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My Rock Solid Shed! |
Friday, May 31, 2013
Thursday’s Tale
It was hot, muggy and sticky on Thursday. I went to the Time
Out for lunch and had a grilled ham and cheese on pita bread with fries. It was
excellent. Then I went to Goodwill and dropped some clothes off.
They predicted scattered showers in the afternoon as the
heat built up. But I held out hope that they would go somewhere else and I
could cut the back lawn tonight. Friday and Saturday look to be washouts.
It did rain briefly about 1:30 PM. I know because I had to
run out and close my sunroof and got soaked. But, by the time I
took my 3 o’clock walk, the water had dried up in the heat. So, I was still
hopeful!
But, at about 4:45 PM, a wicked storm hit. The winds drove
the rain sideways and it felt like the wind was shaking the actual building! Unbelievable
violence!
I asked Vicky just how fast a pregnant Puerto Rican could
run. She said she thought she could make it to her car and asked me how fast an
old man could run (she's spunky). I explained that old crips do not run, we just get wet.
But, miraculously, the storm ended just at 5:00 PM. It was
still drizzling and the storm drains were definitely overflowing, but the fierce
storm had passed. Against my better judgment, I took the freeway home. It was
stop and go and I never got over 40 miles per hour.
But, I finally made it. Before I even went inside, I took a
hoe and created a channel for the driveway water to run into my ditch (that mud
is unbelievable). A neighbor from down the road was walking his dog and he
said, “I love what you did with the front yard (meaning the mulch). It looks
great!” I replied, “Yes, but that Bobcat was a BAD idea.” He just chuckled and
said it didn’t look THAT bad. I’m glad he can’t see the back yard!
I treated the cats and washed my hands at the kitchen sink.
I noticed that the extension cords were gone, the sawhorses were gone and even
the little step ladder next to the fence was gone.
So, I grabbed the camera and headed outside. Sure enough,
the keys were in the shed door. When I opened it up, the wedges (remember the
shed pad was not level) were in place and the whole thing was now bolted to the
pad. I took several photos, but when I processed them, I realized they were all
more or less the same. So. I’ll post just one.
Damn! I wish it wasn’t so wet out there, or I’d start
filling up my shed, making shelves and so on. Rick wasn’t around to thank, so I’ll
put that on my ToDo list. I locked the shed door (yeah, I said that!) and went
back inside.
I watched the weather on the news and the storm that hit
here was approaching Oakland and Macomb counties. They have “Severe Storm Warnings”
out but I didn’t hear anything about “Warnings” in Livonia or Redford. I must
have missed that (or we’re expendable…)
I fixed a Marie
Callender’s Swedish Meatball entrĂ©e for dinner. I had bought it on sale a while
ago and it was in my chest freezer. I gotta tell you, it was my least favorite Marie
Callender’s dish ever. But, the good news is there are only two items left in
my chest freezer! So, I can thaw it out and clean it soon!!!
I finally watched
the new episode of Longmire. It was worth the wait!
I read for a while after that and then went to bed.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Back to Work…
Wednesday morning, I was back at work (sigh). It was
Michelle’s birthday. She’s the one who normally gets birthday cards signed, picks
up donuts or bagels etc. (you know who I mean, every office has one). So, today
she was repaid in kind. Vicky brought in a beautiful tres leche cake and
Mexican bread, Don brought in two dozen Krispy Kreme donuts (of course) and her
husband had one of those edible arrangements delivered.
I went to Costco at lunch to get some coffee and then swung
by Arby’s to get a roast beef sandwich and horse sauce. I ate that at home
after treating the cats. Nothing was new on the shed at noon and Rick wasn’t
around.
It was hot and humid, but there was enough of a breeze to
make it bearable. They predicted a slight chance of rain in the afternoon and,
several time, it looked like it would rain.
But, it hadn’t yet by the time I got home, dragged in the
garbage can and retrieved the bundle of mail (I had put a hold on it for the
past week). So, I quickly changed clothes and cut the front lawn. I tried to
avoid stepping on the top soil in the ruts. I got it done and it looked much
better.
I wish the back yard had dried out like the front, but there was still standing water on some of the filled-in ruts. I don’t dare try taking
the heavy lawn tractor back there.
When I was checking out the back yard, I noticed the shed
had been trimmed out during the afternoon. I also noticed my clematis in back
had bloomed and my peas and beans had sprouted. So, I took some pictures for
you.
Back inside, I made a small salad with some lettuce and
sweet onions. Then I microwaved a Marie C. chicken pot pie.
I has just started watching the hockey game when my daughter
Melissa called. We talked for a while until Chicago scored their first goal. I
was in the living room when I heard that “score” sound, so I walked in the
bedroom to see who had gotten a goal. Melissa heard the hockey game noises on her end
and, since Dave was watching the game too, knew what I was watching, so she let
me go. Thanks, babe!
Well, we lost and are out of the playoffs. But it’s been an
interesting, if shortened, season. I celebrated by going to sleep.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Homeward Bound
Jake woke me up at 5:30 AM on Tuesday morning. I shaved,
showered and had a quick cup of coffee. Then we headed out the door for the
airport.
Jake dropped me off and we said our goodbyes. I got through
the check-in and security screening with no problems. Since the plane didn’t
leave until 8:55 AM, I had enough time for a sausage biscuit and it was
excellent!
I was nervous that I’d run out of book before I ran out of
air miles, so I bought another one and a bottled water. I sometimes think the
most expensive part about visiting Jake and Carla is not the air fare, but the
cost of the books!
I went to Charlotte on a prop plane again and I noticed I am
becoming rather fond of them now. They make a nice, old-fashioned, reassuring
drone.
There was nothing remarkable about either flight, except the
flight to Detroit was through a lot of turbulence. In fact, they suspended
serving beverages for a while because of it. Unfortunately, it was at the exact
moment I was trying to walk back to the restroom. Imagine an old crip like me
walking on a tilting, bouncing, narrow board: It wasn’t pretty!
I got back in the D and it wasn’t raining (like they said).
Getting my luggage took forever as the luggage carousel broke! I was
nervous, because I stupidly forgot to get my car keys out of the suitcase
before leaving. So, I wasn’t going anywhere until I got my suitcase!
But it all worked out and I finally headed home. It started
to sprinkle on the way. Knowing I had no food in the fridge (I cleaned it out
before I left), I stopped and got some chicken fried rice (enough for late lunch
and dinner).
The dirt pile was gone! But I stupidly parked the car just
next to the garage door (I had disabled it before I left) and got out. I sank
into three inches of mud! So, I tracked mud into the house. Dumb.
I got the car in and then rolled my suitcase through the
muddy tire tracks. Dumber.
I let Jake and Carla know I got home okay and then dealt
with the cats’ messes. Scruffy and/or Caley had expressed their displeasure on
the bed and the kitchen floor. So, I cleaned that up and stripped the bed. The
bedding went into the washer and I dumped all the used kitty litter into the
wheelbarrow. I’ll put the litter in the horseshoe pits when it’s dry out (it
was raining hard by then).
I had some fried rice and during a break in the rain went
out to check on the shed. The door is on, and all that’s left is putting on the trim and
bolting it to the cement pad. I took some pictures for you.
There were tornado warnings all night long and four actually touched down, but nothing around here.
After I unpacked my suitcase, I watched the news and then Quigley
Down Under (a Jake suggestion). I found I had taped Longmire, BTW, so I was
worried for nothing. I ate the rest of the fried rice for a late dinner and
went to bed at 10:00 PM. It had been a long day…
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