you know,

not long ago our landlords (who, sadly, are also our neighbours) presented us with a bill from the city for water and garbage pick-up.

now, i don't know how things work in your part of the world, but i've been renting one place or another for 13 years now -- since i left home, in fact -- and i have never ever been asked to pay the city tax on water and garbage delivery. nor do i know anyone who has. it has always fallen under the responsibility of the home owner.

i was incensed. but i said nothing and just chalked it up to what has become, in my opinion, our landlord's typical lack of generosity of spirit.

on an aside, for some reason, i never seem to get a handle on which day is garbage day around here. it jumps around. first tuesday, then thursday, and so on.

this morning, hearing the rumble of the garbage truck up the street, i ran around the house, a lunatic in a dressing gown, trying to accumulate our garbage. finally i had it bagged, and was heading down the back stairway, when i ran into our garbage man behind the house, looking for our garbage.

i live in an area where, if you don't put your trash out, the garbage men Come Looking For Your Garbage.

they're worth every penny we paid.