We sat on the deck a few minutes ago and watched a thunderstorm roll by. Although the lake is only about 100 yards away, the trees on the Corp of Engineers buffer zone are so tall and thick we can’t see the water. Nevertheless, it was a relaxing end to a Sunday afternoon, with wind and clouds and thunder and lightning and the pleasant company of Jayne’s feet. (Sort of an inside joke – she has been posting regular photos of her feet on Facebook this summer, much to the amazement, amusement, and befuddlement of her Friends. The rest of her was there, too, in case you were worrying.)
Saturday I spent two hours at Lowe’s checking off an endless eclectic list of “repair and resolve” items, including an electric hedge trimmer, my first ever. When I got home, I put it to use, being ever-so-careful not to cut the power cord. (Note to self: a green extension cord may not be the best color choice for use with a hedge trimmer.) I trimmed the front grass (fortunately it is a small yard) and unloaded the rest of the loot from Lowe’s while sweating profusely, which seems to be a normal state for me this summer.
As promised, Bo came by and brought some friends, so we spent some time in and around the water. I repaired the rudder on one of the kayaks, and once again tried Ben’s rowing shell, with some measure of success. Success is defined as follows: I launched it with only one unintended disembarking, I got it out to the middle of the cove, and got it back again. I remain impressed by the single rowers who make it look so effortless (including Ben).
This morning four of us played some music after breakfast, and I picked up a few dobro hints from John. This afternoon I installed a timer on the guest bathroom vent fan, solved the Case of the Inoperative Ceiling Fan (turns out it was controlled by one of the mystery switches in the living room, but required a volt meter to diagnose, and a careful sequence of switch, remote, and pull-chain operation to finally activate it), and then sawed and drilled a variety of holes in the entertainment center to add some much-needed ventilation. Now all the entertaining parts are strewn about the living room, waiting for me to re-connect them.
The last four weeks have been so abnormal, I haven’t even been tempted to try to write about them, as you may have noticed. As a small example, consider 5 trips from Gainesville to the Atlanta airport (and back) over 5 days. Not to mention that I really haven’t had either the energy nor the mind-share to write anything.
By contrast, this weekend is close to what will probably pass for normal for a while – fun, exhausting, exhilarating, and even restful at times. Plus I found the energy, motivation, and time to write something, as proven by the fact you have been reading my words. (Thanks, by the way.)
Sounds good to me.
[…] labeling switches on the main floor. It started with the situation previously described in The Case of the Inoperative Ceiling Fan. I realized that I often had to try two or three switches, sometimes on opposite sides of the room, […]
Pingback by Feathers and Hay « Enoch’s Thoughts — August 16, 2011 @ 7:33 pm
Of all the fun lake things I did the week I was there, rowing for the first time is at the top of the list. I figured out when I got home that sitting on a balance ball is really good practice. It seems easy, but it uses a lot of muscles that don’t normally get used.
Comment by embleach — August 30, 2011 @ 3:13 pm