three: the one with smoky the cat

so this one time rachel h had made us a great dinner and had put some bread in the oven to make garlic bread. mid-bite we realized that the toast had been left in the oven and was now completely burnt!
we promptly opened the windows and back door to air things out and then returned to our dinner. out of no where rachel jumps up and screams "CAT!" and sure enough a stray cat had found its way in the back door. her scream frightened the cat back outside but since rachel has a soft spot for cats she quickly put out a bowl of milk and lured the cat back in.
the cats gray color and the foggy condition of the house led us to name the cat smoky. from time to time we still see him lurking around... probably hoping for another bowl of milk!

-sarah

two: the one where they pee in the alley.

we have a small patio out back: bricks laid unevenly inside a concrete wall, a gate that doesn't quite shut properly, and a creepy fake owl on the fence of our neighbor's garden.
we absolutely love it.


in the early spring days here at 1302, we sat outside at night, savoring the sudden change of temperature and our ability to feel our apendages again after a frigid winter. we bought some chairs and a little table (another story to come about those purchases) and, in lieu of a fire pit, a big ol' tray of candles. it was all just about heavenly until we heard a strange noise on the other side of our concrete wall: a trickle of liquid. where was it coming from? was someone washing their dog down the alley? had a fire hydrant opened up? was it starting to rain?

"is someone peeing in our alley?"

as the days got warmer, the heat pushed the scent through our gate, confirming that indeed, our alley was a prime outhouse in the neighborhood.

we're still in the process of testing a number of experiments to determine what will most effectively deter the alley-pee-ers. so far we've tried yelling, "hey, are you really peeing in the alley? we live here you know!" that didn't seem to do much. so tonight, rachel and i sat on the back (cooling down after our intense yoga workout) singing "the sound of music" and "somewhere over the rainbow" at the top of our lungs. if that doesn't cause the pee-ers to turn right around... well, we have no hope.

suggestions?

-rachel h.

one: the one where we meet the authors.

it all started with hard wood floors and exposed brick walls, a guy named aaron, and drinks at fado's.

before we knew it, it was january 1, 2010, and we had signed a lease. only 2 of us had jobs in the city, but our hopes were high. since that cold january day, we've had not a few adventures, and the list continues to grow. and because our lives are just so spectacular, we felt the need to share.

rachel h: she's our favorite barista and she can be yours too! she can't have dairy but let us just say...she is opening our eyes to whole new world of non-dairy products! she loves to travel and live in the city, eat avocados and drink tea out of handmade mugs from germany. dance party? no problem, she'll bust a move and possibly flash you if we're at a wedding!

rachel k: she's come a long way from the town that's famous for its new year's eve pickle drop. her fantastic decorating taste has made our house look like it's worthy of being in the anthropologie catalogue, even though nothing is actually from there. she's our household gardener, she dreams of having her own bakery, she loves her new chucks, and she's on a first-name basis with her local starbucks barista. buy her a newcastle draught and you'll be her friend forever.

sarah: a short and sassy redhead, she knows a lot about michael jackson, and looks great in leggings. she has almost every episode of "friends" memorized, and her sentences often start with, "did you see the one where...?" her preschool students have created some prize works of art that hang on her bedroom walls. and she's never met an aussie snack she hasn't liked.

crystal: you'd think that someone who hails from Vermont wouldn't be as cold as she always is. she comes from a long background of mennonites, and likes to eat animal crackers. she often comes home with various bites and scratches inflicted upon her by her students. we, as her roommates tell her to quit her job almost everyday!