Swiped from equesgal

( The kindest cut of all )

Still light outside at 8pm, which is one of my favorite things about spring into summer. Shopped. Bought two altheas and planted same. Cleaned the gutters. Fixed a solar lantern, fashioning a new hanger/handle from a piece from a wire hanger.

What I didn't do was touch the lava rock. Got started too late. Didn't feel like hassling with the landscape cloth. Have decided that hassling with landscape cloth is one of my least favorite things to do in the world. Would rather clean out a gutter with my bare hands, and did just that.

Baked banana bread, and watched cooking shows. Covet a really nice sauté pan.

Tomorrow's Mothers Day. Bought a big bouquet, those big daisies and smaller daisies and some strange blooms I swear are orchids, and set it in the living room. Mom's African violet, which is the only one she was ever able to get to bloom, is showing a couple of buds. She loved spring. Gardened for as long as she was able, grew roses and vegetables. But she was very, very proud of that violet.

A/C has been PM'd. I was concerned for naught, apparently--tech said the unit is in great shape. He said that what really helped preserve it was the square of fencing--complete with gate--that Dad set up around it after it was installed. Dog urine apparently plays hell with A/C units, corroding the coils. IIRC, Dad learned that lesson when we lived in a rental years ago--the landlord split the cost of a major AC repair with us, and the reason for the repair was corrosion caused by dog urine.

My PSA for the day.

Working from home today, ensconced in teeny third bedroom/office with two dogs, one of which smells like the inside of a gym bag. Soon the A/C guy will be here, and I will have to close the office door to keep Gym Bag in here with me. I think I'll live.

It's a little cold to be checking out the A/C, which means it will get colder still in here. Have coffee. Have donned sweatshirt. Have opened window. Damned cold.

Glad it's Friday.

New primary sump pump and battery back-up installed. Toilet has new cut-off valve--the old one required a grown man using channel locks to turn--and innards. Backyard water tap has been replaced--no more drippydrippydrippy.

I was concerned about existing sump pump after I heard on a radio repair show that the switches have a life expectancy of about three years. I remember when Dad put that pump in, and I swear it was over ten years ago. As it turned out, the unit was close to Fail, as were the toilet innards.

That's why I write books, so I can spend the money on house stuff no one ever sees.

But, happy now.

Next appointment is Friday, when the A/C guy comes to PM the unit.

...and the roofers are here. They turned onto my street just as The King and I were headed up the drive post-walk.

After some initial "our yard--just letting you know" barking, the guys are sacked out in my office. I'm ready to go to work. Waiting for the plumber to call.

I'll be glad when this is done.

Only managed to put down lava rock over about 1/3 of the birdbath garden. I got started too late, and needed to do more weeding than I anticipated. It took me three hours to do what I did, and I figured at the rate I was going, it would be after sunset before I finished.

So. To Be Continued.

Roofers will be working tomorrow, so I will be doing day job stuff from home. Hoping the plumber will call so I can get that wrapped up before Wiscon.

I will be very happy when I no longer have to make arrangements for people to come to my house and fix things. It was a rough winter.

The toilet flushing mech that is preparing for fail will let you know this at 1130pm on a Friday.

Stayed home today because roofer called yesterday afternoon and said they would try to do garage roof. "It's supposed to rain," said I. "Oh, we're going to try to get it in," said roofer.

So, I got m'self out of bed this a.m., pulled Kuro and Harrison out to the curb. Took King for a walk--thought I might meet the roofers on the way in, but didn't. Checked the radar. Saw the line of showers coming in. Phoned the roofer at 845am. "Are you coming out today?"

"No--it's gonna rain." Beat. "I was going to call you, but I figured you'd know..."

Here's the thing--I knew. But it's like when someone breaks up with you. You know what's happening, and you could just let it go, but you want to hear it from them. Just to kick that 1% of uncertainty to the curb so you can get on with your life.

They'll be here Monday. So will I.

Storms passed through, but were gone by the time I went in to work this afternoon. I feel much better--I have about 80% of my taste back, and no longer feel sick. I hope I have all my taste back by the time my truffle order from Polidori Chocolates arrives. I am sooo looking forward.

King ate his dinner last night, then slept for almost four hours, so no hangover from the earlier snack-a-log. He's a little befuddled by the fact that I put him on the long lead every time he goes outside, but even so, he tries to grab wood when he finds it. Tomorrow, I rake the backyard and remove as much wood as possible. Sunday is Lava Rock Replacement Day. The basket muzzle has been ordered. Here's hoping I can get my arms around this.

Tree guy came by. He's going to try to save the cracked limb on the evergreen via cables and winching and such. His crew will clean up my lawn. Another guy will be coming by to look at the crabapples, which suffer from rust and need treatment. Add that to the new garage roof. And then there's the battery back-up sump pump and the new outdoor spigots, which I'd like to get done before Wiscon. I guess you could say it was a rough winter at chez Smith.

That's it for the year, OK? Nothing else.

UPDATE: But hey, thanks to Dr. Williams Lousia, 7.8 million dollars has been credited to my account, so we're good.

I love Fridays. Saturday afternoons are the best, because there's still Saturday night and Sunday between me and Monday, and because there's just something about Saturday afternoon. But Fridays are when it all starts, so we likes them too.

T-storms possible tonight, unfortunately. It was damned windy, and cloudy, and rain had started. Now it's still, with more rain on the way. Temps hit close to 80F today, which made it the warmest day in half a year. Daffs have exploded. The new rhododendra aren't too far behind. Even the lawn needs cutting. Must call lawn care company on Monday.

Brownies have been baked. Watching Sid the Kid vs the Rangers until KO goes on, then it will be either back to hockey or the Cubs, who are already down 2-0 to the Nationals. WIP-wise, much, much plotting has been committed. Unfortunately, this means that the beginning will need to be rewritten, but I had been worried that it dragged. I don't believe the new beginning will drag.

Sometimes it's the simple things. I think it was Samuel R Delany who said that when it came to character development, you needed to think about things like how your protag earned a living. In the case of my protag, it's what relatively simple legal matter can blow up in her face and turn her life on its ear? It hit me yesterday that given what she was going through as the story opened, this legal issue would crop up. After that, the landmines buried themselves.

It's nice when that happens.

No, I will not fly across the country in order to walk on a bridge that appears in ONE SCENE. I gleaned enough from the internets. I can finesse the rest. That's why they pay me the big medium smallish-but-not-too-bad it's-ok-I-still-have-the-dayjob bucks.

It's so nice to open the fridge and realize that you have leftovers sufficient for two nice dinners.

"Is that a Lunch? Box?" I can still hear the withering scorn in Tracy Nelson's voice when she asked that question during a cafeteria scene in Square Pegs. I don't recall who she asked, Amy Linker or Sarah Jessica Parker, but I still remember the reply. "No, it's a primitive nuclear device."

Anyway, I now have a PND of my very own. It's magenta, with a special insulated compartment. No superheroes, unfortunately--I was in a hurry and didn't make it to the superhero section of the store. I'm going to try to bring lunch to work a few days a week, and see if I notice the difference, money wise. Frankly, I doubt it, since every lunch I bring in a dinner lost, which means more grocery shopping. Still, I buy better stuff than they offer in the cafeteria, so if nothing else, I may enjoy it more.

Even though King is over his bout of upper GI problems, and his recent physical revealed no stomach-guarding issues, he still nibbles on dirt and mulch. Vet warned me that it may be a learned behavior for him now, and he may never get over it completely. I did notice that both he and Mickey nibble dirt from one or two particular areas, so there must be something about those spots that is attractive to canines in general. Oh well, they're both on Heartgard year-round, which will take care of any intestinal parasites. I would just feel better if they didn't eat the stuff, period.

Cubs smacked the Mets 8-1 today. They've won 5 in a row, 8 of their last 10, and at 14-6 are leading the NL Central. Yes, I know it's mid-April. No one cares who's leading in mid-April.

I'm still going to enjoy it.

Beautiful day. Blue sky sunny. Breezy. 60s.

I took both guys for a walk this morning, just to see how it would go. Training collars on both. Extenda-leads for both. Mickey didn't want to go at first--he may have thought we were on our way to the 1) vet or 2) kennel. But once he realized he was going for A! WALK!, he became pretty excited.

I managed. The training collars cut down a lot on the Ben Hur chariot race aspects of the exercise. The guys spend most of the time sniffing and engaging in competitive peeing anyway, so the pace wasn't exactly fast.

Shopping was done. New trashcan for kitchen. Trashbags and birdseed. Also some unanticipated flower and shrub purchases. Not sure I'll get them in the ground today, but I'll keep them watered and they should keep until next week.

I also bought an early birthday present for myself. Tickets to the first Chicago Symphony Orchestra concert at Ravinia, with Joshua Bell as featured soloist. It isn't until July, so it will be something nice to look forward to.

UPDATE: Flowers and shrubs are planted. Flat of begonias in the planter in the front yard. One rhododendron in the back yard and two smaller ones in the front. I will need to get another one for the backyard--the one I thought made it through the winter apparently didn't. I think I put it in the ground too late. I bought it before Mom got sick, and it spent the summer on the deck before I had the time to plant it. I did water it, but I think it took a beating from the direct sun. So, of the two rhos I planted last fall, both hit the buglight.

I was *very* happy to see that the Japanese maple, which I bought at the same time as the rhos and which took a beating on the deck as well, seems to have made it through the winter. The tips of a couple of the branches are dead, but buds are sprouting from every branch. I hope it takes because it's a lovely variety.

Dinner came from packages--cheese and artichoke-stuffed pasta (little baskets. I don't recall the name) with marinara, salad, and a really good Kendall Jackson cabernet. I do like to cook, but Sundays are just more relaxing when I stick to grilled/broiled meats or pasta. Minimum of pots. Half-hour, and everything's done.

Received second garage reshingling estimate today. It's almost twice the first estimate. I don't think the garage is worth that much.

Granted, they're using some fancier materials. But.

Wow.

Must read it more closely tonight. Maybe with popcorn.

Update: the funny thing is, after Estimator the Second checked out the garage and made to leave, his truck broke down. He had to call a tow truck. I joked with folks that his estimate would include the repairs on the truck. Damn, I'm psychic.

Bad night last night. The only thing I can figure is that wind through the open window screens must make a sound that bothers the heck out of KIng. After lights out, he was very restless, moving from room to room, lying down for a few minutes, then getting up and walking out to the kitchen and standing there. I let him outside a few times, and he seemed ok. Then he'd come in, and the restlessness would kick in.

What worried me was that he finished up Mickey's leftover dinner, then kept pacing, which was what he did when he suffered through that bout of pre-ulcerous stomach back in the fall. To play it safe, I gave him a couple of Pepto Bismol tablets in a wad of dogfood. We both fell asleep eventually, but King must not have slept well because he was very draggy this morning. I checked the backyard, and found signs of some lower GI upset, so maybe he nibbled on something during the day that torqued his stomach. In any event, he seems fully recovered now, for which I am very grateful.

Mickey slept through the whole thing, which made the whole episode rather comic in retrospect. In retrospect.

The first estimate for the garage reshingling arrived in the mails today. I was hoping for a little lower, but it does really seem a pretty fair price. We'll see what the other two companies pitch.

In yet another adventure in estimates, a landscaping guy came by to price spring clean-up and some selective trimming of one of my pines, which sustained a cracked limb thanks to the snows. I really wanted to get a new couch this spring, but it's going to have to wait. The fun stuff always has to wait.

Doing laundry now, because the fun it never stops.

This morning, I put the firescreen, vacuum cleaners, and bowling ball out on the curb, along with the unattractive pictures and an old cardboard trunk that dated from my college days.

A few hours later, a truck stopped, and the driver claimed the firescreen and vacuum cleaners for his own.

My father's tribe is legion.

Drove a half-hour to a hardware big box to get a battery back-up sump pump, etc. At intersection, debated turning right and going to Store A, for no particular reason. Instead, followed original plan and turned left to Store B, which was advertising other things I needed.

There's something about hardware big boxes that just overwhelms me. I get caught up in doors and sinks and tile and where-in-hell-is-X and after a half-hour of trudging still have an empty cart. Finally found the sump pumps, but given the recent rains the selection was pretty thin, with the model rec'd by plumber nowhere to be seen. Almost bought another brand, but decided to wait. I had really wanted to get that purchase out of the way, but since I'm already looking forward to roofing and tree-trimming, decided to wait a week. Did not look for other things on list. Did buy some rugs and gutter covers, then bailed to do grocery shopping.

Came home, and searched online for the recommended sump pump. Of course, that model is not carried by Store B. It is carried by Store A, though. If I had turned right instead of left...

They also sell it online, but damned if I'm going to pay $45 for shipping.

Snowflakes. From the sky. Not many, but that's not really the point, is it?

Over two hours at the vet's this morning, thanks to a patient crush and my very thorough vet. King didn't lose any weight, but vet felt more muscle than fat, so he's not as bad off as I feared--on a scale of 1-5, with 3 being ideal, he's a 3.5. Mickey is now only a pound or so heavier than he was when I got him, which is a good thing given that he definitely has some hip issues--vet noticed him favoring one side along with some problems with his gait. Both guys have been getting Glycoflex along with fish and flaxseed oils, and vet was very happy with the combo since it helps skin, coat, and joints.

In all the excitement, King managed to express himself, gland-wise. They tried to clean him up, but that's an odor that tends to persist. Thank heaven for Febreze is all I can say.

A few more hours spent in the cellar. Liberated a couple of ancient vacuum cleaners, a firescreen, a bowling ball w/ bag. One nice thing I found was my grandparents' wedding photo, which I think is pre-1920. Need to get that properly framed.

Slowly, slowly, the decluttering proceeds. I don't know why I have this need to gain control of that space, but there are worse compulsions, I guess.

Coworker came over and fastened a piece of sheet metal over the garage roof injury as a temporary patch. One of the roofers called back--he'll come over on Tuesday to do his estimate. Roofer-who-is-related-to-another-coworker never got my message due to wonky answering machine. That coworker will take him my phone number, and we will go from there.

In Chapter 47 of "They Know When You Have Money," one of my pine trees took a beating from the heavy snows, and will need some serious trimming as a result. Got the name of a landscape guy from yet another coworker.

My, we were networking this week, weren't we?