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.

 

cotton candy clouds

we had a pontoon ride yesterday -- perhaps the last one of the season .. dock is coming out at the end of the month .. and well, the clock is ticking.  

I managed to take 42 pictures with my phone -- I couldn't see what I was snapping -- forgot my cheeter glasses and my sunglasses and well, phone pix are difficult on sunny days

the clouds were floating along, the lake was quiet everywhere -- and there was not a lot of boat action happening .. it was nice ... really nice

between prepping for bedroom painting and flooring -- cat shack purging and other projects, we did manage to spend quite of bit of time at the lake -- it is the decompression zone.  it is cooling off .. 

I need the decompression time -- it keeps me sane(r)

phone calls up the wahzoo today -- it's all about the $$$, where's my refund, where's my refund, why did the neighbor get a larger refund, where's my refund ... all damn day.  and just general weirdness .. 

and Mom's directv isn't working - argh.

 

Friday Night Lights

the late Friday afternoon drainage ditch tour -- I need a life -- this is what 2.2 Million will get you ...

Swan Lake at the end of the ditch

sludge .. green sludge

no rain, no water coming in ...

and the sludge pool .. 

 

random ramblings

the beauty of office tv - watch the Twins

someone asked about this one 

here it is

cat house deconstruction ... good tin going to new home before old building gets demo'd

and those are not pintrest projects ... those are dumpster projects

yes, to fill Ruby2's tank.  

the donut and carwash were not free either

I asked.  I had to ask.

 

Joy

cabin cam

somehow that sunset snapshot gives me joy 

and yes, I take a peek every night 

so Brandon lugged / toted / dragged some old equipment home last night -- one old gravity box and one old corn picker ... they made it home .. 8 miles .. he's coming back tonight for the shit spreader ( it has all the iron parts -- so he said -- excitedly ) and whatever else fits on his trailer  ...  and taking tin from the cat shack before it gets demolished .. 

roof is going on the house this morning .. 

I think my Dad would be smiling -- 

 

09/11/23

22 years when the world tilted -- innocence lost -- at least for me  

I think living in rural America somehow sheltered me from the real world of nasty .. I was 41 I should have know better .. naive ... 

it has become a time to reflect -- the changes

those we've lost

those we've gained

change 

change is inevitable 

I just don't do change well

I closed on the office property that day .. it was a lot of change 

it was a weekend of work, projects and a lot of lake time - more lake time than anything. 

Thursday night was lawn mower time

Friday - we did supper at the lake and enjoyed a beautiful sunset

Saturday - i worked, we laked, laundry, projects

Sunday - read my book, laundry, lake, mowed lake grass, sat at the beach, did some work, sat at the beach ... 

our dock comes out early this year -- the dock peeps rotate the schedule - it's our turn to be early -- so that means boats need to come out early too ... 

busy week ahead ... projects, meetings, deadlines, chaos 

coffee and donuts will power me thru it ... 

reflect

change

adapt

 

today's issue

   well, she says ... where's my ?????

   today's issue -- where's the truck keys.  

   I drove it yesterday and parked it at the house, loaded the recycling in it last night ... and this morning drove off ... 

  It has push button start (finally getting used to push button start) .. keys need to be near it to start -- got to town - need said keys to unlock office doors -- can't find keys .. they have to be in there somewhere.

  Found cabin keys - which has an extra office key on the ring -- at least I got in the building.

  All this drama at 5:30 am.

  Back to being efficient (at least in my view) and rising at 4/4:30 ... laundry, projects, internet surfing -- office by 6 - 6:30 (depending upon laundry) 

  Last night the yard lights and security lights were popping on while I finished mowing lawn .. big red does not have lights --

it is life ...

wth -- chrome/google whatever I seem to be logging into this site tells me it "is a dangerous website".. ya, it is ...

h

ebay Diva !!

   Not only does my fitness plan include cleaning out machine sheds, regular sheds and the cat house-to-be .. my mental fitness included listing and selling on ebay.  During the first hot spell (back in June?) I cleaned out my fabric stash .. and listed some of the precuts on ebay/wastebay ... the worlds largest garage sale.  After the auctions close on the final two items tonight and if the buyers actually pay -- I'm up $485 .. now, I need to subtract postage from that so roughly $150 .. so on the light side I'm up $300.

   Yes, I paid more than $300 for these treasures, but lets get real, I'm never going to find time to sew them up.  I have another tub ready to photograph/describe and list for the next round. I confess, I bought some fabric last weekend -- some charm packs and some yardage (yet to be delivered) -- there may or may not be a project in mind.  ( there is always a project in mind).  I did crochet a lot over the weekend - I think the scarf tub has 10 finished scarves in it -- need to call the client who made the hats the last time and get some yarn to here for more hats.  I think she has a knitting machine ..

this meraki was really cute -- i had 2 layer cakes that I got on sale and they actually sold really well

  The cool air blew in with a couple drops of rain.  It is all welcome.  This switch is actually cold.  Might need long sleeves tomorrow .. and long pants.

  So yesterday amid the heat wave Fox9 calls and wants to interview me via zoom regarding the rebate/stimulus payment from the State of Minnesota.  No, just no.  Frizzy hair, graphic T shirt and striped shorts might not have been the wardrobe of choice -- not to mention the whole program has set me over the edge.  A zillion phone calls today.  WHERE's my Check, where's my check ... I'm over it .. seriously, over it.

Labor day weekend adventures?

the sunday night drainage ditch tour has become the sunday night road construction tour .. not sure how an ambulance or firetruck is going to get thru this

silage pile!  3 green and 1 red tractor pushing, piling and packing .. takes a lot of silage to feed the 3,000 cows that live here 

the tunnel of corn .. Mrs. H driveway and new approach .. 

Sunday night cabin cam shot .. 

someday I'll get to spend the entire weekend.

I planted this goofy geranium on the first of August .. I think it likes the pot and location

the inbound this morning ... 

 

Sunday - heat wave

it is supposed to be 100' today -- old navy delivered my "fake/down" vest on Friday .. shouldn't need it for a week or two ...

sunset from the cabin cam -- we're out here today -- will retreat for the a/c when it becomes unbearable -- brought the hotdish in the crockpot and all the electronics -- because I don't go any where without my electronics .. I'm typing on the surface pro, watching tv on the iPad and charging my phone .. it's life

and the reading selection for the weekend .. month .. week .. MZF and Roxann in the County Attorney's Office recommended Vanished in Vermillion .. at some point will flop the iPad and surface pro and read while tv is babbling .. or a podcast on my phone 

and since I managed to pour my iced coffee down myself -- will look for a drier t shirt .. argh .. a waste of coffee 

 

september ...

after the nightly purging  -- 1 load to the dumpster, 1 load to the burning pile, 1 load to the iron recycling pile and 1 load to the free pile ... I take a cool down ride on the SxS ... the clouds were pretty darn cool last night 

and in the setting sun ... yes that is my finger ... my sweating finger (body) .. this purging gig is my exercise plan 

moon walk this morning

on my walk to the truck at  5:45 ... 

and the sunrise on the inbound

keep chasing those sunsets and sunrises - mother natures gift to us for the evil winters

and today's junk on the curb ..

xmas lights, xmas tree stand, pails, motion lights, a crate, some old fashioned irons, blue tarp, green roll of plastic .. not as interesting as earlier this week ... 

holy shit -- one dude rolled up and took everything but the motion lights and the roll of screen -- well, I'll be ---- I didn't think this load of shit would go -- I should have dumped the lights on the ground and kept the tote .. they (dirty totes) are handy hauling the treasures to the "piles" ...

who knew ... eh.

next week might be more household shit .. 

so far almost everything I put out has vanished.

one man's trash is another man's treasure