I made it!

You know, I make jokes all the time about being chief operating officer of the duct tape and band-aid brigade, but honestly? It's not really all that far from the truth. Sometimes I think nothing around here works when I/we need it. Do you ever have that problem? We seem to be having non-technical difficulties inside and out this week. Why is it (as long as I'm on a min-rant here *laugh*) that I struggled to get my computer and phone to sync, which was supposed to be easy-peasy but developed digital hiccups, yet our refrigerator and oven are deteriorating in perfect synchronicity? The oven has either a malfunctioning keypad or "box". Naturally, both items are heinously expensive to replace, and (of course) there's no way to know for sure which one needs to be replaced (replacing both would be more than half the cost of a new oven). As a result, we're learning to do the "new math". Baking at 400 is done at 399 (the zero doesn't work) and setting the timer for 40 minutes equates 39:59 (because the 1, 4, and 7 don't work either). Pretty annoying, but until I win the lottery (and HaHaHa) I can afford to be annoyed more than I can afford a new oven. The refrigerator has decided it would rather be a freezer, and for some reason it has started freezing anything we put on the bottom shelf. [Photo inset: my duct tape stash - DH calls it 100mph tape}

Surprisingly, DH, his work schedule and the weather all cooperated (a rare happenstance, that ;o) and I was SO thankful considering the twelve foot weeds in the pasture. Too bad the sprayer had a flat tire; one which had no desire to air back up. The tire was unwilling to be removed, a small war ensued, and many bad words were snarled. (Jen bailed in the heat of the battle ;o) Didn't I say I was waiting for the other shoe to drop? Kerplunk. Of course by the time the tire was repaired it was too doggone dark out to spray. Why was I even surprised? The chainsaw has also crumped, which makes perfect sense since DH and I found another tree down in the far back corner of the pasture. It is on the fence (where else?) and though it didn't break - whew! - it did compress it, so we need to get it off before you-know-who finds it and decides to see if Mr. T. still has a vegetable patch in his yard (I am, of course, referring to Mad Max, who else?) While we do have a second fence beyond that one, you can't be too careful when dealing with a hoovenile delinquent, and I'd rather be sane than sorry (and no, that wasn't a typo *grin*) [Photo inset: messy, but you can see how the fence is compressed and just see the trunk in the top left corner of the photo]

One of the things that did go well this week was I got to shoot a bird (bwahahaha ;o) No, no, no, not that kind silly! Anni, if you're 'listening' - I got him I got him I got him! The Cardinal. The one I've been stalking for months. I swear, any time I stepped outside, sans camera, he was right there. If I had the camera with me, he was gone in a flash (HA that was a good one ;o) He'd stop just out of sight and start singing. Mocking me. I know that's exactly what he was doing; the little cretin. I'm pretty sure I've taken about a hundred lousy photos of him, although I think I did get one other shot that wasn't too awful awhile back. Actually, I suppose we had considerably more than just one thing. This is as far as I got with my post this week. Why? Because DD and her entourage have been here for most of it, and she's been helping me with the patio project (excuse me for swearing).
Between DD, Kimby and our pint-sized volunteers (this post), we've gotten quite a bit accomplished in the past two weeks *WOOT* Here is a photo update of our progress (along with a couple of other random and irrelevant shots because, well.... because ;o)

Random like this tiny Carolina Wren who finally paused long enough for me to grab a hasty shot with the camera. They're almost never still, but they are SO cute!

Okay, okay, back on task here. DD helped me lug the half barrel planter around to the patio and I planted some Zinnias in it. Maybe next year I can put a knockout rose in there (that's what I wanted to start with, but the checkbook said NO *laugh*). Have to say I do love the mixed colors and blooms though. Aren't they pretty?

I finally hung the welcome sign my Mom bought me forever and a day ago next to a hanging basket with some Summer Purslane. I'll take an updated photo once it grows a bit more - it's very pretty too. Should I add that people will be coming from the other direction, so that's why it's backwards?

The entourage supervised from their favorite place on the planet: the big drum. I think they like feeling "tall". Faith seems to be saying, "What? We're sunning." (the lawn mower has also been acting up; can you tell? The dogs almost completely disappear in the grass - we can only see their tails ;o)

We got the outhouse sign hung (remember my Picture Happy Potty Post? Click here if you missed it) and the hose minder up. Now I just have to finish painting the sink so DH can hook it up and we can have water! *WOOT* Not the best shot, but you get the idea...

I tried to capture a bird perched high up in the tree top, but he took off. I still got him, but it's definitely not the crisp, clear shot I was looking for (guess I'll take it, though ;o)

The best thing? I finally finished painting the horse DD cut out for me a REALLY long time ago and we hung it up by the sink. I've got another neat welcome sign made out of horseshoes that I think I'll put up there (we want our visitors to feel really, really welcome *laugh*). We also moved one of Bella's pedestals over by the sink so little kids could borrow it to wash their hands after visiting the horses. I think she did an awesome job. What do you think?

I have to say, we were all pretty doggone (hee) worn out by the end of each day. We got quite a bit done; though there's lots left to do. I really hope there aren't any horrible errors and/or typos in this post, as I have not been very diligent in my proofreading this week (I'm pretty doggone tired myself). If I've made any, please accept my profound apologies. As for now, it's time to get back to work. *groan*

Have a blessed week everyone!

I survived the first week of school... Woot! One thing about being an educational interpreter is that it changes from one year to the next; you are "assigned to" the student and not the school. The good news being that if you don't like the particular school you're in, hang in there because you won't be there forever. Of course the bad news is if you love a school or its faculty, you just have to suck it up because you don't get to stay.
I struggle with the transience of my job from year to year and school to school; change is so NOT my thing. This year was another move from elementary to middle school, which meant all new surroundings, faculty, and rules (and the older I get, the harder all this "new" is for me to process ;o) So far though, I love it. Too often, interpreters and deaf students are the red-headed stepchildren at a school (nobody wants an extra grownup in their classroom, for one thing), but so far everyone has been extremely easy to work with (and talk about a load off... whew!). I even have a real chair and a little space to call my very own in the resource room (a rare occurrence). Don't I feel special? You'd better believe it! *grin*

I spent most of Saturday working on the new feed room, but got precious little done (although I was pretty darn productive with the epithets). Meh :o|  DH finally managed to finish out the old patio wall to make the underwriters happy, and the inspector was here last Friday (we're supposed to close Monday afternoon - Halleluiah!) One thing I wasted considerable time on was cleaning up DH's [counter] productive pig piles all over the place. I'm not sure if it's because he worked construction or simply because he's such a manly man, but he seems to feel obligated to alternately drop or toss stuff everywhere and just leave it. Sawdust, screws, wire casings, nails, wood scraps and heaps of old vinyl siding; you name it, he chucked it into a pile on the patio and went on his merry way. I alternately shoveled, swore and swept all manner of crappola to get at least some of it out of the doggone way. Probably a good thing he wasn't around, as I might have been tempted to take a swing at that great big block he calls a head with my trusty broom. Seems I'm still just a titch cranky about it, eh? Heh heh. Ooops.

Look who I found snuggled up underneath the gate latch on my way to the pasture the other day and starting to make his cocoon. Is that cool or what? You can even see where he's attached himself to the circle above the hook (coooool :o) I had quite a time trying to get a picture of him, as my camera kept focusing on the metal parts of the gate hook. He was only there for a couple of days, and in such an awkward place to shoot that this is the only photo I managed to get. Anybody know what he is? He's got Monarch coloring, but I remember them as fuzzy caterpillars (or does that come off before they do the chrysalis thing?) I have no idea, I just know it was awfully annoying trying to open and close the gate without bothering him. Any amateur entomologists out there? Inquiring minds want to know...

Still have an awful lot to do on the feed room, but I did take a few photos of what I've gotten done so far to share. In a stroke of genius (okay, maybe just good thinking but I'm counting it ;o) I got three of these heavy duty moving dollys from Harbor Freight (on sale for $9.99 each). I put the freezer on one, which will allow me to easily pull it out for sweeping and bug spraying. This one I will use for the feed bags; I put an old piece of screen underneath which will - I hope - keep the mice at bay. I made a quick trip to the Habitat for Humanity Restore and splurged (ha) on two rolls of .25c wallpaper in a mottled pattern to cover the foam board insulation. Somehow, I didn't see white as the optimal color in a perpetually dusty room (not to mention that styrofoam tends to come with its own static cling issues). Here's what I've done so far, bearing in mind that I have an awfully long way to go yet. There are double doors going into the feed room which will keep halters and lead ropes nice and handy. This is the [unfinished] one on the right for the Moo Crew:

and here's the one on the left, which I've started on:

The halters fit pretty well, I think:

After bonking my head half a dozen times, I moved the big shelf with the feed buckets up several slots. The ceiling isn't in yet, but hopefully DH will get that taken care of this week (WITHOUT making a phenomenal mess in my nice, clean feed room). It's pretty cramped in there, but hopefully with a little ruthless organization and creative contemplations I'll end up with a nice functional space. That's the plan, anyway ('course we know how the best laid of those go, don't we? ;o)

Have a blessed week everyone, and please say a prayer for those in the path of the hurricane. Thankfully, it shifted away from us but I sure do hate to see anyone hit by a storm. Horsey hugs!