The student (Steve) got all of my twigs and branches picked up from around the house where I had piled them all fall, winter, and spring. (They totally filled one big garbage can.) I swept maple seeds (again) and filled another garbage can. Then Steve went around the house and fence cutting volunteer trees (maples, mulberry, and trees of heaven)...and another one that I didn't recognize. That filled the third garbage can. I am now out of garbage cans...BUT, when Steve left, Dave (N9XOQ) came and filled seven garbage bags with sprouted maple seeds. The front of the house looks a WHOLE lot better, but garbage pickup doesn't happen until Friday. Until then, people are going to be stuck looking at all that garbage!
On Thursday morning, I woke up to "snow" on the bedroom TV. Hmmm... I checked the living room TV...the one with the digital converter attached...and it was fine. Comcast--my cable company--had apparently finally flipped the switch that made the transition to all digital. That meant that only one TV, the one in the living room, would work until I could get more boxes. Decided to do that on Friday. Well...the nearest Comcast office is in Speedway, IN, (which is really Indianapolis). I had the address but got messed up on High School Road which doesn't go straight through to the street that I needed. Stopped and asked directions and got put back on track by a gal at a gas station, but she warned me that she had been to the Comcast office just the day before and had to wait in line for two hours to get her converter boxes. She said, "If you see people standing outside the door, just keep on driving...and try to get there just when they open the next day." She was right: there were people standing outside the door, but the sign on the door only showed Monday-Friday office hours...and this was Friday. I had already scheduled a technician to come Monday to install the boxes (even though they are "self-install"), so I knew I had to bite on the bullet and just wait. Thus, I took a number and waited my turn with all of the other grumbling patrons. Fortunately, my wait was ONLY one hour.
The whole TV thing left me in a quandary. I frequently have two TVs on in the house...for company...for background noise because it gets too quiet here. I usually sleep with the TV on all night in my bedroom, just so that when I wake up in the night--as I always do now--I have that for company. Well...that TV was out of commission, so I decided to sleep on the couch/futon without making it into a bed. Not a good idea! Didn't sleep well at all...but that is what I have done every night since Friday. Thankfully, tomorrow's visit from the Comcast technician should fix that problem. I can sleep in my own bed again. Yay!
Another thing I worked on today was the inside of my buggy. Just before I went to Dayton, the mechanic who worked on my car had changed the position of the steering wheel, and the steering column, which wasn't visible to me before, suddenly became obvious to me...and it was filthy! Then I got to looking around inside. Whoa! Such dirt! To be honest, I can't remember the last time that I spent any time cleaning the interior (except to vacuum). I went out and bought some ArmorAll wipes and had at it. I only did the front seat doors and dashboard, but I can tell you that I will probably have to go out and buy more wipes! What a mess! It looks better...but still...!
I also actually bought and planted some flowers today! I bought only as many as I knew I could plant in the time I had allotted. Will need more, but there are still plenty available. Baby steps! Last year, I didn't plant any because the patio wasn't usable. The year before, I bought a flat that just sat by the patio until my neighbor, who was helping me haul junk, took notice of them and offered to save them by planting them in his yard. Yes, please! The only flowers I had last season were in a planter that Grandma Judy and Grandpa Phil gave me as a retirement gift. They bloomed all season!
It is supposed to be hot again tomorrow. The plan is to finish the car cleaning, mow the lawn, then work inside during the hotter hours. I had wanted to have the grandchildren here for this weekend, but they were vising with my ex and his wife, so I'll have to try again. Not sure when they are actually done with school... Gearing up for my sister's visit over Memorial Day weekend. I can't remember the last time she was here! Maybe my 56th birthday party...which was seven years ago. I look forward to having her on MY turf (although HER turf is prettier and has a swimming pool).
Oh...have I mentioned that I love my church? Today, the Chancel Choir sang The Holy City, a song that I used to sing as a solo in my grandparents' tiny church, The Ancona (IL) Church of Christ. I was either still in high school or slightly beyond. The only accompaniment I had was Clarice Ringer at the piano. (That little church had theater seats--not pews. I counted one time: 50 seats!) Today's rendition was complete with soloist, piano, brass, and drums. Fantastic! Their other number (with which I was not familiar) was just as dynamic. We are so blessed to have two really good Directors of Music. Grandpa Phil keeps working on me to join the choir. I wish I could. My voice is just shot... It is the music in church that gets to me. Of course, Pastor Ted always hits the mark with his leadership and sermons. He is the only pastor I have known in all of my years of church attendance who can keep a sermon focused without notes. I don't miss a Sunday anymore. I get so much more than I give...
So now I am dirty and grungy from the day's efforts. I suppose I will sleep in the living room again, but I have direction for tomorrow. Let's roll!
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