"That's Why I Don't Like You Homeowner's Association!"

I can't believe that this weekend is already over...
I had a four-day weekend, and somehow it's finished and now I'll be heading back to work tomorrow so that I can get coughed on and yelled at multiple times throughout the day. Nice.
I don't know why I still gripe about the job - it's not like I'm ever going to leave it, though I make plans to do so every day. In the past two years, I've had several job offers and I've turned them down because I didn't want to give up the benefits that we have at my job. I've been accepted to law school and opted out of it because I reasoned that I might spend $60,000 on law school and come out with a job that's no better than the one I have now. And yet, my plans for post-SSA life continue...
On a different note, we got our first little semi-nasty note from our homeowner's association. It's a love-hate relationship that I have with them. I love them because they keep our property values up by forcing the trashy neighbors to clean their yards/flowerbeds. I hate them because evidently this month, we are the trashy neighbors with overgrown flowerbeds. We got this note in the mail (very official) that told us simply, "Your flowerbeds are in need of attention. They need to be weeded." They're definitely not much for small talk. In our defense, it's been a really rainy winter down here. Not many chances for yardwork recently. And also, we aren't the only ones - lots of our neighbors also have overgrown yards and flowerbeds right now. I wonder if they got nasty notes too. Hmmm...
So we spent the entire day yesterday planting new bushes and flowers, converting one of the flowerbeds to a rock garden, and cleaning out the other flowerbed. It's funny how much life can change in one year. I guarantee you, if somebody had told me a year ago that I would be living in Santa Fe, worrying about homeowners association rules and regulations, and spending an entire day doing yard work, I seriously would have laughed in their face. Never Say Never, I guess...