Join Me in Snarkville

I see in comments a few ideas, allow me to assure you that most of them have been considered and rejected for a number of reasons.

1. A compact fluorescent?  Oh yes that seems like a PERFECT idea.  Except it appears that the shape of the sconce and it’s size doesn’t allow for the slightly larger fluorescent bulb.  I’m assuming that the sconce is circa 1975 or maybe mid-80’s, but it is made for approzimately a bulb the size you put in your fridge or oven.

2. A suction cup on a stick?  Interesting idea, do they make them to grab bulbs that are upside down inside a sconce? I wish this was a can light at the top of the stairs, but alas it is not.  It is a real live sconce where you shove the bulb deep inside it.

3. A larger ladder?  That’s actually not the solution as we have a 20′ extension ladder.  The light is positioned directly above the 3rd and 4th steps (give ot take 20+ feet).  The right ladder for the job would be a ladder that is made for stairs, one where one leg can made longer than the other.  However, we go back to those ladders aren’t cheap and we don’t own this house.

What this lesson has given us (along with countless others) is a short list of things we will want in our next home.  I bring you that list.

1. Absolutely no ivy.  Would prefer neighbors to not have ivy either, but will deal if the ivy is far away from property line.
2. No lights of death.  If we can not figure out how to change the light bulb in every fixture with a single glance we walk. (oh, and the answer to how to change said bulb must be safe.)
3. The house must not be owned or ever owned by a contractor.  Seriously, I think half of Frankenhouse’s issues are that it is made up of parts and left overs from other jobs and the projects were done so quickly to get back to work nothing was ever done with love and care.
4. I will not have a high maintance yard.  I want to see open spaces in the beds where things aren’t growing.  I want grass, because frankly it is far easier to mow grass than it is to cut down the overgrowth in the backyard.

Asking too much?

In completely unrelated news, Prince was working more yesterday and took great pleasure  in chipping rose bush branches.  There is something satisfing about chipping those up.  Since we have something close to 10 old growth rose bushes, I think we get lots more of that.  He also found another hydrangea (one of my favorite plants), it was completely covered in weeds and overgrown plants.  The state of the compost heap is 2/3 full, the yard waste bin is half full (would be less, but not everything was chipped before going in). And while that is really probably a total of three yard waste containers we’ve dealt with, it makes really on the minorest dent in the state of the yard.