You can get a home improvement loan, but I don't recall the workings of it, but yeah they do. I also know of people who've gotten a credit card for home improvement projects. They then buy the stuff on the card, and once that project is paid in full, they either get rid of the card, or start a new project.

home equity loans.

refi - and add X to the morgage. but you only do this once you have so much money in the house. most H EQ loans let you pay interest only foever, until you refi again ...

and round and round the circle goes....

That is how we will get a master bedroom. and grow the kitchen . but there is an area of inbetween.

This plan works if you don't plan on moving

or you are in a crazy realestate market.

Heh. We're not really that shmoopy, but I am often amazed at the awwwwnes of our coming together.- There is this other really cute part where after deciding we should be more than friends, but before doing anything about it other than getting sweaty, when Mr. H decided to make more-than-friends official, but was really nervous because of my committment issues so he was all "I don't want to freak you out or make a big deal, but what would you say if we thought about maybe trying to start dating?" and I'm all confused because of the round aboutness and "What? What do you mean? Each other?"

Also I keep meaning to say condolences to Anne, but when I'm in a not so good place anything to do with death gets locked away in my brain for it's own good. Anne, I'm sorry for your and your family's loss.

bt, tell Brendan to start baking a carrot cake so he doesn't get overwhelmed.

Yeah, I can see that one working. "Back in the kitchen, beeyatch!"

When people have major things done, do they get loans? How does it work? A cheap kitchen remodel job is still about 20k, and I'm probably lowballing. Do people save that much somehow? How do regular adults do this? My parents did, and still basically do, everything DIY, and almost always with ready money.

Home equity for the really big stuff. For expensive materials for jobs that we can *theoretically* do, we often do the six-months or one year same as cash deals on the Lowe's or Home Depot credit card.

I can't complain because our house was only 15 years old when we bought it. Except for the cheap ass materials--from the gross faux wood trim to the cheap cabinets and sinks. Redoing the trim is taking forfuckingever. If we had $5 K in ready cash, we could just hire it done.

(Anne) my condolences to you and your whole family.

I {heart} the how Heather met Mr. H story. It always makes me smile.

Had a lovely day. Will get chatty about it in a moment. A tiny half lot might cost about half a million in my neighborhood but I love it here... I can't afford to own, but I love it.

Anne, I'm so sorry to hear about your grandmother. Strength and peace to your mom.

You know what sucks the most about the electricity suddenly going off in the middle of a bad thunder storm? Not fumbling for my cellphone in the pitch black, not using the tiny light on the cellphone to find the candles and matches, but it is not having invisible friends to talk you through it.

Today Deb G. and a t cue gasp of horror non-b.org friend of hers were in San Diego today. I picked them up from the Hyatt this morning and we dropped off their luggage at my house before heading out into the day.

Spent some time at the farmer's market. Booty for me consisted of lots of flowers, some gorgeous greens, a couple of avocados and shiny little jewels of yellow cherry tomatoes.

I got a little greedy with the flowers, thinking that all of the pretties should be mine. I ended up with three bunches of lisanthium - one white, one deep purple and one mixed white and lavender, two stalks of tuberose that are gorgeously fragrant and gently wafting through the house, a bunch of deeply red Gerber daises, some speckled astromeria and then impulsively some slightly sad yellow freesias because their season is long over and I won't see them again for a while. $25. It was a nicely even $20 but the freesia lured me.

Then the zoo.

The new Heart of the Zoo is open and we saw the warty hogs and the clouded leopards. I didn't see the crocs but then it is a whole new section so I don't know the layout yet.

Then it was Tiger River and the fishing cats who were napping instead of fishing. Jabba the huge male hippo was out today too.

Pandas were dead panda lumps but still leathally cute. Cat Canyon was the last destination and there were some gorgeous kitties. Though many were dosing in the siestaness of the afternoon.

After, as we were meandering towards the exit, we watched a male Spanish Ibex challenge and then beat the hell out of a suspended log. Given that there was a female next store with a wee little babe, I'd say that his instinctual urges were doing their job.

Did not see Kat and lori, though they were there in theory and no signs mentioned them being off exhibit.

Came back to the house for a while before my guests needed to be chauffered to the airport. So we sat sipping lemon water and listened to Deb's stories.

Once I got back home, I made myself a light supper of the yellow tomatoes, some fresh mozzarella and a drizzle of hazelnut pesto over farmer's market greens. All washed down with some Prosecco.

I have doors and windows open everywhere, a few candles lit around the house and life is feeling pretty damn good right now.

That sounds like a wonderful day, Cass.