhaps there would be $$ coming in with jobs. This is all so awful. And to think that so much of this could have been avoided if the government would have actually stepped up back in Feb/ March. They still act as if there is no problem. Oh, I can’t wait……………..
One thing that was fun this week was seeing the bits and pieces of Broadway shows during the Macy’s parade. It made us realize how very much we are missing real performances. I heard someone on the news the other day explaining why they were traveling, and they said that since there is a vaccine, they feel much safer. ???????????? If that is a tact people take, we are in for a horrendous few months ahead. So ridiculous.
It’s a sad thing to acknowledge but our government abandoned us in terms of COVID. I know all of this is stressful and to us, it’s scary. But so many people have far more to worry about, making their rent, being evicted, standing in food lines. NONE of it had to happen. It helps me to keep things in perspective when I realize what others are dealing with.
Really? They’re traveling because there’s a vaccine that we don’t have yet but that makes it okay to travel? Yikes.
Stay safe, Chris.
Sorry for your troubles! Hope you can find a good solution for your car problems. Some car places give free loaners while they are working on your car…
I know you two will find a way as you always sound so resourceful! Good luck!
I’ll check into the possibility of a loaner, Ellen. Good idea.
Stay safe!
I was just about to comment on this when I heard the bulletin that Joe Biden was taken to the hospital….oh my god. It is his ankle….thank God. Please wrap him up in cotton. He was playing with his dog and slipped.
I slipped and fell on my tailbone and although it happened two years ago….suffer sometimes from what was a stupid careless accident. As far as cars….I face the same dilemma. I didn’t drive my car for months….just started it up now and then until one morning it was dead. We jumped the battery and now I take it for a drive every other day. I had to get my car inspected and was told I need four new tires. 1300 dollars. Okay…Merry Christmas to me. No dental insurance and need implant, Happy New Year. I
think I AM BECOMING A RECLUSE BUT I HOPE FOR BETTER DAYS FOR ALL OF US.
I hadn’t heard about that. Thank goodness it was just his ankle. I’ve hurt my ankle a few times in the past several years. It’s very easy to do. I had to get two new tires during last year’s inspection. I suspect I’ll get the news that the other two have to replaced this time. I am so sorry you have to deal with no dental insurance and an implant, etc. I know I need at least one, if not two crowns or an implant. How do they expect us to pay for these things on a fixed income?
Please take care, Maria and stay safe!
Claudia, have you ever thought about getting a Patreon page? Or maybe starting a YouTube channel? I don’t know, something to think about?
Hugs,
S
I’m not comfortable with a Patreon page – it seems everybody is doing that and I think it’s great if you provide valuable content, but this is just a blog and it just doesn’t feel right.
YouTube? It’s not unthinkable, but again, everyone is doing that, too!
Thanks, Sue.
Stay safe!
I don’t like being the person always having a similar story, but here I go. I’ve been telling my husband for months that the left side of the kitchen sink isn’t draining well. He’d kinda look at it; fiddle; no change. Calling a plumber is not only expensive but it’s Covid-time which is NOT the time for people coming inside the home. So, last night, big load of dishes (what else is new), and as the dishwasher drained in its cycles, this side of the sink started filling up, up, up. I was freaking, and this was late at night; we decided to leave it alone, dishwasher was almost finished. Husband tackled the sink this morning after, yes indeed (as he said, “Thank GOD for the internet [sometimes]!”), spending a couple of hours with youtube fix-it videos, he did this & that including plunging and, cross my fingers, the problem is MAYBE solved. (I feel that we do a lot of ‘bandaids’; not really long-term solutions, but it’s just the way it is at present.)
But if it’s not this, it’s always something else. I always have to remind myself, “Mature life, Vicki; we’re adults now.” Was much easier when I was younger with fewer obligations and no assets like a home (but also with a newer, more trouble-free vehicle).
We have FOUR paid-for, ancient wrecks for cars and it’s too many cars although we’ve gotten the auto insurance down to the most minimum as would be wise, the motor vehicle department fees aren’t steep. I need to sell my car I bought in 1974 but I never do. We have our two basic heaps, one for him, one for me (they’re both from 1999). The wild card/spare is from 1996 and it’s a lot of ‘iffy’ at the current time and a smog certificate is required for the motor vehicle annual renewal, so we’re putting this car, temporarily, as ‘non-operational’ in designation, and we just won’t drive it for a time, mainly because my husband doesn’t want to go thru the whole smog inspection thing with these other folks in & out of the vehicle (potential Covid exposure), especially when it might not even pass inspection (we went thru this last year and it was a more than a half-of-a-day endeavor with multiples tries to see if would pass the smog tests); clearly, a balance of priorities, and this car is low-priority for us and we may even decide to just scrap the car and not put any further money into it.
(Of course if one of our ‘main’ vehicles had an issue and needed repair or maintenance, we’d just take our usual Covid precautions and go to a shop but, with everything these days, it’s a matter of assessing each individual thing that keeps coming up and how we choose to handle it while we have an out-of-control epidemic controlling our lives.)
My rear yard and hill is the biggest mess it’s ever been in for over six years. Money is too tight to call the landscape crew who’d normally come twice a year at least, plus we don’t want to have to interact with the xtra humans due to Covid. (My husband’s sinus congestion is so bad that he can’t go do the work himself right now with so much dry growth/weeds.) There’s a lot to be done around our home and in our home but I know we keep saying/waiting for Covid to be less of a threat; as if to say life will begin again as soon as, as soon as, as soon as (the life-on-hold thing). We’re like you; my husband needs to work for his sanity, even in retirement, like for money; purposeful work. (Two things, for his brain and also for our pocketbook.) His freelance work never got off the ground due to Covid. We’re in the middle of a whole-house ‘remodel’ (not remodel per se; primarily just ‘home improvement’ mode) and it’s all just STOPPED because it means money and it means many trips to the hardware store, etc. and, what can I say, we’re ‘safer at home’.
We’re all going to be playing a lot of catch up in 2021-2022, that’s for sure. We’ve lost time. But then I think of all those who’ve lost their jobs, who’ll lose their homes, who’ve lost their LIVES. So, we play by the rules, we do what the disease experts say to do. IF we go out, we mask up, glove up. We find contentment and relief in staying home, knowing it won’t always be like this; stay patient, stay safe. Same old song. For now. Have to retreat a little and not mourn the lack of forward progress so much. And scale everything down, also for now. Live ‘small’. No big Christmas gifts. Stick to the budget. Think again, regroup; modify/recalibrate short-term and long-term plans. We ARE mature adults(!!); we can do this; we’re the ones doing the required, right things.
Unlike our neighbors who probably had 45 people at their house yesterday. We watched the cars line up, parked up & down the street; twelve in numbers of cars as one group after another joined the household, in & out of the home, filling into the backyard with a ‘jolly jump’ and rented chairs/tables. All for a two-year-old’s birthday who won’t even remember it, and–yes–an unwillingness to do that so-important, scaled-down event and not go full-bore as they chose to do. This family has been doing these get-togethers since at least June. Huge extended family; very social. Big baby shower; celebration of another child’s First Holy Communion; other holidays. As if Covid is nothing. A virus which only exists for other people, not them. And none of the family or their guests wear masks.
As well unlike with my other next-door neighbor, we actually get along with THIS homeowner just fine and I wasn’t mad as I usually am this time; I just felt chilled to the bone, looking at all these people carrying in food and wrapped gifts, clustering/greeting/hugging, thinking with angst, “I hope you all don’t die. Because you could; you’re taking a horrible risk.” Mommies, daddies; the children; the babies. Because it would be tragic; they’re mostly all young in their 20s and 30s, these young parents. But it was multi-generational and there were also people who drove up who seemed to be in their 40s & 50s (maybe parents; aunts & uncles?); and I know the grandparents are in their 60s.
These are precisely the home gatherings that are spoken of again & again on the evening news; the spreader events. And as apparently Dr. Fauci said on Meet The Press this morning (I haven’t seen it yet; I recorded it) or at least it was the impression of a friend of mine with whom I was speaking over the phone (who also said Dr. Fauci was so very serious and seemed actually sad), we’ll see the fallout just in time for Christmas. So, of course, we need to buck up and prepare ourselves for what more we’re going to hear reported on the news shows about the pandemic because it will be the most-grim news yet, when too many people weren’t careful enough over the 4-day Thanksgiving Day holiday here in the U.S.
I’m just glad I have my bubble. I try to imagine the stress of going out to a job right now but hopefully all intelligent, working people are wearing their masks. But the spectre of surge-on-top-of-surge is really sobering.
Claudia, to your immediate and very understandable woes, there’s no way to trust the crossover for the trip to the shop for your car? Could you chance it if the weather was good; and, if the crossover did die on you, you could always call uber? Do your good neighbors/friends (Doug?) with the dog have an extra car you could use and then disinfect before handing it back over to them? Do you have any kind of lack of use benefit on your car insurance to where you could temporarily rent a car, like a member benefit? For the little bit that you’re even driving your later-model car (your dad’s), could it go past its due date for awhile yet, on the checkup, since you’re really doing nothing to abuse it with such a small amount of mileage these past months?
Let’s hope the caulk at the front door will do the trick and that the tarp will stay in place. We have three sheds tarped and the Santa Anas are really messing with them. The wind just pulls out the anchors. We actually rather severely trimmed a newbie tree in the front yard because we thought its anchors were pulling up and we didn’t want the wind to break the trunk of the tree.
If it’s a rainy week, a good time to be indoors and further research the insurance. You’ll feel so much better after you get this resolved.
I was so churned up in the night that I sat up straight, turned on the bed lamp and just made a list of everything bothering me, hoping it would help me sleep. “The Worry List.” Write down each dilemma, what’s the worst that could happen, how can you solve if it’s solveable. For the moment, you’ve then done the best you can do, maybe things will look different in the morning; but, in the meantime, go to sleep.
Gosh I feel for you. These are the small stresses which build to really ramp up anxiety, so be gentle with yourself. My dad would say you can’t chew down the mountain all in one bite, so take one thing at a time and you’ll figure it out. I hope and pray for an ease to all these headaches so that you can enjoy the tranquility of Christmas in these coming weeks. I’m so sorry that you and Don both have to have the worries. Work on it hard these next few days and then get your Christmas tree with a clear head but also let it soothe you further. You’ll so love getting out your vintage ornaments to decorate the tree. Get some glowy light around you, and I’m about ready for some carols, too.
It’s clear from so many of the comments on the blog that we are all in the same boat – not just coping with living in a pandemic, but driving older cars that we’re trying to keep running and dealing with repairs, etc. There’s a comfort in that.
I am so looking forward to getting a tree and decorating. I can’t wait to see little white lights and our vintage ornaments and the outdoor lights draped on the porch railing. I’ve never felt the need for Christmas more strongly than this year. It isn’t about the presents – in fact, we’ll spend modestly – it’s about the spirit and magic of the holiday.
Take care, Vicki, and stay safe.
Beautifully said. I always enjoy seeing your photos at holiday time and what you do with a tree! Really is sweet how many people in my rather dense neighborhood have already put up their outside Christmas lights; indeed cheery.
I mentioned my neighbor with the big party over the weekend; well, he apparently had so much trash afterward, inside his house and in his backyard, that he took it upon himself to fill up MY barrels after he’d filled up his own. He did this after we’d put our barrels out to the street on Monday night, for pickup on Tues/today. You’re never supposed to do that with the city trash service; you don’t take anything out of somebody else’s barrel and you don’t put your trash in any other barrel than your own; it’s a local ordinance. Technically, I could report him.
You know, he coulda asked! My husband and I are very careful recyclers and I don’t appreciate that this guy paid no heed to what should and shouldn’t be recycled (and mixed it all up with our bin). I’ve read so much about this sort of thing; how just one soiled pizza-delivery box can taint an entire load of recyclables like plastic-cardboard-etc such that the company buying the recyclables will reject it and then there’s no alternative but to put it in the landfill, which is what we’re trying to avoid. What was the point of us being careful in the previous week, tearing down boxes/cartons, rinsing out cans and bottles, etc. only to have this dude completely wreck our ‘load’ with all his garbage-y stuff? So incredibly RUDE.
Anyway, I had to calm down about it. He had JUST done it when I went out with one last bag at 8pm and then I now had nowhere to put my own last sack of garbage after he helped himself to our barrels. But I also realized I was out there with no gloves on and I’d touched the same handles/lids which this guy had just now touched (he of the no masking; no distancing; host of the ‘no-no’ large gathering; a potential risk to ME to ever be within 10 feet of someone who is careless with Covid like this; we are still cautioned to be careful about surface contamination), so I was careful coming back into the house and then about scrubbed my skin raw to make sure I was ‘disinfected’.
Again, it took me awhile to power down; I was really pissed. I always look at myself and think about how I’m reacting to things; could I choose to react differently than I do (like, in this case is ‘trash’ worth getting so upset over); but, of course, it’s about so much more than trash. The guy is likeable enough, as I’d said, although he wouldn’t be a friend-pick for me in any other circumstance. Am just struck by a certain lack of neighborliness but I guess it happens in all large neighborhoods; people are just too caught up in their own thing to realize how what they do affects somebody else.
xo
xo