Monday on Tuesday

So, are you having a Monday, too? (Even tho it's Tuesday?) It's the first day of school here today, and a HORRIBLY muggy one at that - blech. What a day to be inside a school building with back-to-school anxiety running high!

I was good and really did take the day off yesterday, but you know what I realized is the "problem" with days off? They go by JUST AS QUICKLY as normal, working days! Hmph! But, I did that "want to do" deskwork I talked about yesterday, got a solar-powered aerator / pump ordered for the poultry yard's pond, watched some boob tube ('CSI' on borrowed DVDs) and even took a nap! Now, today I'll be on to The Hours, but I've short-listed the drawing pool to the must-dos: Dishes, Kitchen, Dining Room, Laundry/Ironing, Bedroom, Bathroom(s), Living Room, Deskwork, and Bills. Hmmm, wonder how many of those things I'll be able to squeeze in?!

We've still been playing catch-up from that lightning strike in . . . when was it? July? Anyway, Tom's not had his computer hooked up in his office (out in the garage) since then . . . which has put a definite crimp in life for him. But, yesterday he finally got the new wires run and was able to, as Captain Jean Luc Picard says, "Make it so." Unfortunately, now his printer seems to be incompatible with his computer . . . when it had always worked PREVIOUS to the strike! Ahhh, electricity. It's wonderful when it all works correctly, but when it doesn't . . . !


On Sunday, we celebrated the 45th (wow!) anniversary of my mom & dad's wedding back in Illinois those many years ago (doesn't Mom look PRETTY?!)! Instead of a "paid money for" gift, we decided to give them that which we have the least of and which is most precious to us: our time! So, they had slave labor for the day followed by the take-out meal of their choice (dinner "out" was out since we knew we'd all be fairly grubby by day's end). Mom took pity on me (and my absolute inability to handle heat), and so we only spent an hour or so in the hazy sun and hot, hot temperatures working out in her garden. The rest of the day was spent splitting kindling to fill their winter's supply, broken up by a cool respite inside the house to get quite a bit of computer work done.

This following picture isn't very good - we were getting ready to pose for Tom with hatchets raised . . . but the "real" picture was HORRIBLE and I did want to show you a bit of Mom & Dad's (impressive!) woodshed(s). They have all their wood put up for the coming winter except for these two rooms (seen partially filled behind me and the other - empty - behind Mom). The kindling stack that we were working to fill is on the right-hand side of the picture.

And, the biggest thing I realized during the day's work? My mama can whup me when it comes to physical labor! My 37-year old flabby body could NOT compete with her 65-year old sheer-grit-and-determination! (At least it gives me something to work towards, right?!)


Tom had the horrible job, though: Dad took good advantage of our gift and sent Tom into the sweaty, filthy upper recesses of his garage to remove the shingles from an old roof (which the garage roof had been built over), put up insulation and vapor barrier, and then install cement board on the ceiling. YUCK! It was a N-A-S-T-Y job . . . but one that would have taken Dad several days doing it on his own. So, it was a gift WELL appreciated!


A fairly massive order from the local pizza joint followed the day and fudgesicles finished it up. Now, the only "problem" with our anniversary gift to my folks is that they'll probably ask for this EACH year now! ;)