Video Moment Recipe

Start with a senior citizen (me) carrying a half-full open 5 gallon bucket of white paint. Add two steps off the patio (when the senior citizen thinks there is ONE). Mix in sloping ground (downward, of course!) and you have the makings of a video moment of a "waltz downhill". Would not make America's Funniest Home Video, however, because there was no fall and no spilled paint. Whew!!!! Could have turned out soooooo differently!!

Tree Cutting 101

Where are the manuals when you need one? I'm not sure Google could even help with this one. So, we are in Nashville, helping Dean and Jill with some home repairs, yard work, etc. and I will probably hurt tomorrow in places I didn't even know I had!! One of our chores was to cut down a couple of dead trees. Ben brought his chain saw but I don't believe he's ever cut down a tree. This tree was near the house which was why they wanted it down. I measured the trunk after it was cut and it is about 19 inches in diameter. No small tree.
First they tied some straps to the tree and ran them to another tree in the yard. Then Ben cut a notch. Then he cut through the trunk. They tried to ratchet the straps to pull the tree down but the knot broke, the tree made a "snap" and Jill and I moved very fast for the house! Another ratchet try broght the same result. Then Ben had me drive the 4-runner down and my question to Ben was "Does insurance cover this?" They tied the strap to the hitch and the knot came untied again. Fourth time (not the third time) was the charm and the tree fell perfectly and because it was dead broke all to pieces. Ben cut up the trunk and he and Dean are removing it "somewhere" Tomorrow we will do it all again with another tree. But this time they are experts!!! No pictures. I know, I know, you are disappointed. It may be that Dean got some with his phone. If so, I will post. Jill says we will get the camera tomorrow but it will be anticlimatic! All the excitement was today! :-)

Country Livin' #3

OK, so I've talked to Dean about our upcoming trip - head out to Ben in the shop to tell him the latest. Stop at the 4-runner to put down the back seats so we'll have room for all the stuff we're taking. Then I hear a noise in the garage by the freezer. Wonder if Ben has come in so I peek around the back of the truck and out comes Mr. Skunk! Good thing I'm not the screaming kind....so I "quickly" head toward the shop and tell Ben. By this time Mr. Skunk has come out of the garage (thankfully) and is now on the front porch, then heads down the front of the house apparently looking for a spot to hole up. Next time I look out he's at the front of the shop headed toward the big doors.....where I am! Yikes!!! Ben goes out and "scares' him away - braver that me! And Mr. Skunk obligingly trots off into the field. Ben tells me to keep an eye on him not telling me that he is going to the house to get the gun. I think he just wants me to be sure the skunk's not circling around.....like I would do anything to dissuade him!! Anyway, Ben comes out but the skunk is gone. Good ol' country livin' Never a dull moment.

Country Livin' - Two Stories

Gotta love livin' in the country and small towns:

First Story: Ben goes out to mow this morning. Battery on the riding mower is shot - not too surprising. He can usually charge it with his very old charger but critters had chewed off the electrical plug. So he gets a new battery only to find that the critters have chewed up the wiring in the mower. Then he proceeds to get out the power push mower only to find that the critters have EATEN most of the cable you pull to start the mower. So off to the hardware store to buy some rope and he manages to rig it to start the mower. So with 2/3 of the day gone, he is finally mowing the grass!!

Second Story: I'm in the dentist chair getting my teeth cleaned when the dentist pops in to ask t the name of the guy a friend is marrying this weekend. She says she has called DB and left her a message not realizing I was coming in today and could probably tell her. I tell her that DB is out of town but I am able to give her the name. Later on, still in the chair, I get a text message. I assume it's from my daughter but turns out it is from DB asking me the guy's name because some has asked her and she can't get to her invitation because she's out of town. (Gotta love technology) I laugh and text her back, telling her I know who is asking because I'm in her now!! Then I tell the dentist and we all get a big laugh. What are the chances of that happening??? :-)

Great Horned Owl

This morning when I went to the church for Sewing Day, I learned that a Great Horned Owl was on the church grounds. A lady out for her morning walk spotted him and called our pastor. They corralled it so it wouldn't get into the street and get run over. Poor thing couldn't fly either because it was too young or had been hurt. The police came with a cage to hold the owl until the Game Warden could come get it. Very beautiful bird. We were fortunate to be able to see it up close and personal!

Solitaire

Kinda sad that the most interesting thing I have to post is that I FINALLY have the high score on Solitaire! I get hooked on a game and it become habit forming. The one thing I don't like about Solitaire is that it is timed and I can't minimize it while I do other stuff. *sigh* Anyway I haven't come close to setting the high score. Ben did it twice....TWICE....the other day. But today I'm Top Dog!! Probably not for long but I'll enjoy it while it lasts!!