Some of My Windows Are Hard to Reach

Word of the Day

Hicurp - The unintended act of burping immediately following a hiccup.

That Tree Guy stopped by last night to let HTP and me know that he'd be here REALLY early in the morning to take out those five oak trees. Actually, upon consideration, there's a partial tree that needs to be removed as well so....make that six trees. I'll tell him if and when he arrives. I always get up early so when That Tree Guy told me he was going to start REALLY early I wasn't too concerned. Gypsy and I have done all our outdoor things for right now. I won't be too happy if That Tree Guy doesn't show up this morning. He promised that he'd be here this morning, barring a tornado, or hail storm. Though we got a bit of rain last night, there was no hail. The sky is blue this morning and I don't think there's any rain in the forecast. May That Tree Guy has a different definition for REALLY early than me.

I had to redo my Earthboxes yesterday. Sis did some research and it turns out that I can't use topsoil in my Earthboxes. *sigh* I have to use really expensive potting mix...not to be confused with potting soil, which I can't use either. There isn't supposed to be any fertilizer in the potting mix which, according the forums that Sis read, is almost an impossible thing to find these days. So...they reluctantly tell you that if you must, you can use potting mix with a 3 month fertilizer in it. Anyway, I had to remove all the topsoil that I'd put in the Earthboxes. Thankfully, I'd filled all the Earthboxes (all but the two that haven't arrived as yet) with the used potting mix that I'd had in the two Earthboxes I used on the deck last summer. All I had to do was scoop off the layer of topsoil in each box. This task doesn't sound all that hard. The scooping part of the job wasn't hard at all. I scooped the topsoil into an old plastic bucket which I'd planned to throw away because it has a crack in the bottom so it leaks. However, it worked great for carrying topsoil that couldn't be used in the Earthboxes. The hard part was carrying that heavy bucket (six trips...no tripping) off the deck, into the house, out the front door, down the steps, across the driveway, down the side of the garage, across the yard in back of the garage, and into the garden where I dumped the topsoil onto a small lasagna garden that I started last year. I'm sure that the topsoil will work well there. I ended up carrying 160 pounds of topsoil out to the garden. The return trip with the empty bucket was no big deal. I did have one big bag (2 cu. feet) of the potting mix with 3 month fertilizer which I hauled in from the garden. I had intended to use that for my flower containers but since I don't have any flowers for containers as yet, I used it for the Earthboxes. I'll need more. I figure that I'll need at least three more bags of potting mix for the Earthboxes when you include the two that haven't arrived as yet. Plus, I'll have to buy another bag of the stuff for my potted flowers, herb containers. I wonder how many calories I burned up re-doing everything yesterday? Gypsy has been watching all my crazy activities since we've arrived here at The Lake. She hasn't actually said anything as yet but I've noticed some wide-eyed and puzzled looks.

It's almost 7 AM. That Tree Guy hasn't arrived as yet. On the plus side...I have really clean windows. So far no birds have been sacrificed to my clean windows. I'm going to call the window cleaners and schedule a repeat trip for next spring. Eleven years is a bit long between window cleanings. The crew was too polite to mention how dirty my windows were (to my face) but when they moved on to my sister's place to clean her windows they asked her how long it had been since I'd had my windows cleaned. They had to use steel wool on some of my windows to get the water spots off. She reassured them that cleaning my windows would be a lot easier the next time but didn't tell them that it had been eleven years and I'd NEVER had anyone clean my windows since the house was built. Eleven years of grime and sun-baked water spots....not to mention the bug and wasp spray that never actually hits the exact spot where you're spraying. I'm going to call the window cleaners on Monday to schedule another cleaning for the spring....if only to prove to them that my windows don't get so incredibly dirty from just one season's use. I am not a slob. I just don't do windows....at least not the ones that require the use of a 40-foot ladder.

Murphyism of the Day

Lee's Law

In any dealings with a collective body of people, the people will always be more tacky than originally expected.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Politeness, n. The most acceptable hypocrisy.

- Ambrose Bierce (1842 - 1914)