Watch that basket!

I had to mow today. Even though we haven't had rain in ages (months, I think) and I haven't watered, the grass in some of the less sunny areas is determined to grow. So, I went out there after I finished breakfast this morning.

When I bumped a low hanging limb it reminded me that I needed to watch out for the really low hanging basket that I mentioned in a post the last time I mowed...probably 3 or 4 weeks ago.) Less than a minute after telling myself to not run into the basket I ran into the basket. And it still hurt. This time I yelled a curse. When I finished mowing, I moved the basket to where I can't hurt myself anymore. I might as well have, the contents were dead anyway.

It ended up not taking long to mow. More than half the grass hadn't grown enough to be worth mowing. And that's a good reason not to mow, in my opinion.

The Royal Wedding

I hadn't seen any of the hoopla leading up to this event. I even forgot about it, actually, thinking it was tomorrow. I didn't remember until I checked Cousin J's blog about 12:30 and she had a couple of photos posted.

I found it on BBC America and DVR'd the wedding and then the highlights. It was uplifting to see so many people so ecstatic about this wedding. And the pageantry was stunning! The overhead shots inside the cathedral were wonderful. Kate was absolutely lovely and regal in her gorgeous gown. She looks every bit the royal and movie star beautiful to boot.

I certainly hope they'll have a wonderful life together. They had a beautiful beginning.

This was a very nice change from all the disasters we've been exposed to in the recent past...the tsunamis, the wildfires, the tornados...I'm glad I watched it!

Woes of the disconnected

In my last post I was so excited about having received my Verizon 4G modem. With incredibly bad timing, the 4G network apparently experienced a nationwide outage all day today. Talk about frustrating...especially since Verizon chose not to send a text message advising clients of the situation. I didn't turn on the computer until about noon and soon found that I couldn't connect through Verizon. Since broadband is still very new to me, I was helpless to know what to do. I couldn't even find a number for tech support, so I just kept trying to connect. Carolyn came over for some soup at lunch and reassured me that this happens sometime. Usually, in her case, she just keeps trying until connection is established. So, I kept trying...all day.

I was able to connect through my wireless service, but it remains slow and takes much longer than usual to load pages. I finally saw (via a link to MSNBC) that the 4G network was down nationwide. That reassured me, at least it relieved my concern that the modem was defective. So....I played FreeCell and tried to connect every once in a while...until, at 11 PM, it finally connected.

I don't like it when things don't work the way they should. But, it's working now...so I'm a happy camper again. It seems a little sad that being able to connect makes me happy. Sigh.

Better connections

Woo-hoo! I finally got my Verizon broadband modem and it's a big improvement over the wireless I have been using for the past few years. Don't get me wrong...the wireless was just fine until recently. Or, at least, it was usually fine. It requires line-of-sight to the tower and maybe trees between us and the tower have grown during the past few years and are now obstructing the signal. Or maybe it's just all the damn wind, bending the trees into the signal. Whatever it is, I just got dang tired of it and decided to go broadband.

I ordered it Friday, I think, and it came this morning by Fedex. It took just a little while to get it set up and "ta-da", I'm back online. This morning I didn't have any bars, but it was still working like a champ. This evening I have 4 bars! I'm pretty pumped! Can't wait to take it with me to the river, Schlitterbahn, the bay...yippee!

Of course, this means I will have to drop my current preferred email address when I discontinue the wireless. So, that's a pain. Don't know whether I want to use the gmail address I've had (but never use) for several years or go to yahoo! or hotmail.

Now, if I could just boost my cell phone signal here at home. I get a much stronger signal at Port Alto than I do here. Crazy!

It's War!

For at least a couple of weeks I've been waging a battle of wills against a pair of sparrows. They are determined to construct one of their nasty nests in my garage. If left alone, the nest would sport long "dreadlocks" of grass. I really hate those nests and the noisy chittering (too kind a word to describe the sounds they make) of the sparrows. I really hate the sparrows, too, if you want the whole truth.

As if the building of the nests isn't irritating enough, their flight path takes them over the back of my car, which they seem to have chosen as their latrine. So, it's on, baby!

I've have done the following to discourage them being in the garage:

Me: Stuck my head out the door and yelled at them to leave.
Them: Totally ignored me.

Me: Rushed at them while also yelling for them to leave.
Them: Flew around in a panic and left the garage until I got back in the kitchen, at which point they returned.

Me: Grabbed a broom and rushed at them while yelling at them to get out.
Them: Flew around in a panic and left the garage until I got back in the kitchen, at which point they returned.

Me: Sprayed the area with a wasp spray.
Them: Returned after it dried, apparently commenting on how fresh the place smelled.

(I should mention that when I grabbed the broom, a mop and something else fell off the rack and bounced off the front of my car. When I was replacing everything that fell, I scraped my arm on the bottom of the nearby cabinet. It didn't really bleed and will probably be all healed up in another week.

After my breakfast this morning, I headed to the garage with a couple of cans to crush. When I opened the door, the sparrows watched warily, to see if I was going to attack. I didn't, actually. I crushed the cans and then headed to the stepladder that I have set up under the garage door opener. The garage door opener that hasn't worked in about 20 years. Of course, it's unplugged...so maybe it would work...but, that's beside the point because we almost never have need to open that door. I climbed the stepladder to see if another nest had been started on top of the motor...and it had been. I got down and got the screwdriver to scrape the nest away. I had cleverly placed a large trashcan under the area during my last demolition. That way the nest materials fall into it and I don't have to clean it up. I climbed back up and took care of the nest, all the while telling myself to be careful and not bonk my head on anything.

While I was doing all that, I was trying to figure out how I could keep the enemy from building there. An idea began to form. A redneck, "there, I fixed it!" idea. You might have received an email or two with photos of repairs made using duct tape, pliers and other unconventional items. So, that's what I did. First, I put aluminum foil around the area and then I covered that with plastic.

When done, I took a photo, naturally, so I could share my evil genius with the world. The first photo shows what the motor looked like before my "work". I took it of the motor over my car, because I didn't think of "before and after" until it was too late. I suspect they will now start building on the motor over my car. Sigh.

I'm too stubborn to give up...but, I do wonder how far I will go to defeat these sparrows. I can't help but think of all the "clever" plans Wile E. Coyote came up with to trap the guileless, but oblivious Roadrunner, with only failure (and injury) to show for it.

Just call me Wile E.

Chasing eyelids

Just spent an interesting few minutes chasing my eyelids to apply eyeliner.  Picture trying to paint a line on sand.  As you move the brush, the sand keeps piling up in front of it.  That's what it was like...skin piling up ahead of the liner brush. 

One of these days, when my eyelids are real hazard to my sight, I guess I'll think about getting a little plastic surgery.  I remember an old joke about Ann Richards getting a facelift.  After the operation, the surgeon told her, "Good news, the surgery went well and there's enough skin here to make a pair of boots!" 

For the record, I'm not one who favors cosmetic surgery for myself.  It seems too much like tempting fate.  But, that's now...who knows what I might decide at a later time. 

Odds and ends

Geez!  I have so much I need to be doing in my office.  The pile of crap next to the computer just keeps growing!  Things get lost under there.  Well, not lost...just buried until I dig them out.

I've told myself to go through the piles and sort it out.  But "myself" isn't listening and is playing games instead.  Or going to ball games, or getting facials, or tending to my diet...which does, require some time.

Speaking of my diet, I have now lost 23.6 pounds and am well on my way to "Normal", per my Wii Fit program.  I am really happy with the way things are going.  True, I've only actually gone down one size, but I was about to bust out of the other size, so you could almost say it is two sizes...almost.  I hope to keep on eating this way...a healthy diet with a much reduced amount of food and no crazy snacking.  But...I know how I am...this, too, shall pass and I will succumb to the call of the Cheetos.  I just hope that when that happens, I can gather up my resolve and not let things get out of hand.  The bad thing is that the three pairs of crop pants I bought last year no longer fit.  I loved those pants.  I suppose I could take them to be altered, but what if I need big pants again?  No...I'll have to buy some replacements.

I still haven't added exercise to the weight loss regime.  I hate exercise, even the small amount that I'm supposed to be doing along with my diet.  Every once in a while I stretch...that should do it, don't you think?

I came in here to tackle the pile of papers, then decided to look at Coldwater Creek online to see if my crop pants were still available at their outlet store.  Yes!  If I needed a size 4.  So, no.  Plus, they all look hideous online.

So, instead of doing what I came in here for, I've checked email, looked at a couple of blogs...Oh, wait!  You have to see the cutest baby shower cake I've ever seen. 

Isn't that precious!!!  It was made by Annette Prochaska, from El Campo, the grandmother-to-be of Baby P.   Annette made Robin's wedding cake and groom's cake.  The groom's cake, if you don't remember, featured, among other things, a pole dancer.  I'll include one of the photos...what the heck!

Back to what I've done instead of paperwork...I've checked the movie schedule...I'm going to see The Lincoln Lawyer this afternoon.  I started to put on makeup earlier, but then decided to wait until I knew for sure I was going to the movie.  I hate having makeup on, but I like the way it makes me look...younger.

Enough!  I'm going to get the makeup on and then start on the paperwork.  Really.