Happy Independance Day!
I'm laughing right now, listening to B talking to a tech rep (in India? or Pakistan or something) for TimeWarner cable. Her name is Barbara, she is a semiretired electrical engineer. She is telling him about sparklers. (rolling eyes). I take back the rolling eyes, B just came out and reported that the tech said "How were you able to figure out what wires to connect? Generally women cannot figure that out." Are you kidding me???
She's trying to set up a digital converter, now that TW has gone to a 100% digital signal, and we don't use a cable box. Yet another box & remote put in place between the cable and our TV. It irks the heck out of me to have use other remotes, after I've spent good $$$ for digital smart TV's I do NO want to have to use another device and remote (besides my TiVo) to enjoy my content.
(Deep breath) All of that is not why I am here. This last two weeks is all about the back yard here. After we took down our massive backyard tree (that we planted in 1963). The tee was probably 6 when we planted it, so it was approx. 60 years old, nearing the end of it's lifespan. According to the arborist, it was about 100 ft tall, and 12 feet 4 inches around at the base. It took 3-5 men two full days to brig it down and remove all of the wood. What was chipped filled nearly 2 full trucks. The logs too big to chip, filled 3 trucks. Once they had ground out the massive stump, and hauled everything away, our backyard was just naked dirt.
M & I decided to wait until after the garage had been reroofed before trying to re-landscape the yard. The last two weeks has been about buying & planting perennials. We put a coneflower island in front of the garage, and along the fence hollyhocks, decorative grass, black-eye Susans, and lavender. If I do say so myself, it looks really nice. We still have a little more planting to do this week (we still have about 20 plants to put in). Then next weekend or the one after we will be putting in sod.
Last weekend the washing machine died (again). Apparently one of the parts replaced in April was faulty and spewed oil all over everything else important electronics-wise inside, so it all had to be replaced, including the belt. That's nearly a thousand dollars that my extended warranty covered. I just wished it hadn't taken 3 visits by repair people to fix.
Last night M & I did a double feature at the movie theater. We saw Tarzan and The Shallows, and enjoyed them both. So happy the Tarzan movie wasn't a retelling of the origination story. The Shallows was white-knuckle good.
Today we read for a while, then went for a long walk with the dogs, before having a cookout in the backyard.
Looks like I'm going to be having another surgery. I've been having some pretty bad back pain, and 2 weeks ago it got so bad I couldn't sleep (couldn't find any comfortable position to sit/stand/lay down. Pain levels were edging up to 8-9, so in the morning I agreed to go to urgent care, who then sent me to the ER. Final diagnosis: gall stones. Gallbladder wasn't infected so no emergency surgery, they sent me home with a script for Hydrocodone Vicodin), and an appt. with a surgeon. I was hoping to put it off for several months, but the pain is becoming chronic. If it weren't for work deadlines I would be having the surgery immediately, but I have a big software release & training session on the 22nd, so it will probably be the following week. I want maximum recovery time before our trip out east over Labor day.
And I think that brings us up to date for today.
She's trying to set up a digital converter, now that TW has gone to a 100% digital signal, and we don't use a cable box. Yet another box & remote put in place between the cable and our TV. It irks the heck out of me to have use other remotes, after I've spent good $$$ for digital smart TV's I do NO want to have to use another device and remote (besides my TiVo) to enjoy my content.
(Deep breath) All of that is not why I am here. This last two weeks is all about the back yard here. After we took down our massive backyard tree (that we planted in 1963). The tee was probably 6 when we planted it, so it was approx. 60 years old, nearing the end of it's lifespan. According to the arborist, it was about 100 ft tall, and 12 feet 4 inches around at the base. It took 3-5 men two full days to brig it down and remove all of the wood. What was chipped filled nearly 2 full trucks. The logs too big to chip, filled 3 trucks. Once they had ground out the massive stump, and hauled everything away, our backyard was just naked dirt.
M & I decided to wait until after the garage had been reroofed before trying to re-landscape the yard. The last two weeks has been about buying & planting perennials. We put a coneflower island in front of the garage, and along the fence hollyhocks, decorative grass, black-eye Susans, and lavender. If I do say so myself, it looks really nice. We still have a little more planting to do this week (we still have about 20 plants to put in). Then next weekend or the one after we will be putting in sod.
Last weekend the washing machine died (again). Apparently one of the parts replaced in April was faulty and spewed oil all over everything else important electronics-wise inside, so it all had to be replaced, including the belt. That's nearly a thousand dollars that my extended warranty covered. I just wished it hadn't taken 3 visits by repair people to fix.
Last night M & I did a double feature at the movie theater. We saw Tarzan and The Shallows, and enjoyed them both. So happy the Tarzan movie wasn't a retelling of the origination story. The Shallows was white-knuckle good.
Today we read for a while, then went for a long walk with the dogs, before having a cookout in the backyard.
Looks like I'm going to be having another surgery. I've been having some pretty bad back pain, and 2 weeks ago it got so bad I couldn't sleep (couldn't find any comfortable position to sit/stand/lay down. Pain levels were edging up to 8-9, so in the morning I agreed to go to urgent care, who then sent me to the ER. Final diagnosis: gall stones. Gallbladder wasn't infected so no emergency surgery, they sent me home with a script for Hydrocodone Vicodin), and an appt. with a surgeon. I was hoping to put it off for several months, but the pain is becoming chronic. If it weren't for work deadlines I would be having the surgery immediately, but I have a big software release & training session on the 22nd, so it will probably be the following week. I want maximum recovery time before our trip out east over Labor day.
And I think that brings us up to date for today.