Friday ....

I spied this CS Lewis quote this morning ( and can't remember where) ... but it spoke volumes ...

I got out of the car this morning and this was the view ... it was somewhat magical .. to the north there was thunder and lightening -- alas, me and the phone didn't capture those very well (nor did I get a harvest moon shot last night) ..

 

Thursday musings

I rue the diminishing daylight, but I have to admit the early September mornings at the office are kind of nice, peaceful - stress relieving.  The weird curtain layout doesn't even set me over the edge.  I've been over the edge way to much lately.

Yesterday was a killer -- that freaking phone never stopped ringing and it was mainly crap from non-clients looking for answers to questions that really weren't my questions to answer.  My crabbiness and smirking was an indication of things to come.  Earache -- both ears -- self medicated when I got home .. leftover drugs and drops are always handy in the drug stash.   That and a handful of Advil.  

I overslept this morning too -- well, I shut the alarm off and started to read -- bad move.  I had homework and laundry and nothing got done.  

The next project list for the farm -- lawn mowing, shit sorting, base board varnishing/re-installation, patio door (it's ordered), a final coat of deck sealer (before winter) gutters and downspouts and tree removal.  I have a giant project list. 

rambling about the project list(s) doesn't get them done ..

on to work ....

 

 

Hump day thoughts

Happy place has a visitor.  It’s setting off the cameras regularly

And there was this tonight. I think it’s ear infections but tested anyway 

Thoughts 

 

7 months today

the end is near ... 

next week the dock moves ashore

   I'm the one who tracks numbers, dates, anniversaries, birthdays .. well, today is seven months since Dad died .. seven rough months - seven good months - seven long months.   I know I wasn't prepared even though I was preparing .. in seven months, I've ..

1. plowed a little snow

2. mowed a lot of freaking grass

3. worked a lot (what else is new)

4. cleaned out 1/2 a building

5. put gas in every vehicle way to many times

6. cleanout out the shit in the garage, porch and basement

        hoarder.

7. found some treasures 

8. haven't found the "million $ watermelon seeds"

9. been disappointed

10. been hurt 

11. hauled mom everywhere 

12. cooked a lot of meals and cleaned a lot of house

13. moved all of the house furniture at least once if not twice

14. power washed that damn deck

15. learned that grief has many forms

what I haven't done --

1.  traded vehicles ... yet ..

2.  graded the road

3.  had any time alone away from everyone

        i need my space - it seems it's gone 

4.  remember to feed the birds regularly

5.  mowed with the tractor with confidence

6.  taken a vacation

7.  shopped in a regular store -- no time anymore

8.  lost my temper ..

and in the next seven months ..

I'm not going to sweat the small and large things -- it's all out of my control anyway .. it's never been in my control .. here's hoping it is 

1.  a brown winter with no ice

2.  no computer issues

3.  no sickness issues

4.  a vacation somewhere -- a mini one would be nice.

5.  gas prices go down

6.  the mowing fairy finishes out the year ( one can dream) .

edit: 

I ended my pity party and got to work ... moved some furniture back into the bedrooms -- we need to repaint where the baseboards were -- the new flooring is shorter than the old .. and well, it needs to be painted so -- we're making do for a while .. it's a busy week on Daisy Lane.  

Nick and Lee moved the "doghouse" and cat beds into the new cat shack .. it's a palace compared to the old one .. and of course #2 has a list of shit for me to do.  it never ends.

Clients are getting nervous about the upcoming October 15th deadline for extended returns.  Some of them .. most are not ... 

We got this.  

I'll keep rambling ...

 

Life in rural America

Friday noonish on my trek home from New Ulm -- I hoped it was Perry and it was.  

Friday -- it was just another shit show of a day

1.  New Ulm for public health board meeting
2.  Back to St Peter -- checked out the flooring at home
3.  Office ... with lots of people just wandering in 
4.  Picked up Mom and dashed to the cabin -- sidewalks happening out there
5.  Back home ... by 5:00 ...
6.  Brewed up hotdish

7.  Steam vac'd new bedroom floors 

             ( they were dusty)
8.  B/Kate arrived -- dug shit out of machine shed -- shit that B wanted 
      loaded tin, stock tank and extremely well used 3 wheeler on their trailer

9.  B/Kate helped me get the beds put back together .. 

          sleeping on a bed is good 

10. Bed ..

Saturday - up at 3:45 -- hello skunk .. damn

1.  laundry and nap in recliner
2.  work clothes and started adding to the iron pile 
        B had dug out a couple pallets of shit .. so I tossed 'em

3.  B & V arrived -- dug out shit spreader and road grader from the trees

4.  I cleaned up and went to work ...

5.  Home by 3:30 .. and the B, K and V back for the road grader ... 

6.  Moved to cave with homework

7.  Flakey www with the storm ...

I'm tired.  

Need to touch up bedroom paint -- at the floor level -- then "build" furniture and move shit back into bedrooms .. now everything looks fabulous .. except the hallway and living room carpet -- that will be a spring project I can't handle any more chaos until Spring.

 

Wednesday Night Lights

 

so, in my work/life/balance struggles and just dealing with life -- I'm always see the glass half full -- or really try to -- it occurred to me yesterday, that a big anniversary was happening this week ... the best COVID thing we did happened in 2020 ..

my life is crazy -- i know that -- I try hard to even it out .. I'm not succeeding very well lately -- yesterday was heaven -- no phone calls (only one telemarketer) -- toured the Hwy 14 project with the MnDOT project engineer ... they got a long way to go ...

got a lot of work done .. felt good ... then went home and fetched Mom -- we went to the cabin for supper -- we've done that a lot -- it's closer than Mankato ... it was a gorgeous night 

today is equally nice but - tonight is the final emptying of the bedrooms ... new floors arrived tomorrow -- engineered hardwoods -- because engineered laminates weren't available until April and frankly, I don't know the difference.  new floors .. her bed is moving to the living room ... and my bed will be in pieces .. it shouldn't take long ... then .... then ....

most of the house projects will be done ... I'm going to assume sometime this winter the living room/hallway carpet will be replaced --- there is a punch list of little things but those too will get done - eventually ... 

need a break from chaos ...
recharging batteries

 

         

TFIW .. thankfully it's Wednesday

I've been snapping sunrises and sunsets all summer long ... overslept on Monday .. here's the inbound .. find the deer and turkeys .. they are there somewhere

Tuesday sunrise from the office ... really early start on Tuesday 

Today was a mini road tour of the Hwy 14 Project between Nicollet and New Ulm .. always educational riding around in a Mn DOT truck with the project supervisor ... I think they have a lot to do yet ...

and I found mom -- napping with her cat ... 

tonight and tomorrow, we'll be prepping for Friday -- new bedroom floors .. by morning the closets will be empty and we'll be down to just beds .. Thursday night the muscle is coming to move / dismantle beds .. I think we'll be spending Thursday/Friday night at the cabin ... or we'll be camping in the living room .. the little bedroom/den/office currently is loaded with everything else ... it is a good time to purge.