I took this week off from work, to prepare the house for winter, and my car for inspection next month. Counting my normal days off, that made for nine, to accomplish about 2 weeks of work. Sigh, as usual.
My Brother-in-law, although amazingly well-recovered from his open-heart surgery last summer, was in not much condition to help me. My son works all but one of the days I am off, but one of my nephews has just moved back from Pittsburgh, and said he would be more than glad to assist.
Last Sunday, the first anniversary of my Brother-in-law Ralphs sudden death, we spent the day in memorials to him. We all went to church, then we released helium balloons with messages inside (from the kids, mostly) then went to a family dinner. There were 16 there, including my son and his new innamorata. My sister had tears only a couple of times, so she is definitely making progress.
Monday, it rained. This was not too much trouble to me, as I just treated it as a normal 'weekend' day, and relaxed.
Tuesday it rained. So I started some indoor projects. Actually just one - the installation of a new tub surround in my sisters bathroom. Never have I seen walls so out of true. It was a two-person job, but a call to my nephew went unanswered. I tried using various lengths of wood to brace the thing while the adhesive dried, and of course slipped, and poked a hole in one portion.
Wednesday it was partly sunny, at last, so I fixed the side-marker lights on my car, and it is legal (from the outside, anyway) for the first time since January. Now all I have to do is replace the emergency flasher switch, a much more involved job. I needed help to finish the tub surround, because I must move the dryer away from its location blocking the access panel for the plumbing, so I can rehang the tub faucet on something better than the drywall that the idiot builders used, so I tried a call to my nephew, and it was unanswered, again.
We had a frost last night, and I had to scrape car windows before driving my sister to school, but today is bright and sunny,so I finally did some outdoor work, including cleanup of a bunch of trimmed branches, raking of the neighbors chestnut tree seed pods which make a walk into the back yard dangerous for poor old Lilly, and an assualt on a trumpet tree that has decided that all our yard, bushes and even house siding are belong to him. Now I am back inside, with only slightly hampered breathing (have I mentioned how allergic I am to pollens, etc?) Soon I will try to call my nephew again.
Oh, I almost forgot, as I removed that bunch of trimmed branches, I happened to dislodge a woolly Bear caterpillar, the first I've seen this year. If caterpillar weather mythology is correct, we are in for a long, cold winter, as that inch and a quarter beastie looked to have more hair than I do on my entire head.
Extreme sigh.
Oh, did I mention that Trumpet tree sap STINKS? I can still smell it on my fingers, though I was wearing leather gloves, and have washed since coming back inside.
ReplyDeleteTry wetting your hands and rubbing your fingers over a stainless steel sink (if you have one). This is an old trick to get rid of the smell of onion or garlic on your hands, so it may work for your problem too :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Fay - I will try that next time. This time showering and washing my hair got rid of it.
ReplyDeleteGosh Dances, you're busy as a bee! Your family is blessed to have you.
ReplyDeleteI hope your woolly bear isn't a portent. There are a lot of people still out of work; a back-breaking heating bill is the last thing anyone needs.
Dances, you are the handiest person I know! Lord, how I wished you lived next door so I could keep you even busier :-)
ReplyDeleteYou have many stars in your crown from all the help you give your family and friends.
" I tried using various lengths of wood to brace the thing while the adhesive dried, and of course slipped, and poked a hole in one portion." Heh, bet I know what you said after THAT happened.
I agree with your wooly bear assessment for a harsh winter. The bees have been very agressive this fall (we've both been stung) and Tom says that is a sign of upcoming bad winter. At first I poo-pooed that idea but hey, the Farmer's Almanac never lies.
Anyway, very interesting to get a sample of your week. {{DWT}}