new camera and neighbor drama

The camera situation.  Mr. Java's Mom had a really nice camera, which I "adopted" and killed.  I got almost two years out of it.  But, eventually it could no longer function. 

The old camera:

The shutter is stuck open, and other problems. 

You were good to me little guy, sorry to have accelerated your demise

I arrive at Staples and announce that I want the cheapest camera because I will kill it fast in the conditions I will probably put it through.  Well, they make a camera for people like us!  It's waterpoof up to 10 ft of water, can be dropped from 5 ft high, you can wash it off, dunk it, let it get rained on, horse snot, dropped in wet grass, jammed in my pocket with hay, withstand below freezing temps(!), and is supposed to work after a couple of years of that abuse.

So far; me likey.  It's called the Olympus Stylus Tough.  Staples had a sale and I had a coupon, so it was not too much.  More than I wanted to spend, but if I don't have to get a new camera in the next year, I"ll come out ahead.  I'm not saying yet that I would recommend this camera yet, I'm still getting to know it.

Horse stuff will have to be in the next post, this issue is important, and stupid, but hey...
I have edited this because my husband wants me to.
OK, neighbor drama.  A complaint came in about our fence.  Might be a next door neighbor, maybe not... but I do wonder...:)
We do have a neighbor named Jim, he has told me that he does not like the fence, but it may or may not be him.  Nobody is telling us who, but the stories are a little wishy washy that they point in a certain direction.  But, it's not important who complained, the DOT is on our case, and it hurt$! (yes hurts with a $).

This is what happened:
Moosie leaves.
Java is screaming.
My phone rings (cell).
The person on the other line starts in that he is with the state DOT (Department of Transportation) there has been a complaint about our fence out front, and... actually aside from this guy being really mad at me, getting extremely frustrated that Java keeps interrupting the call with absolute enormous neighing, and this guy's cell phone cutting out, we did not get to that part.  But he was not nice, not professional, not helpful... to the point that when the "conversation" is done, I hang up the phone in tears.  I was not having a bad day, Moosie had just left, on time, with her humans, that made me happy.  I was getting the barn ready for Sugar, that is wonderful, this guy reduced me to tears.  Not before I told him he could have this conversation in person, since I could not figure out what he was talking about.


Well, today, at 10:00 we have a meeting, with the DOT.  We did not install that fence.  We were going to replace it years from now with something of our taste, but it is going to be expensive, and baby Java needs meds, the garage needs a roof, etc. so...  Anyway, it is one thing to have an issue, BUT it is a whole other thing to do something that will cost someone money.  We will soon find out if we will have to remove or relocate the fence in front of the house.   Maybe the little green trees too ($!Dammit).  Because we live on a state road, and there are a certain number of feet off the road that the state and we share, and certain things can and cannot be done on those few feet.  I like to comply with rules, laws, easements, but do not like it when surprises come up and cost us money.  We'll fine out soon... 

Photos of the fence (yeah, we probably would not have chosen that style, but we're working on other things right now and it does serve a purpose).

This house was built in the 1700's.  There has been a fence in front of it for a long time, this fence was installed about 10 years ago, two owners ago, to replace another fence, which was probably there for 30 years, which probably replaced a livestock fence of some sort that was there for a looong time, etc. 

20 mins until the big meeting...