Nothing but trouble

No worries, everyone at the Hoop-lah house is still on the right side of the law. Should the need for bail money become pressing, we'll give you a call. It's always a possibility with Big Dog out driving and breaking most of the traffic laws.

But this has nothing to do with that. Trouble is a-brewing in a whole other way.

It started two years ago when C.C. broke one of the living room lamps. She was small and could scamper behind the end table and couch - her getaway when stealing socks. One day she got tangled in the cord and down went the lamp. I've been searching for new ones ever since.

There's a lot of lamps out there. Trust me, I know first-hand. I've checked out every possible online retailer and store in the area. Multiple times. Lots of great lamps, but none that matched our furniture. Except for THE ONE. It was beautiful, a piece of art really. It would have been perfect. But Big Dog said no. Something about the $1,200 price tag.

Other than that, there are no lamps in existence that match our 17-year-old house and furniture. Everything is dark these days, but our house is still medium oak. I finally bit the bullet and bought something new. I'm tired of not being able to see after 5 p.m. I like the style, but these new lamps are dark and look weird on our end tables.

You know where this is going, don't you? We'll eventually have to buy new end tables to match the lamps, then a new couch and love seat to match the tables, then a new TV stand and a chair to match the rest. And the new TV stand will need a new TV, of course. Because our living room opens to the kitchen, a new table and refacing the kitchen cabinets won't be far behind. It will never end.

I have seen the face of evil and its name is redecorating.