Starting To Sweat

I hate it when I'm in a bad mood on a Sunday. A beautiful Sunday, no less. I've been in this mood all day. I have a couple of reasons to be a little bit sideways, but none so big as to stick a cumulo-nimbus cloud over my head. Pumpkin is over in Boulder City, celebrating her mom's 60th birthday. She most graciously told me to stay home, as the time spent in B.C. would consist of, 1) Church, and 2) knitting. So, it's just me and the dog, a quiet neighborhood, the heat off, and the windows open. Things should be good but they're not.

Maybe it stems from a letter I got last night from my homeowners' association. We had received a note a month or so ago that our outdoor drip system was leaking through our backyard wall, and an unsightly stain about the size of a football can be seen on the outer half. We shut off the water supply, but never cleaned the stain. The letter last night informed me that I now have to attend a meeting before the board to address the situation. The stain itself will be easy to clean, but I guess I mistakenly thought my $132 in monthly dues might go toward, you know, actual cleanup of my neighborhood. How foolish of me. I'll just get a wire brush and some CLR and get to scrubbing. It's good exercise, actually, and it's something I can use as an excuse not to go the gym.

My problem is that I just don't understand the hassle. Why do I have to attend a meeting? I've owned this home for six years now, and I'd like to think I'm a prime example of an exemplary homeowner. Yet, I'll be the one in the klieg lights. Why not just a phone call from them? I realize that the board of my HOA is probably made up of retirees or people who either get ignored in their home or in their workplace. This is where they take out their frustration. I'm just pissed about it.

Pissed because I see and read everyday stories of people who plea and people who skate- people who've done much more serious things than leave a limestone stain. Lives are ruined and the the person responsible gets house arrest. Bribes are accepted, and the person receiving the money gets sentenced to a facility where they (if they wish) can get a free trade school education (paid for by me). Ironic that on the day you're supposed to show your faith, mine is nowhere to be found.