The Wednesday Hodgepodge # 270…

I’m sitting here, trying to concentrate, while several men attempt to remove and replace about one-half of the roof of our home.  This situation is difficult, and very real!  There’s just something about hearing a tin roof being ripped apart…  Up to this point, Ed’s done most of the work building and repairing our house.  Unfortunately, as Ed grows older, those days are becoming a part of our past.  We both hate hiring work to be done, but I sort of insisted (to keep Ed off the roof), and so here we are!  

Ah, Hodgepodge, take me away…. (and thanks to our hostess, Joyce, for this weekly distraction)

1. If you could sit beside and/or jump in any lake in the whole wide world today, which lake would you choose and why?

I don’t have a preference.  If I could, I’d jump in ANY lake today!  Our temperatures have been reaching 100 degrees, lately, and if you’re familiar with the south Georgia heat, you know that it is MISERABLE.

2. What’s your favorite ‘fruity’ drink?

I don’t know if I really have a favorite, but I’m going to say orange juice.

3. I read a list here of thirteen things to do right now to simplify your life. They were-

clean as you go, re-evaluate your relationships (cut toxic ties), unsubscribe (too many blogs and websites), de-clutter, write down your daily goals, reply to emails right away, forget multitasking, create a morning routine, re-evaluate your commitments (which hobbies and responsibilities are most important to you), say no, clean up your computer, and plan your day ahead

Which of the tasks listed do you currently find most helpful in keeping life simple? Which item on the list should you adopt in order to simplify your life this month?

I think planning my day ahead helps me keep things simple, as well as having a morning routine.  Lately, I’ve had to take a ‘leave of absence’ from the computer in order to get all of my tasks done, concerning the garden.  Seriously, gardening doesn’t leave much time for anything else!

4. What did you do the summer after you graduated from high school?

Three weeks after graduating, I married Ed and we moved to the city.  I spent the summer getting to know my husband again, and learning how to be a homemaker.  FYI:  Ed and I had spent the previous 21 months before our marriage, apart, while he served [in the army] in Okinawa.  

5. Are you a fan of podcasts? If so what’s a favorite?

I don’t know if I’m a fan of podcasts, or not, because I’ve never listened to one.

6. Do you think today’s fathers have it harder, easier, or just different from fathers in the past?

That’s a good question!  If I compare Ed’s life to that of his father, I’d say Ed had it easier than his dad did. However, if I compare our sons lives to Ed’s, then I’d have to say our sons have it harder.  I think today’s economy, social issues, and declining morality make parenting a lot more difficult than it used to be!

7. Tell us one way you’re like your father? Or not at all like your father if that’s easier?

My father enjoyed eating desserts of all kinds!  Unfortunately, I seem to have inherited his love of cakes, pies, and all things sweet.  It’s a constant struggle for me, since I have to limit my sugar intake.

Random:

I have not been able to see the Linky for “The Hodgepodge” in several weeks.  Since I can’t see the Linky, I can’t tell who is actually playing along, so I can visit them.  I have to depend on Joyce’s comments to find participants to visit, and for Joyce to add me to the list of participants, when she has time.  Why must life be so difficult???

In other news, life here in our neck of the woods has been quite busy.  During our small break from gardening (in between part “A” and part “B”, we helped our youngest son and his family get moved into their new home, last week.  I couldn’t move boxes, so my job fell under the heading of “baby sitter”, which was the most fun, of course!

I also managed to make a few more batches of blackberry jelly, which now total 7, in all. I remembered to snap a picture of one of the batches:

We have just a few short days left until our peas/beans/corn/tomatoes will be ready to harvest and can.  It could be as early as this weekend, which will also be our 44th wedding anniversary!  I took this picture of “Part B” of the garden, last week:

The deer and rabbits are getting  braver!  They’ve been nibbling our sweet potatoes and watermelon plants.  We’ve added another scarecrow, and are hoping to discourage the deer for just a while longer.  Deer just love peas, and can wipe out a crop in one evening.

Update: The men on top of our house are currently in the process of fastening the new tin down on top of our  house, now.  I can’t tell you how annoying the sound of that power drill is…over and over.  I think I may need some tension headache relief before this day is over!

 

 

Chillin’

We’ve been dealing with a leaky coil on our central air conditioning unit since Fourth of July weekend.  Actually, we’ve been dealing with it much longer than that, but it was then that the problem was actually discovered.  (We’d been wondering for months, why the floor in the hall was beginning to warp!)  After two different visits from repairmen, the company finally decided to order a replacement coil for our unit, which is less than four years old.

In the meantime, the temperatures outside have been reaching around 100 degrees for several days…and, in an effort to stay cool,  I’ve been staying inside with all of the mini blinds closed–about to lose my mind from being shut in!  I’ve also been thinking…I don’t think the air conditioning is working like it used to!   I figured I was hot due to the temperatures outside, and the fact that we cut down a couple of diseased trees and lost a bit of shade in our yard.

On Tuesday morning, bright and early, I was still wearing my pajamas and standing in the bathroom getting ready to dry my hair, when I heard the front door open.  I thought it was our granddaughter coming in for a visit.  It turned out to be the a/c repairman!  No phone call, and I didn’t hear a knock on the door–but suddenly he was standing there in the doorway calling out to me!  Luckily, I had some clothes in the bathroom with me!  Nothing like meeting a strange man in your pj’s!

The repairman soon set about doing his work, while I sat at my computer blogging.  Soon I saw flames from a welding torch, heard the smoke alarm going off numerous times, and watched the repairman go in and out of my house at least 50 times!  Thank goodness it had rained the night before, and cooled the temperatures down a lot outside–’cause it looked like the air would apparently be off for a while. 

Finally, with the house filled with fumes, and the temperature rising, I sought refuge at my daughter’s house.  At that point, the door had been taken completely off the hinges of the closet, and I had two very large air conditioner coils sitting on the front porch!

After a total of three and a half hours, the repair was finished, and I was able to return home.  Wow!  What a pleasant surprise I found upon my return!  After a short time, was actually COOL inside–just like it used to be.  Apparently, we had been low on freon in addition to having the leaky coil!

Our unit is still under warranty for parts, but I shudder to think what the labor cost will be for three and one half hours.  No matter– the closet floor is dry, I’m feeling cool again, and all is well with the world–for the moment!  I’ll be spending the rest of the days of summer just chillin’– at least until I get that repair bill in the mail!

So, How Did You Spend Your Long Weekend?

After spending last Fourth of July weekend fighting the crowds at St. Simon’s Island, we decided to spend the weekend at home this year.  No plans at all, just spending a four-day weekend at home, relaxing.

Our weekend began early on Friday, with an early morning trip to Wal-mart.  Oh-my-goodness!  I couldn’t believe the crowds–on a Friday morning!  Apparently, everyone else had the same idea–go early to beat the crowds!  So much for a relaxing morning…We grabbed what we needed and got out of there!

While we were out and about, we decided to check at the Big Lots store to see if we could find a couple of  patio chairs for our new back porch.  Sure enough, we found a set on sale, and decided to buy them–if they would fit in the back of the PT Cruiser!  They did, along with a small table, two matching, folding lawn chairs, and our groceries!!!    It never ceases to amaze me what we can fit into that little car!  We came home, put on a large pot of peanuts to boil, then sat in our new patio chairs.

On Saturday, my hubby decided to tackle a home project.   We’ve had a long counter with a pot cabinet underneath it, on one side of the kitchen, that didn’t have a middle shelf in it.  We’d bought the base cabinet 4 years ago, and never bothered to add a shelf.  All of that was about to change!  It took hubby most of the afternoon, but by Saturday evening we were stacking pots on the new shelf.  Why in the world didn’t we do that sooner?  Now I have twice as much storage space!

On Saturday night, about bedtime, my husband heard the sound of “rain” inside of the closet that holds our heating/air conditioning unit in the hallway.  Not a good thing!  Upon investigation, he discovered the condenser coils weren’t shedding water properly, and the result was a very wet closet area!  Water was literally falling like rain–inside of our house!  Hubby dried the floor the best he could, put down plastic, towels, and we went to bed.

Sunday morning we awoke to another flood inside of the closet!  Hubby mopped out a couple of gallons of water, then called the  A/C repairman.  For a mere ninety-eight dollars an hour, they would be glad to come out and check our problem!  We had no choice but to say “okay”.  It turns out that our condenser coils had developed a “film” on them which prevented the water from “sheeting off”  properly, and draining into the tray/pipes.  The repairman sprayed the condenser coils with something called  Electrasol, and the water began sheeting.  He told us he’d only seen this happen one other time.  Lucky us!  He also checked out our unit thoroughly, then left.  Just like that, problem solved–with a can of Electrasol.  So…ninety-eight dollars and a can of Electrasol later, we are now left with the chore of drying out our closet!  We are also left with a slightly unlevel floor area in the hallway…wood tends to buckle when wet!

Today is July Fourth, and hubby and I are spending it quietly at home, as planned.  We began the day by watching the prosecution’s “rebuttal” argument of the Casey Anthony trial.  I’ve watched the trial non-stop for the past three weeks, I certainly wasn’t going to miss watching it to the very end!  I’m still trying to get over the fact that court was held on Sunday and a holiday!

I’m about to take a nap.  It seems like a nice way to spend the second part of the afternoon.  I can hear the hum of hubby’s tractor, as he drags fallen trees out of the woods near our home.  That’s his idea of relaxation!

Late this afternoon, hubby will cook us a nice, meaty slab of ribs on the grill.  Umm…I’m excited about that.  That’s my idea of a great way to end a relaxing Fourth of July!  I hope you are enjoying your day, as well.  Happy Independence Day, everyone!