Household notes

I mowed the back yard last night; I hope this is the last time I have to do it this year, inasmuch as it's October and all.

The County Assessor's Web site lists nine comps for my house, based on the following criteria:

I'm surprised they came up with as many as nine. All these are within two or three blocks, built in '47 or '48 as "Ranch 1 Story," and run 950 to 1220 square feet. The price range, however, is considerable: at the low end, $60.84 per square foot (readers in New York may pause here to reposition their jaws), rising to $85.55 at the top. My place comes in at $83.85, which would be good for second place had the last sale been within three years.

Incidentally, the new property-tax rates are due out Real Soon Now. If they don't go up, I'm facing a bill of $872 or so. If they go up to the level that prevailed in 2002, the highest on record in this particular district — yes, Virginia, the tax rates do occasionally trend downward — I'm looking at $900. Of course, Escrow T. Robot will take care of the check-writing detail and tweak the monthly payment as needed next spring.

I still have roses. I've decided to leave them there and see how long it takes for them to drop off.