Fun with Firefighters

About two weeks ago, B and I went to the associate party at a fellow attorney's house. When we pulled up, some folks were standing outside and said we couldn't go in. We laughed and said whatever, and then they said, no really, you can't go in, the carbon monoxide detector is going off and the fire department is on the way. Sure enough, a big fire truck pulled up a few minutes later to check it out. They brought a full crew in a full size truck, and the guys let us explore it while a few went inside with the carbon monoxide meters. After a few minutes, they came out and gave us the all clear; the detector seemed to be malfunctioning. We then went inside and enjoyed the party.

Fast forward to Saturday afternoon at our own house. B went upstairs to take a nap, and I was watching Band of Brothers in the basement. Suddenly she called me up and said, the carbon monoxide detector in our bedroom is going off. I thought maybe she was playing a prank on me, as what are the odds of that happening twice in one weekend?!? However, it really WAS going off, and we weren't sure what to do. I changed the batteries but it kept beeping and telling us there was a carbon monoxide problem. B then called a non-emergency fire department number, and they said to call 911 and get out of the house. So, B called them and we went to sit on the front steps. And once again, we encountered a giant fire truck pulling up to a house! The guys were in full gear, and they went in to check it out. Also once again, the detector was malfunctioning - their meters read zero. Odd. I took the batteries out (the beeping drives Matty crazy), and decided to buy a new detector.

Now that we're back from our NY trip, I decided to try the old one again, just to be sure. Lo and behold, the stupid thing now works fine! I guess I can take the new detector back. I feel a little nervous that maybe I shouldn't risk it, but we have detectors on the main floor and in the basement as well, so I think we will be okay. I hope so anyway, two visits from the fire department is plenty for me - and I'm sure for our neighbors as well. :)

Oh Matty

One of the great things about the new house is that the backyard is completely fenced, which means we can just open the door and let Matty run around freely. She loves it, and so do we. However, I've always worried that someone would come by and open our gate, and I think that happened last night. I stumbled out of bed around 6 this morning to let Matty out (hitting my head on the stairway arch on the way down - nice). I opened the door and off she went. I was going to just let her hang out and go back upstairs for a few more Zs, but for whatever reason I decided to bring her inside. I opened the door and called her name...and called it again...and again. She didn't come, which is odd...and then I noticed a white flash near 42nd Street (not our yard for non-Minneapolitans) and realized she had escaped (I didn't have my glasses on to make things worse). I tore up the stairs and told B what happened. We both ran out and got into our cars, as once Matty starts to run, you can't catch her on foot - she is insanely fast.

I headed north through the alley and spotted her running north on 20th Ave. I followed her as she tore down the street (literally, I was driving fairly fast and she was flying ahead of me). She ran through our neighbors' yards, terrorizing the early dogwalkers and regular walkers. She ran up to some poor lady's fence and started going nuts at her dogs - she tried to control her dogs and I kept yelling "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I can't catch her." Oh, I was in my PJs to make it even better.

After terrorizing those dogs, she was off again, running over to Sibley Park. Immediately, I spotted a big problem - a woman walking two dogs with a stroller. Matty of course saw them too and off she went. The woman yelled very loudly at Matty, and I again was shouting, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, she won't hurt you" and the poor woman said, "yeah, but my dog WILL hurt her." I think I mumbled something like, "well, she pretty much deserves it at this point." The poor woman's baby was screaming at this point, but she kindly offered to help me by giving me her cookies to tempt Matty. Matty didn't buy it and she continued to run off through the entire park.

Fortunately, B pulled up at that point, and she managed to corral Matty - I'm guessing Matty was tired by then, as she really was running fast and she ran a long way. Plus, she just listens to B more than me. I was quite relieved that B caught her, as I was really scared she would be hit by a car. She doesn't really stop to look for cars - she just runs. I saw her fly through intersections where cars were coming. Yikes! I really, really didn't want to see our dog killed this morning (or any morning or time for that matter). So, knowing B had her was a huge relief.

We all headed home and tried to calm down (it really stresses B out too, to the point where she becomes ill). After a little while, Matty tried to make peace with us by cuddling, but I wasn't having it yet. I love her, but I wasn't too happy with her. I'm sure our neighbors weren't too thrilled either. I thought about posting a general "missed connection" on craigslist apologizing to all she might have run into - especially the poor woman with the baby. I'm really sorry folks!

Later on in the day, I received flowers at work. The card said, "I'm sorry. Love, Matty." How can I not forgive the dog after such a kind gesture (thanks B, that was very sweet and very cute of you to do)? I really do love that dog, but boy is she a challenge at times. I'm not sure why she loves to escape so much, as she has a good life with us (right now she's completely sacked out on the couch next to me - guess that run WAS tiring), but it's something we have to live with - it's just who she is. And we wouldn't have her any other way. :)

I love our house!

So, as many people know, B and I closed on our new house on April 30, and we moved in on May 16. The move went pretty well - I highly recommend Local Motion, as they did a great job. Probably more expensive than some companies, but all of our stuff arrived in good shape - that's more important to me than saving a few bucks.

Anyway, we LOVE our house! It's not 100% set up yet, as we need to do some real organizing (moving books, hanging wall art, etc.), but I think it looks pretty good. I love the paint colors we chose, and I just love the feel of house. Plus, it already feels like home, which is awesome. We even put up a rainbow flag for Pride - how fun! Oh, the pets seem really happy too.

I thought I would miss Saint Paul, but so far I really don't. Our neighborhood is great - we can walk to great places to eat, we can walk to a great park with a wading pool for Charlie, we can walk to Lake Hiawatha - it's just really great. Our neighbors seem pretty cool too, though B doesn't like that two of them are constantly outside, wanting to chat. They actually invited themselves over one night, which was a little odd. Overall though, things with the house and the neighborhood are great!

In amusing news, we've definitely encountered those first time homeowners situations in which we had no idea what to do about something. For instance, one day B came home and the laundry room floor was all wet. She thought maybe I had mopped before work but quickly realized I hadn't, as there was a standing puddle. After some confusion about where the water came from, we realized the lint filter on the washer hose was so full that when the washer drained, water sprayed all over the laundry room! Not a big deal as the room isn't finished, and really sort of funny. B also figured out how to install a light over the sink - she was frustrated at first but ultimately did a great job. I'm sure we will continue to encounter tons of these situations. I only hope they all go as smoothly as the first ones, but I doubt it! :)

In other home buying news - congrats to Kristin and Danette on the purchase of their new home! Welcome to the club!