Thank you!

feels slightly less clueless.

The water depends on how the system is set up. Also, if it hasn't been turned on in a while, it might need to be primed, which would mean that water was possible, but turning on a faucet wouldn't actually do anything.

As for the generator, just about everywhere is hooked up to regular electricity. (Rural Electrification Act in the thirties to thank for that.) It's possible that there are some houses with their own generators, but I've never seen one outside TV and movies.

And yes, screens on doors and windows to keep out bugs. Possibly a screened-in porch, too, depending on what sort of house this is. I don't really know Alabama bugs, though. I can tell you that Louisiana had fire ants, which burn like hell if they bite you and were a huge surprise to this northerner who expected her biting insects to be flying, not crawling.

Fay, my father grew up on a farm in rural Tennessee (north of Alabama, but still the south), so I got to hear about the, um, joys of that life. It was an old house and never did have electricity or indoor plumbing. So, if it's an OLD house that's been deserted for a while, it probably wouldn't have any of the modern conveniences. There would probably be a pump in the kitchen for water, one outdoors, probably a well. There'd be an outhouse, rather than an indoor toilet. There might be oil or kerosene lamps and there might be some cans with the last dregs of fuel.

And it'd be hot. Also probably humid. In a deserted house - depending on how long it'd been vacant - you'd have insects, assorted wildlife would have moved in (mice, squirrels, snakes, maybe raccoons).

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!

Happy Anniversary to Laura and her DH!!!

ooh! yes! happy annivesary!

And have people checked out Google today?

♣♣ Happy St. Patrick's Day! ♣♣

We went out last night. Pizza at our favorite joint, without kids.

What they said above about the water. Without electricity pumps don't run except for manual kind and they likely would need to be primed to get running if not used in a while.

I don't know anything about old farmhouses.

Parent Hivemind: I'm talking to someone today about a nanny share arrangement - the family, not the nanny. What questions do I need to ask? (I know the basic financial arrangements [but not what they're actually paying her], basic time arrangements, vacation & sick leave, that they own two dogs [so my monster is not a problem for the child or for them]),etc.

I think the deal breaker for us would be cost issues, because I'd like to retire someday and still want to be able to send some money in that direction.

We very briefly looked into it in LA when we were there, but it was very brief - mainly because of cost. Plus, for me and just for me - I speak for noone else - I preferred the idea of Em being in a daycare because I felt like it made the people watching her more liable. If, God forbid, something horrible happened to her while there, I would own a daycare. (This is not based on any real application of the law.)

Sparky, not a parent, but I'd be wondering about sick-day arrangements (as in, who covers if the nanny is ill, or if their kids or yours were sick but not both at once).

Askye, I meant to say this yesterday, but congratulations on your new kitties. They are so cute. Have you had meezers (Siamese and/or part Siamese, as they both appear to be - Maddie's got the body type if not the coat pattern) before?

We are on wait lists all over the place for daycares, but the closest anyone has come to saying they'll have a space for us is "maybe in September."

So we're still in the process of exploring all our options, with the knowledge that we may not have a lot of actual choices.

sick-day arrangements

This particular nanny has taken two sick days in the past year, and has a reciprocal arrangement with another nanny if we can't take the day off. If our kiddo is sick, we would still have to pay the nanny.