Please, No More Vacations!

We took off for Iowa Saturday morning, which was good for us because there were some really high winds, tornadoes, etc. Friday night that we would have been in the middle of, had we left when scheduled. Bad for you, because the story lost its value from the travel adventure standpoint. :) We celebrated my niece's 16th birthday and Bill's birthday while we were there. I had unintentionally forgot his birthday,(I wasn't fully awake yet was the problem) so he started singing "Happy Birthday to me"...you have to hear Bill's singing voice to appreciate this, especially at 6:00am...Remember the old "Our Gang" series? Alfalfa could carry a tune much better. :) We counted 6 deer carcasses, 4 dogs and 3 coons on the way up, but that is as close to the wild life as we came this time. Bill and I came back Sunday evening since Sunday was hot and humid and the a/c on the van isn't working. We got home at 2:30 am...way past my bedtime.

Monday and Tuesday, it was 105 degree heat index here. We did what we could outside in the am and spent the early pm cooling our jets in the a/c until the late pm, when it would cool off a little outside. We got the siding almost done, although I did not do the job alone. In fact, I taught him how to do it and left the scene of the crime to go shopping for flooring for the mud room...I stayed gone a looooooooong time. On purpose, I assure you. About the time that hammer flew across the yard, I decided it was time for me to leave. The only reason the job did not get completed was that we were 5 pieces short...this stuff was special order, and I had to order a 2 square box (about 24 pieces) to do a 5 piece job. I may have a really fancy chicken house or shed, or dog house, with the leftovers.

By Wednesday afternoon, we were able to plant grass seed and spread straw in the heat...it was supposed to rain and we could not do another complete washout as we have been having the previous 2 times. We had 20 bales of straw delivered, which was not enough to do the job. We got 12 bales spread before the rain began. That was ok by me...I remembered the farming days and had a vision about why Dad always hired some young, eager kids when we were baling hay. He took the smart way out. :) And, I swore that if I heard Bill do his "Oh, me!" sigh one more time, I was going to make him swallow the remainder of his teeth. Later, I laughed and told him that this old man stuff just has to stop. He was driving me nuts...every 2 or 3 minutes...I had a job that needed to be done, I didn't need the commentary that went with it. Yes, it was hot. Yes, we were working. I realized also that I would never be a good parade waver...my arms hurt from shaking that stuff all over the place. I am still itching just thinking about this one. :) But, it has paid off, since as of yesterday the yard was in a green haze...a friend of mine hazarded a guess that it could be mold or mildew.

Thursday was my dental appointment and Bill went to get the panelling for the room. Not a big deal. It was everything else that became the big deal. I wrote a 5 page complaint letter to the mobile home place and gave them 30 days to fix the problems under warranty or else I would go to the BBB, the manufacturer and the banking institution allowing them to do business. They denied ever knowing there were any unresolved problems...Not true...Just that the salesman never passed the list to the worker bees before. And, all of the parts they had supposedly ordered so far to fix these problems? Equally not done. Anywho, Friday morning, I had 3 phone calls from 3 repairmen who were bound and determined that they were coming out, even if they could not fix my problems this time...makes a lot of sense to me...not. So, now Idiot 1 and Idiot 2 have done all they can do, and put together a list of things that need to be ordered, replaced, repaired, etc. The a/c guy didn't show up, because it rained. He rescheduled for today, so I kind of hope that 7 foot black snake that Bill found finds its way under the house about the same time as the a/c guy...it's not his fault. None of this is anyone's fault...and, when Bill gets his teeth pulled, the tooth fairy is going to visit him. I really don't care whose fault this all is...I expect it to be fixed promptly and properly...the smile is very optional on their part.

While Idiot 1 and Idiot 2 did their thing, I held two jobs...I was construction foreman for the panelling going on in the back room and supervising the Idiot twins inside. It became evident that I really had Idiot 3 outside, but he was not being paid on an hourly basis, so that was tolerable. :) And, Idiot 3 was in a surly mood, the Idiot Twins were in a surly mood, and...well, have you ever seen a genuinely happy foreman? :) I rest my case. ;) I had to keep the Idiot Twins separated from Idiot 3...safer on the furniture that way. What a day.

Saturday and Sunday, Bill and I worked on the room again...yeah, I know...it's 9 X 10. We are panelling. See the previous paragraph for my assessment of Idiot 3. It goes something like this...I measure, we take a break. He cuts one board, we take a break. He puts 3 nails in the board, we take a break. I'm not a type A person, for the most part. But, he doesn't fit type B, either, which leads me to believe that there has to be one more group that hasn't been classified, yet...call him type S, for slow. It took 3 days to do 1 1/2 walls and the ceiling. In defense of Idiot 3, he also had to wire in a new outlet and move a light fixture...wait a minute, I fished the wires through the wall about the time that hammer went flying again. I learned a few choice words this last week, too...can't wait to try them out. ;>

Anyway, that was my vacation. We have to go get the boys this weekend, so the road trip saga potential hasn't ended. Remember, you asked...