My Rock Solid Shed!

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 entrée 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.

Peas and Two Green Beans

Clematis on the North Arbor

Shed Trim

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.

Not Sure Why I found This Funny, But I Did!

Muddy Driveway

Filled-In Ruts

Shed Door

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…