So Much To Do!!!

 There's one thing about traveling ... coming home is never a relaxing experience.  Try as I might to just hang out with the kids and watch a little TV, it never seems to happen that way. 

As I mentioned, Dish Network has some severe problems that they have not been able to correct.  Their servers are still down, which meant when I called to have the ON button pushed at this house, I had a wait time of 1:16.  That's one hour and 16 minutes.  

It's also interesting to note that every time I call, I get someone out of the country.  This time the guy was from Nicaragua.  Really Dish Network?  Are ALL of your services outsourced?  Maybe that's why you can't get anything fixed.  

It always takes another 30 minutes to explain to them exactly what I need them to do.  Apparently they do not train their people well.  The kid had no idea what I was talking about.  It used to be that they left all three receivers on at one time.  Now, I'm only allowed to have one on, which means they must TURN IT ON every time I move.  He finally "got it" as I explained for the fifth time, and he sent the signal.  Woohoo ... I have TV.

Of course it rained all day long.  One slight break in the weather and I discovered the downspouts were again plugged up.  Time to drag out the ladder.  It's not leaves that plug it up, it's been raining so hard that the moss that grows on this section of the garage, comes off in big chunks, plugging up the hole. Yes, it's a pain, but I'm happy to say it's now working just fine.

While heading out to unload the truck, I was reminded that the Jeep battery needed to be reconnected.  Do you know if you touch that little post accidentally it gives you a nice little jolt???  Scared the heck out of me!!  

It's got to be done and there's no Prince Charming here, so I continued on.  All hooked up, I decided to attach the batter charger just for good measure.  I'll find out this morning if it starts or not.  It's always a roll of the dice. 

I was running out of Panda Express lunch, so I made a quick trip to the grocery store.  It's interesting that a big block of cheddar cheese at the most expensive Safeway store is $5.99 in Arizona.  Here in California, it's $7.99 at cheap Save Mart.  Chicken breasts are now $8.99 a pound, so I chose to buy a whole chicken for $11.00.  I had plans for him later in the day.

On the way home, I stopped off at the post office to mail my big folder of tax documents to the Accountant.  Accountants shouldn't hate tax time, but I do.  Why can't they do it all by email ... paperless?  Then it was on to dredging through that huge pile of mostly junk mail.  Wouldn't you know, I got TWO more tax documents to mail off.   99% of everything else went in the trash can.  Nice how the post office keeps the garbage people in business.  

Finally it was time to drag out the BBQ.  Oh to be able to call up George for his chicken recipe.  You all know who I'm talking about.  I thought I wrote it down, but couldn't find it.  

I gussied up the chicken ... a nice 5 pounder, a good choice over the ones in the store they pre-cook for you.  That's usually what I pick up, but on this day they were smaller than a Cornish game hen.  Seriously tiny at two pounds.  Yes, they were the same $8.99 price as what used to be a 5 pound bird.

I stuck my thermometer in what I thought was the thigh meat and set it on the Q.  I figured 90 minutes.  Suddenly it dawned on me I kept hearing a beep beep beep.  That CAN'T be ... it hasn't been but 45 minutes.  I reset the probe to a different spot and closed the lid.  

Although I completely forgot it and let it overcook ... it came out PERFECTLY tender and delicious.  You can't beat that crispy skin.  Thank you George!!!  I love this chicken, and so does Cooper, so it's a win-win.

About that time I realized my outside lights were on ... and it's daylight.  It's supposed to come on at dusk and go off at dawn.  How can such a tiny little thing cause me so much grief?

Here's the one inch square keypad.  Can you read any of that?  Me either.  To make it worse, I still have the instructions after 10 years, but they say hit the On-Off button.  There is NO on-off button.  It says  to hit the "mode" button, but again .... NO mode.

I spent three hours standing in the cold garage trying to reprogram this stupid thing.  It's all programmed correctly, but the lights refuse to turn on because every time I hit the MODE button to SAVE, it turned the lights off.  Over and over again, I reprogramed it ... 

Completely mad and frustrated, I just went inside at 10:30 and went to bed.  I'm pretty good at electronics ... and this just makes me crazier than I already am!!  All night long I thought I heard someone breaking in the garage because it's pitch black outside.  

BUT I remind myself ..... I'm still alive, so just quit yer worrying!!!!  

A big storm came through yesterday dumping about 3 inches of rain in two hours.  The 60 mph winds didn't materialize, at least not at my house.  The forecast says mostly sunny for the next ten days.  Thank goodness I'll have time to get all the fabric out of the trailer so I can get back to something I know how to do.  Sewing and quilting!!!

Oh ... the check engine light?  It went OUT.  More on that later.