A Much Needed Day In The Sun

This past Friday I took the day off work to get some yard work done around the house. Saturdays are the only day of the week that I really have to get things done (since church is on Sunday) and for the past five or so Saturdays I had been helping my dad do things to get ready for and have the garage sale which left no time for the things I wanted to get done around my own house. So, I decided to take a day off from work so I could maybe get some things accomplished for myself. 

Thursday night my brother and I traded vehicles. He has a truck and I needed to haul gravel and mulch so he dropped his truck at my house and took my car with him. I got up bright and early on Friday morning and was at C.T. Garvin Feed and Seed at 7:00 a.m. when their doors opened. I bought a scoop of gravel and was back home before 7:30 a.m. I parked the truck and went to put the tailgate down and couldn't for the life of me get it to budge. The next thing I knew half of the handle had broken off in my hand. I don't even know my own strength, people. So, I called my brother and asked if there was a trick to getting the tailgate down to which he replied no and then I had to confess I had torn the handle. I then jumped in the bed of the truck and started scooping gravel and tossing it into my "driveway". After 30 minutes or so my neighbor Jeff came out and gave the tailgate a try (you could still lift the part of the handle that didn't break) and he couldn't get it to budge either. Then my cousin Randy drove by and stopped and to make the story a little shorter, Randy had to take the back panel off the tailgate to manual move the gears to get the tailgate down. 

I finished up the gravel and then headed back to Garvin to get a scoop of mulch. Well, actually I made a detour to Advanced Auto Parts first. I inquired about a tailgate handle for my brother's truck. There was one in town that they could have at the Five Points location within a couple of hours. It was $115. I almost had a heart attack; but, since I had broken the handle, I forked over the money. I then got my mulch and in the meantime Randy had looked up online the pricing for the tailgate handle. He found one for $30 (with shipping). So, I went back to Advanced Auto and got a refund and then went home and ordered the part at the lower price. 

I had to put the tailgate up when I got mulch so the mulch wouldn't go flying out the back and once again couldn't get the tailgate down. Randy stopped by again and again took the back panel off to get the tailgate down, but not before breaking the other part of the handle first. 

I spent the rest of the day raking leaves, putting mulch in my four flower beds, trimming shrubs, pulling weeds and mowing grass. When all was said and done, I had worked from 7:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. with a break here and there for food an beverage. I was covered in dirt and dust and surely smelled terrible. The yard, however, looked great. I was so proud of myself and all the hard work I put in. I've always had someone help me do these things (mulch, gravel, shrubs) and this was the first time I had knocked it all out by myself. It was a super proud moment. 

After I was done with all the work, I drove out to the Infiniti dealership where my brother works to trade vehicles with him. I'm sure I was the homeliest looking person to ever step foot in there. When I got home, I showered and got ready for the football game and laid down for a few minutes; but, not for long lest I fall asleep and miss the game. I was beyond tired by the time that evening rolled around; but, it was worth it. I'm so glad to have gotten all the yard work done and to spend some time away from the office and in the sun soaking up some vitamin D from sun rays rather than capsules. Winter is coming, and we are ready at the Parker house. 

A Top-Notch Tuesday

Tuesday morning I had a dentist appointment which meant that I could start my day a little later than my normal 5:15 a.m. wake-up call. I, however, do not understand the meaning of sleep in and so I was still awake before 6:00 a.m. and went ahead and got up for the day. I fixed my lunch, unloaded the dishwasher and tended to some other household duties before taking a shower and getting ready for the day. 

I had decided that I would mow the grass Tuesday evening and since I still had not gotten a new filter for the lawnmower, I had to add that task to the day's agenda. I was ready for the day around 7:15 a.m. and decided to go ahead and stop by Home Depot since I had some time on my hands before my 8:15 a.m. dentist appointment. I'm typically a Lowe's girl, but there's a Starbucks by Home Depot and it wasn't out of my way whereas Lowe's would have been. Before I arrived, I decided to go ahead and get three annuals for the pots on my porch. The Garden Center entrance was closed, but they had what I needed outside and I got two red plants (I don't know what they are called) and one marigold (I do enjoy marigolds). I then made my way inside the store to get the filter for the lawn mower and the employees were having a team meeting which kind of threw me for a loop because I then began questioning whether or not they were open yet. I found an employee who was not in the meeting to direct me towards the filters, found what I needed, used the self check-out and was on my way. 

After leaving Home Depot, I crossed the parking lot to Starbucks and pulled around to the drive thru. It wasn't until there was a car behind me in line that I remembered my driver's side window is duct taped. I seriously don't know why I cannot remember this; I mean, I see it everyday, but when it comes to drive thrus I have a massive brain fart. So, I just had to open the door to place my order. I don't know if the car in front of me saw me open the door to order and took pity on me or if she already had it in mind, but when I opened the door to pay for and get my drink, the guy told me the car in front of me had paid for my drink. So, I said that I would pay for the drink of the person in line behind me and did just that. Hopefully this pay it forward, or backward as the case may be, continued as long as there was a car in he drive thru. It was the first time that the car in front of me had ever paid for mine and it really brightened my morning. Random Acts of Kindness - get out there and spread the love people! 

After leaving Starbucks I went to my dentist appointment and immediately remembered why I go in to work before 7:00 a.m. - there was a lot more traffic than I am used to in the wee hours of the morning. I left my drink in the car as my after dentist treat. It was just a routine cleaning and I had no cavities! Whoop! When I was finished with  my dentist appointment, I checked my phone and had a really sweet text message which made my morning that much better. 

I was tempted to just stay out of work as the weather was exceptionally beautiful; but I went in and finished out the work day. I ended the day by mowing the lawn and planting the flowers I had bought that morning. It was a top-notch Tuesday - not to mention it marked the three week countdown until I leave for vacation. 

Success In The Rain

I'm happy to report that I did in fact get the yard mowed before church on Wednesday evening. It was sprinkling rain when I got home, but I went ahead and gave it a go before the heavens opened up. I got the back yard cut which was really my primary concern as the front was not looking too bad. Normally I would cut the yard with the deck of the mower high and then cut it again with the deck of the mower as low as it would go for the first mow of the season. I didn't have time for all of that with the rain coming in and also considering the fact that I wanted to be somewhat clean for church. So, I just gave it one good sweep with the deck high and I will deal with getting it how I want it sometime next week. Mostly I just didn't want the back yard to turn into an unmanageable jungle. 

After work Thursday I stopped by Target to get some paper towels. I like the Bounty soft towels and Target seems to be the only store that carries the large packs of these. I also ended up getting some new Dove soap - am I the only one that gets suckered in by new soap scents or does that happen to you as well? I also ordered take out from I Love Sushi. I don't do this often because I don't like to spend a lot of money on myself for dinner, but it has been a long time since I had sushi from there and after not really eating for a week I figured I could spare the expense for myself. The sushi was delicious as always and I'm very glad I made the decision to splurge. 

Speaking of food, Justin and I will be eating at one of my favorite spots on Saturday. We are headed to Birmingham for the Dave Matthews concert and have big plans to eat dinner at The Fish Market before the show. I am really looking forward to it. 

That's all I have for today - short, sweet  and really kind of boring. It's been a rather uneventful week for me, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The weekend should be packed with lots of activities and hopefully that will give me a thing or two to write about next week. I'll also have a review for you for a new Zondervan book that is coming out next week. I'm really excited to share this book with you because I have enjoyed it immensely. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

It Was Confirmed On The Way Home

I'm not sure if I have mentioned it or not, but the car I would like the most when I finally break down and replace ole Blue is a Volvo station wagon. Specifically, a black Volvo cross country station wagon. I love them and you can carry a lot of things in a station wagon - children, dogs, groceries, hockey equipment, loads of toilet paper for rolling yards, you get the picture. Well, for months now I've had my eye on this very car which has been parked in the park and sell lot of South Parkway. I pass this station wagon every day and dream of one day being it's owner/driver. 

I have deliberately not pulled in to the park and sell lot to look at the price of the car for fear that I would immediately run down to the bank and take out a loan and since I'm currently saving all available funds for vacation, I don't want anything to hinder that progress. Furthermore, the word on the street is that I am next in line for promotion at work once the opportunity becomes available and so I kind of want to wait that situation out as well before making any large purchases. My plan was to wait until I got back from vacation and then go look at the Volvo and check out the price. 

Well, folks, I'm here to tell you that on the way to work on Tuesday morning (I honestly didn't even glance that way on Monday) I discovered that my dream car has been removed form the park and sell lot. I thought it might be an illusion, but confirmed it on the way home. The Volvo is MIA. I don't know if someone bought it or if it was moved to another lot or if the owner just gave up on selling it, but apparently it was not meant to be my car. It's sad but true and so the quest is now on to find another one just like it at some point, maybe even later this year. 

In other news, yard mowing season is staring me directly in the face and I'm both dreading it and delighted about it all at the same time. I hate the thought of mowing the grass in 100 degree weather; but really, mowing is one of the few things in this life that provides me with some instant gratification. Seriously, it's not often you can look upon your work with sweat pouring down your face while drinking an ice cold Gatorade and think, "yes, that looks awesome!" but I'm here to tell you that with yard mowing, that's exactly how it is. The satisfaction I get from a freshly mowed yard is like no other - it's just getting motivated to do it that's the big problem. 

The past few years I have waited way too long to start the yard mowing. This year, the grass is high but not terribly so and I think it's still at a somewhat manageable level. I had big plans of mowing the lawn on Tuesday afternoon and called my aunt's boyfriend to see if he could bring my mower over for me. As you may recall my shed blew away in February and Chris has been kind enough to store all of my belongings at his workshop. So, he brought it over and when I got home, I got changed and was all geared up and ready for the first mowing of the season - and then the lawn mower wouldn't start. I summoned Jeff; well, knocked on his door and asked him to take a look. He had no luck either and so the grass remained unkempt for another day. 

Today (Wednesday) my dad and his friend Buddy stopped by the house to see about building a bathroom cabinet and also a new shed and they were able to get the lawn mower working. Apparently after the shed blew away, the mower ended up with some water in it which was causing it to be finicky about starting. With any luck, it will start up again when I make it home from work and I'll be able to give the yard a good trimming before time for church, otherwise the theme song for my backyard may soon be "Welcome to the Jungle."

I Need To Mow My Yard

I don't have anything exciting to end with this week. Hopefully you're not too disappointed. I'm sure you all have already mowed your lawns, whereas I have not and now my grass is out of control. I heard Robert Reeves say that you should mow on March 23 or 24 so that the green onions wouldn't come back and so I decided to hold out for the 23rd, which is tomorrow (or today if you are reading on Friday). However, it poured down rain Thursday and I think we are supposed to get more rain on Friday; so, now I have no idea when I'm going to mow. Fingers crossed it won't rain on Friday and I can get it done then. Otherwise it will be Saturday morning after a trip to the gym, which sounds like too much physical activity in one day! At any rate, it needs to be done before The Tide gets lost in the tall grass never to return.

I wanted to tell you all another story about that neighborhood cat. On Saturday when I left to go to the gym the cat was on top of the roof of the house across the street (where its owners live). The roof over the porch of that house is a little lower than the roof over the living portion of the home and that's where the cat was chilling out. When I got home, it was still there. Then moved to the higher portion of the roof. I took a photo with my phone, but you probably can't tell much about the scenario. I found it to be really strange, but what do I know?

This photo makes it look like I live in the ghetto!

Here's another photo from my phone that I thought was funny. On Saturday when I went to the concert with Maria and Jackie, I took this photo of my two friends. It cracked me up because Maria wasn't even looking at me, her eyes were turned towards the tour bus. She was not going to miss it if one of The Avett Brothers walked by!

My neightbor Charlie broke out his fire pit this week. This cracks me up. You can read all about Charlie and his fire pit here. That's it for the week, friends. I hope you all have a great weekend and that your yard is perfectly trimmed!

Saturday's Purchases

This weekend I made a couple of big purchases. They were very much needed and I’m pretty excited about both of them.

The first was a new mattress. Every morning when I get up, my back is hurting and I am aching like an old lady (no comments from the peanut gallery here, please). While I was on vacation, my back did not hurt once when I got up in the morning. It’s sad when a hotel bed treats your body better than your bed at home. I’ve been sleeping on the same mattress since I was 16. In other words, for 18 years I’ve been sleeping on that mattress. I found a tag on the box springs this weekend which listed the date as 1985 – that’s 26 years! I was obviously way overdue for a new mattress.

I got the new one at Mattress King in Hampton Cove. The sales lady there was really nice and I had a good experience there. My dad went with me and he also thought the lady was nice so I would recommend that location to any of you in the hunt for a new mattress. My new set will be arriving at my home on Saturday. So, if you don’t hear from me in a couple of days it’s probably because I’m in a land of luxurious sleep.

After the mattress purchase, we headed to Home Depot. We had struck out at Lowe’s and Wal-Mart as far as the lawnmower was concerned and decided to give Home Depot a try. I ended up buying a Toro that was a reconditioned mower. In other words, someone brought it back for whatever reason, and it was repaired and available for purchase. The price was a lot better than the new ones and it still came with the manufacturer’s warranty. I bought the Home Depot warranty on top of that and so it is under warranty for four years. Not bad.

I haven’t used it yet, but we did crank it up and Lowe’s and it cranked after two pulls and it had been sitting idle for two weeks. Nice! I suppose I’ll bring it out this weekend and give it a go. Believe it or not, I’m actually excited about getting it out and using it. Besides the sweltering heat, the main reason I always dreaded lawn mowing was because my mower was a pain in the behind. This new mower should make yard work much more enjoyable.

I put the old mower out at the road and knew someone would pick it up. I was right; 13 minutes after placing the old mower at the road, someone loaded it in their pick up and took it home. Hopefully he knows how to work on mowers because that one needs a lot of work. At least it had a full tank of gas – lucky for him.

My old mower sitting at the street

Thirteen minutes later, it would be snatched up.

I forgot to take a photo of the new mower -

I'll put one up later in the week.

The Third One Was the Charm

Last Sunday, I had grand intentions of mowing the lawn after church on Sunday evening. Under most normal circumstances, I do not mow the lawn on Sundays, but my grass was about to get out of hand seeing as how I had not mowed since Memorial Day. Since we have gotten a lot of rain lately and I had a busy schedule on Saturday, Sunday was going to be the day… and then it rained.

So, the mowing plan was pushed out. I couldn’t do it on Monday because I go to the chiropractor on Mondays after work and this particular Monday was our church Ladies’ Night Out. Tuesday was the final Lord of the Rings screening and Wednesday night was church; so, that meant that the mowing was pushed to Thursday, which worked out well since it rained again on Tuesday – the yard had two whole days to dry out.

Yesterday after work, I went home and was ready to tackle the yard. I should have taken a before picture because it was so high I was embarrassed that it was my yard. It was probably close to two feet high. I am usually very prompt about mowing, but we had a drought and there was no need to mow and then when it started raining it didn’t stop for a couple of weeks and neither did the growing grass. I knew I would have to go over the yard twice and was prepared to do just that since I wanted it to look good once again.

The first thing I did was the weed eating, which had not been done since before Memorial Day. On Memorial Day, I had attempted to start the weed eater, but never succeeded and instead only ripped off a rather large piece of skin in the process. I was dreading trying to get the weed eater started, but miraculously, it started right up and I was able to get all the trimming done first.

Then I pulled the lawnmower out of the shed only to discover it was having issues. I got it cranked up and it would only run for about two seconds and this is not an exaggeration. I could count it one…two…dead. I cranked it up probably 20 times and each time this happened. I called my dad who was of no help and I should have known that would be the case because bless him; he doesn’t know anything about repairing lawn mowers. I ended up calling our family friends Naaman and Cheryl to see if I could borrow their mower. They live about a quarter of a mile from me, so I drove over and after a brief tutorial loaded it up and was on my way. I got most of the back yard’s first run knocked out and started on the front. I had emptied the bag a couple of times but when I emptied the bag a third time, I couldn’t get it to start back up. I gave Naaman a call but he was in a meeting so I went over to my handy dandy neighbor Jeff’s house and asked for his help. He couldn’t get it started either and so, he let me borrow his mower.

I told him I would try not to tear it up too. He tried to start it while we were standing on the sidewalk and it wouldn’t start. He said my property was cursed. I said, we should try to start it on the grass, which we did and it fired right up. I finished up mowing the front and went to the back and mowed it again and got all the grass bagged up and the sticks picked up and carried out to the street. I returned Jeff’s mower and he helped me load up Naaman’s. I returned it and told him what happened and told him to let me know if I owed him anything for causing it not to work.

My yard looks so much better and it will stay that way for a few days at least until it’s time to mow again. Before that time comes, however, I’m in need of a lawnmower repair person that won’t charge me an arm and a leg to get my mower repaired. If you know of anyone who works on mowers in the Huntsville area, please let me know in the comments. Hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend!

Freshly mowed lawn - the morning after