Tids and Bits

About a month after I started my Aunt's landscaping project (a.k.a. attack of the house of bees), I finally finished it yesterday. Because she doesn't have a lot going on, she tends to fixate on things and adds a sense of urgency on the task for something to do... a typical thing for older people, I think.  One of her favorite things is the set of hard-wired landscaping lights and a separately-wired statue of a black man (in the sambo style) holding a lantern, which, her having it (in and of itself) could be a whole 'nother blog post... but I digress.

If you've ever installed these lights, you know what a pain it is to hook them up... the connectors are very tempermental... you have to squeeze them just right to get them pierced so they make a connection... and they almost always go out periodically, either at the connection or the bulb. Eight lights in her bed... you do the math on how often I go over there to fix them, not including the timers (which need adjusted every time the electricity goes off).

I figured that I would just replace them, so I pulled out the old wires from the ground (which is what upset the bees to begin with) and laid new wiring and connected 10 new lighting pods.  When I turned them on, only one of the ten actually lit, which meant that I had to dig up the connections and play with the intricate connectors and wiggle the bulbs... about ten minutes or so each... which wouldn't have been bad except it started raining midway... and there was no way that I was stopping and having the project delay any further (i.e. having to go through another round of "when are you coming over... when are you coming over").  Five bee stings... 16 5-gallon buckets of weeds and clumped dirt... raw fingers... muddy shoes (and ass... I fell)... and 10 bags of red (ugh) mulch later... it was done.  Another nagging project off the board.  Nothing is ever simple.

I went to pick up the utility trailer that I found on Craigslist which was about an hour away in no-man's land.  the retired guy that had it was very nice and helpful... of course nothing was easy with that as well... my trailer hitch was rusted and wouldn't go in... the hitch ball was the wrong size... I couldn't find an ATM machine out in Amish country... we had to go to this trailer park with this odd woman to transfer the title and, lastly... the hitch lights didn't work when I connected them.  I got the trailer home and have been working on getting the lights to work... I have to take the car to have the wiring looked at today.  It's a nice trailer... it tilts for easy loading, has a third wheel... a wench... and the sides are removable... which I will have to rebuild higher so that I can put mulch and leaves in it.  It's perfect for what I need... and for building my business nextSpring... I'll probably get a riding mower now and expand with bigger jobs.

Autumn is upon us... It's been raining so much that it's hard to enjoy the Fall... but it is much cooler, which I love.  I used to have a kayak years ago but sold it when I moved, so I bought another one the other day.  I got a great deal on it... and I like that it has two dry compartments.  And despite my fear of deep water and drawing toward being solitary as I grow older, there's nothing I enjoy most than being out in the middle of a lake by myself where no one can get to me.

It's fall festival time as well... and October is a busy time for me with the ones that I usually attend.  With the break in the rain, next week looks like 7 days of sun and 60-something degrees... and with peak foliage color change about to happen, I have decided to head up and see Sean in Albany (Idle Eyes and a Dormy).  I'll leave on Monday and come back on Friday... and will be stopping in the Poconos at one of my favorite places... Bushkill Falls.